Not to be viewed by the public

2011-11-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share these photos with you. As you know I have been working with lighting techniques lately. These images were all about seeing the light. The day was overcast but there were a few rays escaping the clouds. They happened to be illuminating the leaves. Most people let these moments pass them by, not noticing the subtleties of beauty in nature. This is why I love photography. It slows me down enough to see God's artwork and to use mine to capture it.

2011-10-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

So, I'm continuing the light theme here. I posted several images that focus on back-lighting. This can be a hazard for cameras that only have automatic settings. You will likely have a completely dark subject when you try to pull this off. With a few tricks in manual mode, it can add some life to your photos. The idea is to place your subject's back to the light-source. The hair will pick up the highlights and the rest of the subject will be evenly exposed (well lit) if done correctly.

A note on camera exposure: Every camera has a light meter. Most cameras utilize a kind of matrix metering where the camera tries to balance between the light and dark portions of the image to create an accurate exposure. The result is a best guess to what you envision when making the photograph. Because the camera can only see a certain range of light, the result doesn't always represent what you saw in real life. Often the camera compensates for back-lit images by making the entire image darker. It does this because it thinks the back-lit portion is too bright. I say, it is ok if some of the highlights are a little "too" bright. For the most part, what you want to worry about is the face of your subjects. Make sure they are not too bright or not too dark and don't worry about the rest of the photo as much. Of course once you have this technique down, you can start to be more concerned with the rest of the image. One thing at a time. Make sure your subject looks great.

2011-09-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

In the above images, I am working with two different lighting concepts. Both concepts are concerned with how dark or light the background is, and whether the subject is in the light or in the shadow when the photo is taken. On the top image, I chose a dark backdrop, and chose to stick the subject in the sun. In the bottom image, I reversed the scenario with a bright backdrop and shadowed subject. At first this may seem counter-intuitive; however, it begins to make sense when you explore the topic from the camera’s point of view.

Top image:

Concept: dark backdrop/subject in light

I chose a dark backdrop so I could have an overall evenly exposed image. The background is close to the same exposure (when read by the camera’s meter) as the subject’s faces. The subject is in the light, so there is a halo-like effect in their hair and on the rim of their bodies. If I chose a light background in this situation, then it would be completely blown out (too bright to see detail in the highlights). See dynamic range in the previous post to understand why this might occur.

Bottom Image:

Concept: light backdrop/subject in shadow

For this image, I chose a fairly light background and placed my subject in the shade. To get an accurate exposure of the subjects, while not blowing out the highlights or the brighter areas of the sky and building, I had to use a flash. This was perfect for me because I didn’t want the harsh ambient light of the noonday sun to create ugly shadows on my subject’s faces. All of the light on the subjects is coming from a flash and not from the surrounding environment. In this way, I can create a softer look, while creating an evenly exposed image.

My overall goal with these experiments is to increase my confidence while shooting under any lighting conditions. Not all weddings and receptions take place from six to nine in the morning or after seven o’clock at night where the lighting is phenomenal. People don’t cease to function when the lighting isn’t perfect. A photographer needs to be skilled enough to adapt to whatever is thrown his or her way. Working with light can be one of the trickiest challenges in the profession, but it is also one of the most important (from the standpoint of image quality).

2011-08-25T00:58:00.000-07:00

This photograph represents a new (at least to me) technique I like to call “framing with light”. The idea is to find pockets or streaks of light that are framed by unique patterns of shadows. Here, I placed this person’s face directly in the sun’s rays (without the subject staring straight at the sun) and shot for a natural skin tone for the highlights, not caring whether the darks were too dark. Most of the time, this situation might be better off avoided due to the dynamic range of the camera; however, strategically done, it can produce some interesting results. In case you are having trouble visualizing it, the technique is what is happening with the lights and shadows on the subject and on the tree. I picked the backdrop (the sky) to lighten the overall feel of the photograph and to enhance the overall technique.

A note on dynamic range: as you may know, the camera’s dynamic range (range from lightest lights to darkest darks) is smaller than what the human eye can capture even without dilating or constricting the pupils. Because of this, a photographer will often times shoot for the highlights or for the shadows and let the rest of the photo go where it may. When shooting for the highlights (in high contrast situations), the shadows are often darker than what the eyes see and when shooting for the shadows, the highlights are often brighter than what the eyes see.

2008-07-28T21:53:00.001-07:00

2008-07-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

2008-07-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Flamingo war zone

2008-07-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

2008-07-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Flight of the Navigating Swan

2008-07-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Three Suns Aligning

2008-07-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Flower Petals and Fire Flies

2008-07-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

Cosmos

2008-07-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Smiling Flowers

2008-07-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

Arbor El Radiante...and some jibberish

2008-01-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

Middle Ages Ago

2008-01-08T22:39:00.001-08:00

2008-01-08T22:33:00.000-08:00

No matter how cold the winter

2008-01-08T22:01:00.001-08:00

Insurmountable

2008-01-08T21:55:00.001-08:00

Last Breath

2008-01-08T21:51:00.001-08:00

Wheaton, Illinois

2008-01-08T21:50:00.001-08:00

One of the many churches in Wheaton, Illinois

2008-01-08T21:46:00.001-08:00

Hosp Grove

2007-12-19T23:03:00.003-08:00

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2007-12-19T23:01:00.001-08:00

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2007-12-19T22:54:00.001-08:00

2007-12-19T22:53:00.001-08:00

2007-12-19T22:52:00.001-08:00

2007-12-19T22:50:00.001-08:00

Into the unknown

2007-12-03T22:13:00.001-08:00

Looking forward 2

2007-12-03T22:12:00.001-08:00

Looking forward

2007-12-03T22:11:00.001-08:00

Phoebe in Laguna Beach

2007-12-03T22:09:00.003-08:00

2007-12-03T22:09:00.001-08:00

2007-12-03T22:05:00.002-08:00

upon awakening

2007-12-03T21:57:00.001-08:00

Untitled

2007-10-21T01:28:00.001-07:00

untitled until further notice

2007-10-15T17:00:00.001-07:00

This is an image of a tree that I initially drew half of. I handed the picture over to Phoebe to draw the rest of the tree...and apparently a little girl and a bird. She returned it back to me then I tweaked it a little in photoshop. I hope you like our joint effort.

A new found photographic technique

2007-10-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

The next few photos of Phoebe were taken with slide film in a 35mm slr camera then scanned into my computer. The lens is a standard 50mm lens. There is no post production in any of these photos. All of the blur effects were done in camera. The technique involves removing the lens from the camera body itself and tilting the lens in any direction in a close proximity to the camera body. For the desired effect I use the lens's aperture setting 1.8. The end result is a fairly controlled blur effect at any given point within the frame--not far from the results you might expect from a lensbaby. At any rate, enjoy the somewhat uncharacteristic photos of Phoebe.

2007-10-04T22:27:00.003-07:00

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2007-10-04T22:26:00.003-07:00

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2007-10-04T22:25:00.001-07:00

2007-10-04T22:21:00.001-07:00

Phoebe Bradley

2007-09-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

To whom it may concern, this is my girlfriend. To whom it may not concern...why are you looking at my website? She is a wonderful woman I believe everyone should have the privilege to meet. I'm not suggesting if you happen to live in another part of the country or world that you should immediately take a flight just to see her (though you might benefit from it). In order to alleviate some questions, I will proceed to tell you how we met and perhaps a little bit about why I like her (though not extended). We technically met at Renee Johnson's birthday party (I feel like a kid again). To be honest, I thought she was a little old fashioned (She reminded me a bit of my Aunt Julia...mainly her modest dress and pleasant demeanor). Later I rediscovered her at the church I go to, called the Fields. After some conversations with her, my notion of her being old fashioned changed. There is a truth revealed in her modesty usually not seen in the world today. Instead of gawking at her outer beauty, I find myself seeing more clearly her inner beauty(though, by the way, I also find her very attractive). We are currently enjoying getting to know each other as friends and seeing where things will go.

Into the forest

2007-09-29T14:28:00.001-07:00

Elfin Forest, blue river 1

2007-09-29T14:27:00.002-07:00

Elfin Forest, blue river 2

2007-09-29T14:27:00.001-07:00

Elfin Forest, blue river 3

2007-09-29T14:15:00.003-07:00

Images in a dream 1

2007-09-29T14:15:00.001-07:00

Images in a dream 2

2007-09-29T14:14:00.001-07:00

Images in a dream 3

2007-09-29T14:12:00.001-07:00

Can anyone see the gnome?

2007-09-29T14:08:00.001-07:00

Elfin River

2007-09-29T14:07:00.001-07:00

Bark, bark (unlike a dog)

2007-09-29T14:00:00.001-07:00

Good morning leaves

2007-09-29T13:56:00.001-07:00

Leaves on a branch

2007-09-29T13:55:00.001-07:00

Leaves (you want a better title, come up with one!)

2007-09-29T13:49:00.001-07:00

Oceanside harbor

2007-09-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

It's a boat

2007-09-29T13:45:00.001-07:00

Scott & Jessica's Wedding 1

2007-09-29T13:43:00.002-07:00

Scott & Jessica's Wedding 2

2007-09-29T13:43:00.001-07:00

Scott & Jessica's Wedding 3

2007-09-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Portrait of me by Jennifer Saracino

2007-09-13T22:25:00.001-07:00

Yosemite unearthed series

2007-07-31T01:16:00.000-07:00

The next series of images (It should be obvious when the series ends), were some I hadn't developed from my trip to Yosemite. I had shot a half roll and was waiting to finish shooting the rest before spending the money to develop. Oddly enough, these pictures along with some of the wedding photos were on the same roll...very professional I know. Back to this series of images, I tried several different techniques to scan the images into the computer (I generally shoot with slide film). I was happy to end up with this particular look. A side note: no digital effects were used other than the straight forward process of scanning slides. I will proceed to give you a list of ingredients so you too can get the same look: all you will need is a nikon coolscan 5000, a well developed slide, two blank slides, one amber colored slide, and a tube of toothpaste...happy trails...

Giant Grisly (Sequoia)

2007-07-31T01:15:00.002-07:00

2007-07-31T01:15:00.001-07:00

2007-07-31T01:14:00.000-07:00

2007-07-31T01:13:00.000-07:00

Paul and Summer's Wedding

2007-07-31T01:05:00.000-07:00

I have been good friends with Summer for a while. Recently, I have had the privilege to know and become friends with Paul. It is an honor to be the one to photograph their wedding.

Summer

2007-07-31T01:02:00.000-07:00

The exchange

2007-07-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

The vows

2007-07-31T00:57:00.000-07:00

and of course...the kiss

2007-07-31T00:56:00.000-07:00

The wedding day

2007-07-31T00:55:00.000-07:00

Hand in hand

2007-07-31T00:50:00.000-07:00

2007-07-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

This may look more like the actual print on your computer

Light Tunnel

2007-07-02T00:59:00.000-07:00

I submitted this image into the San Diego fair as a student entry. Little did I know when visiting the fair, we received a first place. The placement for the international fair entries are posted online, however the student fair entries aren't; so I wasn't sure what to expect. To state the obvious, I was plesantly surprised. For those curious types, I will unmistify this image a bit. There were three photographers (Kelly, Courtney, and I) working in the dark for four minutes to create this image. The technique we used is called light painting. A photograph is merely comprised of light. Angle, intensity, and quality of light falling on a subject are all factors in producing a photograph. For this image, three people wearing dark clothing are painting the tunnel with light using colored filters while the shutter was held open for four minutes. The people remain invisible because no light is registering off of the dark non-reflective clothing. I hope to continue using this technique with the friends mentioned above in the near future.

Butterfly Eyes

2007-06-12T01:29:00.000-07:00

This image was accepted into the Del Mar fair's international photography exhibit...I feel a little strange referring to Kelsi as an image.

2007-06-12T01:28:00.004-07:00

The following pictures I took at the San Diego Zoo...thats all the information you get.

2007-06-12T01:28:00.003-07:00

2007-06-12T01:28:00.001-07:00

2007-06-12T01:27:00.002-07:00

2007-06-12T01:27:00.001-07:00

2007-06-12T01:26:00.002-07:00

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2007-06-12T01:25:00.000-07:00

2007-06-12T01:24:00.000-07:00

District Manager of Panera Portraits

2007-05-08T18:26:00.004-07:00

The following images of the District Manager of Panera Bread were taken for my portrait class as an environmental photo assignment. All I asked for was 30 minutes of his time; as it turned out he allowed me to shoot the majority of the afternoon.

2007-05-08T18:26:00.003-07:00

2007-05-08T18:26:00.001-07:00

2007-05-08T18:25:00.001-07:00

Paul and Summer

2007-05-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

These are good friends of mine who are getting married. I will be taking their wedding photos. This outing was an attempt at developing a style for their photographs.

Portraits of Amanda Yager

2007-05-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

I took some portraits of Amanda after we went shooting at the Cayote Bar. This is yet again for an assignment for my Portrait class. The strobe (flash) is supposed to be the main light source for this assignment. It also had to take place outdoors.

Dancing Chaps

2007-05-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

This couple was great to photograph...they didn't seem to have any reservations about being in front of the camera...once again this could be because of the alcohol...

I also love the couple behind and to the right. Every photo I have of that couple in the background the guy is twirling the girl in the exact same way...I started to wonder what other moves they might have in their repertoire...if any.

Late night boogie

2007-05-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

This particular photo was taken at Cayote Bar & Grill in Carlsbad, Ca. The manager was nice enough to allow me to set up a small studio lighting kit and photograph people dancing to a live band. No one in the crowd had any issues with being photographed...this could have been because everyone was a bit drunk. Amanda (a friend of mine) and I had a good time going trough the proper procedures to get the shoot in the first place. I found myself to be a lot more confident in a two man (man/woman) team. I would like to do this sort of thing more often.

Mountains

2007-04-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

Vernal falls w/ a rainbow

2007-04-12T14:11:00.001-07:00