The Photographer's Journey

A Question of Balance

2011-10-02T10:47:00.014-04:00

Getting white balance perfect is always one of the many elements a photographer struggles with. For any non-photogs or beginners out there, white balance is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. Our eyes do it automatically, instantly making adjustments so our brains perceive not just whites, but all colors correctly, no matter what temperature the light is. The light has to have some major color added to it before our brain tells us a white sheet of paper, which we know is suppose to be white, is no longer white.

Different light temperatures are the culprit of weird colored photos, usually bouncing back and forth from the blue/green, cool side (under 5000 k) side of the scale to the yellow/orange side (over 5000k) with 5000k being the normal, daylight color at 12 noon that the Kelvin scale is based off of. A camera sensor has to have the temperature of the light programmed into it so that it renders the photo image colors correctly. Most new digital cameras do have an automatic setting that will get you close to the right temperature, but I haven't used one yet that completely nails it with out some fine tuning. You can also usually choose a specific setting with your digital camera (such as daylight or florescent) if you know you'll be in that same light for awhile, or you can even manually put in the exact white balance using various methods depending on your make and model of camera.

The trick for us, especially with weddings, is the light you are in is constantly changing and you really don't have the time to be adjusting white balance "in camera" every 5 minutes. Any amount of time spent fooling around with camera settings is probably photo opportunities missed. So we choose to do most of our photo "white balancing" later in our post processing at home.

The two things that makes this method very simple for us is : We use Lightroom for editing, and we carry a Gray Card.

There are myriads of gray card manufacturers out there, all really the same, but the one we use is the WhiBal 3 1/2" x 6" model. Ours is an older model, so it looks a little different than the new one from B & H, but what we love is it fits in a back pocket but still has some size to it so it's easy to find quickly when you want it. Just pull it out at different spots in the venue, hold it in front of you and take a photo of it, then forget about white balance unless the light changes or you move to a different area. Then just grab it, take another pic of it and continue on. Later at home in Lightroom, all you have to do is grab the Gray Dropper tool, click it on the gray card, and like magic it transforms into the correct white balance. Then just apply that same WB to the rest of the photos taken in that area. Simple as that. Just a couple of clicks and all of the images taken in that area have perfect white balance.

Actually, the biggest problem is remembering to take a photo of the gray card. You just get into the "capturing the moment" zone and sometimes the artistic/documentary side of us over runs the technician side.

The above wedding would have been a royal pain with trying to set white balance without the gray card. There was natural evening light coming in the window at around 6000k, incandescent lights everywhere at around 2700k, and then occasionally using flashes which are around 5500k...we would have been changing camera settings after every few shots! But using the method above, at home we spent maybe 15 minutes total adjusting WB on all 1500 final images in Lightroom. Definitely the way to go when you find yourself in a constantly changing environment.

Jeffrey

Question's for your wedding photographer.

2011-08-06T09:10:00.007-04:00

We've recently noticed a lot of advice online in different Bride and Wedding forums on what new brides should be concerned with and the specific questions that they should ask any potential photographers that they may want to hire for their special day. While some of the questions we see are definitely important, some are not as big of a deal in the overall scheme of things, so we thought we'd kind of put together a response from the photographers side, and maybe it'll be helpful for you, even if Morristowne Photography isn't in your part of the world.

This is going to be a slightly longer than usual post, so grab a cup of coffee, settle in and please, leave some comments at the end with any other questions or opinions that could benefit all the brides, grooms and photographers out there who are trying to capture the most from they're special day.

1 : What kind of equipment do you use?

We're not so sure this is that big of a deal. What I mean is, what you really should be concerned with is the final product, not what is used to get to that final product. A great photographer could come to your venue with a $200.00 Kodak point and shoot and blow everyone else away, not because of the equipment, but because of their vision, their creativity, their angles, their knowing how light works, their computer editing skills after the shoot. All that the more expensive equipment does is make things easier, especially if you have problem venues with weird lighting. The “pro” equipment is generally better in low light, they can be adjusted quicker, they have better flashes, can be used with off-camera lighting, they take more frames per second...blah, blah, blah. What they don't do is give you an artists eye.

Actually, the real important question to ask about equipment : Do you have a back-up camera? A photographer has to expect his camera won't work someday and have some sort of back-up plan.

All that being said, we at Morristowne are gear heads and generally take 4 cameras and 6 different lenses to every wedding and are always buying new gadgets and products...all to make our jobs easier. They don't necessarily make us better photographers. Which brings us to what we think is the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION...

2 : Can I see your portfolio and a sample of a full wedding shoot?

This really is what it's all about! The final product, the images that you are going to be left with the rest of your lives. Now, hopefully you have already seen your proposed photographers portfolio online, so you have a good feel for the stuff they like to do, the things they want to produce, and have gotten a good feel for their style. But always remember, the images in their portfolio are their hand-picked, best of all time photos. Out of the thousands and thousands of photos they have taken, these are the 10 or 20 that they think are their absolute best work. What does the other 100 or 200 or 800 photos from that wedding look like? That's really what you need to know.

Now, every photo from a wedding just can't look like it should be on the cover of Vogue, that's not what a wedding is. You have formal portraits, walking down the isle, candids of the audience, garter's flying through the air, dancing at the reception...on, and on, and on. Some of it is just documentation. But all the images should still be high quality, have the same feel of that particular photographer, with the occasional Vogueish moment sprinkled through out the whole ceremony. So don't be afraid to ask to see a sample wedding album or a sample CD of an entire wedding...just some way of knowing there just wasn't those two good shots you saw in their portfolio from that entire day's wedding.

3 : How many weddings have you shot?

This is relevant only in that you do want to know that they can reproduce a good wedding more than once...that they didn't just get lucky on that one wedding they shot for their sister. But honestly, it all goes back to question #2...if their style and quality blows you away, who cares if it's only their 3rd wedding? Sometimes “experienced” also means stuck-in-a-rut and inflexible. Sometimes “new” also means passionate and exciting.

4 : What is your photographic style...photojournalism, traditional, etc.?

Again, read #2. If you have looked at their photos and liked them, who cares what it's called. Labels mean nothing! Photography is about visual art, not spoken or written word. Choose your photographer on how his images make you feel, not by the flowery words that they or someone else uses to describe them.

5 : How will you and your assistants be dressed?

Obviously, you don't want your photographer at your wedding in hunter's orange shorts, a tank top just above the navel and pink flip flops. But the other thing to consider is a good photographer is not going to be standing around like a statue. They'll be laying on the ground, squatting here and there, crawling in the rafters, sweating, all the time with maybe 2 cameras strapped around their neck, extra batteries, memory cards, etc. If the goal is #2, the final product, don't get hung up too much on the photogs not being in a tux and/or a dress. Though you do want them to blend in as much as possible, your goal is for them to produce the kind of images you've seen in their portfolio...and they are not going to be in your pictures. On your 2^nd wedding anniversary you won't even remember what they looked like (unless they were wearing the hunter's orange and tank top).

We personally try to wear dark browns and grays, nice, neat clothes but ones that we can comfortably lay down in the grass or sand or bugs with.

6 : Do you have insurance?

Very important question!!! If someone trips over a camera bag, a light, etc., you need to know that the photographer has insurance to cover any of those weird mishaps that could occur.

7 : May I have a list of references?

Very valid question to ask. Though not all clients want to be bothered frequently by phone calls asking how their wedding photographer was, most don't object to at least an email reply to a prospective bride. Your photographer should be able to give you at least 2 or 3 you could communicate with in some fashion.

8 : What do you think distinguishes you from other wedding photographers?

You can ask it, but whatever the reply is it is just words. Refer back to #2. If that doesn't tell you what distinguishes them, nothing will. We always tell people that since we both shoot, you get both a male and female perspective of your wedding day. But if we both stink, you're going to have two stinking perspectives of your special day. Let your prospective photographer's images do the talking.

9 : Can I have a CD of all of the unedited photos?

You can ask, but you're going to find very few photographers that would be comfortable doing this. A huge part of a photographer's style and look is based not just on what happens inside the camera, but also on the way they process their images. And hopefully you have chosen your photographer based on the way their photos look. (see #2)

We personally never give out unedited photos. Every image we let out of our studio has to look good enough that we are fine with anyone posting them anywhere, as is, and saying “Morristowne Photography” took this.

10 : Can I have a High Resolution CD so I can make my own prints?

Historically, especially when film was the only medium used, the photographer never gave out the negatives to their photos. You received a small set of proof prints, maybe 100 or so, and from these you chose which ones you wanted printed larger, and the photographer would make that happen for you...and you would pay the photographer for all of the prints purchased. Now that digital is the primary medium used, photographers are still trying to figure out the best way to handle it...because selling prints was/is a primary source of their revenue. Virtually everyone knows how to get their own prints now and don't think they need the middle-man photog getting more money out of them from selling prints. What's the answer?

The way we at Morristowne decided to deal with the situation is this...you, the client, are hiring us for our artistic eye, editing abilities, our professionalism with a camera. We are not printers. We are photographers and that's what you will be paying us for. We will give you all edited, agreed upon photos for you to print out on your own to your hearts desire. We give you a limited copyright release form stating you can print these images for any personal, noncommercial use that you see fit. We also at least give you one print from a company we use for all of our printing needs so that you can see what a good quality print should look like and suggest that you use a quality printing company.

You see, the other thing that most clients don't realize is how attached to the photos a good photographer becomes. Those photos represent them and their company...their sweat and blood. If the client prints the images on their home computer on standard white paper...the photo is going to look awful! Even photos we've seen from Walmart and Cord Camera have been less than desirable. The photographer hates seeing a bad representation of their work...seriously, it almost makes us sick!

So just keep in mind that all photographers handle this differently, and though money through print sales may be part of it, there are other factors that the photographers as artists have to weigh when giving their negatives/high rez images out. If the photographer doesn't give out their high rez images, no way, no how...I wouldn't consider it a deal breaker. Again, the goal is #2...them taking the kind of images you want. The other details can usually be worked out to your and they're satisfaction.

11 : A question to ask yourself...is there chemistry between you and the photographer?

This is a big one for us...right next to #2. If you don't feel like you are both on the same page, if it doesn't feel like you both have the same goals for the wedding day, the images captured will probably reflect that tension. This actually goes for both the photographer and the client. If either feels like things don't seem to click, for whatever reason, it's probably best to step away. Don't take it personally, it's all about giving the best possible product/experience to the paying customer. We don't want to take your money if we can't give you what you desire and you sure don't want to pay for something/someone you don't like.

There has only been one time where we didn't feel we were the right match for a client and suggested they try another photographer, and it actually turned out great for them. We recommended a friend of ours and it all ended as it should have, both parties happy with the final result.

There's probably been clients that didn't choose us because of this...that we just weren't the right fit for them and their day...and that's okay!

There have been a few times, though, where we were chosen by the bride's/groom's mother or by a wedding planner, and things just didn't feel quite as great as they could have. We still captured great images, but the bride and groom just weren't into it...pictures were more of an annoyance rather than a time to record a historic day in their life. It just felt like we were documentary photographers rather than a team working together to capture something special. Just doing the job. We hate just doing the job. We'll do it well if we have to, but isn't creating things together so much more fun!!

So a collaborative meeting between the photogs, bride & groom, mom & dad, wedding planner, etc. is in our opinion huge. You absolutely have to make sure that you all are going in with the same vision and goals or no one will be happy in the end.

In Conclusion

So this is just a few things that prospective clients and photogs may want to consider, but we know there are plenty more. Let us know what worries you or what questions you may have in the comments and we can keep adding to this post as time goes on.

Take care,

Jeffrey and Heather

Cedar Falls

2011-05-09T11:56:00.005-04:00

I've never been much of a landscape shooter. I mean, I love a great nature shot as much as the next guy but I just seem to gravitate more towards portraits...people...face to face stuff. If I pick up a National Geographic I'll oooo and ahhh over the gorgeous landscapes but what I'll turn back to over and over again is to the shots with people in them.

Though I love Ansel Adams, I'd much rather thumb through a Richard Avedon book. I just love the story that faces have, or at least trying to figure out the story.

I also don't like using tripods...just too lazy.

So it was a little out of character the other morning when my family decided it was about time to head to the Hocking Hills and see what we could look at...and for me, Heather and Jade, see what we could find to photograph. It's been a very wet spring, it was a little overcast and so we were pretty much guaranteed great light and moving water. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I was at Cedar Falls, Ash Cave or Old Man's Cave when the water has been moving good enough to make me wish I had a camera with me. It's always beautiful to see, even when it's just a trickle, but I have to admit I was a little excited about what we may find. The conditions seemed perfect.

When you're dealing with moving water the main thing that you need to get "THE" shot is slow shutter speed. When you click that shutter button you want that shutter to stay open absolutely as long as possible to allow all that water to flow and blend into a beautiful, silky whiteness. That's why early in the morning, late in the evening, or when it's cloudy makes such a difference. For the above shot, my set-up was as follows :

Camera : Nikon D7000
Lens : Nikkor 17-55 f/2.8
ISO : 100
Speed : 2 seconds
F-Stop : f/22
Mounted on Tripod
Fired with cameras internal 20 second timer

Those 2 seconds of exposure were critical. I actually wish it could have been a little longer, say 4 seconds, so that the pool of water in front would have gotten a little silkier, but without adding a neutral density filter (which is like putting sunglasses on the front of your camera) I was at my D7000's maximum slowness in that light. If it would have been any less cloudy I would have had to add the filter for sure. Maybe 2 of them.

The other thing that is a must is using the timer. It is almost impossible to push that shutter button without introducing at least a little shake to the camera and thus blurring the photo. Set the timer, hit the button and keep as much human error out of the photo as possible.

So anyway, what was a little out of character for me turned into quite a blast. Actually made me want to do more of it as time and the right locations present themselves. Portraits will always be my first love, but I do think I may have to see a few landscapes on the side from time to time...

Jeffrey

The making of "Lenore"

2011-01-18T13:05:00.013-05:00

We have been so busy through the winter months...senior pics, commercial pics, family pics, kids, sports, plays...you name it, there just has been very little free time to even think about doing any personal work.

Just something that was totally creative, no time limit, no money, just fun!

So a couple of months ago we decide that Feb. 19th was going to be OUR day. We were going to carve out an entire Saturday for just experimenting, and so set about trying to find a few cohorts to join in on the fun.

First we knew we wanted Sam involved. Sam (Samantha Tankersley) is just a great hair and make-up artist. We have worked with her a few different times and she's just the real deal...talent galore, full of great ideas, and most importantly, she just fits like a glove with us. It just seems like we always just slip right into the same wave length no matter what the idea. Super cool lady!

Next was to find a victim, er, I mean, a great model to work with! We started cruising Model Mayhem with a specific idea in mind...we needed someone we could make 'feel' like a bird.

Yes, that's right, a bird. We had decided we wanted to attempt to bring to life "Lenore", Edgar Allan Poe's lost love from the poem "The Raven". In our version, the raven actually turned into Lenore, so thus, obviously, we needed a model that could look birdlike!

What does that mean?!? Heck, I don't know for sure...I guess more of a thin face, kind of sharper features...I dunno, but I DO know we looked through 100's of models in a 100 mile radius of us and kept coming back to a couple of choices...one being Rachel Amnah. Even though she had limited experience modeling, there was just something about what she said in her profile that made us want to work with her, so we asked, and she said yep! We were set!

We all got to the studio around noon and started talking clothes, props and make-up. Everyone had brought a little of this and a little of that, whatever had popped out at us as a possibility of looking like "Lenore". Heather's great at picking up possible clothes and props as she's out and about and we had a birdcage that Grandma had given our girls, so all combined it didn't take long for the outfit to be agreed on by everyone.

Next came the hair and make-up, so Sam dove right in. It's fun to watch Sam work...she's quick, decisive, and before you know it a different person is sitting there in front of you. Just amazing.

Now was the scary part...how was Rachel going to be as a model? If you've never worked around or have tried to model yourself, believe me, not everyone can do it. It's hard work. It's not nearly as easy as some of the top models you've seen on TV make it look. You have to be confident, you have to know how to move your body, hold poses for several minutes when asked to, all while wearing uncomfortable clothes and shoes and make-up with flashes going off and people staring at you.

Not everyone can handle that.

Rachel could! She was absolutely incredible. She became Lenore...moving and swaying...always searching for that different look, different angle...different take on her character. There were several times me and Heather and Sam would just look at each other and shake our heads. Rachel completely blew us away.

So what else can I say...it was a perfect creative day. Great people who gave us the funnest 6 hour, 700+ image photoshoot we've had in a long, long time.

Thanks so much Sam and Rachel!!! Can't wait until the next time...

Jeffrey

A New Home for Morristowne

2011-01-02T19:03:00.009-05:00

It's been a busy, busy, busy couple of months here at Morristowne, filled with awesome photo sessions and the very big step for us...a new studio! Up until now we have mostly been wedding photographers and the few portraits we did we either provided them on location with our portable studio or, if it worked out better for everyone, we also had a small home studio. A home studio has worked fine for us for the last couple of years, but it does have it's limitations.

The first challenge of a home studio is just having enough room. We were set-up in a 12 ft. x 15 ft. x 8 ft. room that though adequate for one or two people, it could get very tricky with more bodies than that. And though 15 ft. length sounds nice, if you add a background and want to get your model a few feet away from it, all of a sudden your 8 to 10 feet away from your model, which for head shots isn't too bad, but for full body portraits it can get a little tough.

The second challenge is the limiting 8 ft. ceiling height. If your model raises their hands, you see your ceiling...if you want a shot from a little lower, you see the ceiling. You are always fighting that stinking ceiling! It's also so limiting on how high you can put your lights. If you use a 49" Octabox, which is one of our favs, the bottom can only be 4 ft. off the ground before the top is hitting the ceiling. Ok for some shots but again, very limiting.

The third thing is just the lack of professionalism it makes you feel like you're providing. Some of this may just be in our heads, but it just feels weird to have a paying client walk in, meet the dog, meet the kids, walk through our always under construction home, use our bathroom...you know, just a little weird. And as we've begun doing more and more portraits, something just needed to change.

So now we have a new photographic home at 25 1/2 Public Square in Nelsonville, OH. It is just a perfect space for us...15 ft. wide, 54 ft. long with 10 ft. ceilings. We've had it since November and have had several photoshoots there already, but have been just too busy to have time to really whip it into shape...but January looks like it might slow down enough for us to get a little work done and get some photos up on the walls, so January 28th is our target Grand Opening!!! If your in the neighborhood the 28th, please stop by, say hello, eat some cheese and crackers and take advantage of a free portrait session. We'll email you a copy of your photo that you can use however you may wish. Hope to see you then...

Jeffrey

P.S. The above photo was taken of Lou & Kate Elliott in the new studio...whooo hooo!

The Battle

2010-11-06T10:54:00.005-04:00

When we go into a portrait session, we let every client know we want to try and accomplish 3 things, that we're after 3 types of pictures for them. We want the picture for Grandma so she can hang it on the wall and admire her grandbaby. We want the photo for them personally...the shot that makes them appear how "they" want to appear to the rest of the world. Then we want the image that is their true, real, genuine, 100% unique self.

That's where the battle begins. Sometimes that's where the battle ends, too.

It's very hard to be your "real" self when there are a couple (or more) people staring at you with what looks like telescopes on the front of their cameras. Throw in a mom, a dad, a sibling, a make-up artist, a costume designer, a boyfriend, etc., etc., etc....all throwing in their 2 cents or if not that, at least "looking" at them...oh my, how could anyone be themselves in that kind of an environment?

The Corny, Ridicules, Artificial and Phony smile and facial expression (we'll say C.R.A.P. for short) problem begins as soon as you're born. We're brainwashed as soon as we plop out of mom. Clean the little gooey thing up, put a little cute hat of pink or blue on us, tickle or pinch us to get a cute little reaction...and our start to putting a mask on the real us, our C.R.A.P. face, has begun! We say "cheese" the whole, entire rest of our lives, it seems. Let's not even get started on our 12-13 years of school photos.

Now don't get me wrong, we absolutely HAVE to get some C.R.A.P. shots. I want them of my kids, I hang them on my walls, I tell everyone who sits in front of my camera to give me at least one! We have to have C.R.A.P.!!! But at the same time, we all have to be aware and freely admit that those photos are not going to be the ones that last the test of time. Just think of all the famous portraits out there...Karsh's photo of Churchill, McCurry's Afghan Girl, or even DaVinci's Mona Lisa. Real expressions, real emotions...Real Good!!! Not a cheesy smile in the bunch.

So if you see me look down at my camera screen and say "man, that looks like crap", don't be alarmed. It probably is a pretty good photo of you. But be prepared, I might be just about ready to ask you to do a couple of frames minus the smile...

Jeffrey

Katie and Tom

2010-10-03T09:39:00.009-04:00

This shoot almost never happened. But we're oh so glad it did!

We received an email saying pretty much this : "I'm a Lieutenant in the Air Force stationed in Alabama and am looking for a photographer in the Athens, OH area to take some photos of me and my boyfriend. I've seen your stuff and liked it and wondered if you'd be available Sept. 18-19 as I have a 30 hour window of time to see him then."

You would be surprised at the amount of weird emails and requests you receive once you put yourself out there on the World Wide Web as professional photographers. We get requests from India, Britain, Ethiopia...you name it, saying that they love our stuff, want to hire us for whatever price we say, and will send a cashier's check right away. We are usually real nice to everyone (just in case someday a legit person wants to fly us to Ireland for a shoot) but usually after we ask a few questions and tell them we like to meet in person and go over ideas and logistics, well, they just seem to disappear.

Katie responded to our "nice" return email with a photo and a phone number so that we could talk in person. The photo was of her an Tom being goofy at Ash Cave in the Hocking Hills so all of a sudden we knew this was a real request. Cool beans.

Heather gave her a call the next day to see if we could possibly get it to work out for the both of us. Katie turned out to be great to talk to, just a sweet, kind, "real" person. The whole story turned out to be this...Tom and Katie met here at Ohio University a couple of years ago. He's still here studying meteorology and in the Air Force ROTC while she is in Alabama finishing her training and expecting to be deployed to who knows where in the near future. They have several friends in relationships in the military and have seen first hand the life changing trauma that can happen to those who choose this life...not just death but limbs lost...scars emotionally as well as physically...sometimes years of separation. They wanted to capture this moment in time to look back on no matter what happens in the future...this moment of love and health and youth.

Yeah, pretty heavy stuff. In fact it makes me a little teary-eyed just writing it! Wow.

We decided that we would meet them at Ash Cave to do the photo shoot early on the Sunday morning a couple of hours before she had to zoom to Columbus to catch her flight back to Alabama. Ash Cave was on her way to the airport, they loved it there, so it just seemed to make sense. Now if the weather would cooperate!

Luckily, it was beautiful out. 70ish degrees, feeling like fall, a little misty. We met them at 9 a.m. so there was no direct sunlight into the Ash Cave canyon...just soft, pretty, indirect sunlight. A perfect morning. They were soooo fun to shoot! With them knowing it was going to be awhile before they would be seeing each other again, they just couldn't keep their hands and lips off of each other. They were cute...passionate...sensual...and so in love. What a pleasurable way for me and Heather to spend a Sunday morning. Capturing moments in time. Recording love.

Good luck Tom and Katie!

Jeffrey

Beautiful People, Beautiful Day

2010-09-21T18:20:00.009-04:00

What happens when you have a 75 degree and sunny day, a cool farm with chickens and barns and cows and pitchforks, and throw into that environment a gorgeous couple saying I do? You get two wedding photographers smiling from ear to ear, that's EXACTLY what you get!

Daniel and Ashley were sooo fun to work with. We had met with them at Casa Cantina a few months ago, just before they were heading to Hawaii for work, to discuss the possibility of us shooting their wedding. Heather and I both immediately loved their bubbly personalities and kept hoping we would be the lucky ones chosen to photograph their special day. They weren't sure if coming back to Ohio made the most sense, where exactly the wedding should be...just a lot of things to work out logistically with moving AND getting married.

A few months later we got the email saying it WAS going to be here in Athens and, yes, we WERE going to be their photographers...and we went whoo hooo! Well, maybe not out loud but we were mighty excited on the inside ;) They had decided it would be at Daniel's family farm a couple miles outside of town...red barns, hay fields, ponds with fountains, apple trees...well, you get the picture, just about perfect!

Outside weddings are always nerve racking for photographers. What's best for the "feel" of the wedding (sunny skies with not a cloud in view) is not necessarily the best light for photos...and rain is even worse. I guess what we are always hoping for, and never have gotten yet, is a nice, cloudy day with no chance of rain and that beautiful soft light blanketing everything in sight for 8 hours straight. Our 2nd choice would be a bright sunny day. We got our second choice.

So we were going to be dealing with some squinting, some harsh shadows, and it being at 4:30 and in the middle of a field we would be fighting with certain angles looking directly into the sun. No problem, just part of the job.

It was an awesome day. The families...friendly and warm. Ashley and Daniel...breathtaking and handsome. Yep, we had to fight the sun and there were times that there was nothing you could do but take pictures with squinty eyes and splotchy patterns of light filtering through the trees on faces...but it all worked out. They were in love...they were happy...and our cameras as well as everyone else there was able to see it, capture it.

Thanks for choosing us Mr. and Mrs. Brown...

Jeffrey

Loving Shadows and Mood...

2010-07-12T11:45:00.011-04:00

Sometimes there is just way too much concern over things being well lit.

Sometimes there is just way to much hoopla over smiles.

Sometimes Black and White is the ONLY correct choice.

IMHO

Maybe I'll think of some other stupid statements to add by the end of this blog that can totally be torn apart by other photogs, or possibly even me in a day or two, but for now, at this point in time, this is exactly how I'm feeling.

BTW - We're in the middle of our wedding season.

Shooting weddings is a very tiring, stressful job...but can also be extremely fun and exciting. Stressful because of the time frames and schedules and the 1-chance-to-get-the-1-shot-of-the-kiss, the cake-smashing-in-the-face, the garter-flying-through-the-air, etc., etc., etc., but fun and exciting because of the joy and laughter and happy tears that you get to see and experience over and over, reminiscing each time about your very own wedding and all the crazy emotions that you felt. Terror and Excitement all rolled into one.

So back to the well lit, shadows, B/W rant part of the blog. Weddings are a combo of all that's boring, exciting and interesting about photography. The formals are the boring, though very, very important part. They need to be well lit, smiling faces with light in their eyes. Yeah, you can do all sorts of jumping and running and face making group shots but you STILL have to have some of the all-standing-in-a-line-saying-cheese pics. The ones that the bride and groom gives to grandma and that stays on the wall or the dresser until the end of time.

The important but boring ones.

But invariably, the ones that the bride and groom usually choose as their favs are the ones that we also think are the coolest...the ones that are showing the true feelings...the chance looks, the real emotions, the shadows, the mood. What's truly amazing is that even if you set-up a shot with certain poses or in a certain venue, if you give it a little time, those true emotions and looks and feelings start coming out on their own...because they really ARE in love, they can't help it. Tell them to quit smiling and saying cheese and put them close together and BAM, there is twitterpation (to quote The Wise Old Owl from Bambi) in the air and it, wow, photographs extremely well!

The same is true with the bride and her bridesmaids and with the groom and his groomsman. They all like/love each other...they KNOW how to be crazy friends with each other, and if you just give them enough time, they'll forget you're there and give you the right photo ops completely on their own.

This last wedding with Luke and Mellisa was a prime example. When we first met a few months ago, Luke had said he really liked the whole gang of guys, "Brat Pack" type of vibe...the group of friends just hanging out in tuxes and looking cool in Black and White type of photos. So I decided that we should just meet uptown Athens at the courthouse with his 6 other guys...and just walk. Wander around town for 30 minutes or so. Just let them be friends and do what friends do.

The top shot and this one are from that little bit of time together. Them being them. True emotions with real faces, real shadows, and real mood.

Just the way I like it.

Jeffrey

The Story of Ava

2010-03-21T01:39:00.002-04:00

The first time we met her was on a collaboration for a pin-up shoot at our studio.

Kirstian is a local model who was interested in some different looks for her portfolio and we were wanting to just play with some different lighting/posing techniques, so one thing led to another and we set up an evening to get together and do a little photographic/modeling experimentation. When she first came in the door she informed us that she had JUST found out she was pregnant!

Heather and I looked at each other and said, "Oh really", while rubbing our hands together with hungry looks in our eyes...we may have even had an evil laugh or two - lol

Luckily, that didn't scare Kirstie and her new little belly bump off and she immediately was on board with the idea of a monthly documentation of her and her changing body. What a wonderful 9 months it turned out to be and we will forever be indebted to Kirstie and Ava for the amazing experience and excellent learning opportunity it gave me and Heather...and we learned a ton!

First thing we learned...don't assume.

When Kirstie came for her first session she also brought the father of her soon-to-be little one. We snapped a couple of solo shots of Kirstie but then our main focus was some real cool shots of them together...him with his hand on her belly, both of them looking down at the growing bump, the lighting really dramatic and cool. They came out just perfect. We drew diagrams of the lighting with power settings and all distances written down...all camera settings noted and saved.

They broke up 2 weeks later.

Sooooo, with all of the chaos going on in her life, it was understandably a couple of months until we could get her back to our studio...and then, we only had 2 or 3 solo photos to choose from that we could base the rest of her pregnancy shots on.

Lessons #1 to #10 : Take several solo shots of mama, even if dad shows up and is suppose to be in the pics. Ya' just never know...

But really, other than that, the only other things we messed up on was that the White Balance was set different a time or two, but that was easily corrected in post, and we also wasn't able to get Kirstie and Ava back in for the final shot within 2 weeks of her birth, so by the time she came, Ava was a month old squirming, peeing, pooping, puking, down-right gorgeous little girl. Seriously, try and do newborn shots within 2 weeks of birth...a lot less drama!

The actual trickiest thing of all, though, is getting the body position of your model perfect. What really helped was having a print of the very first shoot sitting right there on the floor in front of us as we took all the next months photos. That way you could make sure the light looked close, the head was tilted close, that you were sitting at the same height...just all those little things that would make them flow a little better when you started linking them all side by side. The consistency in the photos in our opinion is what really sets the series off. Next time, we'll even do better!

So again, thanks to the lovely Kirstie and beautiful Ava for such a wonderful few months! What an amazingly special time that we feel honored to have gotten a chance to share with you!

(Lighting was 2 Alien Bee B800's behind Kirstie at 45 degree's on each side at 1/4 power and 1 - B800 through an 47" Octabox above and in front of Kirstie at 1/4 power)

Jeffrey

7 Day Projects

2010-02-18T12:15:00.003-05:00

A friend of ours recently started a photography group on Facebook, the "Photo Fun Group", and since this is still the slow season for photographers in wintery Ohio, Heather and I jumped at the chance to join.

If you have a camera, no matter what your level of photographic skill, I definitely suggest you join!

No matter what you do...play guitar...juggle...take pictures...just whatever, you eventually run into these "funks of sameness". Times where you just feel like you're taking the same photo, playing the same note, juggling the same 3 balls...you need a shot of inspiration before you're driven to a shot to the temple.

Especially when it feels like it's been snowing and 15 degrees outside for somewhere around 5 years!!!

Other times you don't even know you're in the "Funk of Sameness" (until maybe you look at some Avedon portraits and realize how much you suck!) Especially when things get really nutso busy, it's easy to just take the same photo, the same angle, use the same lens over and over and not even realize it until you look at someone else's stuff and compare it to your own.

The group is new and evolving but the thing Mark, it's originator, decided to start with as member challenges are 7 Day Projects. 7 days of taking and posting one photo a day, taken on that day, relating to a certain theme. The first theme was "Your Backyard"...every day you had to post a new photo taken in your backyard. This weeks challenge is "Knee Level or Lower"...all photos have to be taken from a height no higher than you knees.

Let me warn you, it's fun AND a big pain in the butt! It forces you to think, plan, experiment, cuss, struggle...and who the heck wants to do that!

And it keeps your camera in your hands at least a few minutes every day. It may be 11:59pm and you're just getting your picture loaded online after having to take some crappy on-camera flash shot of a domino...

But it makes you take a photo...
It makes you look around through the day like a photographer...
It makes you not embarrassed to lay on the floor in front of people...
It makes you look at other peoples takes on the same theme...
It makes you grow...

So join us on Facebook if you can and if you're too shy or just hate us for some reason, do some projects of your own. You'll be surprised how much it can do for you.

Jeffrey

Morristowne in 2010

2010-01-03T10:58:00.006-05:00

Wow, has it really been since October that I updated this Blog?

Yikes!!!

NYR (new years resolution) #1 - Keep up with the blog at LEAST once a month!

The good news is that most of the blogger slacking has been caused by lots of photography, both for clients and just for us as a family. Several Weddings ending the year as well as some Senior and Newborn portrait sessions with even a few Product sessions thrown into the mix...great people met and lots of fun, interesting images captured. Since the next couple of months are generally a slow period, hopefully I'll be able to share a few photos and stories that captures at least a little of the things we've learned and experienced since October, before the onslaught of Spring Wedding fever overtakes us.

One quick review I would like to throw in is for the new Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens that Heather and I purchased a couple of months ago (which the above image of Talon was taken with). We had owned a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 for probably 6 months and though I did like the images and bokeh it produced, it was just so slow to focus after being use to our Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 and our Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 (which grabbed focus so quick they were almost scary) I just hated using the thing. I ended up just giving it away with our old D80 when I sold it.

I still wanted a good 50mm prime that would give us that creamy background that all of us photographers crave, so after reading a few reviews and comparisons between the Sigma and the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4's, we chose the Sigma...and absolutely couldn't be happier.

First off, it grabs focus almost instantly! Even in the lowest light, it can find and lock in focus better than any other lens we have...period! The bokeh is creamy and soft as butter...a blur to die for. The only negative to some would be it's size...it's a pretty big lens compared to the 1.8's and other 1.4's (mostly because of the HSM motor that gives it it's focusing speed) but if you're already use to the 2.8's it is absolutely no issue.

Can you tell I love it? It is actually on my camera most of the time now. If it's something very serious and I am under the gun to get a good photo in varying conditions and distances I still will put the 17-55mm f/2.8 on first...but if I have the time and no distance constraints to keep me from moving around, the 50mm is probably going to be my "go to" lens. Just too much fun...

Well, here's hoping this coming year is good for all of us, both photographically and personally. Keep your sensors clean and your imaginations free and hopefully we'll talk again very soon...

Jeffrey

Keeping your options and eyes open...

2009-10-12T10:36:00.009-04:00

The more weddings we do, we're finding the added experience we gain can be kind of a double-edged sword...you are more comfortable and confident with the things that can and will come up but you also could very easily slide into a routine of Morristowne "Standard" photos.

You know what I mean, angles and ideas and lighting that worked last time so let's just use them again so we don't have to think too awfully hard this time! Death too creativity!

Honestly, though I'm sure we will borrow from themes we've used before, I really can't see us getting into that kind of rut too deeply...it is just too much fun when the creative juices are flowing and you and your models/couples are firing on all cylinders, pulling off images that you really couldn't have completely planned out even if you had set down and had drawn them all up. Way cool fun!

Take the photo above with Katrina and James. An image like this just can't be over thought! Yes, we knew a jail was nearby the church...yes, I went and asked the sheriff if he cared if we brought in a bridal party the next day if we found the time...but we had no idea if Kat and Jim would like the idea, no idea if we would even have enough time to stop in, no idea what it would look like and what we would do once we had them in there.

The day of the wedding, we suggested the jail and they both said, "Cool", and Heather and I said, "Way Cool", and we ended up with some of the funnest, unique images we've ever taken. Once in the jailhouse, they were throwing out poses, we were shouting out ideas, and in less than a 1/2 hour we were walking out with silly grins on our faces knowing we had just made some wonderful memories that will be passed down from generation to generation in the Brightly/Self families if we're all lucky. All because Heather saw the jail, I went and talked to the sheriff, and we brought up a weird, screwball idea to a jittery bride and nervous groom who immediately embraced the idea and became wonderful, amazing actors.

Way Cool!

Jeffrey

Another learning experience...

2009-09-14T12:29:00.006-04:00

Our latest shoot was a wedding for Leslie and Daniel on the Valley Gem sternwheeler out of Marietta, OH. When Leslie had first asked if we could take photos of her upcoming wedding for her, we were pumped. I mean really pumped! How often do you get to cruise the Ohio river on anything, let alone a sternwheeler? The opportunities for awesome shots was going to be practically limitless...just carry the camera around and it could almost capture amazingness all on it's own without any human intervention!

Yeah, right!

First off, Leslie, Daniel and their entire families were just wonderful to work with. So upbeat and more than willing to do anything we wanted to do to get memorable photos. Just a great group of people. So as far as models go it was a home run!

Next up was it was just about a perfect day...high 70's and sunny. Beautiful blue skies and the river was just gorgeous...another home run!

We arrived a little early and went aboard the Valley Gem and started scouting it out a little, and though we did decide there were only 2 - 3 nice spots to take the formal portraits, we still didn't anticipate any problems...until all the people started to arrive! Oh dear...

Imagine two mobile homes stacked on top of each other. Two mobile homes about 24 feet by 60 feet. Now imagine 150 people ALL on either the top deck or ALL on the bottom deck...never divided between the two. Can you say crowded? Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't like people were sardines. Everyone had a seat and everyone was comfy, but as photographers Heather and I are used to moving around a bit, finding the right angle...different perspectives...mixing it up. Not here. One spot for each of us and that's where you stayed. We were able to get all the important stuff you're suppose to...but we had to work for it!

Moral of the story : Never think the lenses and angles you usually use will work for your next wedding. This was the first time our 70-200mm was actually a liability to have...just not enough room. At least we have an excuse for buying another new lens(that 50mm f/1.4 may be calling our name)!

Thanks for the Capt. of the Valley Gem for letting us in his lair for the above shot. What an absolutely great group of people to work with!

Jeffrey

Yep, I photograph weddings!

2009-08-17T13:42:00.004-04:00

There are a lot of photographers out there who LOVE to bad mouth wedding shooters. They go to school for 2 or 3 or 10 years learning all about how to be an "Artist" or a "Photojournalist" and any thought of shooting anything other than a Geographic or Wired or Rolling Stone cover is WAY, WAY beneath them...leave that to the photographic wannabees! The uneducated. The uninspired posers.

I just can't seem to get my mind around that concept. I can't relate.

I think a lot of "What" anyone does in life and "How" they do it is 100% related to the reasons "Why" they do it. Simplistic, I know, but really, think about it. If my goal as a photographer is to be known as an "Artist", how will that effect the "How" I work. If I want to be known as a "Sports" photographer, how will that effect the "How" I work.

For example, if my "Why" is because I want money, that shapes my feelings completely about the task at hand. The goal is $$, so once I have the old money in hand I'm a happy camper. Now that's not saying that I don't want money or making money shouldn't be a part of it, but if money IS the goal...well, a lot of things can be left along the wayside to get to that goal.

If my "Why" is to be known as an "Artist", I'm again getting more into the selfish territory of things IMHO. I'm wanting recognition, wanting the glory. Again, not saying that being an Artist isn't part of the equation, but if glory or a title is the goal...once again, a lot of things can be overlooked along the way.

So what in the wide world of sports does this have to do with wedding photography and labels and elitism and, and, and.

Well I guess it's about what I'm discovering is my "Why". The what it is that makes me such an obsessive, annoying photographic nut right now.

My "Why" is because I have to. I have to shoot something or I start getting a major case of the heebie jeebies! I just don't see myself ever saying, "Sorry, I don't shoot that type of photography!", because if I don't have something else I have to shoot I'll be there, giving it my very best. I have to. And if along the way someone wants to call me an artist or a wedding shooter or a photojournalist or a pornographer (lol) or whatever titles are floating around out there, hey, I'm fine with that. But I'll always know my real title is just "photographer".

Because I have to...

Jeffrey

Lights, Cameras and Ignoramus'...

2009-07-17T11:49:00.009-04:00

A friend, who also is a photographer, recently wrote on her Facebook page, "No strobes or umbrellas, just natural lighting is the secret to GREAT photos and of course the right lens and (a) smart photographer ;)".

To be honest, I went through a ton of emotions and thoughts after reading that, mostly because of recently becoming an "Alien Bee" owner and huge convert to the "Strobe Lovers of the Universe" religion. First and foremost, I was angry that another photographer could make such a statement. It was like a cook saying "No beef or chicken, only seafood is the secret to Great food and of course the right pan and a smart cook!"

I just couldn't figure out what would make another photographer say such a ridicules thing! I mean, we all have our preferences...likes and dislikes...and that's all well and good, but to say that what I am doing is the ONLY way...the BEST way...what the heck?!?

The more I thought about it, though, I think I figured out what was going on and we've all been there in some form or the other I believe.

When I first picked up a camera, snapped that first photo and looked at the result, I REALLY thought I had just done something special. I was a photographer of huge proportions and this photo of my girls was one of the best images that was ever made! I honestly deep down in some part of my psyche felt that way...and in some respects I was correct! I had just captured a piece of time and stored it for generations to come...something that no one else on the planet could replicate...something completely unique to me, my subject and that instant in time. That IS a pretty amazing thing.

When I look back on those photos now I can not believe how bad they are! Why?...well, the eyes are dark and in shadow, the colors are over saturated, the composition sucks, no depth of field... on and on and on!!! But at the time...they were GREAT! I was so ignorant...I was an untaught baby to photography and art.

Hopefully we are always growing and learning...opening ourselves up for criticism and discipline from those who not only may have more experience but those who have never held a camera before but understand art and light and whatever else there is that can make us a fuller, more understanding person/photographer. But to do that you have to be willing to say I Don't Know...I Need Help...I'm Not The Best...I Actually Suck Sometimes.

Sometimes it's just too scary to say that...way to vulnerable of a position to put ourselves in.

Sometimes we just don't know enough to understand how little we know!!!

So why did she say that? Of course I'll never know for sure, but my guess...is fear of the unknown. It's just so much easier to think that where you are is the best place to be than it is to think that I still haven't even scratched the surface of things to know and I'm a raving ignoramus!

I hope I can always stay an ignoramus...they learn sooooo much more...

Jeffrey Morris

p.s. above photo of Kirstian with absolutely no natural light...

Growing and Learning Pains

2009-07-10T09:50:00.006-04:00

Wow, what a busy few months it's been...trying to get our home studio in working order, kids getting out of school, practicing and working with new lighting techniques and ideas. Lots to catch up on and share!

One of the best highlights to start back into the blog with was a great wedding we had the privilege to shoot for Laura and Jonathan down at Ravenwood Castle. What a wonderful family to get to hang around with, let alone to get paid to shoot a wedding for. They made us feel just like one of the family and made our whole experience with them truly wonderful!!!

Photographically speaking there were a few challenges that we had to work out. The entire wedding was outdoors, in and out of the woods, which threw in all kinds of dappled, splotchy light. Couple that with it being a partly cloudy day that literally changed the lighting every 2 minutes and it had the makings of being a pretty rough shoot. These are situations where I just thank goodness Nikon has the Auto ISO ability. When you have light levels changing by the minute, you just don't have the time to manually set everything for every shot. Heather and I decided pretty quickly that Auto ISO and Aperture Priority was the way we were going to go...when dad is walking the bride down the isle through clouds and sun and leaves and trees you just don't have the time to adjust your camera every 5 feet they walk. All and all it turned out perfectly, though my D200 handled the metering sooooo much more accurately than Heather's D80. Before the next wedding we may upgrade her D80 to a D90 to gain that and a little better High ISO ability.

The photo at the top was all Heather's. We walked by that spot earlier in the day and she right away ran to that location and said, "We're bringing them right here!" - LOL Good call honey...

Jeffrey

The Importance of Photography

2009-04-19T20:44:00.004-04:00

I sometimes lose focus of what photography is truly about and what 99% of the people on the planet think about when they are pushing that button on their camera...documenting a moment in time! Most are not thinking about lighting, shadows, the rule of thirds, aperture, iso, bokeh...they're just looking at something that is pleasing to them at that particular moment, and capturing it! Something that makes them feel happy, maybe feel sad, but for sure something that they want to look back on at a later time and bring back all those emotions that they were feeling on that particular second of that particular day.

In my quest to become a better photographer, I'm finding that I sometimes let the the story take the backseat to the technique...instead of just enjoying the act of documenting, I don't take the photo because of all the flaws I see...a messy background, harsh lighting, having to go above iso 800. Then later when I DO look at the photos I DID allow myself to take, I criticize them to the point of missing WHY I took them...the emotion of the moment being stomped out by my critical eye. What a stupid thing to do!!!

Now I'm not saying that I believe if you are trying to progress you shouldn't be trying your best to make every photo as good as can be. You absolutely should! I'm just saying that you still should take a picture even if conditions stink...every single day, every single time!!! We all are historians...don't miss the moment.

The above photo of my Grandma is a result of this new plan of mine. There was a million reasons not to take her picture that day...she wasn't feeling well, I want some of her in dramatic light, I was feeling lazy...but I finally just asked her if she felt like stepping outside for a few pictures, and with some helpful nudging from my mom and aunt, she finally came slowly walking out on to the back porch and let me snap away. I just had to ask and I was able to capture a little history that day...and didn't miss the moment.

Jeffrey

A Family that Snaps together...

2009-03-25T14:39:00.009-04:00

The absolute best thing about photography for me is that my wife and I both feel so passionate about it. There isn't nights where I say,"Honey, I think I'm heading out to the bar with the guys...kiss the girlies goodnight for me" , and I've never heard from her, "Babe, my girlfriends and I are going out shopping for the day...there's frozen dinners in the freezer." We are either spending time with our crazy kids doing something, with our cameras in tow, or the once or twice a month that grandma watches our little ones we figure something out that involves photography...whether that means just driving around looking for something new and cool to shoot, or just staying at home and playing and working on lighting.

The other great thing is how different our styles are and how much fun it is to see each others take on the exact same subject. Last night (which the photo above is from) we packed the monkeys up and headed over to Hocking Tech to hang out with the horses. I could shoot those beauties everyday...what amazing animals! Heather stole the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 right off of my camera before we left, she's pretty sneaky like that, so I had the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 on mine...so just right there you know you are going to get some different, unique perspectives. We shot around 150 photos a piece, was only there for 1/2 hour or so, and then couldn't get home fast enough to put them on the computer and compare!

She's an awesome photographer. She's is so good at zooming in tight, getting personal with her subject, getting you right into the action. I tend to frame a little wider, seeing more of the whole story. Sometimes one works better than the other.

But she won tonight...

Jeffrey

What is Art and will I ever become an Artist?

2009-03-20T18:50:00.007-04:00

Art is a very tricky, frustrating subject for me, as it can be for a lot of people I'm sure. Sites like Onexposure and others like it have gone a long, long way in helping me "see" photography as much more than just having the photo in focus and well lit with little or no graininess. Composition, flow, and mood have become a lot more important to me...shadows are slowly becoming more and more my friend rather than something I'm trying to chase and beat away so that every single part is visible. I find myself looking at my photos extra small, almost at thumbnail size, so that I can't see the details...only shapes and tones and composition.

I have sooo much to learn. Figuring out how to "see" is probably going to drive me crazy, cause major depression, keep me up at night smothering me. Focus can be figured out. The correct exposure can be arrived at. But can I "see" like an artist?

Yeah, maybe a little over-dramatic, but it is something I find myself obsessing about on a regular basis...why can't I look at that scene and find the perfect photo hiding there? Why can't I instantly find the flow...the story?

I won't give up. I will keep trying to learn...

Jeffrey

Review : Spyder 3 Pro

2009-03-12T17:57:00.005-04:00

We recently upgraded our computer. I am absolutely NOT a computer guy as far as processor speeds, video cards, megahertz, etc. goes, but I can tell you when what I have isn't doing the job anymore, so our 4 year old PC was passed down to our 8 year old and we got with a friend who loves playing computer nerd on the side and told him what we needed. Basically, first we wanted something that could have Lightroom 2, Photoshop CS4, and Capture NX2 all up and running and be able to move at will between them all with out stalling the engine! Second, we wanted more than the 500GB hardrive of our old PC, plus a little extra storage to internally back-up to. Third, we wanted a good monitor that would give us a high definition view of our photos so we could work on them a little easier. Other than that, we just left it in his hands and let him go as crazy as our budget would let us...and he gave us exactly what we wanted. Everything works smoothly and quickly! We have the operating systen on a 70 GB hardrive, store all the main stuff on a 1 TB hardrive, and back it all up on another 1 TB hardrive. He also gave us an Asus 22" HDMI monitor which is just beautiful to work on and look at...but also is why I'm doing this review!

Right from the very first look at our photos, I knew we were having color issues with the new monitor. Everything looked beautifully alive and clear but all of the colors were just not quite right, in particular the reds and oranges...just way, way over-saturated. I've known for quite awhile that to save ink and assure you were being accurate with the photos you were sending out you really need to calibrate your monitor with something other than just your eye, so after reading a few online reviews I decided to give the Spyder 3 Pro display calbrator made by Datacolor a try, so brought up our favorite vender, B&H Photo's site, and placed our order. Three days of just working on Black and White photos later, our new toy arrived.

When I first opened it up, I must admit I was a little worried. The instructions didn't say much more than "stick the CD in" and there was a CD and the little triangley spyder thingy...I don't know for sure what I was expecting but this wasn't it. So since there wasn't anything else exciting to read or to do, I just put it in. A little screen comes up, asks you a few questions, gets you registered, shows you where to stick the little plastic Spyder thingy and then takes off. That's it!!! I went down, got an iced tea, came back up and it was done. It had a screen up where you could click and see the before view of an image and the after view...and it nailed it!

So all in all, this was one of the most anticlimactic experiences that produced EXACTLY what I wanted I've ever had.

Morristowne Review of Spyder 3 Pro : 9 out of 10 ... minus 1 just because of no WOW factor in the instructions. Definitely recommend!!!

Jeffrey

JAM's Grunge Setting

2009-03-09T20:18:00.006-04:00

We had time to take a quick stop at the Great Circle Earthworks in Newark, OH on the way to see some friends this weekend. The main mound, a 1200 foot diameter circle that is probably 15 - 20 feet tall, is estimated to have been built 2000 years ago by the Hopewells (culture or tradition or whatever is most PC). It is truly an amazing piece of American history and if you're in the area you should really stop by and take a look.

This photo was taken on one of the little mounds out in the center of The Great Circle. I love the crests of hills for photos because you can have the whole sky as your backdrop, so when I saw this one with it's short trimmed grass I started yelling for models!!! My kids are just the greatest and have finally excepted that it is much, much easier just to get it over with than to try and hide or kill me, so they came and plopped right down and let me snap away. What sweeties!

This is a processing I came up with a few days ago I call my grunge look. You can do these settings in either Lightroom 2 or Photoshop CS4's Camera Raw and get this exact look. Here's all the settings :

JAM'S GRUNGE SETTING

Exposure : +35
Recovery : 0
Fill Light : +90
Blacks : +70
Brightness : +50
Contrast : +69
Clarity : +50
Vibrance : 0
Saturation : -95

That should get you really, really close. You'll probably have to mess around with the exposure a little bit but this will give you the basics. After I worked this particular photo to this point, I opened it in CS4 and dodged the eye sockets a little so they weren't just big black holes, and then added just a slight light in each eye to give them a little more life. There you go...very simple and a pretty unique look, if I do say so myself! Then just save the settings as a Preset and you can at least take a look at any photo with this look in all of 1 second.

Nikon D200
Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8
Aperture Priority Exposure Mode (my Fav)
F/6.7
1/100 sec.
Auto Iso (my Fav) chose Iso100
Shot at 55mm

Jeffrey

Fire Woman

2009-03-06T17:08:00.003-05:00

Yeah, we Flickr! We really enjoy how you can throw a pic on there in just a few seconds and start getting feedback almost instantly. What's funny, though, is you just never can predict what someone else will like. I know, big discovery, but it is just crazy how something that is just so-so to you can be the best thing in the universe that the next person has ever seen in their entire lives! Ok, no one has said "best thing in universe I've ever seen" but you get my drift!

This image I took of Talon is a prime example. One night she says, "Dad, I feel like doing a photo shoot", so we grab the SB800s, the umbrellas, the stands, and run downstairs and have a bunch of fun just letting her play "Fashion Model" for around 1/2 an hour. Two or three weeks later I'm feeling bad because I haven't taken any new photos, so I pull this one up, work on it for about 30 minutes in Photoshop, and post it on Flickr just for the heck of it. Well, suddenly it's the pic of the day out of something like 750,000 photos posted for that day, and as of right this second it's had 3688 views and been favorited 237 times! Totally nuts! And the worse part about it is I have no idea how I got it to this point!!! What I mean is, I looked at the photo and thought, "Hey, that looks like Talon's head is on fire", so I opened CS3 and just started making layers and flattening and making layers and flattening until it kinda looked like fire, saved it in a high rez TIFF and that was it. It would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to ever reproduce it, just like it is, ever again.

Oh well, that's the way it goes. The ones you truly love will never be noticed and the ones you put no effort into, EVERYONE will like - LOL

For those who care, the basic set-up was Talon standing about 2-3 feet away from an off-white wall. I had one SB800 shooting at the wall, to the right and behind Tal, at 1/1 power to over expose it to white, and had a second SB800 at 1/2 power just to the left of me shooting through an umbrella right at Talon. My D200 was set on manual, ISO 200, f/8 and the speed was 1/125 sec. and I was using the 17-55 f/2.8 at 23mm. I was probably standing 3 feet away from Talon. Sorry, can't help you on what I did in Post Processing!

It's amazing what you can do in a small area with just a couple of flashes!

Now if people would just like the ones I do...

Jeffrey Morris

The Athenian Players Theatre

2009-03-04T18:25:00.000-05:00

What fun we had last night!!! We were asked by The Athenian Players Theatre and the Berean Community Players to come to their dress rehearsal of Li'l Abner, which they are performing at the absolutely beautiful Stuart's Opera House, and grab a few photos that they could use for promotion in the local media and on their website. They put on these shows with very little money and a whole lot of hard work and love, and it truly was an honor for Heather and I to be able to take photos for these wonderful, community oriented people. They even said we could bring our kids along to watch the show while we did the shoot and all 3 girls ended up just loving it...which if they can keep 12 yr. old twin girls and an 8 yr. old girl interested for 2 hours, that goes a long way in showing what kind of product these people are putting out there!

We had never taken photos in Stuart's before or for a musical/play for that matter, so we were pretty excited going into this new territory. We figured we would be dealing with rough lighting conditions...very dim and changing...so our plan was basically the same one we use for weddings, Heather would use the Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 and work up a little closer and get wide-angles, and I would use the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 and work farther away and also grab some head shots. We also figured we would probably never go smaller than f/4 so that we could keep our ISO's lower. Heather was using the Nikon D80 and I was using the D200, both set at Auto ISO with the max ISO at 800 and minimum shutter at 1/80. We also were using Aperture Priority and shooting Raw + basic jpeg.

Turns out, the lighting was much better than we thought! There were a few scenes where the lights would dim for a moody sequence and it would get a little tricky...the ISO's hitting 800...but most of the time we could stay in the 200 - 400 range very easily. The thing we DIDN'T anticipate was the speed and movement of the actors! Wow, it was like shooting a football game or a motocross!!! We ended up taking probably 600 shots in the 2 hour period we were there and I would say 50 of them have considerable motion blur and another 50 have "manageable in Photoshop" blur.

So what did we learn and what will we do different! First is we WILL stay in Auto ISO. Though the lighting was always relatively good, it did change as the actors walked around the stage, from side to side, and if you were running in complete manual mode you would be missing a lot of action trying to adjust exposure on the fly. Second we would probably stay in Aperture Priority, but up the minimum speed to 1/100 or maybe even 1/125. One hundred blurry shots out of 600 is just unacceptable! But other than that, we felt pretty good about the way the shoot went. We ended up with some really, really fun stuff that we can be proud of...and no one has to see the blurry stuff we're un-proud of - LOL

So thanks again to all of the folks involved with the production of Li'l Abner...Stuart's, all of the actors, directors, producers, lighting and sound people and especially Jim Parsons for the initial email inviting us to participate. We had just a wonderful, wonderful time and just hope you keep us in mind for all your upcoming projects. We would love to be a small part of it...

Jeffrey Morris

Eye am very glad to meet you!!!

2009-03-02T17:58:00.000-05:00

Let's start with some introductions. I'm Jeffrey Morris and together with my beautiful and forgiving wife Heather, we own Morristowne Photography,
a brand new photography business in the gorgeous, rolling hills of Southeastern Ohio...or to be more precise, just outside of Nelsonville, OH. We have 3 daughters, 1 dog, 3 fish and a considerable love for photography which grabbed us somewhere around 2005 and hasn't yet let go of our throats! Though we are just about as terrified as possible of taking a passionate hobby that we have loved and turning it into a business that we truly hate, we both just can't turn away from, at the very least, giving it a shot...which has caused us to drink a few shots already, but that's another Maker's Mark story for a different day!

I guess what I hope to accomplish with this blog is two fold. First, I hope as the days and months and years go by I can look back and see not only in photos how Heather and I have progressed, but also how our vision and ideas and plans have evolved. Second, I hope that other newbie photographers can find a little of themselves in us...learning from both our mistakes and our triumphs, our failures and our victories.

So, welcome if you are here from day one or if you're reading this a year from today's date. Say Hi, and we hope you'll be here giving advice, learning and discovering along with us on this exciting photographic journey.