Portraits: Eric Daniels

I've been really excited about shooting portraits lately.  The studio I set up in my apartment is working out nicely and everybody I've shot so far has been amazing to work with.  My brother was the latest and so much fun to shoot.  He has style in just a t-shirt and jeans.  He's working towards owning his own clothing company someday and we've talked about collaborating several times.  This week we got together so I could shoot some stills as well as video and I think they turned out nicely.  I've wanted to create videos like this for a long time and it's so fun to have the capability now.  The 5D is performing beyond my expectation and I continue to dream up ways to use the HD video.  I've got a lot to learn, but I'm excited to build upon my photography and overall imagery.  Still imagery is still my forte, but I can't ignore creating video.  

Here is my first attempt at a series called "Film Portraits".      

*Special thanks to Eric Daniels

Moonset

One of my first landscape shots with the Canon 5D Mark II.  Moonset over the Oquirrh Mountains.  

Quickclips: Time-Lapse Medley

Hope you enjoy this random medley of time-lapse videos.  Happy Easter!

Time-Lapse: Taking Down Tent/Sad Story

I've been without my camera for almost a month now.  I thought I would be getting my camera back all clean and fixed pretty soon, but I was informed last week that the $300 repair they thought was going to fix the sensor turned out to be a $3,300 sensor replacement.  I'm sorry?  Did you say $3,300?  That's right.  I was devastated.  I still am.  However, there is some good news in this sad, sad story.  I ordered a Canon 5D Mark II and it's on the way!  I can't feel too bad, as my used 1Ds Mark II went above and beyond the call this past year.  Yes, I only had it a year, but I paid a fraction of what it cost new.  I don't regret buying it at all, but I had the thought of selling it to Adorama about two months ago and I can't stop thinking, "If I had just sold it then!"  It's too bad.  It sucks.  But I have moved on and I am stoked to get my hands on the 5D.  I've been wanting this camera for a while now, and since the 5D Mark III came out, and the Mark II prices lowered a bit, I had set my sites on it becoming my second body for a while now (so much for that plan).  Now it will serve as my one and only (at least for the time being) and I have plans of it serving me well.  I am really excited about the HD video, the insanely high ISO capabilities, and the overall image quality this camera promises to deliver.  

On another note, I made a time-lapse video of yours truly packing up my tent at the Salt Flats and wanted to share.  I hope to be putting up a few more of these time-lapse videos in the next few days.  Enjoy.

Location: Salt Flats

For two weeks now, I've been without my camera.  It decided to die on me while traveling in Monument Valley.  I took it into Pictureline in Salt Lake City and had them send it into Canon for a repair.  Last week, I got some good news about how much it was actually going to cost me to fix my camera, so I will be reunited with it soon.  It's a good thing I have a very giving friend who lent me her camera while I've been without mine.  It's actually the same body I used just a year ago; the Canon XS.  It is a great camera, but boy, do I miss my full frame.

Being at the Salt Flats last night made me realize why I love photography.  The sky put on a light show and I was more than happy to be a part of it.  The 'true' salt flats were covered with a layer of water, so driving on them was not an option.  But a dirt road a few miles west provided some cracking desert floors with clear 360 degree views.  It was an amazing night and I took full advantage.  

Now, on to some technical talk.  The only way I could have gotten these photos in-camera was with the use of my favorite Singh-Ray neutral density (ND) filters.  All of the images in this post, except the last one, were captured with two ND filters stacked on top of each other; 3-stop reverse ND, and 2-stop soft step graduated ND filter, with a total of 5 stops to balance out the exposure difference between the foreground and the sky.  Without these filters, I would have either a white sky or a dark foreground in every photo.  The camera's sensor has only so much range and needs help holding back brighter areas, in this case, the sky to properly expose the scene.  Filters allow the photographer to capture a scene exactly how they saw it.  I use my ND filters often and would recommend them to anyone looking to get into landscape photography.   

Spirit of America: Monument Valley

When I think of America I think of places like Monument Valley.  There is something about the place.  Maybe it's all the films showcasing the buttes behind a tough heroic cowboy, maybe it's the remoteness, or maybe it's just the pure beauty of the desert.  Whatever it is, it has inspired me to create a series of photos entitled, "Spirit of America".  I've included the image below to start off the series.  Tell me what you think.

LDP Blog One Year Mark

I was going through the blog's archives and realized I hit the one year mark in the middle of February!  What an amazing year it's been!  I am so grateful to those who have followed my blog and left comments.  I feel lucky to have this blog and the few followers that keep coming back.  Thank you.  I also feel really lucky to have photography as a passion.  Even if it's only supplementing my income, until I can break free and try this thing full time.  I hope to bring you even better visual stories in the coming year.  Thank you again, for tuning in.  

Here are some of the highlights from the last year:

Arches National Park (three times; here, here and here)
Grand Teton National Park (twice; here and here)
Rodeos
Occupy Movement coverage (here and here)
Lunar Eclipse Over Salt Lake
Southwest Adventure (Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Arches)
Bonneville Speed Week