Happy Christmas

Wanted to wish everyone a happy and joyous Christmas!  Enjoy the holidays!

Roller Derby

The Red Rockettes faced the Happy Valley Derby Darlins in a roller derby battle last night.  The Derby Darlins quickly took the lead and never looked back.  It was a great night for roller derby and a great night for photography.  My action shots weren't turning out the way I wanted them, so I focused on the eccentricities of the derby girls and got a few shots I liked.  

I learned a lot about roller derby and learned a few lessons for photography as well. 

Lunar Eclipse

My alarm woke me at 5:30 am this morning and I had to wonder, 'Why in the world is my alarm going off on a Saturday?!'  Then I realized, I had done this to myself.  It's a funny thing what I'm willing to do for photography.  There was a lunar eclipse this morning and Salt Lake City got a pretty great show.  I couldn't have asked for any better conditions:  Clear skies, a setting moon, and a sunrise to light the foreground, not to mention a perfect scene from a nearby park.  Besides my toes being so cold they were going numb, it was an amazing morning.  

Craft & Vision: Free eBook

 

If you are looking to improve your photography don’t buy gear, buy knowledge.  Or better yet, get it for free.  I’ve purchased a few of the eBooks offered through Craft and Vision and have loved reading through them.  Not only do I learn a ton every time I read through one, but I’m newly inspired.  Now, Craft and Vision and the creator, David duChemin, is offering a free eBook filled with nuggets of knowledge from several successful photographers.  It’s new.  It’s fresh.  And it’s free.  

I would feel comfortable recommending anything from Craft and Vision and urge you to check it out.  David duChemin has a very informative and inspiring blog he updates regularly and has also written several books.  I’ve been able to pick one up at the library, VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography, and I have to say it is an excellent read.  I couldn’t put it down.  It’s a book I would definitely consider buying, especially when I take the leap to full-time photographer.  So, if you are looking to get into this craft, read some eBooks.  Soak in the knowledge. Get inspired and get out shooting!

Get the free eBook here

Donut Falls

Nothing like a cold morning hike with a friend as crazy as myself to a sweet destination like Donut Falls.    

Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. 

40.6296717 -111.6549256 7,933 ft.

100 ISO 17mm f/5 2 sec

100 ISO 24mm f/5.6  0.6 sec

100 ISO 23mm f/6.3 1 sec

100 ISO 24mm f/6.3 2 sec

Cataloging Photos with Adobe Lightroom

I've been reviewing old photos and came across several that I had dismissed initially but are actually some of my favorites in their own series.  Amazingly enough this happens quite often, which is exactly why I never delete photos, always back them up, and continually review old ones.  You never know what surprises you're going to find.  I catalog my photos to keep them organized and filtered.  I use Lightroom for this purpose and I find that it works wonders.  You have to keep up on it, but with the help of a regular routine you'll be thanking yourself later. 

As soon as I am able to sit down with my computer and CF card after a shoot, I plug in my card reader and start downloading images.  Ideally, I am near my external hard drive and can do a back up then and there and forget about it.  No matter when I get to it I will back up my photos.  Backing up your photos may be the most important step, so don't forget it!  I can do this automatically with Adobe Lightroom and kill two birds with one stone on one download.  I've preset mine so that all I have to do is plug in my external hard drive and press OK and it'll automatically back up to my selected hard drive.  If it's not plugged into my computer Lightroom will remind me.  After I get all my photos into Lightroom and backed up on external hard drives, I start to go through and weed out the good from the bad.  I use a 'flag' for the ones that draw an initial reaction and I know are good, and a rejection flag for any overexposures or out of focus photos I know I don't want to keep.  Then, I go through the flagged photos and narrow it down even further to the best of the best with a rating of five stars.  I can filter the photos so that only the flagged photos are showing and develop from there, eventually focusing on the five star images.

When I am satisfied with my selection of "good" photos I start to play around in the digital darkroom.  Does the photo tell a better story in black and white?  Will it look better cropped?  What can I change to express my vision?  Aside from correcting exposure, color correcting and removing dust spots I don't like to "correct" too much unless I'm trying to achieve a certain look.  The point is to try and capture it in-camera as best you can.  Photoshop, Lightroom or iPhoto will only take you so far.  Getting an image right in-camera is the best practice and will improve anyone's photography.  I try to take that to heart.  

Last but not least, I go through my images regularly.  If I missed a back up I get it done as soon as I can. If I haven't gone through and edited dust spots, I'll do it.  Most importantly, I'll look with a fresh set of eyes at all the captures and if there is a photo I think should be flagged or even starred that isn't I'll do it then.  It's amazing what a fresh set of eyes can see.  I often find photos that were initially overlooked and wonder why I hadn't flagged them or given them a better status to begin with.  The best practice is to review, review, review!

Location: Big Cottonwood Canyon

ISO 320 40mm f/4 1/160 sec

ISO 200 17mm f/13 1/1250 sec

ISO 100 25mm f/5 1/100 sec Singh-Ray Warming Filter

A drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon is filled with photo opportunities without leaving sight of the road.  You don't have to go far to get some good images.  All of the above were just steps from the road.  It required a bit of venturing through snow, but when you want to get the most out of a couple hours in the canyon staying close to the road is a good option.  It doesn't hurt that Big Cottonwood Canyon offers amazing views throughout.