Aerial Photography and Videography
Last year I had a thrill. I flew in a helicopter. I am sure that I discussed that at least once on my blog before converting it over to my new platform. I did an aerial shoot last year via helicopter. Due to a project change, I needed to do so again later in the year. I was addicted and only wanted to fly in a helicopter to get from place to place. While some people have that luxury, I currently do not.
I do however now have a drone, a DJI Phantom 2 for my Gopro Cameras. and cane place a camera very high in the sky or make it do things while it is moving. I have been able to make some awesome photographs and videos since I first purchased it back at the very end of August. This past weekend I put together a little piece that I shot in my town while an event happened. You can watch below.
I am hoping sooner than later I can allocate some funds and replace one of my Hero 3+ for the new Gopro Hero 4. From what I have seen it is an upgrade and worth the purchase. I am quite happy with my 3+, but you know how it is, a new piece of technology comes out and that is enough to change the quality of your work.
I will be coming out with a few new videos/films soon. I have been doing quite a bit of video work recently. I am having fun and exploring film making.
Travel Photography: Fall Foliage
You will not be seeing any epic fall foliage photos in this post. While our attempts to visit Vermont and do the whole "leaf peeping" thing was with good intentions, the Weather Channel was a bunch of liars. We were mislead into thinking Southern Vermont was at this peak for foliage, which it is not. We took a late afternoon drive from Mass up into Vermont. We took the high way for a small portion and navigated the back roads up for the remaining portion. We would repeat almost the same route to return.
The following photographs were made using my Canon 5d mark ii, imported and edited o my iPad. Pardon hurts dust spots and artifacts in some of the photos.
Along the way I was thinking about this post. I was examining the idea that the best practice would be to literally just get in the car and wander. That is how I spent my formal years with photogrpahy. It was that practice of just getting in hype car and driving that has lead me to realize that I love to travel and that when you try not to, you will see. See things, objects, places, and people that become photographs. A great photographer can compose an image and tell a story in doing so. A great photographer can also create visual relationships. Not just between photographs, but between the elements of a single photograph.
For example, the following photograph is of a lumber yard that we passed by. The road split the yard into two sections. Quite literally the before and after. What was unique about the location is that the landscape landed to the metaphor even more so. Composed in a fashion that creates a story in a single image, you can see, "before and after" by reason the elements I have placed within the lens. The background is the "before" while the foreground is the "after." The distant landscape is a mountainous scene, almost seen in every corner of Vermont. The foreground is fresh cut timber stacked and laid in the yard. Through this photograph I wanted to convey the sense of the before and after by framing up these emergents for the viewer to discern.
While I did wish we were able to see some epi autum landscape, I am not let down that we didn't. My goal today was not to spend hours in search of the he right image to make, rather to enjoy the day and if I used my camera, great, if not no big deal. We made our way as far as Putney, Vermont. We spent a short time in Brattleboro. Both I looking for a bathroom and just to meander. We close on our first house this week and we were looking for a few things to add. I will report happily that we found some restrooms to use, but nothing for the house.
People fascinate me to death. We are all in some ways voyeristic, nosy, curious. Photography allows me to explore both culture and social activity. I spend a lot of time watching people through the lens. Not in a stalker, private eye kind of way, but through the events I attend, the places I travel, and images I make. I form connections with people that I have photographed. Every portrait photographer knows what it is like to on next to theirs subjects, but for me it's more than that. I am still working on trying to contextualize my thoughts on the subject. I was motivated to make some portraits today because the light was ideal to do so. A bit harsh, but sometimes harsh can cause some shadows that are favored.
The following photograph is of a girl that was writing poetry on the spot for anyone who would indulge her. I noticed the scene when I turned and left a retail store front. As I moved my lens around I observed her mannerisms and noticed the light on her. She became more visually interesting as she allowed the sun to bathe her. While I stood watching and moving about no one entertained her offers of words and emotions. In passing I made a comment to Sue about having a spontaneous poem written for us. That didn't go over well. But I was able to document what I saw.
Brattleboro is an interesting town. I've been there a hand full of times. It is comparable to other small New England towns. There is some art, little bit of culture, and a little bit of tourism. I am not super drawn to visit Brattleboro like I am other Vermont towns an locations. Most of the time I stop it is in passing, such as today. This was the first time I really used a camera to capture any sort of vignette of the town. That's not to say don't visit, but merely I am stating that after having been a few times, redundancy equals boredom.
If you are like me and have a need to see, then you have a need to make photographs and travel to some extent. Over the next year I aim to travel more. I want to visit areas that I have not seen both near and far. Vermont happens to be next door and there is. Almost no bad time to visit, except mud season. Before we know it the ground will be blanked in white powder. By that time I will share some photos from last years post Christmas trip to Vermont. Hopefully we will duplicate last year up there.. Go visit Vermont.
Night Photography: After Hours
I started making photographs at night when I was in school. Back then I was running around with a tripod, an old slr, 400 tri-x bw film, and no idea what I was doing, except that I was having fun. Night photography is something I still do. The tools have changed, my vision has grown and expanded, and I still have the same fun I did years ago. The thrill is higher, knowing what I want to capture and that there is a method to doing so. I have found, for me and my work, rainy nights create the perfect ambiance. Textures come to life. There is a poetry that exists on rainy nights that otherwise doesn't exist on most nights. There is peace, quiet, and an unlimited amount of images to be found.
Last night I grabbed my Canon 5d Mark ii, my iPad, and left the studio after a long day of work. I had my pancake 40mm 2.8 mounted. I haven't used a tripod at night in a long time. With a camera this good, high iso capabilities, I have not much need for a tripod. If I were to be shooting something like a landscape, bracketed exposures, or the stars I would surely use a tripod. Just running around at night with a good lens and high iso, no need for the cluncky set of legs. I did however forgot a key cable to connect to my iPad's cable. Dang... So I wasn't able to post these photos till this afternoon before getting into some projects. For me, I see things in the night that I do not get to see during the day. I am inspired. I was inspired. I made photographs.
Travel Photography: Charleston South Carolina
I am 90% sure that I have not posted any photos from my travels to Charleston South Carolina last year. In May of 2013, my then girlfriend, now fiance, took me to Charleston for my birthday. It was my 30th and she wanted to do something special for me. Had never been in an airplane before that trip. So it had a lot of meaning.
Charleston is very historic. There is a vibrant, visible history that some cities can not even claim. Among the historic images one can come across on their walks through, there is a culture that makes Charleston a very lavish place to vacation and visit.
Without providing a narrative for every day we were there, like I would like to do, rather I chose 5 images to show what I saw. These are 5 randomly chosen, spur of the moment choice that I think one could say, Charleston is interesting. I will give a one sentence blurb for each photo.
The architecture in Charleston is ornate, charming, often very lavish.
After a day and a half of the intoxicating aroma, I was finally able to ask a local what the flowery bush was that emanated the fragrance. Confederate Jasmine.
During a tour of Charleston, we were told that the homes that do not have a steel fence were the ones that donated to the Civil War, with the expectation they would be returned after the war was over.
Poogans Porch is widely known for their food and their hauntings. Alligator
This little boy was cooling off in a beautiful, well visited fountain located next to the wharf by the river.
While my photographs are mere snapshots of what can really be seen in Charleston, they still capture an essence of the city. Charleston is one of those places were you could spend weeks documenting the life, culture, and ambiance of the city. In the last 18 or so months I have taken mental trips back to Charleston. On a good day, I can remember the taste of Alligator.
Fashion Photography: New Works
My friend Aleksandr has told me that I over indulge in the amount of words I add to my posts. So, for this one it will be simple, just for you Aleksandr.
Fashion Photography. I made some photos.
Head Shots: The business of selling your client.
Initially I began writing this post for my LinkedIn blog. I am not an avid writer on that professional platform, but I do have things that get shared there. Due to an image sizing issue, I decided to forego using LinkedIn for this piece. Instead, I am writing for my blog:
Professional head shots say a lot about you as a business person, professional, and your personality. Their is value in having professional photographs made of yourself. In my previous post on LinkedIn, about head shots, I discussed how it is a tool for branding who you are, your business, and at the very least, marketing yourself.
Head shots do not need to be complicated. We are all a bit self conscious. For those that may say they are not self conscious and seem to be the most photogenic, those individuals are especially concerned with how they appear in a photograph. A professional photographer has the roles of making a photograph, editing, delivering, and maintaining the business providing head shots. What most people are unaware of when it comes to hiring a photographer is that the photographer also has another role: making you feel comfortable and eliciting the image that you need, the image that pleases you. To many people are equipped with cameras and possibly a set of lights that are unaware of the true responsibility when it comes to producing head shots.
A head shot should capture more than your likeness, it should sell who you are. The photographer has a job of doing that for you. It isn't about the camera, or always about the lighting, it is about the interaction between the photographer and the client. You need to find the right fit for you, the right photographer that will make you comfortable, talk to you as if you are a person while putting you at ease. If a photographer fails to deliver on that, they are essentially making a snap shot of you. At that point, you might as well make a snapchat photo and do a screen capture and call that your head shot.
Self Portrait in studio. Don't be caught using a "selfie" as a professional image to market yourself.
There are many photographers around the world that have their approach to making sound head shots. Each one of us implements a set of skills, both social and psychological, (don't be scared by that last one: psychological.) The fact of the matter is that when working with people, personalities, we need to be able to connect with our clients and subjects. They need to be given confidence and allow trust in us to make them feel comfortable enough to show their personality.
Portrait of a Dancer
The true value of a professional head shot transcends the cost. The monetary value of a head shot can be written off, paid for easily depending on your business. In some cases your company might be fronting the cost for you to have that photograph. Your clients, whether you think so or not, will and are always evaluating who they do business with based on their perception and your appearance.
JeffreyB is available for head shot and portraits.
Greg Stone: Artist
JeffreyB is available for head shot and portraits.