This may contradict my why finding your niche is important post, but I’ve realized over the years there is a definite benefit to variety. Shooting things you don’t usually shoot results in the following benefits:   Practice The age old saying “practice makes perfect” rings true. Though no one should be striving for that unreachable precipice, we can all strive to be better than we were before. Whether that improvement is in technical skill or conceptual prowess, we can gain some good from extra shooting.   Volunteer Sometimes there are projects or organizations that really speak to you. What if instead of donating money, you donate your time & skill? A few photos of their work in the community that they could post online or put on a sign could really help bring awareness to their cause.   Remember I love to travel. On every trip, I never leave home without my camera. I of course snap a few with my phone, but even the most advanced ones to date don’t offer the versatility & performance that my DSLR does. I love going to a new place and capturing a different culture. Instead of clamoring by all the stores […]
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  Another year, another challenge. I’m going to continue to modify Lindsay Adler’s 52 week challenge because there are still prompts in it that intrigue me. With that said, I am making a change though.   Instead of doing random shoots based off of various challenges, I’m going to shoot all of these with the intention of adding them to 1 cohesive series. My hope for the end of the year is to have enough content to feature the work in a gallery for the first time. Just another thing to cross off the bucket list. 🙂   The series title is “Chiaroscuro” which literally means light & dark, but is broadly defined as using light & shadow to define 3 dimensional objects in space. I wanted to focus on other aspects of design such as line, texture, & shape and not rely on color like I do for most of my work.   Though I appreciate the timelessness of pure black & white, I’m not so much a fan of how overused it is. I decided to apply a burgundy color overlay on the images, which gives them a sepia-esque quality that I love even more.   Another tenant […]
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Types: 1) Standard (with seamless white background) This is great for selling or providing space to write different descriptions on parts of the product. Some tips: instead of trying to get the whitest of white backgrounds in camera, just knock it out in post. It’s so much quicker & more consistent removing the background when you edit it. Also, because the product is taking center stage, it needs to look pristine. Retouch any lint, fuzz, or imperfections. 2) Flat on an interesting background This provides a more lifestyle approach to the product. The background can vary, but it should always match your branding. Sticking with 1-3 that you can change out depending on the color of the product will be the simplest way to have variety. 3) Being worn/used This is my personal favorite way to see a product, especially clothes & accessories. Use yourself, or find models to really show the item in action. It helps prospective customers to have context to where the product will be used. It will also make them more likely to buy. I hope these three tips on displaying your products help!   May the light be with you.           […]
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  Woop here it is. If you’re looking for a 50mm lens that delivers and doesn’t cost an arm, leg, & a spleen, the Canon 50mm 1.4 is it. I decided on a whim to get this a few months after getting the nifty fifty. My excuse was this could be on my 5d mark IV and the nifty could be on my T3i. Looking back, I should have definitely bought this instead of the nifty, because the quality is noticeable for not much of a price difference.   Pros – Great in low light – Compact – Nice image quality   Cons – Sometimes hard to focus – Is extra if you already have the nifty fifty   That extra stop really does help if you find yourself with less light. Its size isn’t much bigger than the nifty, so I usually keep this on my camera body for convenience. And as mentioned earlier, the image quality is excellent for the price (noticeably from the nifty too.)   Depending on if the subject is low contrast or not, this lens occasionally has a hard time keeping focus. Because this is only 1 stop different and 3 times the price, […]
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  Sometimes our favorite activity becomes less than fun and dwells in the “chore” category. This especially applies to people who do that particular activity for work on a daily basis. I’m not sure about you, but when the days are short and full of more darkness than light, I feel less motivated to actually do my craft. Photography becomes something that I do on occasion when I have to, not a daily task I enjoy. It isn’t always easy getting out of a photo rut, but here are a few tips that might helpfully inspire you if you’re going through it as well.   Write about it You don’t necessarily have to blog, but journaling about different issues in your life can help you determine what really is preventing you from shooting. Each time you feel uninspired or bothered by the photographic process, stop for a moment and write down why. Try to be as detailed as possible, it could be a recent interaction or stress is really bogging you down and you’re transferring that negativity onto your photography.   Look for inspiration Whether online or in photobooks, try and find something that speaks to you. Sometimes, a great […]
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  I don’t know about you, but it felt like this year flew by. It seems that the older we get, our perception of time feels faster and faster. Although I won’t be able to share every detail, I will be able to look back at all those posts as a kind of journal of the year. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the process, there were ups and downs for sure.   Here are some specific things I noticed:   Found a flow about a third of the way in and really caught up on posts.   Just over halfway I felt a bit bored with it.   Didn’t feel challenged because of being so on top of my schedule.   Was disappointed when subjects had to reschedule/cancel for my shoots so had to settle just to post for a challenge. (Or miss like in November because I had no back up plan.)   Enjoyed focusing more on writing.   Felt like I didn’t have enough images for a “photo blog.”   Appreciated when people in real life told me they found my tips helpful.   I’m glad I finally decided to consistently blog. Because of the planning beforehand and picking […]
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After 12 months of challenges, we’ve finally reached the end. (Unfortunately I couldn’t post one last month because the model had to reschedule and I didn’t have a backup plan because of how busy I was with work.) This month I’m going to show what I had planned for November. I wanted to really show some of the decay of all the trees around in winter, so I started researching different characters that could portray this. I found Lauma, a Latvian “atmospheric” goddess who is similar to a dryad in that she is usually near trees & nature. This challenge is “have the subject match the background.” I made the branch prop that frames her face, but also allows dimension as it fades into the background of the woods behind her.   In addition I’d like to pick my favorite 3 from the year.   1) Bionic Beauty – This kicked off my Archetype series and is still one of my favorite self-portraits to date. I loved making the moodboard, scouting out my location, setting up my flash, using the wireless capabilities of my camera for the first time, & the overall mood communicated with this. 2) Itzpapalotl – I […]
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  This process is also termed “long exposure photography” because a slow shutter speed is required in order to capture the light streaks. Here are a few different ways you can paint with light!   Possible light sources to use: Flashlight Sparklers Phone   Technical details: You must put your camera on a tripod or otherwise stable surface. Your shutter speed should be set very slowly. 5 seconds to 1 minute is usually the range. Your room needs to be completely dark. (If it isn’t, the ambient light will be caught and the painted light will be harder to see)   I used this technique for my Itzpapalotl challenge and thoroughly enjoyed it.   May the light be with you.           Follow
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  Once again, I’m sure you’ve noticed my biased title. Since it’s already clear that I love this lens, I’ll delve into why below.   PROS – Affordable – Compact – Nice image quality   CONS – Close to 50mm focal length – Small   This was actually the first prime I picked up years ago. I think the main reason I purchased this instead of the nifty fifty was because Best Buy had it on sale/in stock. For a beginner, the price point is just right. I also love how slim this lens is, it can be left on my camera body with no worry or tension on the attachment ring. And though this is a lower price compared to other Canon lenses, the image quality is excellent. I especially like using this for closer up views of makeup or product shots.   Another reason I waited to get a 50mm for so long was because I already had this one. It’s slightly different but not enough to make a noticeable difference. The size is an advantage for leaving on the camera, but could be a disadvantage to people who lose things easily. This is slim & light and […]
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  As with any company or organization, it is important to have a distinct look & feel that sets you a part from the competition.   A big misconception people make is assuming a nice looking logo is all it takes to improve their brand. Though it does help if it relates to your business or service, it’s much more important to have an overall vision you want to achieve with a list of components that help achieve that vision.   I won’t go over how to design an identity or set up a website, but instead provide ideas for different parts of the branding process. If you are currently starting or redefining a business, try thinking about the things I’ve listed below.   Questions to ask before starting a business or service: What do I want to accomplish with this brand? Who is my ideal audience? Is this going to be something I can do myself or will I need to eventually hire a team?   Questions to ask while redesigning a business or service: Why are we doing a redesign? Would a new look & message better communicate our vision? Does my current team fit with the new […]
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