True Light Photography

The Jayne H Boswell Animal Shelter

2012-02-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

The Jayne H Boswell Animal Shelter

Florence Area Humane Society

http://www.facebook.com/florence.humane.society

A few weeks ago the Florence Area Humane Society moved to their new building with a "Parade of Puppies", it was really nice to the community come together to help out.

Ryan and Laken Wedding

2012-02-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the chance to visit the Cedar Creek Baptist Church in Hartsville, SC for the second time to shoot Ryan and Laken's Wedding. Always love visiting Hartsville it makes a wonderful location for photography!

Main Gallery Link Here

Join the fun by commenting on FB: here

Collin and Beccy Hatcher Wedding

2012-01-24T05:55:00.000-08:00

Collin and Beccy Hatcher Wedding

At Oskars in Cheraw, SC

Lightroom 4 Public Beta is Out!

2012-01-10T05:41:00.000-08:00

Adobe Just released the Lightroom 4 Public Beta!!!

Get it free HERE

NAPP has videos of the new features HERE

The ones that excite me or basic video editing - I always have to hunt for a outside tool for even the simplest task like rotating (also knowing aperture does have this already I've been a bit jealous). You can also publish to facebook, flickr, ect.

There is also Book module and map module that they have added; I've always wished the Print / Web Mods were most robust and allowed for book creation... if this gives me the ability to build a decent album i will be static

The Map module is for organizing your photos by location and handling GPS data; I'm surprised it has it's own tab, but it is beta so we will see how it ends up.

from the adobe blog:

If you’re curious about checking out this public preview, there are several opportunities for you to watch a live demo with Tom and ask questions.

Tuesday, January 10 (FREE)
WHAT: Kelbytraining.com day of live webcasts with Matt Kloskowski and Tom Hogarty
TIMES: 7 am PST, 9 am PST, 11 am PST, 1 pm PST
VISIT: http://kelbytraining.com/unveil

Friday, January 13 (FREE)
WHAT: Tom Hogarty lunch hour live demo and Q&A (online session)
TIMES: 9 am PST & 12 noon PST
DETAILS: Check the EVENTS tab on our Facebook page – to be posted Tuesday morning (1/10) – for detailed instructions.

There are also eight new Lightroom 4 beta videos, hosted by Julieanne Kost – senior Digital Imaging evangelist at Adobe – available on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber to catch all the latest video tutorials and behind the scenes footage from the team and our own Lightroom community.

Lightroom has been my absolute favorite piece of software for managing my photography and the vast majority of my edits; I can't recommend it strongly enough.

P365 2012 Week 1

2012-01-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

I'm going strong so far with P365; I've shot every day and been very happy with the images. :)

Nora the Red

2012-01-09T06:51:00.000-08:00

Had a BLAST Sat morning with my gorgeous friend Nora at the rail trail to get some photos of her stunning new hair color. I think it's def her color! Everything turned out just right; excellent light, wonderful model, and I got to test out the sigma lens. Wonderful!

Project 365 Day 3: The Small Things

2012-01-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

The Small Things

It really is the tiniest little things that brighten up the world for us, this caught my eye today and I just had the take a photo of it.. I know the little artist and she is as adorable as this is cute.

I thought the little splash of colors on this sort of reflect color that our friends and families make on our life, as we move forward in life inch by inch by inch it's nice to have little dabs of color to keep our spirits up :)

Project 365 Day 2: Resolutions

2012-01-03T05:17:00.000-08:00

Resolutions

Like alot of the world I was at the gym starting on my resolutions for the new year... I started most of the a few weeks ago; couch to 5K and stronglifts 5x5 + a reasonable diet. Also a number of photographic ones. I also did some hard core new years cleaning. I for one am ready to take on 2012!

Project 365 Day 1: Cheers!

2012-01-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Cheers!

First shot of the new year; ready to toast to 2012... heres hoping for a great one! :)

My Favorite Shots of 2011

2012-01-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

I had alot of fun in 2011; I feel like I really started seeking out the things I wanted to shoot.
I had a chance to work with some real pros and visit some pretty cool places, looking back over what I shot this year i'm very pleased.

Here are some of the shots that really stood out to me.

The End is Nigh! (of 2011).. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011-12-29T14:32:00.000-08:00

So 2011 is drawing to a close and I must say rather happy with 2011 as far as my photography goes; alot of fun firsts and I feel like I advanced a good bit skill wise, I think that is the most important thing in life .. to keep moving forwards and bettering yourself.

In 2011 I:

Took my 1st shots that will be used in a published book
Had a shot on a billboard all across town
Won my first physical award for a shot from last year
Did my first really significant sales of prints
Helped more people with Xmas cards than ever before; i'd consider that my 1st seasonal promotion

In the real world as with most of the population my real goal is to shrink that waist line but this is more for photography things so ...

In 2012 I will:

FINISH Project 365: I've tried this a number of times but never made it all the way this year I WILL!
Take a Trip up to photograph Waterfalls in the blue-ridge parkway (after the snow melts)
Go to a Hot Air Balloon Festival
Sell at least 1 print as a "artistic print"
Develop a more concrete pricing plan including a solid digital distribution model.
Join PPA and attended at least 1 big photography event.
Run at least 1 promotion per quarter (I'm thinking Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Xmas)

Anyways.. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! Make 2012 a awesome year!! :)

James Island Holiday Festival of Lights 2011

2011-12-25T14:50:00.000-08:00

This year was my first trip to the James Island "Holiday Festival of Lights"in Charleston SC; and I must say it's a very impressive display. I had the good fortune to have some of my local friends be my driver so I could ooo and awww at the display and try to grab some shots; next year I'll have to go back and walk the whole course it's REALLY big!

Lots of animation and a whole Christmas Village!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T17:59:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas Weekend! I look forward to having a good time with family and friends, and probably eating way to much ... and taking tons of pictures! :)

PotD: Rainbows in the Night Sky

2011-12-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

Rainbows in the Night Sky

Shot info: 1/10 second, f 5.6 ISO 1600 Tamron 17-50 on 7D

I shot this at Swan Lake in Sumter, SC; I sat the camera on the ground and shot up; sort of shooting blind but i think it worked well... I'm glad they had a rainbow one this year I've always preferred the multi-colored to the white or solid 1 color strings. They really do put on a good show.

Riverbank Zoo's Lights Before Christmas

2011-12-20T06:14:00.001-08:00

This was the first time I've been to photograph the Riverbank Zoo's Lights Before Christmas, I must say it was a very impressive display! Parking is a little tricky but once your in it's great; I think if I had a kid i would def make it a yearly ritual. Also I saw an ANGRY BIRDS TREE!!!

I also got a shot of a carousel which i have been wanting to get a good one to for awhile now... overall lots of fun!

PotD: Marshmallow Roast

2011-12-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

Marshmallow Roast

Shot Info: 1/125, f 2.8 ISO 800 with 17-50mm tamron on the 7D

Another Shot from Riverbanks, they have massive fire-pits for kids to roast marshmallows; that's a very cool feeling that really suits the winter spirit. Makes me want to go camping!

Swan Lake Christmas Lights 2011

2011-12-19T06:43:00.000-08:00

Swan Lake Iris Gardens' Festival of Lights is one of my favorite Christmas Light Displays, I like to try to visit every year; this year was excellent as always; I even got a chance to walk around a bit earlier and test out a new lens on some of the birds; they are always great subjects to get a feel for a new piece of gear.

Anyways I think i got some shots I was happy with!

PotD: Carousel of Lights

2011-12-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

Carousel of Lights

Shot Info: 4.0 Seconds at f 5.6 at ISO 200 using the 17-50mm Tamron

This was shot at the Riverbanks "Lights before Christmas" ; It's the first time I had a chance to sit down with a tripod and take a full range of exposures to get a number of cool effects by playing with the speed. I was very happy with how it turned out ... though i'm not sure which I like the best!

Christmas Light Tips

2011-12-16T10:43:00.001-08:00

Tips for Shooting Christmas Lights

1) you might think that the darker the better but I’ve found that as the sun is setting is really the best time; you can see more of the environment and it really gives you a better sense of where you are; when you shoot in pitch black it’s just little dots in the dark. However I must say the late night with the full moon worked fantastically this year at the Brookgreen Garden’s Night of 1000 Candles.

2) TRIPOD! Any time you are shooting with very little light and the situation requires that you not use a flash a tripod is a must! otherwise everything will be blurry especially since if you want nice big star-bursts for your lights you will want to stop your aperture way down.. even as far as f22 if you can manage; this gives you the twinkling effect.

3) Shoot in raw: the white balance can be very tricky so if you can i’d shoot in raw you that you have lots of wiggle room later.

4) Atypical angles: This is true of all types of photography, I like to try to shoot at least some shots from locations other than normal head level … I think your brain automatically says “ I know this view already.. it’s not interesting to me” but if you shoot from really high or really low it catches your eye and gets some attention subconsciously.

5) This year I plan on trying using slow sync on the flash which I hear can work very well for getting some subtle illumination; I'm also thinking that if I'm willing to play with it HDR might work well for Christmas lights; though I'd think it would take some manual adjustment in photoshop after creating the tone mapped HDR image.

Anyways … Merry Christmas and HAPPY SHOOTING!

Holiday Gift Guide for Photo Geeks

2011-12-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of Items from amazon that I think would make great gifts for the photographer on your list:
I found a range of items from just a few dollars to over $1000 if you really want to go crazy.

I've either used most of these or I am confident of the research I did that it would be a good buy.

Xmas Pics

2011-12-11T18:41:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the Xmas Pics for 2011 I've taken so far...
It's been alot of fun trying to get more this year; and I've still got plenty of time to add more! I also want to get a really god shot of my dog too, so far she is has been very blurry in the hat pics I've taken! :p

Brookgreen Gardens: Night Of 1000 Candles

2011-12-11T15:36:00.001-08:00

I had alot of fun visiting the beach last night with some of my friends for Brookgreen Gardens's "Night Of 1000 Candles", this was my first time going down there for the event, and i must say it's quite a show! I think our timing for it was excellent, the full moon made for excellent light.

I tried a few different things; including lots of bracketed shots, mostly just using the max ISO on the 7D. I think i would really like to go back with a 5DmkII and a real tripod next time.

I want to try to get to the James Island Festival of Lights this year and also hit swan lake in Sumter again (my Christmas tradition .

click here for the : Full Gallery

Santa at the Julia!

2011-12-09T20:21:00.001-08:00

Thanks to ACS I can now check "Santa photographer" off my photog bucket list!

Hope Everyone had a great night, it was alot of fun seeing how the different kids reacted to Santa, I for one was terrified of him when i was young, which seemed perfectly reasonable at the time :)

Here is a Link to the smugmug gallery, it has a download link if any of the subject's parents would like to get a copy; you should feel free to do anything you'd like with them. I think Rachel is going to get some 8x10s to our ACS folks Monday at work. For you non ACSers I'd recommend Sams or Mpix.com.

http://truelightphoto.smugmug.com/Other/ACS-Santa-Pics-2011/20513709_tXvMWx

(they are also on my personal FB page)

Brittney and Clay: Engagement Portrait at the speed of light!

2011-11-26T07:43:00.001-08:00

Brittney and Clay: Engagement Portrait at the speed of light!

Fastest Engagement Session ever! He proposed on thanksgiving and 2 days later I took their portrait (ok so I going by anyway to pickup a flash that i left there earlier that week.. but it still counts!)

They make a cute couple, it was very nice to get a few photos of a newly engaged soon to be bride still in her euphoria, a bit horse from what she claims was a cold... but i suspect that it was from yelling in excitement and joy :)

Brittney is always happy to pose for me but Clay is more elusive, this is the first time I've got a pic of him since a wedding last year.

I think they work well together and I can't wait to see what they plan for the wedding.

http://truelightphoto.smugmug.com/Other/Brittney-and-Clay/20270139_LRKhjq

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!!

I hope everyone has a safe, filling, and happy holiday! Personally I'm going to enjoy my time off and try to get some productive photography stuff done between turkey induced comas :)