Friso Festival 2013...Rogers, AR

Ya'll should have come out to the FriscoFestival and watched these guys this year! Backroad Anthem opened for Gary Allan, Easton Corbin, and Tyler Farr this summer at Arkansas Music Pavilion (at least that I was at), so I've been fortunate enough to see them at least 3 times.  Really not bad at all, as I think they have kind of a "Florida Georgia Line" sound to them. Hey, you might as well see then while they're free right?  I may not be a top music exec, but this group is going places!



If there is no struggle, there is no progress. - Frederick Douglass

I recently read in a photo blog that it was important to look back on your progress to see how you have changed as a photographer.  So I dug around little; and this is what I found. On the left is a photo that I took a few weeks ago, and on the right is the first senior session that I took back in 2009.  It's kind of funny to see how a person can progress through taking pictures even over a few years. Each one different in their own way, and each one representing a solidified moment that someone will remember for many more years. I look back on my progress and have to chuckle, because even though I still may not be where I would like to be, I still have along way to go.  Each step that I have taken I have learned some little piece of something along the way.

 

 

Just as a country fan...

 

 

I would have to say that being a fan of country music, that this is not my normal area of expertise! It also shouldn't matter if you like these two or not, but what you can admire is the way that the video was made.  I'm a little slow when it comes to watching videos, so I just recently came across this one.  From someone who likes to "paint with light" any photographer would have to admit that the lighting techniques in this video are absolutely incredible! 

 

I'm a huge sucker for black and white....

 

 

 

 

I would personally like to meet the person responsible for this, because it happens to be a direct reflection of a style I love!

 

And...at any rate, if you don't like the music, you can always use the mute button.

What's in a profile picture?

 

With nearly every social media site now giving a small space to tell something about yourself....what is it they you say?  Better yet, how is it that you choose a profile picture?  If you are a photographer it seems pretty common that you take a self-portrait of yourself right? Or the other avenue of having a photog pal take a photo of you.  So what does you profile picture say about you? For you Facebook profile, is it a picture of your littlest child?  Or is your Twitter profile a picture of you greatest accomplishment?  Or on a more flattering side do the ladies have the great 80's prom picture, with all that hair neatly pulled to the side with huge neon pink bow?  For the guys I might be close to something like standing in the backyard in front of the grill with a "kiss the cook" apron on.

 

And I could be the one that raises my right hand shamelessly for the picture that I took 8 years ago, because I think that it's the one that I look best in.

 

OR, are you one of those people that changes your profile picture every other day?

 

At any rate there are, have been,  and will always be a place to share a picture of you.  It will usually be right next to a little icon that says upload!  So weather it's a photo of you, your greatest accomplishment, your great love, or you greatest loss, make it a good one! And if you see fit...you can change it whenever you want.  



The downside of photograpy

 

 

 

I think it's rather unfortunate that from time to time I see that another photographer's work has been hijacked and passed off as another's work.  What I find that is even more depressing is that some of these pictures are entered into photo contests where the (please insert name here) actually receives financial gain for work that they did not do.

 

Every so often I browse Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any  other social network and find huge discussions about how someone else has passed off their work for personal gain. I think that this is just the risk that a photographer has to run, in order to do the things that they want to do.  I do find out more often than not that there is something that can be done.  The key is your clients! I simply think that it is important to reach out to them, and share with them that this type of behavior happens everyday.  Keep them close, and share with then that if they see this type of behavior, then they should report it immediately! I have even seen cases before when someone has stole a  photograph, and passed it off as their own family, children, graduate etc. Here is case I came across today!

 

 

Essentially what happen was that someone ripped off this photographer's picture, passed it as his own, and won a contest....and the prize just happen to be an NX300! - Courtesy of Samsung

 

Here is the link to his page, if you would like to show your support! :)

 

https://www.facebook.com/hkk24?hc_location=stream 

 

In conclusion, this is simply the behavior of  pond scum!

It's up to you and me and the clients we work for to do whatever is in our power to make sure that this doesn't happen!  On another note I always ask a client if I may share there image to promote my work......It's just common courtesy. 

 

 

 

 



 

What to wear!

Since I am still rather new at this, and it was not something we covered in Photography classes, I decided to do a little research myself.  I have attended numerous weddings in my lifetime, and I was always curious how a wedding photographer decides what to wear. 

I recently saw on a Facebook page a discussion as to what any photographer should wear to a shoot.  Seemed pretty consistent to me that anyone who photographs should be comfortable, but that they should also dress for the occasion.    I started to think back at all of the shoots that I had done, and what I was wearing at the time, and I really cannot think of anything that I was wearing that someone might deem inappropriate.   I should also say that I really am not someone that would be considered a daily victim of the fashion police either. I would consider myself pretty average when it comes to changing trends.

On to my original point!  I was able to find a YouTube video from a photographer that intricately laid out what she and her staff would wear to every shoot. (She probably has some kind of staff of several shooters) I also will not disclose the video, because my intention isn't to verbally bash how she chooses to run her business, but just rather to politely disagree. No matter what the shoot, she has her staff dress in back from head to toe, and for corporate headshots if they are wearing a suit, the photographer wears a suit. She went on to say that they do not wear any kind of logoed apparel either. 

Personally at a wedding, I would not want to look like I was heading to a funeral directly following the reception, nor would I want to look as if I just came from a hoedown. I would think that that standard dress slacks and polo shirt of some kind would do the trick!  To anything other than a wedding I normally wear khakis and some kind of colored polo shirt.  To a wedding I would wear more of a collared-shirt, and some nice dress slacks.  I really see no problem either with wearing a logoed polo shirt with your name or company name on it.  Several times I have wanted to know who was shooting the wedding ts that I can peek at the website, but they are so busy, I simply don't want to to interrupt the creativity.

So for this little bit, I would have to say that I would like to remain comfortable, but at the same time maintain a degree of professionalism. So if you are ever interested, I would recommend looking at a few different things, because as I said in the beginning it rather peeked my interest. - And besides there's a boatload of information on it, so if your looking to play fashion police at the next wedding you shoot and/or attend....I say go for IT! 
  

Instagram

 

 

Love it or hate it Instagram is here to stay!  

I use to be one of those people that would compare Instagram to smearing butter on the end or your lens and then shooting something like food,  a bottle, or something that had an extraordinary use of color.  Lately however, I have seen new babies, new homes, weddings and moments in every friends' life that I would not have seen otherwise. What this app has done is to encourage people to share a small piece of their life to the rest of the world.  My wish for Instagram would be to create several different profiles.  I have notice more and more photographers that share their Instagram pictures.  Me personally there are some that I would just like to keep between myself and some close friends and family Here's some of mine...let's see yours!

 

 

NORWOOD WEDDING | 2013

 

 

 

It was actually really rather fun to shoot this wedding.....I haven't shot a wedding in a long time, and I seem to have forgotten how detailed that they can be.  At any rate, when the little guy came walking down the isle with his favorite little green truck and the rings tied to the bed, I couldn't help to think to myself that there is just something about a truck!