Presidential Visit

Wow! What a week. Little did I know when I came to work Tuesday morning that I would be covering former President Bill Clinton's visit to my tiny (and I do mean tiny) hometown. It was a whirlwind as he dropped into town that afternoon on an impromptu visit between campaign stops in Kentucky while stumping for his wife. Here are a couple of photos from the exciting 20 minute visit.

For those of you interested in my setup for covering this event, the details are as follows.

I arrived early to check my lighting (even though I've been in the place a hundred times) and knew it would be crowded so I used my wide angle Nikon 12-24 f/4 lens. I had my file size set to RAW so that I could get the most out of this one time event and recover in case of a bobble on my part. Settings were ISO 400, 1/200, f/5.6, SB800 flash set at 1/8 power and tilted at a 45 degree angle with a stofen flash diffuser.

It was definitely an adrenalin rush and a fast 20 minutes. I had more excitement the evening prior when I covered the premier of George Clooney's newest movie Leatherheads in a nearby town. Check back for those pics later. Whewwww! I can rest now.

Gettin' some air

Had a bit of warm weather so I headed to the local skate park to see what I could find.
I've shot several skate photos in the past but decided this time to enlist the help of my pocket wizards. Nikon's CLS mode just didn't cut it with the bright sun. This is the photo I ended up with for my efforts. Strobist: SB800, 1/4 or 1/8 power hand held slightly to camera right at arms length above my head. Triggered of course with my pocket wizards. Drop a comment and let me know what you think.

Going Green

The shot above of the green light bulb was a happy accident. I was planning on shooting the energy efficient fluorescent bulb floating against a green background but after a couple test shots I realized that my backdrop was going white and the bulb was turning green because of the placement of my speedlight, so I went with it. I really like the effect for what I needed for my assignment.

The image was shot using a single SB28. The bulb was hanging by fishing line inside my light tent and lit from behind with the SB28 1/8 power with a green gel. ISO 100 f/8 1/250. I trigger the speedlight with my pocket wizards.
Only slight levels adjustment and cropping in photoshop.

Since I liked how this turned out, I may try some different color gels down the road to see what I end up with.

Getting Started

Welcome to my blog. To get things started I'll give you a bit about my background and how I got into photography.

I first got into photography while I was in college. I got bored one summer out of high school (can't play golf all the time) and applied for a job with the small weekly newspaper in my hometown. After my summer job and a couple of journalism classes I decided that this was something I enjoyed. I worked one more summer for the weekly before moving to a small daily (The Ledger Independent) and working as a staff photographer. I was named Chief Photographer for the Ledger and worked there for another year before leaving to take some time off to work as a wireless Internet installer. I left there to go back into photojournalism for a short time. I am currently available for freelance work. I also dabble in portrait and fine art photography.

Now that the introduction is out of the way, I'll get to the reason for this blog. After starting a small photography group locally I have decided there is a need to share tips I have learned while working in photography. Our group which consists of photographers from a variety of backgrounds, including those just beginning was created to share information. I'm always looking to learn more about photography and always working to make my photography better. I'll pass along tips and gladly answer any questions I can along the way just like people have done for me.

So without further ado, I'll kick off my blog. I thought I'd go with this photo from a recent fire. Shooting a fire is a running and gunning type of event. The first thing to remember is not to get in the way of the firefighters who are there to do their job. The second is to stay safe. You can't make photos if you're injured and they can't do their job if they are tending to you. This photo is your standard photo you might go for in a similar situation. I like it because it showed several firefighters and established the location with the front of the building and the sign. It is what I would call a safety photo. One of the ones you would shoot first to make sure you have what you need for publication before moving on to something else or before you are called out to another event.