Stock Portfolio

It's been a really long time since I have posted to my photo blog. Trying to get back into shooting on a regular basis. It's hard to do once you stop. Lots of stuff going on that takes priority, but hopefully in the coming weeks I can get some more stuff online. In the meantime, I'm working on building my stock portfolio again. It's been a really long time since I have shot any stock photos but now seems like a great time to get back into it and hopefully make a little money in the process.

Photography close to home

With rising gas prices many of us won't be traveling far this summer. That's no need to give up photography though. There are many things to be photographed close to home if we look close enough.

With some time on my hands and the weather starting to get warm, I've spent more time outside the house lately. Watering and weeding flowers and just general stuff that has to be done. While wandering around in the yard and checking on the flowers I noticed a wasp hanging out on the peonies. Bugs and other critters can sometimes make very willing portrait subjects when people aren't as willing.

I grabbed my Canon SD400 and set it to digital macro mode and moved in as close as I could. Luckily this little wasp wasn't easily spooked and made a very willing portrait subject and amused me for several minutes.

The images were cropped slightly and sharpened in photoshop. I also did a minor adjustement to the levels on the final images.

Enough for now! Time to get back out in the yard to see what else I can find.

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.