Reading & Radio Resource's Prom Night

I had the privilege to photograph the Reading & Radio Resource's Prom Night, last night. This was a perfect event for me to set-up my mobile studio and take photographs then print them. I used a new Dallas background for this and love the results.

How I shoot Fireworks

With the 4th of July almost here, there are a lot of photographers planning to shoot fireworks.I will explain how I do this.
1. You will need a tripod.
2. You should have an electronic shutter release, but you can work around this.
3. I suggest you have something black that you can cover the lens with between fireworks going off when your shutter is open, without touching the lens, this is not necessary, but could improve your photograph.
We are now ready for the fireworks show.
1. with your camera on a tripod, watch the first several fireworks go off and aim and zoom your camera and lens accordingly.
2. I use an F stop of 8 to 11 on most shots, but you will have to try a setting and adjust from there. I use a low ISO, there is no need to use a high ISO.
3. I now use the electronic shutter release to open the aperture which is set to bulb and keep it open till I think I have gotten several fireworks going off, this is a hit and miss operation, but should get some very nice images. I just keep repeating this during the show.
If you do not have a shutter release, then I would sit my camera to a shutter speed of 30 seconds and do the same as above or try setting your camera to bulb and then hold the shutter release button down until done with that shot, you will need a steady tripod for this method.

Quality Maters to Most Still

I recently did the photography for the "Sterling Society Charity Ball". I was able to take the photographs, show them to the subjects and make prints for them, all done in minutes. Almost everyone commented on how much better the prints were than from a photo booth. I still believe quality maters to most and while photo booths have a place and are fun, they do not take the place of a photographer who know how to take a picture. I can even place the logo of an event on the photographs so people will remember the event that the photograph was taken.

Dragons Halloween Ball photography

I took photographs and made prints at this years Dragons Halloween Ball. There were close to 800 people and some interesting costumes. The girls seemed to like being an Avatar, this woman used paint for the costume and contacts to make her eyes yellow. My new printer continues to work great.

I bought a new printer

I bought a new printer that will give me at capability to offer prints at events that I am photographing. The printer is a Sony UP-CX1 that can print 4x6 prints in just 16 seconds and the quality is outstanding. More on this later, I plan to use this at an event I am photographing this week.

High School Football Photography at Night

This is a part of photography that I have just tried and enjoyed. As a photographer one of the most asked questions I get is how do I get a good photograph of my son or daughter on the football team, band or drill team at night under the lights?
The answer is get close and use your 50mm 1.8 lens or a lens with at least a 2.8 F stop, for which they say, they have to stay in the stands and have the zoom 4.5 to 5.6 lens that came with the camera. The plain truth is that the shot they want to take is not going to happen with the camera equipment they have at a night game, so what should I tell them. I took some pretty good photographs from the front of the stands using a 70-200 F2.8 lens that is stabilized and got to go on the side lines to get closer shots, which is what the parents wanted. I wish I also had a 400mm 2.8 stabilized lens for even closer shots, but that lens is $8900 + new. I am going to try to rent one for a game soon to get those shots that I want. The simple truth is that you have to know what you are doing and have the proper equipment, which is very expensive for taking quality close-up shots at a night football game.

Senior Photographs

Senior Photographs are always a fun session. It is important to capture the images your subject has decided on. This is one type of session that you can not rush and probably will have a variety of different shots in studio and on location. Here is a link to some examples. http://www.dfwactors.com/SeniorPictures/