Saturday, February 12, 2011

Mixing Paint II

As a Seattle based wedding photographer, I typically enjoy shooting photos more than the post-production and editing process. There are so many different types of photo editing software available that it can become easy to get lost in the various selections or stuck on a specific program. So this post is a testing phase for which editing program I enjoy using most for the post-production of both my Puget Sound located and destination wedding photography.
The original image, shot at the gorgeous Hidden Meadows -north of Seattle- using a Nikon D80 and a Lensbaby composer. No post-production attempted.
The first revision of the image, using the Apple Aperture program.
The second post-production attempt, this one accomplished using the Nikon Capture NX 2 software program.
The third editing attempt, relying on the standard Adobe RAW editing program.
The last post-production effort, using Adobe Lightroom to modify the image.


While I have the most experience using both Lightroom and Aperture, I found that the software that I loved the most to work with was actually the Capture NX 2 program. This software is very similar to Lightroom, but surpasses much of what Adobe's program offers in terms of image control. I feel the photo yielded by the Nikon program delivers a better, more satisfying image than the results achieved using Lightroom.

The only thing worth noting is that the NX 2 software is probably best used for specific images -portfolio material. When it comes to fast batch edits of hundreds or thousands of photos -which I tend to shoot during a wedding- Lightroom performs much better and more quickly than the other programs tend to do.

Granted, my familiarity with each program will only increase through time. Which in turn will improve my workflow. But if you have a chance to try out the Nikon software, give it a go. I bet you'll be pleased with the results also.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Provençal Artwork for Sale!

In addition to the images from Mississippi that I'm offering on sale for Valentine's Day, I also am opening the portfolio of images that I have from Provence, France.
While I was in France, I received a grant to build a portfolio of images in Europe that I wouldn't have the opportunity to produce within the United States. Instead of one series of images, I developed three separate portfolios of work!
These images were photographed in Provence, France, using 4x5 black and white film and shot on a view camera. Exposures were generally 20-30 minutes long and shot on a small aperture using a tripod. Two are from the Mediterranean city of Sanary Sur Mer and the third was in the tiny Provençal village of Lacoste.
So if you're interested in prints, email me for prices and include the phrase "Cupid Stole My Heart" in the subject header. Do that and I'll give a 15% discount on prints, which are available in 8"x10" to 11"x14" and also "16x20" plus 20"x24" sizes. If there is a different print size that you are interested in, I'll work with you to get you the photo you want! Simply shoot me an email! The sale goes until Valentine's, so there is plenty of time to order the print you love for your special Valentine!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Cupid Stole My Heart, pt. 5

This blog post is the last of my updates for my catalogue of photography from Mississippi. Each update features images from my fine art photography catalogue that I'm offering for a Valentine's Day sale. Simply email me with the subject header "Cupid Stole My Heart" and I'll offer a 15% discount on the price of prints.
I suppose you can say I've held onto the ones I like the best for last. These images are among several that have been compared to the Color Field paintings by Mark Rothko-which I've considered a huge compliment.
The deliberate process that I took while shooting this series -over a span of four days- yielded a total of 25 portfolio images. I attribute that success to the subject matter and style I used to capture the images. I've always held a desire to return and re-photograph the area, or even in other places that have been damaged by natural disaster.
The image below is of a church steeple that was knocked to the ground from the force of the hurricane. If you look closely, you can see the oxidation of the metal from years of exposure to the elements.
So this week I've been busy posting blog entries of the entire series -in sequences of 5 images- that I'm offering for my Valentine's Day sale, but if you want to see the entire collection of images you can visit the gallery that I set up online.
All of the photos from this series are available in varying sizes, from 6"x6" to 10"x10" photos even up to 14"x14" or 20"x20" prints. They are all available for this special sale, so contact me via email with any questions you may have!

Cupid Stole My Heart, pt. 4

One more in the series of updates from the series of images I photographed in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf coast. This sale that I'm offering extends until Valentine's Day itself, so all you need to do is email me with the header "Cupid Stole My Heart" to get a 15% discount on your prints.
Image sizes range from 6"x6" to 10"x10" photos -or even up to 14"x14" or 20"x20" prints. So there is a size available for any wall space!
After seeing vast destroyed landscapes of the Gulf coast my focus for the entire series was to pull the view of the camera in close, to capture a piece of the tragedy, and focus on what beauty could be found in the still remains of what was left behind.
Each image was shot analog, on film, using a Hasselblad camera. Working with available light, each image was carefully composed using camera, tripod and a lot of patience.
After I complete the posts for this series of images, tomorrow I will feature a new portfolio of black and white photography. This entire week is going to showcase multiple images and portfolios -all available for the "Cupid Stole My Heart" Valentine's Day sale.
So feel free to email me if you have any questions. I'm more than happy to accommodate to the best of my ability.