Black Friday Special - 2010 Calendars For Sale

The 2010 Calendars are done and ready to ship!  I am extremely happy with the results this year and the price is killer.  Choose from the adventure calendar featuring photography of sports like Skiing, Kayaking, Surfing, Rock Climbing, mountain and road biking, Snowboarding and more.  The landscape calendar features photography from all over the United states including the National Parks of southern Utah to beautiful tropics of Hawaii. Pick up one calendar for $13.99 or three for just $10.99 a piece.


BUY NOW HERE: 2010 CALENDARS FOR SALE

Utah Photographer

Sports Photographer

Advertising Photographer

Landscape Photography

Bird. Photography.

If you haven't seen Andrew Zuckerman's photography before, you are in for a treat.  Over the weekend, I had a chance to browse, study and appreciate his latest offering to the world in the form of a project he calls  "Bird".  The personality and detail he's draws out of his subjects is mindblowing.  This got me thinking of a white seamless project I need to start!

Also, check out his last project called "Wisdom" where he traveled the globe photographing and interviewing some of the most promiment people of the 20th century in search of "pearls of Wisdom".  I don't buy many fine art photography books, but this one is on the Christmas list.

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Utah Photographer
Advertising Photographer
Sports Photographer
Salt Lake City Photographers

A few days of peace: Landscapes in Zion National Park

I'm a sucker for landscape photography, especially during Autumn.  I'm also the first to admit, that it's kind of crazy to take a so-called break from commercial photography by continuing to pick up the camera and shoot more pictures.  However, there's something completely different when you are in a National Park at sunrise, without the thought of a shot list, strobes, assistants, art and creative directors and all the other intricacies that makes up the world of advertising photography, that is simply refreshing.  You, the camera, and some of God's magnificent creations all come together as the perfect escape from the 9-5 job.  Shooting in Zion National Park was this much needed break and since it's a relatively short jaunt from where I live (3.5 hours or so from Salt Lake City, Utah), it was a no brainer.


I'm wrapping up my 2010 Landscape and Adventure Photography calendars this week and after last year's extensive "artists statement" found on the opening page, I've decided to keep it short and sweet this year...


"There's a lot of noise in the world.  Find some place to ponder each day, preferably outside."
-Kevin

Gear Used:
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 24-105 Lens
B+W Circ Polarizer
Clik Packs

Utah Landscape Photography
Utah Photographer
Advertising Photographer

2009 "SHOT OF THE YEAR" - Skiing Magazine

Sweet photo eh? Any takers on the lighting set-up (hint: lot's of bounce fill, via snow), equipment used or what sweet, vintage Lightroom preset was applied?  I'm sure the shot was taken with some sweet Kodak Gold Max 800 film and whatever camera they used back in the day (me at age 4).  I doubt my parents ever proclaimed themselves sports photographers, but I can't thank them enough for putting me on skis at such an early age!

If you'll indulge me, I'd like to take a quick trip down memory lane. For starters, I'm pretty sure I jumped on my first pair of skis at the ripe age of 3. My dad would haul the munchkins (me, bro & sis) up to Breckenridge Ski resort, a good four hours from our home in Fort Collins, Colorado. We would make this trip at least twice during the winter months and since my birthday was in February I'd usually talk him into taking me on a third trip, "weekender birthday bash", to get a few more days on the slopes. Fast forward a few years and we landed in Utah, home to the best ski conditions anywhere. When my 10th birthday rolled around I hauled my mom to the local sporting good store to pick out a brand new pair of Rossignol skis, after having saved $60 the entire year (parents threw down the rest). I wish I still had those bad boys! The fun continued in Park City, Utah, where I attended high school and somehow talked that same mother into letting me end classes most Thursdays and Fridays by noon. 100+ days a year was always the goal and we usually hit at least that number. That 'bout brings us to the present day... (plus 10 or so more years...shhhhh).

So, when the Art Director of Photography for Skiing Magazine called recently to inform me that one of my images had been chosen as one of two "2009 Shots of the Year", you can imagine my excitement. Skiing is in my blood and photography is an extension of that. When I go out to shoot, I go with a passion to convey an emotion with people...to help those who have never touched snow to know what it feels like to peer out your bedroom window before sunrise and see huge flakes floating to the earth; to be the first person in the lift line on a waist deep powder day and after an anxious ride up the mountain, float effortlessly through the white stuff, screaming at the top of your lungs 'cause your having so much fun. That's part of the motivation behind much of my imagery and the reason I love to shoot what I shoot.

Thanks mom and dad! Thanks Skiing Magazine! And thanks to athlete Jared Allen!

A great ski image is only as good as the Athlete involved and huge props go to Athlete, Jared Allen for his pristine form and huge air. Jared is not only a phenomenal skier, but a fantastic designer and one of the coolest guys on the mountain. Check out more of his skiing at chrubble.com

Tech stuff:

Canon 5D Mark II - 1/640th, f/10, ISO 500

Lens: Fisheye 15mm

Lighting: Natural (diffused ambient)

Location: Snowbasin, Utah

Outdoor Photography

Ski Photography

Utah Photographer

FAIL QUICKLY

Hey mom and dad - look, I'm not a failure! :)

Okay, this video clip should not be used as an excuse if you are lazy and need a something to justify your actions. However, for the majority of us out there who work hard to improve our photography skills, whether professional or not, sometimes life just calls us a "failure". This little clip will inspire you to keep moving, despite what other people are saying.

You've probably heard or seen a few of these stories before, but I'll bet you'll find a new takeaway at the end of the 76 seconds and decide to do something you may very well fail at. I'm sure you can make your own list of things you would do "if you knew you could not fail", but for the record, here are a few things that I need to do:

1. Call the executive at xyz company and schedule an appointment to present my work
2. Approach 5 strangers on the street for a portrait session
3. Enter the Leadville 100 mountain bike race (as a rider :)
4. Work on my public speaking

We've all heard the "failing speech" before. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes failing at one thing will push us to an area we are better to pursue anyway (read the book Strengthfinder 2.0). However, the greatest accomplishments in my lifetime have come after repeated failures. This happens all of the time in photography, especially location work, where things can be somewhat unpredictable. Take this sports photography image of a water skier. This image was created as a personal project, but with completely different intentions than the outcome here. My original concept was to capture an action shot of a water skier at the peak of a cut from within the water. We hit some horrible weather about half-way out to our location and had to turn the boat around. To avoid total failure, we decided to shoot a lifestyle shot that would still capture the essence of water skiing. We sped back to the harbor, to avoid the approaching lightning storm. With waterproof camera case in hand, I jumped into the water (not advised during lightning storm) and within about 5 minutes, I knew I had a nice image with quite a bit more drama than I had originally anticipated to work with. For those interested, the lighting set-up was a single light, camera left without any diffusion and held by brave assistant (light stands are not advised during a lightning storm). Plan A had failed, miserably. We didn't even Ski! Because we were open to other possibilities, the failure turned into one of my favorite images. Now, it doesn't always happen like this; and if this had been an advertising photography campaign shoot, with a high paying client, creative director on set and the whole enchilada, then the concept would have been executed the next day or whenever the weather decided to let up. Even then though, there's still an opportunity during some of those shoots to trust your instinct as a photographer, what you see, convince those around you and create something anyway, sometimes better than what had been storyboarded. Failing is good. Okay! seriously. Fail quickly and frequently and most importantly learn from those failures. Persistence pays off.

*Preferably, don't fail on high profile, once in a lifetime jobs (dream commercial clients & weddings come to mind).

-Kevin

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Utah Professional and Advertising Photographer

Kevin Winzeler Photography

the STROBIST rocks! - Waterproof Case Q&A

I was extremely stoked to be featured on the blog of all blogs in the photography world this week, Strobist. I've followed David Hobby's blog now for several years, so when I opened up my email early Monday morning and read the subject line "Incominggggggg!" (I guess he crashed Platon's site not too long ago) from David Hobby, I was pumped to say the least [link here Kevin Winzeler on Strobist]. It's great to be able to contribute a little bit to the Strobist community and I've appreciated all the positive comments, emails and people checking out my photography and blog thus far.

I've had several requests to break down some of the lighting techinques in the Real Salt Lake video and Triathlon Video which I plan to do in upcoming posts as well as overviewing the post-production techniques involved. Comment within this thread with any specific requests you have and I'll do my best to answer questions and explain how I've done things.

First off, for those long-time followers, I've introduced a new section on my website with behind the scenes videos and photographs. Check it out here: Behind the Scenes Photography I'll do my best to keep this section updated with the latest videos, sketches, still shots and anything else that might help out. Again, feel free to send requests via the blog comments section here.

Since posting the behind the scenes Triathlon photography video, I also received quite a few questions about the "oversized ziplock" bag I was using. So here's a quick run down of the AXP100 Ewa-marine case here, and what I like and dislike about using this particular piece of equipment. It's one of those items in your arsenal that is absolutely essential for some shoots, like this Water Ski photograph or wakeboarding portrait, but can be a serious pain to use!

What I like:

1. Lightweight & Packable - It folds almost flat, so I often carry it "just in case"
2. Fits several sizes of camera bodies and lenses (Pro bodies or Consumer bodies alike)
3. Pocket Wizard, Skyport, or Flash can be attached to body inside the case
4. Completely waterproof (supposedly to 155 ft) :)

The pain factor:

1. #1 Complaint: it's really, really hard to adjust camera settings. Once the camera is sealed in the bag, you can forget about turning the wheel on the back of a Canon camera to adjust exposure compensations or drive settings. Adjust your settings before the camera enters the case, period! This is particularly challenging when going under water. If I'm above the water as in the Triathlon shot, I set the camera up in manual mode and dial everything in. If I'm going under water, then Aperture priority gets the call.
2. No zoom lenses....kinda. It's got somewhat of a telescoping port that would allow a little bit of zoom, but because of issue #1, it's difficult to actually zoom. Zoom lenses that actually telescope out are especially difficult. I use the following lenses in priority (all Canon): 16-35, 24-105 @ 24mm, 35 f/1.4, 100mm Macro.
3. Focusing can be hit and miss. Forget about manual focusing unless your subject is stationary
4. Take the strap off. It's a pain to get the camera in and out and make adjustments if your camera strap is attached.
5. No way to attach it to a tripod. Some hard cases allow this.

I've heard a few mention that you really have put your DSLR into a ziplock bag for a in-water shoot. All I can say is that your insurance deductible must be a lot less than mine. The EWA bag is about the bare minimum I'm confident in using with my gear. A shot of me with the bag in action here

Latest stroke of inspiration: CCTV Ink Commercial

Typical day at the home office (non-photography day)...

Roll down to the office after hitting snooze on iPhone alarm and sleeping longer than I should have.

Plop down in chair and move mighty mouse around to wake sleepy mac pro from slumber...check

Quick glance at Calendar items for the day...check.

Mail...check.

Bite of mini wheats...check.

Get out of chair. look out office window. Any cool cloud formations or light on local Timpanogos mountain?...check.

Look for inspiration...check.

This is the point, way too early in my day where I end up landing on who knows what photography, video, music, or other artistic website, thinking in my head how many amazingly creative and cool people there are in the world and how I hope someday I can be like them. It's a bit of a mix of pure inspirational euphoria and part depression when realization hits at how large the gap really is. I've found the trick is to draw energy off of the positive thoughts that come into my mind and ignore the ones that downplay my skills, ambition and goals in any way. It's also a chance to recognize other people in the world doing fantastic work and pause for a moment of appreciation. So on Tuesday, I had just a minute to browse for something inspirational in the midst of a few deadlines and ended up spending a good hour+ watching a sixty second commercial over and over, searching for the music, behind the scenes clips, info about the director Niko Tziopanos, analyzing ink frames, and saying in my mind, 'how'd they do that'. I love those moments, but man can they be distracting.

This weeks inspiring clip is an "ink" commercial for CCTV. 6 Weeks of production. 14-16 hour days with both day and night shifts for all the post-production work. And 60 seconds of genius. Check it out (btw - one favorite part is the sync of music and motion when the fish turn into birds and they take their first flap with instrumental picking up in the background; bravo)

And the CCTV Ink commercial behind the scenes look here: http://www.weareflink.com/index_ct.html

Funny side note on the background music. I was really digging the instrumental blend in the background and pulled out Shazam on my iPhone trying to tag it, but was so stumped when it just wouldn't come up. Finally found, of course, at this level of production (hundreds of thousands if not more I'm sure), they budget in for composing artists and a sound design team....duh.

Will shortly be launching a video section in my advertising photography portfolio and video portfolios on http://www.kevinwinzeler.com soon.

Behind the Scenes | Trail Running in Kauai Hawaii

5 Reasons to take your next commercial photography assignment to Kauai, Hawaii (as if you really needed one!)

1- The best climate in the world to shoot in. You can actually get by with just the clothes on your back (or board shorts) when your airline (United in this case) loses your luggage for two and a half days!

2- An Island that's small enough to find super remote, virtually private locations, but large enough to host a Costco (hotdogs to feed the crew are essential).

3- Shooting in board shorts and flip flops (errr..."slippah's" as I was routinely corrected by the locals).

4- Locations, Locations, Locations: 1) Na Pali Coast 2) Waimea Canyon 3) Hanalei Bay 4) Pretty much anywhere you set foot after stepping off of the plane.

5- Aloha spirit! People were sooo cool! Models, Condo rental, etc. Everyone except the FedEx shipping people in Princeville who wanted to charge me like $15 per package to 'process' an FedEx order.

Okay, so we had a four days worth of commercial work to get done as well as a few on-going personal projects to continue while in Kauai, so I must admit I was pretty much in panic mode when my bags didn't arrive for over two days after landing. Fortunately, I always carry my camera, back-up camera and lenses on the plane with me. Lighting and other equipment was checked, but worst case scenario, I can find a rental house in most locations if the airline loses my checked gear. Monday around noon, I finally got the call I was praying for and the 3rd party courier was on his way to deliver my baggage...thanks you! (btw- do you tip this guy??)

Daniel (local trail runner and pretty much the nicest guy I've ever met), showed us around the island including helping find great trail running locations for our shoot. The day of shooting with him, he probably put in at least 10 solid miles of running up and down the Na Pali coast trail, the Power Line trail and a few others in order to capture multiple locations and a ton of unique angles, lighting styles, and looks.

Included in the bunch, was this shot and this shot. We were fortunate enough to have some really nice rolling clouds come over the mountains in the background, creating a nice sense of drama as well as a beautiful diffused light (backlight). As you can see in the video, we drove as far as we could in our rental Ford Explorer and then took the gear up a little bit further on the trail to a section that opened up over-looking Hanalei bay and the whole North Shore coast line. It was absolutely gorgeous. I decided to shoot just wide enough to capture the stunning location, but tight enough to be drawn into the runner his experience.

We used a combination of tools for the shoot all of which were essential in making the shots featured:

1) Location

2) Awesome Talent: Daniel

3) Main Camera: Canon 5D Mark II and 16-35 II lens

4) Lighting Equipment: Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed AS Battery Pack with A - Lite Head

5) Lighting Modifiers: Clouds, 27x27 Rotalux soft box minus the diffusion panel (Key)

Check out more trail running photography, adventure photography and sports photography at http://www.kevinwinzeler.com

New Canon 7D has arrived at my front door.

I'm not one to jump up and down about the newest, coolest, latest gear...but...why not once in a while...

Things I love about the new Canon 7D

1- Feels great in hand. New design feels much more natural in my hand than 50d, 40d, or even 5D Mark II

2- Wireless flash control. From the on-board pop-up flash, you can now control (wirelessly) speedlights. A first for Canon, but it's about time.

3- Ful 1080p HD video with dedicated switch - 60FPS in 720HD mode. 24p option in 1080 HD. Awesome!

4- Potential weather proofing resistance resistance (my major complaint with the 5D Mark II!)

5- Auto Focus Rocks! AI servo is on the money for horizontal and vertical shots

6- 8FPS

7- Price $1699. less than 2 years ago these features were $4-5,000 on a 1D body

8- High ISO looks pretty clean so far for stuffing 18megapixels into a cropped sensor

9- Same battery as 5D Mark II

Wish List:

1- FULL FRAME

a) Non-crop body or option for crop or no crop version. Although will be nice for some sports and wildlife, turning a 400mm lens effectively into a 640mm lens @ 18mp

b) Please bring these exact same features to a FULL FRAME version (5D Mark III or 3D).

2- Better WIRELESS control

a) Longer range than 10-12 feet

b) Wireless flash control with a 580 EX II sitting in the hotshoe. Okay, so let's say I want to control three speedlights (580 EX II's) for something similar to a shot like this bow hunting image. I two lights on each side of the subject and a little bit of fill flash on or near the camera. Right now, you can use the pop-up flash on the 7D to control external speedlights, but if I mount another 580EX II in the hotshoe, I lose control of adjusting the settings from the camera. You can still make all three flashes fire, but have no control of the power settings on the external flashes. This would be beautiful for jobs without multiple assistants.

How will I use the camera?

1) Sports photography, Wildlife Photography when long distance, fps, and AF tracking are important.

2) Moon photography. Throwing a 400 or 600mm lens with 1.4 and 2x Teleconverters will make for some really nice Moon images especially with the LiveView 10x focusing and 18MP to work with for cropping.

3) Slow Motion, 60FPS video. The 7D will function as a primary back-up camera for my commercial photography work and also another source of video shooting for both behind the scenes shoots as well as utilizing the 60FPS when I need to slow down the video - sports photography and video related work comes to mind first.

I'm extremely excited about this camera, especially at this price point. Canon's put out a pretty sweet set of features in this body. I may have more on the wish list once I've had the camera for more than a day. Will update soon.

Some more links:

http://canonfieldreviews.com/canon-7d-camera-beta/

http://gizmodo.com/5349829/canon-7d-dslr-first-hands-on-18-megapixels-24fps-full-hd-video-for-1900

Difference between true 60FPS on 7D and slowing down 5D Mark II to imitate 60fps

Magazines are changing! Video integrated in Outside Magazine article

This little clip from Alexx Henry featuring the motion shoot for an Outside magazine article and cover is pretty fascinating. What will the magazine racks of the future look like?

move still and video at http://www.kevinwinzeler.com

Photographing the tallest tree in the world: National Geographic

This is a pretty short (1:27) and cool clip on how the latest photographs of one of the tallest Redwoods alive were created for the most recent issue of National Geographic magazine. I love thought provoking photographs that require a great deal of pre-visualization, planning and execution. Looks like three 1Ds Mark III cameras angled in three different directions, 6 pocket wizards, and a ton of rigging (3 weeks worth). Sweet!

More landscape images can be found at http://www.kevinwinzeler.com

Ski season's approaching: Powder Magazine Ad (Salomon)

The October issue of Powder magazine is featuring a Salomon ad with several of my images and some awesome skiing from Jared Allen. Check it out!

See more skiing photography in Utah and other areas of the world here: http://www.kevinwinzeler.com

Ad design also done by Jared Allen here:

Dirt Jumping From I-Street

Having just returned from Interbike in Vegas I thought it would be fitting to post a few shots from a recent shoot we did on some dirt jumps above the Capital building here in Salt Lake City, Utah known as I-street. We caught sunrise coming up over the Salt Lake Valley and shot both action and lifestyle with my good buddy and dirt jumper Craig Saunders. I haven't been on the dirt nearly enough this Summer, but it was excellent to get out for a little riding and shooting. Also, check out some prior published dirt rag mag shots on both the bobsled trail and i-street.The week prior I was down in Brianhead Utah shooting some of the most epic trails in Utah and definitely one of my favorite spots to ride. I'll be posting some of those images soon.

Behind the scenes info:

Canon 5D Mark II

Elinchrom Ranger RX Battery Pack

Rotalux 27x27 Small Square Soft box

Bogen Light Stand

Kevin Winzeler Photography

Decisions...decisions...decisions...

The priority list

What should you do next?

Is it better to email an existing customer, send a brochure to a prospect or improve your product a bit? Should you tweet or post a new blog post? Should you have a meeting to coordinate your team or spend ten minutes returning phone calls instead?

This is an unheralded skill, something successful people do really well and others struggle with.

How do you decide what to do next?

check out the rest of the post here:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/09/the-priority-list.html

Seth Godin's blog has daily posts that are pretty relevant to running any business including acommercial photography business.

On the road: Hawaii, Kauai

Blogging from the road trip can be difficult, but finally discovered a little Wi-fi connection from my deck so here's a quick post from the beautiful island of Kauai (garden island). First time to this island and I'm it's my favorite at this point. Planning on returning on a non-work trip. During my first two days on the island and in between scouting my commercial locations, I snapped a few landscapes to go along with other hawaii landscapes from years past. Otherwise, I have barely had a chance to breathe with early mornings and late evenings doing commercial shoots. Luckily my bags arrived just in time to get started on the shoots (3 days late though!!!). I'll save those details for another post...

Lone tree on the road to Poipu on the South side of the island of Kauai, Hawaii:

Tunnels Beach on the North Shore of Kauai, Hawaii just after Sunset:

Hanalei Bay on the North Shore of Kauai, Hawaii:

Kilauea Lighthouse on North Shore of Kauai, Hawaii

Aviation pics that rock!

Just got back from a trip out to the midwest, more on that later. So, I'm catching up on a few of the photo blogs I frequent and came across some "in flight" pictures that are pretty amazing. I love flying and miss the cruising around the local air space in a single engine plane, so these get me excited. It also reminds me to put the local, Hill Air Force Base - air show on my calendar for 2010. We hit it a few years back and caught some fun stuff. One shot from the show of an F22 Raptor: http://www.kevinwinzeler.com/gallery/8453291_gHwjH#562117835_rCqKQ-X2-LB

And now for the big picture shots...

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/08/in_flight.html

We have a winner...Triathlon Shoot

Well actually I'm going to call it a tie. While all the contributers had some great insight to offer, SkiMoab and Justin came closest to the actual photo shoot scenario and thus are the winners of an 8x12, signed print of choice from http://kevinwinzeler.com

Here were their entries:

SkiMoab: In Utah Lake, in the morning. You're in the water with two different flashes attached to the boat. The shutter had to be fast to keep it crisp, but there's a slight delay to blur some of the droplets to show motion/speed.

Instructions were to look intense/mad and to hold his head a bit out of the water so you weren't getting just half of his face. Some post-processing to shade the edges.

Justin: Here is my very amateur analysis. Knowing you, you are probably down in the water a few metres from the swimmer. You have a couple of off camera flashes to provide the lighting. The swimmer was instructed to swim towards you and continue on a short distance beyond you so that as swimmer passed by you could capture him/her in fullstride.

(*email me with the print you would like)

SkiMoab and Justin both had the key elements correct -- 3 off-camera flashes Canon 580EX II's (although soon to be replaced with the amazing little Elinchrom Quadra AS battery pack system!) in a sandwich technique (front and behind swimmer). I'm in the water, just a few feet down the boat ramp (Utah Lake - Provo boat dock). I also have a waterproof casing (ewa marine housing) on the camera and wideangle lens Canon 16-35 f/2.8 at the widest 16mm length; all attached to the Canon 5D body (have since upgraded to the Canon 5D Mark II) and triggering remote flashes wirelessly via pocket wizard plus II's close to the Swimmer and instruction to the swimmer to swim just past my taking the pictures. There was also some post-processing work as you'll see in the before and after below to bring a bit more contrast and mood to the image. I didn't provide any instruction to how the Swimmer should look in terms of facial expressions other than to keep true to her normal swimming technique. Oh and the MAX shutter speed for a DSLR when using off-camera flashes is around 1/200th of a second. Unfortunately, that's typically too slow for freezing action completely, especially when you're mixing in ambient light, so a little bit of panning is necessary to keep everything sharp.

Check out the behind the scenes video for the lighting set-up, time of day, and interaction with the talent before and after the shoot.

WIN an 8x12, Signed Print -- Behind the Scenes Video

STOP!!!

Okay, BEFORE you watch the behind the scenes video, spend at least 3 minutes (180 seconds) studying this image and writing a comment below about how this photograph was made. I don't care what your background is or whether you're a photographer, artist, engineer, teacher, millionaire or of some other background; it doesn't matter, use your imagination here folks (ideas could be centered around: camera settings, lens length, instructions to athlete, lighting, time of day, location, elaborate set-up or not, photographers position, post-processing, studio work, compositing, CGI....etc.). Don't limit yourself and remember you're on your honor to look, study and write a comment before pressing play...! If your ideas come closest what took place on the shoot, an 8x12, signed print is coming your way!- Prints here: http://kevinwinzeler.com (*note- if you were on the shoot, hold the comments :)

The NEXT blog entry will delve into the specifics behind this photo shoot, from diagrams, to lighting ratios, to an analysis of what I liked and also what I would have done differently looking back on this shoot a year later. Stay tuned....

Creating photography for Design

The finish line is further down the road! I'll speak in broad terms here, but don't we as photographers end a bit too quickly when planning and shooting in terms of what the end uses of our photo will be? We take pictures that in our mind are complete, nicely wrapped, stand-alone items and call it good. So what's missing? Probably nothing for a fine art photographer, but for the commercial photographer, the process has just begun! I just finished an article that really resonated, not because I'm a designer, but rather because I'm a commercial photographer that works with designers, art directors and creative directors on a regular basis, I can hear their little voices in my head, screaming to us as photographers to the pay more attention to Design. Clean Lines. Provoke emotion. Visual cues that solidify the message. Texture. Details. More space for beautiful TYPE! I hear you. (if you're a designer reading this, we are listening. Comment with what is missing for you.

"Of course, smart photographers without a design background may well ask those questions too but it’s also likely that many photographers are more concerned about the technicalities of creating the image than producing a product that a designer will have to use. They want to create good photos. And even those photographers who do understand that a good commercial image isn’t just one that’s well-focused and finely-composed but also usable, might not consider whether there will be room for text or a headline if the image is run full bleed on a layout, or how the background elements may enhance or obstruct type and graphic elements laid over the photo...."

Read more here: http://blogs.photopreneur.com/photographers-and-designers

Image below: "Abandoned Lift" from the archives of Kevin Winzeler:

Golf Photography

I love golf! Pure and Simple. So combine stunning photographs with a super cool sport and I'm in.

Golf - Images by Darren Carroll

This is a funny and informative post for those of you ever following a live PGA event with your 10fps slr in hand ready to get the POV "Tiger" shot as he tees off on the 18th...think again...\

SHOOTING ON THE BACKSWING: NEVER, EVER--WELL, MAYBE SOMETIMES...OKAY, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE...MAYBE YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT IF...

I've decided, after years of preaching until I'm blue in the face, that trying to teach photographers who don't regularly cover golf about shooting golfers on their backswing is akin to trying to teach teenagers about sex: we can preach abstinence all we want, but at some point we have to be realistic: it's not going to stop anything. They're still going to do it. So knowing that, we might as well adopt the attitude that while we're not encouraging it, it's best to teach them to be practical (and safe) about it.

Shooting a golfer at the top of his or her backswing is the single most distracting thing that we as photographers can possibly do. Put aside any arguments or criticisms of how a golfer can possibly be distracted by that when a baseball player can hit a fast ball, or a basketball player can shoot a free throw, in front of thousands of screaming fans, as such arguments miss the simplest of points: Golf is a game that demands concentration and mental focus, and the expectation that the player has is for silence. A sudden, unexpected intrusion on that expectation--like, say, the sudden ear-splitting crack of a 10 fps motor drive firing away--is most unwelcome. For us photographers, it's also against the rules. So shut up and stop complaining.

Now, the more argumentative in the audience will point out that images abound of golfers at the top of their backswing. And they're right. But what they often neglect to mention (or, perhaps, realize) is that those images were shot by photographers who possessed a combination of three things: 1) Knowledge of the game and the player they were photographing; 2) Judgment (based on lots of experience) of the surrounding environment and its ability to minimize noise and distraction, and 3) the right equipment.

With that in mind, here's the skinny on shooting on the backswing. Don't do it if you have a testy player who can hear a bee fart. (Colin Montgomerie and Cristie Kerr come to mind.) Don't do it if you have to get close to a cranky caddie who possesses an overwhelming desire to protect their player. Steve Williams (Tiger Woods) and Fluff Cowan (Jim Furyk) fall into that category.

If you're within a hundred feet of a player, don't do it unless you have a Canon G9 or G10, and you've turned off all the beeps, clicks, and whistles (not to mention the flash).

If you're more than a hundred feet away, but still close enough that the player fills the horizontal frame from head to toe with a 400, don't do it unless the wind is blowing towards you.

If you can, activate the "silent" shutter mode. If you shoot Canon, you can. Do it.

If you can't, then also check to see if there's a source of strong ambient noise around to help mask the noise of your shutter: A power generator from a TV tower, a low-flying blimp overhead, a four-lane highway on the other side of the fence lining the fairway.

But above all, if you have even the slightest doubt in your mind; if you think there's even the most infinitesimal chance that you will distract the player, then DON'T DO IT. Period.

This photo of Michelle Wie was made on the 15th tee at Mission Hills Country Club,with a 400 mm lens from a distance of about 100 feet--with Bob Hope Drive (and six lanes of traffic) in Rancho Mirage, CA hard on the left side of the tee box. Tiger Woods

Courtesy of http://blog.photoshelter.com