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I almost missed it with how busy we've been lately, but I looked down at the visit counter yesterday and realized that we had crossed into the 6th digit!! One-Hundred Thousand Visitors!!
I can't say thank you enough for your continued support and encouragement, and I look forward to sharing the blog with you in the future. Godspeed.
Our good friends (including the talented hair and make-up artist from our WWII project, and last year's portrait competition), the Phillips family, gave me the pleasure of serving as their portrait photographer for some family photos. As usual, we had a great time shooting and enjoying the autumn weather outdoors. Here's a few from the session.
Spent the morning down the road in Nokesville, VA shooting engagement photos for a fantastic couple, Cami and Daniel, who on January 1st will be our first wedding shoot of 2011. Thanks guys for this morning, I had a blast working with you! Here's some teaser photos from their session.
This month (and a half...) the theme is "Controlling the Light". The goal, use some element of controlled light in your image. This can be as simple as a basic reflector or as complex as a multi-strobe studio set-up. The only requirement is that you modify some element of the scene's lighting. Remember that you can submit multiple images, so when you're out shooting this month, feel free to capture different perspectives and share them all.
(Since it's been a while since we've had a monthly contest... we'll double the normal prize.)
Prize: $50 B&H Gift Card
Who Can Participate: Everyone, our contests are open to pros and amateurs alike
Deadline: Tuesday, November 30th @ Midnight (Eastern)
How and What to Submit: Submit JPEG photos to contest@townerjones.com- make sure to include your name and contact information (in case you win). JPEGs should be at least 800x600 pixels in size, and may be resized for display.
The winner and other selected entries will be displayed on this blog.
For additional information on our contest policy, click here.
After weeks of anticipation, I headed up to the Hilton in Rockville to meet David Ziser and attend his "Captured by the Light" seminar on wedding and portrait photography. This was my first time seeing David live, but I had a pretty high level of expectation for the program after seeing a number of his online training sessions. I've also marveled over his control of light on location while checking out his portfolio - so I knew this was going to be a blast. If you aren't familiar with his work, make sure you head over to Digital Pro Talk (David's blog) and take a look around.
Now let's talk about this seminar, because to be honest, it was even better than what I had expected. For those of you that have seen David on his online training videos - yes, he's that energetic in person too. He's got a level of enthusiasm that is contagious, and as a result, you can't help but get "fired up" about taking your own photography to the next level.
The sessions are broken up into five main parts entitled:
The first two parts focus on getting into David's head in terms of photographic technique and composition. While showing real-life examples from his stunning portfolio, David discusses topics such as classic portrait lighting, on and off camera lighting technique, using light modifiers, and using available light. In addition, there's a thorough review of David's camera gear including for what reasons each piece is included, as well as a striking segment on composition. By providing comparisons of similar shots taken from different perspectives and locations, this segment illustrated the dramatic difference small modifications to composition can make on the quality of the final image.
After the first session was over, a preliminary round of door prizes were given away. You read that right, they had so many door prizes to be handed out that they had to do it in two rounds.(Did I mention David has a massive list of sponsors, which says something in itself)
Though getting inside of the Ziser eye for creating stunning photos was a special treat, as a wedding photographer continuing to grow my business, the second session was really worth the entire price of admission in itself. Here David graciously opened the doors on his successful studio and discussed the tools and techniques he uses to minimize effort while maximizing quality presented to his clients. In addition, hearing a presentation from a "master photographer" (inside joke from the seminar...) who actually IS a master photographer about how he markets himself and his brand was invaluable.
The night ended with another round of door prizes and a closing "pep talk" which really got me fired up about taking our studio to a whole different level. If you ask Rose, she'll confirm I've been talking about it ever since.
Overall, the presentation quality, the handouts (bound workbook and DVD) and the content make this year's tour a real value from any photographer, whether it's someone looking to improve their portraiture or a working pro looking to stand out from the competition.
Thanks David for a great evening, and I look forward to the next time I have the pleasure of seeing you.
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