Fine Imaging Studios

Once again in 2011, APA Atlanta came together with The Brain Tumor Foundation for Children to create the 2nd Annual Help Portrait event!  This year proved to be a bigger success than last year as we served nearly 50 families creating incredible family portraits with some of Atlanta’s top photography talent.  In addition to the incredible photo talent, we also had support from the very best make-up artists & hair stylists to digital support from Capture Integration.  To make the program complete, each family received a CD with their session images and a family photo fine art 8×10 print from Fine Imaging Studios.  Many thanks to our incredible volunteers and sponsors that make this program successful!

As usual, we had our fearless APA Director Lindsay on the scene…..

No Holiday experience is ever complete without a visit from Santa, and Allison and Marshall wasted no time getting their photo with Santa between running their craft project with the kids and helping families get to the photo studios for their session.

To see more photos from the day – Click here

Just some light reading for the day, here is a link to an interesting story –http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2011/12/14/the-real-story-behind-apples-think-different-campaign/

(If you are reading the Steve Jobs book (which I give 2 thumbs up), this article is a nice compliment to the story….)

FLUX 2011 was no disappointment again this year!  The sights, crowds and of course the innovative display of art was almost more than you can do in one night.  For those that are not yet aware of the FLUX art project, here is a brief overview of what FLUX is:

Flux Projects supports artists in creating innovative temporary public art throughout Atlanta. The organization produces new platforms for artistic experimentation that engage a broad audience in their daily lives, beyond the walls of traditional arts venues. We challenge artists to make exceptional, surprising work that inspires Atlanta and fosters an awareness of the richness and diversity of the city’s creative culture.

Since the show is only one night, you have to arrive early and stay late!  There is so much to see along with a parade of sorts and of course our very own ATLANTA Chapter of American Photographic Artists participated with our 2nd Annual Pushpin Show called “100 Beautiful Things”.  What is a Pushpin show you say?  The show is a chapter wide juried competition, and the top 100 prints enter the show.  From there, a judging panel is brought in to choose a “Best of Show”.  The winner this year received a brand new Apple Ipad2!

All 100 images are displayed in “pushpin fashion” during the evening of FLUX.  Visitors have the opportunity to bid on any image for as little as $10.  An incredible opportunity to own work from some of Atlanta’s Finest Photographers!

Of course nothing in APA Atlanta gets done without our very own Lindsay!

If the APA show is not enough of an incentive to visit Castleberry Hill for the night, perhaps these photos will give you a taste of the night…

Tech Specs:  I always like to publish the tech specs for the geek inside…all images produced with the Phaseone DF Body, Schneider 80mm/2.8 and the P30+ Digital Back.  Exposures varied of course, but all were ISO 1600, F2.8 at veeeerrrrrryyyyy sssssllllloooooowwww shutter speeds.  

Once again this summer, I had an incredible opportunity to meet a group of brave, intelligent and sometimes outrageous teens spending their summer at Camp Sunshine.  In conjunction with Flashes of Hope, a small group of photographers arrived at camp just after breakfast, ready to create portraits of more than 200 campers before the heat set in for the day.  Each camper that posed before my camera (nearly 30 of them) displayed their personality and created moments of inspiration, beauty and yes by the end of the day –  perspiration!

Here are few….

While there were many great stories of the day, the one that inspires me the most is a particular young lady I photographed at the end of the day as I was packing my gear.  The camp staff came to me and asked if I could photograph one more person as she was not feeling well and was resting in the infirmary.  Of course I agreed, and I went to meet my final subject of the day.  Sure enough, she was bundled in a blanket on the couch, clearly feeling less than perfect, but she really wanted to complete the photo session.  We walked outside to a chair in the shade, and when the camera went to my eye – this young woman lit up the room in a totally unexpected way.  We worked at different poses and looks for nearly fifteen minutes laughing and talking all the way through.  I couldn’t believe only minutes before she had been in the infirmary ready to call it a day.  While I only got to spend a few minutes with this young lady, it was clear to me what a remarkable young woman she is, staring in the face of cancer but refuses to give in or give up!

Now, thats a moment that makes a difference.

As Canon continues to improve their pro level cameras, the technology continues to trickle down to the consumer level pocket camera series.  As a working pro, choosing the right tool for the job is half the battle.  But, what about those times when taking a large pro camera may “interfere” with the moment rather than making the moment.  For this situation, my Canon G11 is my goto tool of choice for adventure filled weekends.

The Canon G11 in general is a versatile and able-bodied system generating above average to excellent RAW files.  The general performance of the camera is good, although for sports it is a bit slow requiring some predictive shooting to get the shot.  It has many nice “pro-like” features, but many are buried in sub-menus.  Despite some of its shortcomings, the image quality is quite nice and alot of fun to shoot.

Here are a few images from a recent outing to Lake Lanier for a  weekend of  water skiing….

One handed wake boarding….

“I just let go…”

Taking a spill in rough waters – timing is everything…..

Down you go….

My favorite skier – riding outside of the wake….

What a great day on the lake….

GEAR HEAD: All images shot with Canon G11, RAW files, processed through CS5 with mild enhancements for exposure, contrast, color, cropping and clarity.  All images were shot off the back of the boat while moving, bumping and shaking with the motion of the water.   Camera settings were limited to the built in “Program” at ISO 100.

I remember the days in the distant past when time stood still, and Summer lasted forever. While those carefree days are over, I did have the pleasure of living vicariously through some college bound folks finding a way to pass the day…

Yeah – it is MUCH higher than it looks, the side of a dirt hill, muddy water – what a jump…

A pro jumper at work – “The Spin”

Is this flying with style?

I guess if you are not a jumper, standing under a 50 foot wall of screaming, ice-cold water in a bed of rocks is a much better way to pass a Summer day….

GEAR HEAD:  All images created with the Phase One P30+ using a Schneider 50mm F2.8 on a Phase One DF body.  F2.8 at various shutter speeds (and yes that lens ROCKS -for more info, contact the good folks at Capture Integration for details) All RAW files processed through Capture One as Black & White images.

I am constantly approached  to make recommendations or to help improve someone’s photography skills.  I see the same patterns again and again and as the warmer weather approaches, the cameras come out of the closet to capture the moments around us.  Here is where the frustration begins…

This year, I decided to offer some helpful “Photographic Tips”:

Tip #1: Look for the “Sweet” light: traditionaly early morning or late afternoon is the best.  Often when the weather is changing, there are in-between moments that are mother nature smiles waiting for an attentive photographer

Tip #2: Tell the Story. Every image has a story, thats the magic of the image and the magic of the moment – see it and feel it.

Tip #3: Find the Moment. Every moment of shooting has “the moment”, you know the one, its the moment you make the image that you came to make.  For seasoned pro’s, it is the shot that signals “a wrap”.

Tip #4: Step Out of  Your Comfort Box. We all get comfy shooting in particular subjects, lighting, situations etc.  Step out, experiment, push the ISO farther than normal, shoot under difficult lighting, go wide, go long, go fast, go slow….

These images were shot at ISO 6400, 1/250 @ F2.8 under Sodium Vapor field lighting, night sky, and full action!

Tip #5: Always be READY, sometimes those in between moments “ARE THE MOMENT”

Tip #6: Compose-Compose-Compose.  Using the Rule of  Thirds is always Visual. Placing the subject and the action within the rule of thirds not only enhances the image, but can create breathing room, tension or additional interest.

Tip #7: Shoot in RAW. There is no better way to work-period.  When working in Raw, you fully leverage the technical aspects of the equipment you chose.  Shooting in any other format short changes the future of your “digital negative”.

Tip #8: Use the BEST RAW processing software possible. The software you choose will influence the quality of your finished images.  My workflow includes Phase One’s Capture One Pro for Raw processing, and Adobe Photoshop CS5 for final touch up and targeting.

For many years, I have had both personal and professional involvement with the brain tumor world particurly as it relates to children.  In December 2010, in conjunction with The Brain Tumor Foundation for Children and APA, I was lucky enough to be part of “Help Portrait” (See December Post).  As 2011 kicked off, the opportunity to photograph for Flashes of Hope came up – I jumped at the chance to make some very special images for some incredible kids and their families.

Along came the great “Snow-cation” of 2011, and our Flashes of Hope date had to be canceled!    Feeling left in the cold, I thought my special date would be lost for the year. After a lot of careful planning with the Chapter Director,  we were able to reschedule just a few weeks ago!

During our photography session, I had the opportunity to meet ten unbelievable kids, each with a different story, but each fighting a similar war.  While I only got to spend a few minutes with each child and their family, I believe these portraits brought a few minutes of fun, laughter and being in the moment.

Here are just few little faces….

Thanks to Flashes of Hope!

TECH SPECS:  For those that are tech oriented, all portraits were created using the Phase One DF body with P30+ digital back and an 80mm Schneider F2.8 lens.  Lighting is a 2 light setup, Exposure: 1/200th @ F4

Happy New Year to All!

As we ring in another year, I can’t help being excited about what great things will happen this year – 2011!

I have started the year off in business not only changing my company name from Fine Imaging Studios, Inc. to Fine Imaging, LLC.  Okay, not a big change, but change none the less.  Giving back has always been a big part of my corporate philosophy, and as you may have read in December, I worked with an incredible group of volunteers to make Help Portrait Atlanta successful!

In keeping with this great concept, I will start the year off shooting for FLASHES OF HOPE – a great organization that creates portraits of children held up in the hospital with life threatening illnesses like cancer.  I am very excited to to be a part of this organization, and I look forward to our photoshoot happening January 2011!

Story and Photos to follow for sure!

In the meantime, keep smilin! Keep shootin’! and Stay Tuned….

The American Photographic Artists Atlanta Chapter came together on Saturday December 4th, 2010 to make FREE family portraits for nearly 60 families across Atlanta.  The APA Atlanta Board of Directors chose two worthy locations to make free family portraits.  Each location had a dedicated team of volunteers that came together to create beautiful and memorable family portraits.

Team one set up shop in the offices of The Brain Tumor Foundation for Children .  where we completed 21 family portraits with industry volunteers handling photography, make-up, equipment, production, and digital services.

Here are a few photos from the day:

Getting our Makeup done….

My son Marshall covering the event and helping out with frame making!

Making a frame for the family!

Dave from CI checking files while a family watches

At the conclusion of each session, every family had the opportunity to create their own masterpiece frame for the print that would be forthcoming. Approximately one week later, a CD of the photoshoot and a 5″ x 7″ print was delivered to each family.   The day was a blast, the kids were fun, and the families were everything!!!!