I’m not a real descriptive writer. That’s why I’m a photographer, a visual artist. I let my images tell the story. Cubans were very friendly, interested and loved to interact. Tour guides loved to tell the stories of the Revolution and the strength of the culture. Owners of paladores wanted to not only share their tasty cuisine but the stories of their families. Street vendors along with the hustlers were happy to share their smiles. Others just wanted to enjoy their siesta.
I’m no expert but it appears the economy is improving. The first two months of 2014 were the busiest I’ve ever had. I know it’s a small sample to base the year on but other photographers have told me they’re off to a good start also. If photographers are working, businesses are marketing and looking to growth. That’s what we do, we help our client market, sell and grow their business.
I spent a lot of the month on the road. Several trips to Orange County surrounded a couple San Diego projects and then I went to the Bay Area for a couple shoots up there. After a quick respite back home and starting a new local project, I went to Alaska for a quick shoot. I know, why send a San Diego photographer there, it’s because my client trusts me to get what they need. Maybe an idea for a future blog.
Well I need to wrap this up. I have another couple projects in Orange County and LA this week. I hope everyone else is busy.
About my image gallery: All images shot with my iPhone while traveling. Post was in Snapseed.
………. THE MORE YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH MORE THERE IS TO KNOW
Striving for a high level of success in any profession is a quest of all passionate driven people. As you get better you start to separate yourself from the pack and the growth becomes part of the process. It becomes easier to learn as your experience and education builds. Knowledge becomes gold. The more you have, the richer you are.
BUT…. you eventually realize that even as you get better there is so much more to know. You may be good at what you do but you can get better. Once you accept this premise your growth will continue. No matter how good you are you will always be learning.
I’m pretty good at what I do. I feel I can compete with about 90% of the other architectural shooters out there. I want to be part of that other 10%. It will be hard as they are constantly improvising and improving, growing in their craft to make their work more amazing.
ABOUT THE PHOTOS: taken at an Asmp-SD underwater photography workshop in San Diego. Taught by local master diver and underwater photography expert Al Bruton. All images shot with a Nikon D70 camera in a Nexus underwater housing. Model: Rachel
More of my images are on: http://www.zwink.com
When I was working part time at the San Diego edition of the L.A. Times I was introduced to the world of theater photography. I got to cover the La Jolla Playhouse and the Old Globe to name a few. What a great time. I got to see world class performances by known and unknown actors while getting paid to cover their shows. Most shoots were done during dress rehearsals meaning I was allowed to move around the theater with silent impunity.
Nowadays I still get to work with the SDSU Theatre department and Stone Soup Theater. At SDSU it is a wonderful experience as I not only get to hone my low light craft but I get to watch the development of the future professional actors. It not only is a time to watch the character development but it allows you a chance to study the body language and emotional interactions that can be transferred to shooting portraiture and getting that little special extra into your work. After all good photography is just capturing the day to day live theater we live in.
techy stuff: D700 with a 28-70 lens. Shot ISO 1600 at f4.0. Postproduction in Photoshop 5.
I love looking at old shoots I have done. My career so far has been in the newspaper industry, the sports world and now in the corporate and architectural realm. I, like so many of my counterparts, have covered a myriad of events that have helped shaped my career and myself as a person.
Music is one of the sources of enjoyment, enrichment and creativity that is part of our daily lives. It is the stories real or unreal of our daily live that the musicians have created to share with us. It evokes emotion.
One of the finest bluesmen ever is B.B. King. I had the honor of photographing him when he was 79 years old during a concert and meet and great afterward. What a treat. The music was great. In fact, I left there wondering as good as the show was how good he must have been 30, 40 or 50 years ago when he was in much better health. Or……. is music, like photography, like good wine, better with age? Nothing beats experience and passion, they just enrich our lives.
After the show I had to take meet and greet photos of the VIPs with The King and Lucille. After finishing B.B. looked over at me and smiled and asked “Would you like a picture with The King and Lucille?” I’ll never forget that.
*** the techy stuff. Shot with a Nikon D2X, iso 1600. Image processed in Lightroom with personal presets ***
My other work can be viewed at: www.zwink.com
Danielle Tucker is every thing I like about artists. Danielle (the brunette) has been singing since she was a baby and will probably be singing when she’s old. I’ve had the pleasure to do a photo shoot of her when she was first starting to front for local cover bands. Then about a year ago I was asked to do another shoot of her when she was signed to an artist development deal and produced an ep dvd that already has garnered plenty of airtime on KSON radio. More of Danielle’s story is on her site: http://www.myspace.com/danielleltucker
Danielle now fronts her own band, The Danielle Tucker Band, and is often booked in many of the local venues while waiting for her call to hit the touring scene. The photo above is linked to her site and if you love good country music check out her site.
Danielle is also part of The Mighty Untouchables, a corporate oriented band that is loaded with some of the top musicians in San Diego. The photo above was part of their marketing package I helped create at a beautiful 18k square feet estate in Poway. The goal was to show a mafia style “family” in the images. With the great architecture and design of the home we achieved several different images enabling a wider selection for their p.r. and marketing. We used Profoto lighting and a couple Q flashes for most of the images to create a stronger, bolder, contrasty look. Post production was in Lightroom and then I used a custom preset to create a high pass effect. More of the final images including portraits can be seen on their website: http://themightyuntouchables.com/
More of my work can be seen at: www.zwink.com
