Cruise, Lightroom 3, location shoot, photography, Photoshop, Travel

Cruising to recharge

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Patti and I have two different agendas when we go on a cruise.  She loves to chill, dress up on Formal Night, try new culinary dishes, go to the shows and nap, nap, nap.  I like to read books, go diving if we’re in the Caribbean and just spend time alone with Patti.  But, and here come the photog in me, I like to take long walks around the ship while she’s napping and work on my vision.

We’ve been on a lot of cruises and I never get tired.  I love the colors, design and the people.  Each ship is it’s own unique subject and has a story to tell.  It’s just my chance to share it.  When I’m traveling I go for the boldness of the color and the shadows displays at different times of the day.  It’s a time to play with new techniques or rarely used ones that are almost forgotten, that somehow are pretty interesting.

One key approach I’d suggest to someone that wants to make good images on a cruise ship is to slow down and look first.  Don’t get overwhelmed by all the color and people engaged in all the shipboard activities.  Stop, watch and see what really grabs your attention.  Then start shooting.  Be selective, you don’t need twenty shots of a the same subject.

And the most important thing…….. don’t neglect the person you came with.

The Techy Stuff:  I only take one camera with me on cruises lately.  This was a D7000 and the primary lenses I used were a 12-24 mm nikkor and a 80-200 2.8 nikkor lens.  All images processed initially in Adobe Lightroom 3.  This was our 10th trip on the Carnival Cruise Lines.  The cruise was from Long Beach to Catalina to Ensenada, Mexico.

More of my work can be viewed at:  www.zwink.com

Cycling, Lightroom 3, photography, San Diego, Sports

When building your Brand do it Right

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I was recently hired to help create new images for Holland Cycles of Alpine, Ca.   For Bill Holland, a master cycle builder, this was a big investment to make his mark on the cycling world with a new website presence.  These titanium and carbon fiber bikes are not cheap.  They are custom hand built to the specs of their future owner/rider at a cost of about $10 – 20K.  My job was to show the beauty of the process and help create the perception of the artistry in the detail.  The challenge became a great project to achieve our goals and enjoy the process of the studio shoot.  Robert Bingham who made his impact on the internet, a former creative director and avid cycle rider himself was chosen to head the project.    The decision was made to do most of the shooting in the studio showing the elegance of the craftsmanship, design and the quality of the materials artistically through the use of our lighting featuring multiple softboxes, grids on one “detail” light and reflectors to kick light back into the shadows.

Normally I do all my post production work but this time we brought in digital artist Holly Nelson-Kramer of Spitting Images to refine our main “beauty shots”.  When you want it right, go to the experts.  Bob and Bill were both pleased with the results and now Bill has a strong website presence to showcase the work they do.   An investment in the photography will now benefit his business image.

Techy stuff:  primarily shot with a Nikon D3 & D700 using a combination of 60 2.8 macro, 24 – 70 and 70 – 200 lenses.  We use a mix of Profoto and Q flashes in the various softboxes.  Images were initially processed through Adobe Lightroom 3 and then the beauty selects were enhanced by Holly.  Holland’s Cycle website:  http://www.hollandcycles.com/  For more or my work check out http://www.zwink.com

 

black and white, photography, Photoshop, San Diego, Sports

GOALS………

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Are you still scoring?

Well…… the first quarter of the year is over and it’s time.  Time to do spring cleaning, pay quarterly taxes and review and finishing your yearly taxes.  Missing anything?  How about your NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS????

Did you make any resolutions for 2011?  Do you remember them?  Seriously.  For once I actually decided to follow through on them.  My office is getting cleaner, my marketing is exploding and I’ve made some great images for my current and new clients.  All were part of my new goals for the year.  Experts will tell you to write them down so you can refer to them and have a statement to be accountable for.  Sort of like a yearly business plan.  But it has to be fluid for those new opportunities.

Now if only I can loose weight……

Techy stuff:  Archived images of the San Diego Sockers originally shot on 35mm film and scanned on an Epson flatbed scanner and adjusted in Photoshop5.  More of my work can be seen at:  www.zwink.com

location shoot, photography, San Diego, Sports

It’s good to be an Aztec for Life

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SDSU Aztecs celebrate winning a share of the Mtn. West basketball league title.

Saturday night was a great night to be:

  1. a SDSU student
  2. a SDSU alumni
  3. a long suffering Aztec fan
  4. a member of the SDSU’s 29-2 basketball team
  5. SDSU President Stephen Weber

More game and celebration photos can be seen at:  http://zwinkftp.com/csusdsuhtml/ My website is:  http://zwink.com

Apple, camera phone, location shoot, photography

Take 5 and be Alive

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Take a five minute break each day and renew your vision and creativity.  The only way you’ll get better is if you shoot.  The more you shoot, the better you will get.  The more you shoot the more your vision and creativity will evolve.  Five minutes a day, that’s all you need.  So you don’t carry your dslr everywhere everyday with you?  Good.

Pull out your Iphone (At&t or Verizion, it doesn’t matter) and start searching.  It doesn’t matter if your subject is a landscape, saturated color or a detail item,  the important thing is you do the exercise.  You can do it at home, on a walk or in the office.  The beauty of the Iphone, or Blackberry, is that it’s basically a limited camera with minimal control.  The main control becomes your eye.  Learn to see with limited resources and watch your vision grow.  Learn how to be good with this camera and then watch what happens when you pick up your “real” camera.  Watch how you start looking at things different.  You will change.  Change is good.  Have fun, turn your snapshots into art.

More of my work can be seen at www.zwink.com although there aren’t any Iphone photos on it.  They will be on a Iphone gallery soon which I will share.

location shoot, music, photography, Photoshop, San Diego, Uncategorized

Mozart is still Alive

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SDSU Cast of “A Walk in the Clouds”

 

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.

art exhitibion, black and white, career, photography

5 Things to do with old photos in your Garage

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So…… you have some extra time and you decide to go through old images.  You go into the garage and there is a stack of boxes that you swore you’d edit, file or throw away.  This can also apply to you art directors, pr people or ad agencies with a lot of  prints from old projects.  Now before anyone yells at me you non photogs make sure you have permission or the right to use them.  So make some time and take another look at what was once some great work.  Here’s my list of 5 things to do with the photos.  I hope you’ll add to the list as I need some other great ideas to repurpose these images.

  1. Send a copy of the print to the subject, even if a lot of time has passed.  At the least you’ll make someone’s day, at best you may make a new client.
  2. Scan and archive your better images.  It’s good to see where you’ve been, how you’ve progressed.  You may even end up with a new portfolio or gallery you can share.
  3. Make Art….. be creative.  Create collages, decoupage an old table top , put old slides inside a clear lamp to remind your self of the “old days”.  Wallpaper your garage with old prints.
  4. Maybe you have enough prints for an exhibit in a coffee bar, hair salon or bar.  Might be great tradeout potential if they don’t have a budget for art.
  5. Scan your best archives, categorize them and see if you may have a body of work for a historical archive.  Wouldn’t that be cool if future generations could see your work?
  6. Take old proofs or small prints, jazz them up in small frames or matteboard and give them to friends or clients.  Let them know you appreciate them.  DARN….. I went past five.  Ok, your turn.  Share your ideas.  I have a lot of files to go through…..

 

The photos above are two of a series of 16×20 prints from my old studio, now in my garage.

More of my work can be seen at: www.zwink.com or go check out some of my cool editorial work at: www.bigstudioz.com

location shoot, NFL, photography, San Diego, Sports, Uncategorized

Tomlinson Over the Top?

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So, can LT finally get over the top? LaDanian Tomlinson record setting running back for the San Diego Chargers and now the New York Jets had his playoffs dream cut short once again.  L.T and the Chargers parted ways almost a year ago, the Chargers unwilling to resign him at this stage of his career.  Looking for that one missing goal, The Super Bowl, L.T. signed with the Jets stating they were the best opportunity to make it to the Super Bowl.  One game short of the Super Bowl and one yard short, Tomlinson was unable to get that one last yard to score a TD late in the game against the Steelers.  The Steel Curtain held and Tomlinson’s dream once again was shattered.  So, the big question is will he have enough for one more try next year.

Photo: shot with a Nikon D3 and 70-200 2.8 lens in a playoff game in San Diego vs. the Tennessee Titans Dec. 25,2009.

My other site is:  www.zwink.com

NFL, photography, San Diego, Sports

Giving Back

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I believe in charity, I believe in getting paid. The one thing about a lot of charities is that they believe photography should either be free, donated or minimal cost. A lot of times the requester will mention the great marketing potential and visibility and best of all it’s for charity. Generally the staffer from the charity is paid, the venue is paid, the catering either paid or discounted, the photographer……. free? See why I rarely do charity events?

So, I found a way to give, feel good and not abused. I went to San Diego State University, fell in love with the campus and after leaving for a job continued to actively support them. I eventually was awarded the sports department photography contract and met two young men that both personified the love of sports, friendship and life. Carlos Gutierrez, then Monty Montezuma, and I became great friends while on the sidelines at the Aztecs sporting events. I also met a freshman running back that would put SDSU on the map. Marshall Faulk went on to become an All American, runner up for the Heisman Trophy (he got robbed), first round NFL draft pick and now a future Hall of Famer.

Faulk now a NFL Network analyst is still loyal to SDSU. The last couple years he has been involved in a marketing program to get more alumni involved. It’s called “Aztec for Life”. In the photo above at a event promoting that is (left-right) Carlos Gutierrez, Marshall Faulk and SDSU President Stephen Weber.

Faulk also has his own charity called the Marshall Faulk Foundation. The mission is to improve the quality of life for San Diego youth by increasing opportunities for them. So Carlos G. and I came up with the perfect solution. I donated the image of Faulk (top left) from a game against USC and Carlos had a friend donate the printing of the image. The image was printed on canvas and then stretched on a frame, ready for Marshall’s autograph and the auction. So far copies of the image have garnered nearly $3,000 for the charity. This was a win for me and for the foundation. My old archived images had created the means to help the children of San Diego. What’s in your archives and who can you help? Happy Holidays.

My other work can be viewed at: www.zwink.com

photography, Sports, Uncategorized

An Island Mourns

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Andy Irons Memorial

Three times surfing world champion Andy Irons died on November 2, 2010.  We arrived on Kauai Nov. 12 to a community in mourning preparing for a memorial service and a paddle out by fellow surfers, friends and family.  It was an overwhelming experience.  Driving up to Hanalei Bay we passed numerous signs and painted surfboards  along side of the the road that expressed the love, sorrow and loss of their homegrown son.

Over 5,000 people of all ages converged onto Pines Beach for the memorial that was open to the public.  All the flights to the island were sold out as people came to say their final goodbye.  Following a traditional Hawaiian service on the beach attended by the family and friends of the Iron’s family it was finally time.  There was already a large group of surfers circling about a 100 yards off the beach.  The rest of the surfers from the inner circle made their way out through the surf to the final celebration of life.  Once they arrived and the circle was reformed the group started cheering and splashing the water.  Iron’s family then arrived aboard a Polynesian boat and dispersed Andy’s ashes into the ocean where he had lived his life.  As the ashes were being spread a helicopter circling over the surfers dropping flowers and petals onto the ocean and the surfers below as thousands others watched and cheered from the beach.  Once the copter left the circle slowly broke and the surfers and the paddle boarders came back to the beach through an ever increasing surf one set at a time.

Originally, I was just going to take a few photos of the scene but the emotional outpouring changed my mind.  I’ve done a lot of documentary work before so my instincts took over.  I wanted to show the environment, the diversity of the people and the the sense of loss that the surfing community suffered.

A collection of the images can be found at: http://zwinkftp.com/aimemorialhtml/

ANDY IRONS, RIP…….

Creative Views of a San Diego Photographer