 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Michael [mahy-kuhl] – noun
1. A male given name. 2. A witty, charming professional wedding photographer who enjoys movies, exercise, romantic walks on the beach and large pepperoni pizzas.
Maven [may-ven] – noun
1. A connoisseur or trusted expert in a particular field who seeks to pass his knowledge onto others. 2. An intense gatherer of useful information. 3. An individual who demonstrates passion for learning and teaching a specific topic, particularly through a well connected social network.
Thank you for coming to my blog! I update it regularly, so if you ever want to know what I am up to, please come by and take a peek. Feel free to leave your comments below.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Lock Down in Utah |
First of all...what is Lockdown?
This is a phrase I have coined that means I am very, VERY busy doing something. (in this case, working on a special project I would like to finish mid to late July...yes thats a hint).
For me Lockdown means:
1. I turn my phone off for days, maybe even a week at a time.
2. I only check my email once a day, but this will be the best way to reach me.
3. I eat as little as possible, sometimes not at all for a day, several times during the week.
4. I do not want to be disturbed.
Lockdown allows me to turn one working day into three working days as there are no distractions. I know sometimes I offend friends and family when I am in lockdown and I please ask you support me while I do this. It is very important for me to stay focused as I want to have this DVD done as soon as possible, with the highest quality possible.
I know there were several clients in Utah that wanted photo shoots that I wasnt able to meet up with last time. If you are interested in a shoot, you can contact me through email, but I will only do 3 or 4 during the whole trip (July 1st-10th) and it is first come first serve. I will still be making posts on the blog, but it may be difficult to reach me by phone. If it is important, please leave a message and I will return it as soon as I can.
|
|
|
|
Wanted |
| First let me say, this is completely a "guy" type of movie, not to say if you are female you wont enjoy it, there are a lot of guns, cars, shooting, violence, swearing, things blowing up, uncontrolled anger and the like. If you liked the Matrix and Star Wars (yes, star wars) you will see a lot of similarities and most likely enjoy this movie. I liked that it focused on character development, which is something most movies of this genre totally ignore, and I could especially relate to how he felt about his boss...I was in a similar situation and it was absolutely the most liberating thing to quit a job I really, really hated. Not for the squirmish or easily offended. |
|
|
|
Wall-E |
| I just got back from watching Wall-E. It was outstanding and will absolutely be a classic hit. Please do yourself a favor and make sure you do not miss the bonus short before the movie starts, it was equally outstanding and I would imagine both will receive tons of awards. There are lots of messages in the movie, but its not pushy or preachy. Very, VERY well done. |
|
|
|
Infinet Design |
Everyone...cross your fingers. I had a very positive phone call with Brock Martin of Infinet Design this week. He is the programmer who designed this blog and has a 6 month waiting list for new projects. Brock without question is the most professional web programmer I have ever met. He is fast, has great design ideas, and his websites are super-functional and easy to manage. Brock has also turned me down on at least half a dozen programming projects, simply because he is so focused on what he does best. He is tremendously disciplined in his work ethic.
I approached him in hopes he would consider redesigning my photography school, which was pieced together by myself and another programmer, it was a ton of work and took months to get right. The problem with the school is, it is flash based and hard to reference lessons (using outside links). It is also practically impossible to add new lessons, so I contacted Brock and it looks like he may consider doing the project- if he does, it will be a huge HUGE upgrade. I have about 70 more lessons I would like to have on the school, all free to provide great, fun lessons, homework, etc for beginning photographers.
If you are looking for a custom blog, Brock is THE BEST. (He is also very expensive and worth every penny). Take a look at some of his clients. If you decide you want to hire him, please tell him I recommended you to him:
Infinet Design |
|
|
|
Jewel Boxing |
| Ive tried several things in presenting my digital negatives to my clients. Ive used regular CD trays, Art Leather folios and recently I was introduced to Jewel Boxes. Its taken some serious time to figure out how to design and make, but now that I have them the way I like, I am so glad I did. The come complete with my written copyright release on the inside of the tray, and the outside cover can be switched to three different outside pictures. Jewel boxes are also very durable and made of some type of smudge resistant material. |
If you are interested in doing something like this for your clients, check it out:
Jewel Boxing |
|
|
|
How to get This Shot #5 - 2 Tips to Great Macro's |
This is a variation on the Macro shot that will give you a different look. It is not very practical at all, in fact, this was the most difficult and time consuming shot of Cameron and Ky's Wedding.
The most common type of Macro shot uses a wide aperture, and while it can give a very nice buttery image, the depth of field becomes extremely thin because you are so close (DOF decreases as you get closer) and unless you have a lot of experience, it is very difficult to get a sharp image on the center stone.
1. Ive used strobe flashes before on my ring shots, but a little trick I learned in Cali 2 weeks ago was to use a videographers light. You can see where the shadows will fall and it will allow you to set the shot up manually. (You will need someone to hold the light-thanks Melissa).
2. The second trick to this shot is something I just decided to try...with enough light, you arent required to shoot wide open, instead...why not shoot at a smaller aperture, say, f 11 and you will be certain the center stone will be in focus.
Thats right, with tight Macro shots, instead of shooting wide open, stop it down as much as you can...you will still have a decent blur even at f 11, but because you are so close, your DOF gets thinner.
Its a good trick to know, increase your available light (use a lamp or flashlight if you have to!), stop your iris down...as much as you can.
;) |
|
|
|
The "Perpective" Shot Revisited |
I wanted to post this real quick. Its from Ginnys' wedding last weekend. Im sure Ginny wouldnt mind me doing this (but Ginny if you do- just let me know and Ill take it down).
On the photography school there is a lesson on the Perspective Shot, and it really has many great applications, as in this case where all of Ginny's bridesmaids were a little taller than her. Its Ginny's big day however, and she deserves most of the attention...this is the shot I wanted: |
| This is the shot I took after specifically to show this point. Its a great tool to remember and have tucked up your sleeve. You control relative sizes between two subjects by moving them further away from each other. |
|
|
|
Get Smart |
Get Smart was this weekend's number one movie and if you are thinking about watching it in theaters, all I can say is wait until it comes to DVD. It was a very mediocre movie and yes, while funny at times, it really wasnt that great. Again we have the problem of most of the best scenes in the trailers.
I was thinking about seeing the Love Guru, but I heard it was awful. Has anyone seen it?
Its also interesting to speculate how the internet is affecting box office sales. Think about it, never before have we been able to find out the general consensus of a movie so quickly....if I hear that a no-name movie is great, I will go see it when I wouldnt have before, or if a huge budget film is actually a flop, I wont go when I would have. Hopefully Hollywood will get the hint that it isnt enough to have one or two well know actors to be a good movie. If a movie is truly "bad" word should be spread as harshly and as quickly as possible. As long as Hollywood is turning a profit for making bad movies, they will continue to do so.
I am really excited for Batman - The Dark Knight - July 18th!! |
|
|
|
Cameron and Ky |
I really love my job. Tonight I had the awesome opportunity to shoot Cameron and Ky, all their family and friends. So many nice people. I feel really lucky to be part of a couple's weddings, because when they hire me I am usually a stranger and I really try to t do my best to make friends with everyone. I felt very accepted and liked by everyone and I really do appreciate it.
Its 3am, but i wanted to get some of these fun images up as soon as possible. I really hope you like them!
|
| This picture of this girl during the ceremony is a great example of how high ISO noise sometimes really doesnt matter. It was shot at 3200 and in this case, the noise gives it a really nice grainy look. I know many photographers who will add noise in post production to achieve this type of look. |
| This dude was going to town on the dance floor...HE WAS OFF THE HOOK!!! |
| These are just a very select few of the 1500+ images from the day. From what i have seen, I am very happy and excited for Cameron and Ky's album. I will be posting the rest of the pictures on my viewing website shortly for everyone to see. Again thank you so much to everyone for making Cameron and Ky's day so awesome. |
Another big thank you to Melissa, one of my photography mentorship students who shot with me today. She was a tremendous help. We thought it would be fun to take a picture together.
I am like...a lion.....or something.....is my head really that big? I mean...I have to put all this information somewhere, but look at the size of that thing!
If cannibals captured me (which would be impossible in the first place...we might as well start talking about building time machines or the like) and they decided to shrink my head down, it would be the size of a normal person's head...so .....they wouldnt even try it. |
|
|
|
Cameron and Ky - Rehearsal Dinner |
| I am shooting what looks like a HUGE wedding tomorrow in Tuscaloosa for Cameron and Ky. Ive liked these two from day one. Their rehearsal dinner was on the University of Alabama Campus in the Natural Sciences Museum. It was a fantastic setting. I am really looking forward to the shoot tomorrow. |
| This image was shot at 2.8, 0.8s, with a 16-35mm lens. It was hand held, but I rested it on a railing and placed my hand underneath the lens to keep it as still as possible. |
|
|
