The First 100 Days

Posted by Aaron - 25/09/08 at 09:09:00 pm

Some of you blog readers know, I’ve been on a quest to take a photo a day (at least one) for 365 days. Most days I am taking AND processing the photo. I just finished Day 100 today.

*It’s hard work. Some days are easy, and some require exasperating attempts at being creative with the most mundane pieces of your life (not YOUR life specifically, my life, though I’m not saying your life isn’t mundane).

*It’s really good practice. If you are a photographer, for fun or otherwise, it wouldn’t hurt to try for awhile. I browse back through the days and we now have a day to day account of the summer. Not a bad deal.

I’m headed to Austin, TX for the ACL music festival so Flickr followers will note some down time. ACL also does not allow SLR cameras in so I will be trying my best to be creative with our little Canon SD1000. Rock on all of you with your bad selves.

Logo, With Mucho Grande Style

Posted by Aaron - 24/09/08 at 09:09:00 pm

How do you like the logo? Does it make you want to ask me to take your picture?

Done by our exceptionally talented and wonderful Libby Unwin. Her own thriving design business is accessible via lugraphics.com. Please visit and send any design and graphics projects her way. You will not be disappointed.

Featured: TravelOregon

Posted by Aaron - 23/09/08 at 10:09:00 pm

I just had this photo included in the TravelOregon.com e-newsletter.

Still not making money, but I love promoting Oregon. You can check out their website if you want to travel to Oregon. If you AREN’T traveling to Oregon or live in Oregon presently, I may question your sanity, quietly and behind your back.

Super-Secret Photo-Trade Secrets, Round I

Posted by Aaron - 23/09/08 at 09:09:00 pm

So, here’s the part of the show where I tell you what I’m learning with photography and you read and either think, “Very interesting!” or “Um, yeah actually that’s NOT correct,” or “Who cares about learning photography? I PAY people to take my picture,” and if you are in the latter camp, please send me your contact information.

Some of this may not apply to everyone with a camera but if you ever take pictures for fun, or if some amiable stranger offers you a camera in front of a national monument and asks you to take a photo of him and his wife in matching fanny packs, some of these tips may help.

Further comments on the Family Portrait Session#1:
*Come prepared but flexible. I brought a step stool, tripod, umbrella and never used them. Beforehand I had written down shots I wanted and I got some of them but not all. This is a far reach but for portrait photographers, the flexibility comes in when you have small children and need to go with their attitudes instead of your relentless quest for some crazy overhead wide-angle shot on a merry-go-round.

*Be firm but polite. With my cousins family whom I know, this was so easy. Before beginning I shared what it would be like and they went with it. None of the “chin up, please, CHIN UP! Also I’m going to ask you to balance on your toes for one more minute while I change my lens…”

*Light is everything. We picked a great time of day to go (4:30-6:30pm) when the sun was getting softer. Of course the shadows extend as well which can be trouble. Back lighting through the trees is what I love, especially wide open (lens aperture). All the pretty round blurry circles make my tummy warm.

*Don’t ignore color. I found some shots afterwards that really had some clashing colors from the ambient light which made some color corrections almost impossible. This is a big unknown for me and I need some knowledge up in here. Teach me someone.

*Try not to use flash. Well, rephrasing, use flash appropriately. I tried some flash against the dark shadows of a low sun but I placed the flash too low and all sorts of cross-shadows appeared. Next time, sun in the back and put the flash on a high stand instead. Please. Thank you.

*Err in underexposing the photograph. Today’s photo software can lighten up a dark portion but you can’t fix blown highlights. Blown highlights are when the digital camera cannot distinguish between whites and highlights and it often looks like someone took a white crayon and drew over that pretty waterfall you thought you captured.

*Have fun. I did. I had a great time. Photography is a lot of work and to get a great shot, most of the time you have to earn it. Especially if you’d rather give a client many great photos instead of one lucky photo.

As a reminder, Super-Secret Photo-Trade Secrets are an ultra-secret confidential work in progress that dissolves instantly into the internets after reading. You have ten seconds to commit it to memory. Nine…eight…seven…

San Francisco Trip

Posted by Aaron - 23/09/08 at 08:09:00 am

Family Portrait Session

Posted by Aaron - 15/09/08 at 08:09:00 pm

Well when Ian & Lauren (my cousin’s family) asked me to shoot some family photos, I was excited. I now had the opportunity to try my photography out on someone OTHER than my poor family. Their daughter turned ONE YEAR OLD in June and she was the most perfect child during the entire process. We decided to head out to Sauvie Island for some natural shots and light which included a nature walk and the beach. I actually learned quite a bit from the experience and I’ll probably write a bit about some of the technical parts later.

I hope they enjoy the photos. It was fun, thank you Ian & Lauren!

My Protegé – B&W

Posted by Aaron - 12/09/08 at 09:09:00 pm

I had to buy a new car today. Well, a used car, but new to me. And it was money I would MUCH rather spend on a new camera and/or lenses. But, since I am no professional, I must provide income by another means for now.

The secret question rarely verbalized is the one where I ask what my son would appreciate more: a father who takes big risks to do things that he loves or a father who sacrifices to give him consistency. I don’t think there is an easy answer and certainly no right or wrong. But there could be better/worse. Or even passionate/futile. I don’t know. Maybe you just have to pick one…

How Can You NOT Love Technology?

Posted by Aaron - 11/09/08 at 10:09:00 pm

RED cameras are totally futuristic and adaptable and looking for ways to work with other lenses and accessories. Wish more camera companies did that…

Thanks to my friend Shaun for the heads up.

Love is in the Air

Posted by Aaron - 10/09/08 at 11:09:00 pm

Some fun with a flashlight and about 15s exposure

A Photo Blog to Rule All Photo Blogs

Posted by Aaron - 08/09/08 at 11:09:00 pm

…well, not really. We’ll see how this goes. My journal of growth, success, and utter failures as a photographer. It will be fun. We will take pictures. We will have a good time. We will try not to take ourselves seriously.

look for it