Quick Hit Monday: Lighting, Lighting, and More Lighting

Good Morning Everybody,

Wow! What a weekend and I've still have the Brunch to shoot this morning.  Here is a quick "play by play" of the weekend.  We arrived safe and sound on Friday, made the beautiful 2 hour drive from Denver over to Vail, and took a few minutes to get settled into the historic Lodge At Vail hotel before scouting out the town. Boy, it is beautiful in the summer time

We joined  family and friends for dinner Friday evening and I was able to capture some fun shots of everyone coming together and begin gearing up for the wedding weekend.  Saturday was a light day until the fun, western themed rehearsal dinner at the famous Saloon in Minturn - a watering hole for many famous faces over the years.  I scoped out the hotel and surrounds for some great locations so I' was ready for the wedding on Sunday.

Well, the best laid plans.... We got a great start on the wedding Sunday . Great images of the bride while my assistant cover the groom and the groomsmen. Next we were scheduled to photograph all the groups outside starting at 3:00 p.m. Well, the sky opened upwith a BIG down pour of rain  about 3:30 p.m. and we were quickly into Plan B mode moving the photos into the hotel restaurant . The restaurant staff was amazing in moving around tables and chairs to open a large enough space to accommodate photographing the groups. It was truly no problem and we were still able to capture some nice images.

I thought the coolest part of the wedding planning was the fact that the bride and groom had hooked up a "video link" with some relatives and grandparents that were unable to travel to Vail for the wedding.  One of the groomsmen kept the Mac Book web-cam on all the Ketubah signing action for the long distant relatives and grandparents' enjoyment.  I hope to get the rest of the story today. Don't you love technology?

My special thanks to Grant Oakes who came in from Denver to assist on the shoot.  Grant is a very talented photog whom I have known for several years. His images will be a great addition to the coverage. Grant, whom I've mentioned  before is the force behind Tafota.com - a super easy website design resource for any photog who wants a site that is quick and easy to set up and keep updated.  Here is the Tafota link.  Hey Grant - A great BIG "Thank You" once again.

On that note....

OK gang, now it's time to get to Quick Hit Monday. Here we go...

Quick Hit Monday: Lighting, Lighting, and More Lighting

I feel I'm on so many mailing lists that I can't get through it all sometimes.  Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing - there are just so many sources of good information available.  I try to bring you the cream of the crop here at DPT.  That is no exception today.  Let me tell you what we've got going on this week - please read on.

Prairie Fire Productions - A New Kid On  The Block

I've been on Stephen J. Herzberg's newsletter for quite a while and love the content he shares.  Well, it seems Steve is joining the force of Photo Bloggers and has just started Prairiefireproductions.com 

He already has some good content on his new site for example; a great article from Dean Collins’ DVD on 3 Dimensional Contrasts.  This is an in depth article which should be a must read for all photogs.

I had the honor of studying with Dean years ago and loved his systematic, logical approach to lighting.  Check out Steve's site and his posts right here. It's a very nice read that brought back lots of memories for me. Well worth it.

Wait, Another New Kid On The Block Too!

Jerry Courvoisier, the former Digital Programs Director at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops for 14 years has just fired up his new site too.  Jerry has put together some educational as well as inspirational content too.  Just check out his very solid first 5 Photoshop/Lightroom/Photography posts right here. 

I love his article on using your flatbed scanner for creating fine art images - here is the link. Hey, Jerry, way to go - hope to see a lot more from you real soon!

Who Says There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch?

Well, I'm about to point you to one right now.  That's right. my good buddies at Quantum are offering a free DVD featuring how to use their ever popular T5D flash and their newly introduced Trio flashes.  The DVD was produced by Will Crocket of Shootsmarter.com - Will always does a great job on his videos. Here is the link to your free DVD right here.

Now you might be saying, "Hey, I don't own a Quantum." Hey gang, it about the light and there is ton's of lighting info on this DVD. Request your copy now - like they say "As long as supplies last." You can't go wrong.  Heck, you might even want to pick up my favorite flash, the Quantum, after seeing his DVD:~)

McNally's At It Again!

I just saw the article in the latest issue of DigitalPhotoPro.com.  They featured a nice piece about master of light location - light expert, Joe McNally.  Man, it’s a long article, but fun to read complete with Joe's wit and wisdom generously sprinkled throughout.  Give it a read right here.  Want more of Joe, check out his blog right here.  Way to go Joe!

Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I'm shooting the Monday wedding brunch in just a few minutes and need to get going.  Plan to check in tomorrow of another great on location Technique Tuesday video.  I think you will enjoy it!  See ya' then, -David