Quick Hit Monday: Sedona Recap; Fire From The Air; Weddings Ideas; Photoshop Freebies & More

Good Morning Everybody,

Just a quick note – I planned to get this post up much earlier but an emergency kept me from getting it completely linked, illustrated, and ready to go.  Needless to say it’s going up almost a day late.  I still hope you enjoy the read.  Everything should get back to normal this week.  Now on with Quick Hit Monday.

Sedona Recap and Observations

I'm writing this post while traveling back home to the Northern Kentucky side of Cincinnati, OH.  It's been quite the trip this time around.  We arrived in Phoenix 10 days ago and went right to work photographing a three day wedding for one of my favorite clients.  It was a beautiful wedding celebration, a great experience and lots of fun.  And, we captured some tremendous images, which we are editing this very minute on the plane trip back home. I plan on posting a few more images from the wedding beginning this week.

From Phoenix we headed to Sedona, AZ for my Sedona Experience  private workshop.  It's the first time I've conducted a class this dedicated to so few students and I have to say it was quite a kick. 

I'll tell you, working with such a small group of photographers really gives everyone a chance get to know each other on a more personal level.  It also gives me much more time to work with each person more closely and really ramp up the learning curve. 

I like what Mark, one of our attendees commented on Friday.  He said, "Hey David, I got some great shots, had a great time with you in Sedona. I learned more in your 3 day workshop than I would if I had taken a 3 month class. Thanks again, Mark O." Thanks Mark, much appreciated.  Also, thanks for all the kind words received via email and text messages from everyone else that joined me in Sedona – very much appreciated!

Flying Home – Some Unusual Sights!

Usually a flight home is a fairly uneventful event - and that's how the flight from Phoenix started out.  I always have camera in hand and always grab a few shots during and after the takeoff.  As we headed East, it was amazing to see how quickly the landscape changed. First  it was the sprawling city of Phoenix and it's surrounding suburbs which quickly gave way to the Arizona dessert.

What struck me too as we were flying over Phoenix was the view of Camelback Mountain from the air. At 15,000 feet, not quite cruising level, it seems to be one lonely small mountain parked right in the middle of the desert but still surrounded by the very expansive city of Phoenix - kind of unimpressive. But from the ground level, it served as a majestic background for a few of my wedding images and was omnipresent wherever you traveled around Phoenix. What a difference a few 1000 feet can make ;~)

For the entire time of our visit to Arizona we've been hearing about the severe wildfires plaguing the state.  My heart really goes out to the folks who are literally in the line of (the) fire.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I peered out my window and saw what looked liked smoke in the distance.  As we got closer, I could see it was the tremendous Wallow wildfires that have been all over the national news.  It was an amazing scene from the air seeing just how big it was and how far it had burned.  As we flew directly over the smoke trail, you could see that the scene stretched on for miles.

I checked the window a few more times during the flight, but the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful.  Which now, by the way brings us to Quick Hit Monday.  We should be pretty much back on schedule this week.  Things are settling down and it will be good to catch our breath these next several weeks at the studio and the home front.

Hey gang, I’ve got a lot of cool things for you on this week’s Quick Hit Monday.  Give them a read, I think you’ll enjoy them.

4 Wedding Centric Links Worth A Peek:

1. The Top 10 Wedding Photographers of 2011 [link]

OK, I have to admit, I didn’t make the list again – I must have come in #11 ;~)  On a more serious note, please check out the links with this article.  I sure would like to get your impressions on the quality of photography offered by this year’s “best” wedding photogs.  I’ll reserve my judgment till I hear from a few of our readers.

2. Top 7 Engagement Shots for Creative Couples [link]

Give this post a read at Bride and Joy.  You may find a few of the ideas not to your tastes, but overall, I liked the creativity of the approach to engagement photographs – worth the read.

3. How To Get The Best Wedding Photos On Your Wedding Day! [link]

PokaDot Wisdom has some very good practical advice to Brides on how to get the best wedding images on their wedding day.  I think it’s good advice for photographers, too.  Worth the read.

4. Intel Tech Makes Wedding Photography More Interesting Than You’d Think [link]

This is a fascinating video showcasing how a photographer and his partner interact with their clients to get the images the client wants.  It’s a bit over the top for me but I watched the entire video and was amazed by what turns today’s client on.  It’s an Intel commercial, but you don’t get that till the end.  It still and interesting look at how some photographers do business.

9 Photoshop/Lightroom Centric Posts

OK gang, get ready for another round of Photoshop Freebies and inspiring tutorials.  This week I’ve got Photoshop and Lightroom covered.  Get ready to dig in – lots of good stuff here.

1. 10 Brilliant Photoshop CS5 Tutorials You Should Not Miss [link]
2. Aligning and Blending Images Together [link]
3. How To Create a Cool Abstract Radial Pattern Design [link]
4. Totally Free Textures 73 [link]
5. Premium Quality Free Grunge Packs for Photoshop [link]
6. Photoshop Brushes: Free Space, Stars and Planet Brushes [link]
7. Creative Wallpaper Tutorials – Very Cool! [link]
8. 3 Hours Lightroom 3 Tutorials [link]
9. 5 Top Tips for Lightroom Develop Presets [link]

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  Things are really busy since we returned Sunday evening, hence the very late post. Technique Tuesday should still hit later on Tuesday and then with a little luck we should be back on track by Wednesday.  Thanks for your patience.

See ya’ tomorrow,  David