Graduation Photos

My wife and I are proud parents of two wonderful kids: Shauna and Brian; both of them had graduation ceremonies this year.

Brian graduated from High School and started college.

Shauna graduated from college last week.

We had a chance to capture those two special events that serve more as a transition to a new stage in life for them. It's always challending trying to take pictures from inside dark auditoriums... sometimes from the upper deck!

The picture below was shot at ASA 1600 without a flash. Just really so-so results. I'm glad we got a chance to shoot some portraits outside.

Hopefully, we'll get an opportunity to shoot some formal graduation portraits soon.

Smoked Chicken: I'd Rather Eat It Than Shoot It!

A few weeks ago, I tried my hand at taking pictures of a delicious smoked chicken meal. For a first attempt, I was satisfied with the results... I would eat it!

After slow-cooking chicken on the grill for about two hours or so, I decided to try out my shooting dome. It's an enclosed dome with opaque sides to let in diffused lighting. It has one open side for shooting.

I placed the dome on the deck a short distance from the grille. Safety first! The dome was positioned so that the strong sunlight was coming from the right of the dome so that I could create some contrast and interest. I placed my camera on a tripod and set my camera to ASA 100 in aperture priority. I used a remote trigger to snap each shot.

I posed the food in a way that looked appealing. I added broccoli and different color lettuce to add variety of color and textures. Once I got the right exposure, I varied the f-stop from f/3.5 to f/22 for each composition that I created.

I am open to suggestions and will definitely try this again. In case you were wondering, the chicken was delicious. Just can't wait to prepare some more... for shoot purposes, of course!

Happy Thanksgiving!

At Thanksgiving yesterday, I took a few moments to slip into the dining room before anyone else came in. I wanted to capture the beautiful dinner table and show the wonderful symmetry of the glasses, plates, napkins, etc.

Take a look at the results above. I think things turned out really well.

The image below was my attempt to show the other side of Thanksgiving, namely, the preparation of the food. I elected to depict the beauty of the shiny pots that typically do not get much’ air time'.

These images were well received; especially by our hostess.

So take some time to capture what seems to be mundane and common place items around us. You might be surprised how special they appear in the right light and with the right composition.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Wow! Snapshot Places 8th in Competition!

I was pleasantly surprised this image did so well. Not because I don't think it's a good shot but because of how easy it was to come by.

Here's what I mean.

My normal routine for shooting landscapes, like most photographers, includes a few steps: select wide angle lens, polarizing filter, setup tripod, frame the shot, set exposure, bracket... yes, it takes a while. This approach allows me to get good results with proper exposure, composition and with some level of creativity.

This shot was different.

On Location
I took this shot on one day after a doctor's appointment one morning. I was on my way back to work when I passed by this pond in a neighboring community. Something about it caught my eye. I backed-up the car, jumped out, grabbed my camera bag and headed to the side of the small pond. I had a 50mm/1.8 lens on the camera.

Taking the Shot
When shooting lakes and ponds, etc. I like to make sure that there is a good strong reflection of the other side. I also like to shoot along the shoreline in a way that allows the viewer to follow the water out to the horizon. In this shot, I included a nearby tree to partially frame the shot. In my haste, I neglected to pick an appropriately small aperture. I wound up at f/3.5 and a shutter speed was 1/125s.

Post Processing
I had to crop the image slightly to make the shoreline level on the other side. I added good dose of contrast, sharpened the image and I was done.

Finale
It just goes to show that one needs to be ready to shoot at any time. Furthermore, these snapshots can be some of the more meaningful ones that have the greatest impact.

Waterfalls: It's All A Matter Of Perspective and Speed

First of all, let me make it very clear: I absolutely love taking pictures of waterfalls. A few weeks ago in Gatlinburg, I got my chance again! But, you might ask "which falls were you shooting?" Well, I was not at a falls but I was close to one!

Spotting the Willing Subject
My wife and I were walking through the streets of Gatlinburg, Tennessee a few weeks ago and I noticed what appeared to be a somewhat large fountain up ahead in the middle of walkway. The flow of water was quite strong and it had a good slope to it... yes, so it was going to cooperate.

Setting up the Shoot
My Canon 10-D camera was already sporting a Canon 50mm/1.8 lens on it and I did not want to interrupt our casual stroll with a complete photo shoot setup. You know the routine: change to a wide angle lens, add polarizing filter, tripod, remote trigger...

Instead, I took a one quick snapshot just to verify exposure. I then positioned the camera on a flat rock just opposite the "falls" and framed the shot. I left my ASA at 400. Now, I knew that I did not want to 'stop the action' but rather, get more of a dreamy flow of water... much like a cloud.
I then switched to aperture priority mode and stopped down the lens to f/22. This gave me a shutter speed of 1/3 of a second. Just about right for what I wanted.

Taking the Shot
Since the shutter speed was so slow there was a significant risk of camera shake. So, I switched the camera to 'Timer' mode so that it would take the shot after a short count down. After double-checking the composition one last time, I pressed the trigger and gently covered the eyepiece at the back of the camera to prevent spillage of light through that opening. A few seconds later 'click!' and the deed was done!

Post Processing
I snatched up the camera and checked the results. I smiled smugly and showed the results to my wife and received her "totally unsolicited' accolades. She did not disappoint. She used the appropriate words like: "Wow!", "How did you do that?","that's amazing..." Yes, post-processing was off to a good start.
I did make a few minor lighting adjustments in Photoshop and I cropping the shot slightly to make it level and... Presto! One pretty neat waterfall!

Looking Back
I have included the picture below to provide another perspective on the "raging falls." There it is on the left of this touching image of a young child being helped by an older gentleman, probably her grand father.

Conclusion
Look to slow things down when you are shooting moving water, like a spring, fountain, falls, you name it. Get that tripod out, or the functional equivalent and start shooting.

Yes, you too can Capture the fleeting glance.

Karl.

Adapt and bundle services through strategic alliances and partnerships

Isn't it interesting how much things have changed in just a few years. It used to be that all you needed was a good product or service, a few business cards, maybe advertisements in the local yellow pages, in the newspaper... and you had a decent chance of being successful. Not so today!

Of course, you still need a good product or service that is in demand, but you also need a good web site; you would benefit from tapping into the world of social networking, blogs, etc.

But is this enough?

In today's competitive environment it's almost impossible to make it on your own as a small business! I feel that we need to form strong, reliable alliances/partnerships with other providers in your industry to offer a complete suite of products and/or services. It's no longer feasible to be a "one stop" shop. For instance, a wedding photographer might benefit from partnerships with wedding planners, bridal stores, videographers, caterers, etc. and more, to present him/herself as part of the suite of services available from which clients choose.

We have to re-invent ourselves and constantly change how we do business to take advantage of the rapid changes in today's environment. Take a look at this Pizza restaurant out in the middle of the NC mountains. Well, it used to be a barbecue joint! But the owners had to adapt and tap into the tourist traffic whose kids were probably more interested in pizza instead of ribs!

Adapt, change, offer product and service suites through partnerships with those in your industry/space. There is another option, or just go ahead and hang the sign now: "Out of Business".

About Karl

My passion as a photographer is to produce images that are close to what you would normally see from the better digital photographers but with a subtle twist: we capture that fleeting glimpse or expression that makes you unique from everyone else.

Over 20 years ago, I decided to pursue my hobby seriously and got started in studio photography. I developed my own style for portraits: capturing more than just the face in front of the camera but rather, capture the personality behind the face. It's photography that is kind of 'up close, and personal' in a way that those who know you might say "Yes! That's exactly how you are!"

Once I transitioned from 35mm to a digital SLR camera, everything changed! I developed a love for shooting landscapes and began taking on other types of projects, such as, sports, events, etc.

This blog allows me to share some of my experiences as a photographer to both show some of my work/projects as well as to offer some tips and technique that have worked for me. And yes, once in a while, to show where I goofed!

My photography web site is at www.godavis.com. Most of my work is available for sale. If you have questions, or wish to order an image or print that you don't see in the print gallery, please email me or use this contact form. I am also a member of the Capital City Camera Club in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Come share in this journey with me and feel free to leave any comments or thoughts.

My mantra (or obsession) is to "Capture the fleeting glance".


Karl.

First Post

I am very excited to finally have setup a blog. I looking forward to using this forum as a way to communicate my thoughts and ideas. I look forward to hearing from you on a variety of topics.

Thanks.