Commercial

Business Headshot in St. Petersburg Florida home studio February 2013

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Dick wanted a headshot of him doing something he would actually do - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/160th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/4 power in 43" brolly to frame right & SB-600 @ 1/4 power in closed shoot-through umbrella to frame left and aboveFor one of his two headshots made here in my home studio in St. Petersburg, Florida, Dick wanted one of the images to show him acting naturally doing something he would actually do.  So he did a little acting to look like he was giving a presentation.  He was actually very good at it and we made the shot above on only the second take!

He was photographed on a neutral gray background.  In Photoshop I removed him from that background and painted in a digital background using pure black, then adding a slight gradient.  It was a fun shoot!

St. Petersburg Florida Real Estate Photography - resort like pool

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A very nice backyard and pool area - St. Petersburg Real Estate Photography - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDR

I recently photographed this St. Petersburg area home for Crown Group Realty which had a surprising resort-like backyard.  I was not expecting to find something like it when I walked out the backdoor!  I chose to make a 7-exposure HDR image to show details in all areas of the yard, sky and home.

An updated St. Petersburg kitchen - Florida Real Estate Photography - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 5-exposure HDRThe kitchen was recently updated with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, two things it seems everyone wants in a modern kitchen!  I shot from my tripod's maximum height to be able to shoot over and at the same time show the bar and countertops.

This could be your view when you get home! - St. Peterburg Real Estate Photography - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDRIf you or someone you know might be interested in seeing this house, please contact Crown Group Realty for an appointment.  If you are a St. Petersburg or other Tampa Bay area real estate agent and would like to have high quality images of your listings that will definitely generate more traffic to them, my professional real estate photography services are available for homes in all price ranges.

Passport Photos for the entire family in your home St. Petersburg Tampa Florida

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NEED PASSPORT PHOTOS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY?
  • At your location (or in my home studio)
  • As quick as 15 minutes start to finish
  • Family of four from $99*
  • Final images e-mailed directly to you
  • Make official prints online
  • Never have to leave your home!
CALL: 813-240-5357 E-mail: CONTACT FORM FACEBOOK

*additional cost may apply for outside of the St. Petersburg area; individual passport service available too

Social Media Portrait St. Petersburg Florida for Facebook with Kate

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Portrait made right in Kate's living room for looking smart on social media - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/9 ISO 200 1/100th - Strobist: SB-800 in 43" brolly to frame right & SB-600 on floor pointing at backgroundI made this portrait of Kate for the intended use of looking good on social media websites from Facebook to Linkedin.  It is a mix of formal and casual made right in her own living room!  I brought my mobile studio setup saving Kate the trouble of having to leave home to get a great portrait of herself made.  The setup consists of a collapsable background leaned against a wall, a speedlight on a light stand in a brolly and another speedlight on the floor pointing up at the background.  

So if you are using a profile photo on Facebook that you are not happy with, stop!  Reserve your social media portrait session today as  I can come to you or we can make a great shot at your favorite outdoor location too!

TownePlace Suites Marriott St. Petersburg Clearwater commercial pool shoot

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Photographing the same subject matter in different seasons or just a significant amount of time later is a very good personal photography project to do.  It is rare to have that kind of opportunity with a commercial photography shoot, but that is just what happened when former clients TownePlace Suites Marriott Clearwater called and asked me to come make a new photograph of their outdoor swimming pool.  They had updated the furniture and needed a new photograph to highlight the changes to the pool area.  

For me it is interesting to see the differences in angles I chose in 2011 and 2012.  The tighter shot of the pool in 2012 was no doubt influenced by the client wanting to see the new furniture in the shot better.

Here is an insider photo tip for shooting pools:  do not get the entire pool in the shot, thereby leaving the exact size of the pool unknown to the viewer.  

Cassis Restaurant Cirque du Soleil Commercial Window Advertising Photography St Petersburg Florida

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Last week I began a commercial photography project for Bayprint documenting the printing, installing and displaying of a particular type of print made especially for windows.  When viewed from outside you see a colorful image of a Cirque du Soleil performer.  From inside, it appears as just a light gray shade.  These prints were installed on Cassis, a downtown St. Petersburg restaurant right on Beach Drive, a heavy foot traffic location.  As you can see, they add quite a bit of color to the restaurant's facade!

These comparison before and after shots were taken a few days apart, but I went back at the same time of day to match the light and shadows as much as possible.  I looked at the before photo on my iPhone 5 to help me line up the after shot in the same framing.

On yet another day I went to Cassis to photograph the installation process.  Since I am a person who has trouble putting a small sticker on a car window in any kind of alignment, I had a lot of respect for the guys doing the install working with such large prints.  As most pros do, they made it look easy!

St. Petersburg Commercial Business Photography product feature with Al

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Bayprint owner Al inspecting a special print destined for the windows of Cassis - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 at 1/1 power in 43" brolly to frame right & SB-600 @ 1/1 power in 43" shoot-through umbrella to frame leftA sudden commercial photography job came up when I saw Al at a networking event he was hosting just yesterday.  Al is a past headshot client (see here) and has also referred other business to me.  The project we started today involves me photographing special window display prints he is making for the downtown St. Petersburg restaurant, Cassis.  The first shot he wanted was the above, showing the prints coming right out of the (large!) printer.  The remaining shots will be of the installing process as well as a before and after of the Cassis window front.

As is often the case with on location commercial shooting, space is in short supply and careful placement of lighting for strobist shots is necesary.  I put my 43" brolly on a light stand partially in a closet next to the printer and ultimately placed my 43" shoot-through umbrella on a light stand to camera left.  I wanted to maintain good detail in the full frame of the shot, so I used a small aperture of f/7.1 causing me to have to use both speedlights at full power, something I normally do not have to do.  The ambient light in the background was pretty well exposed at 1/60th, but I still did some dodging in Photoshop to make the lighting balance overall between foreground and background.  

The last detail was making the shot from a higher perspective.  Al is a pretty tall guy, and the print was fairly long coming out of the printer, so I used a step-stool to get the framing as seen above.