Event

Necronomicon 2010 by Stone Hill SF Association

Master Chief! -- Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8 ISO 800 1/250th SB-800 hotshoe mounted

Long time friend and adopted mom, Ann, is high up in the Stone Hill SF Association which puts on the great Necronomicon convention, "Florida's Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Convention."  Long ago I went to a Necronomicon, perhaps 1994, and had a great time, my first real exposure to such a science fiction culture and community.  For Necronomicon 2010, photography gigs prevented me from really attending it, but I was able to at least stop by for an hour, visit Ann and of course make some photographs!  

Master Chief (above) was a great surprise to me.  In Japan, some friends and I had a Sunday night ritual of playing Halo 3 (after vigorous physicial exercise earlier, not all day inside!).  In normal light, you could not see the guy's eyes under the visor.  He said this was his first attempt at making the Master Chief costume.  He used styrofoam because he knew once he worked out the kinks, he would then invest in more permanent materials to make the final version.  

 A very chill zombieZombies, according to their recent increase in popularity in pop culture, were well represented at Necronomicon 2010.  There were even forces to counter them.  Fortunately, all the zombies I encountered were nowhere near ravenous and actually rather sedate.

A very loyal fanThroughout the convention a number of panels and speakers, of varying popularity, were going on in adjacent rooms.  Even though the panel in the above photo was not greatly attended, the people that were there listened intently to every word the two panelists were saying about anime.

Had visions of grandeur trying to make this image and it being some kind of cultural statement, haOne could sign up for a try in the gaming room and a chance for glory.  In my quick visit in there some really young boy was talking trash to an adult letting him know how he was going to frag him before he did it.  

I cannot fathom how long it takes to set this game upI have played a few complex board games in my life (Puerto Rico, Shogun, etc.), but I had no idea there were board games as complex as the one in the photo above.  I really wish I would have asked someone how long it takes to get setup to play!  It would have to be at least an hour with a whole group knowing what they were doing.  Maybe the game is actually just setting up the game??

He must have had some interesting safaris in his timeEven the musical instruments get costumes at Necronomicon 2010!  The above fellow and his two bandmates attracted an assortment of "dancers," which still photographs could not do justice to.  

A zombie ghost hybrid perhaps? -- Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/2.8 ISO 800 1/320th SB-800 hotshoe mountedHopefully next year my calendar will be free and I can really attend Necronomicon, visit more old friends, avoid zombies, and of course make a few more photographs.   

Julia Gorzka Social Media Breakfast at USF St Pete

Julia Gorzka speaking at USF St Pete about social media and business

USF St. Petersburg campus has an ongoing monthly series of breakfast lectures on various business aspects.  I have attended many in the past, but since my business is only a sole proprietorship, they have not all been applicable to my own business needs.  Still, I usually pick up a tip or two and they are good networking opportunities, plus USF provides a free breakfast!  This morning's breakfast lecture by Julia Gorzka on social media, however, was very relevant to how I run my business.  

Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8 ISO 800 1/320th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mounted in TTL modeI have been on Twitter for years and have been building and promoting my photography business heavily on Facebook for over a year.  In fact I raised my hand and offered my own opinion on how Twitter can be used to build a business.  What I did learn from Julia is that I need a YouTube channel specifically for my photography business so that potential clients can see me and hear my voice.  This has actually been buried on my to-do list for months and months, but it just got bumped to the top of the queue thanks to Julia's presentation.

USF St Pete puts out a pretty good breakfast spread nowThe turnout for these monthly breakfasts has really increased since the first one I went to that had maybe fifteen people.  In fact, the lectures were moved to another building into a much larger room.  The free breakfast has greatly improved too.  It used to be just donuts, fine with me of course, but I did feel guilt eating two donuts at 8am.  Now with fresh fruit and croissants added to the donut and pastry choice, I felt no guilt and really appreciated the efforts USF St Pete is going through to help local businesses.   

John Kelly Band performing at Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 400 1/1250thAfter the training portion of the MIC event at the Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club came the social and relaxing portion.  Besides a large buffet spread there was a roving magician and a live 7-piece band performing.  During a break, I had a chance to meet some of the members of the John Kelly Band.  They were all very friendly.

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1250thThere was a bit of a challenge in photographing the band in the form of a very large pool being right in front of the stage (lengthwise).  Now when I photographed a band on the very same stage for New Year's Eve 2009, the pool was covered with a very expensive plexiglass cover.  At first I almost walked into the pool just trying to get a more natural shooting angle.

Tim Poole - Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/2.8 ISO 200 1/1000thShooting from extreme angles I tried to get as clean of backgrounds as I could.  I used my Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens wide open at f/2.8 and sometimes a bit stopped down at f/4 (for improved sharpness).  

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 320 1/160th with Nikon SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mounted in TTL mode with diffuser capI switched lenses to my wide angle for the one vantage point I could get close to the stage from the, right rear side.  The band was being mostly front lit by the late afternoon sun so I used my SB-800 to add some needed fill light while still being able to keep the blue of the sky.  Manual exposure mode was necessary for the above shot to produce the results I wanted.  

John Kelly - Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 400 1/1000thTo be honest, when I am concentrating on shooting as much as I was to figure out how to best photograph the band, I am not too aware of much else.  So I heard the songs the John Kelly Band were playing, but only in the background of my senses.  Thus I cannot really comment too much on what type of music they play.

Geni Poole - Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/2.8 ISO 400 1/1000thMore information about the John Kelly Band: 

Jason Collin Photography:

MIC Event 2010 at Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/4 ISO 800 1/200th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mounted with diffuser capA professional photographer needs to be both very flexible and always ready to take a job.  Out of the blue this afternoon a contact at Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club called me asking if I could photograph an event going on . . . now.  When I got the call at 2:31pm I was actually at the Rusty Pelican in Tampa scouting it out for a wedding I will be photographing there in a few weeks and I was supposed to take care of two other things even further away from St. Petersburg where the yacht & tennis club is.  I did not want to turn down the job, so I said I could make it back across the bay and be on site by 4pm.    

Bill Edwards giving a presentation at the Treasure Island Yacht & Tennis Club

I had to first stop at home and pick up my photography gear and grab a quick sandwich as I would be shooting for 3 hours (4pm to 7pm).  This is another important point, a photographer should always have his/her gear at least semi-ready for shooting.  I plan on writing a full blog post on this soon.  I have photographed two other events and a wedding at TIYTC so I am very familiar with shooting there and also the layout of the club.  This of course gave me confidence about being able to just swoop in and start shooting.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/4 ISO 800 1/40th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mounted with diffuser cap

I was told to try and use flash as little as possible, which means high ISO shots.  They also requested a group shot of everyone in the conference room right in the middle of the event so there was no time to place any strobes in the back of the room or anything.  I just moved a few placards out of the way, went to the far back corner of the room up on a little stage, set my shutter speed as slow as I dared (1/40th) and was thankful that 17mm was just wide enough to get everyone in plus a bonus staff member on the far left.  

This event had a whole other outdoor phase to it which will be in a future post.

Fossil Park Pool Dog Day August 2010

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1000thSt. Petersburg children's loss was St. Petersburg dogs' gain.  With the end of the summer swim season at Fossil Park Pool (info), it was opened up to canines.  No humans allowed in the water at all.  This event was very popular.  When we arrived at 11:20am the pool was at maximum capacity already.  We had to wait until a dog left before we could get in, but only a short time.

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1600thProbably the St. Petersburg Times was even at the pool earlier covering it because as I was shooting with my somewhat long Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens, several people asked me if I was with the press.  I said thank you, I am a professional photographer, but I am not working today, only photographing my own dog, Kiki (other dog photos taken with permission).

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 200 1/2000thI am glad I asked if I could photograph other dogs because even though Kiki is a very good swimmer, and really loves to swim, her first time at a pool seemed to be a scary experience for her.  That expression on her face above would be panic.  I encouraged her to go in the water, but she immediately turned back toward the wall of the pool and tried to pull herself out.  I think she did not want to swim because I was not allowed in the water also.  At the dog beach, she always waits for me to go into the water with her, never going in by herself.

sad puppyAll the other dogs were having a great time diving in, retrieving noodles and lying submerged on the steps of the pool.  All Kiki would do was jump on the first step getting her feet wet.  

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1250thAfter shaking off the pool water she went back to her usual dark park mode, which is looking for another willing dog to wrestle and chase.  She made several friends and started a dry land game of chase the noodle.

Nikon D300 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/4 ISO 200 1/1000thThe great things about dogs, though, is that they recover almost instantly and after the pool swimming trauma Kiki was almost immediately all smiles again.  For dog lovers this was a great event and I am glad I heard about it (via a friend on Facebook).

Chris' 40th Birthday Party in Tampa

Chris and his son celebrating his 40th birthday upside downI have a great business and personal relationship with the Rivera family.  It started with teaching Carlos some Mac OS X lessons last year.  It continued with some more conversations about Mac hardware.  Then I met the extended Rivera family while photographing a birthday party for Carlos' children.  I donated a portrait package to a charity auction run by Carlos' mother.  Then I got to see everyone again this year at Chris' birthday party, which was again a mix of professional and personal time.

Embracing the family's unique characters for this portrait!I think most children do not naturally sit with upright posture, shoulders turned at a slight angle, eyes looking into a lens, i.e. the ideal portrait setup.  Thankfully Chris and his wife let the boys be themselves and I believe 20 years from now this portrait will be much more valuable to them than if both boys were sitting perfectly still, well behaved, looking into the camera.  Perhaps the photograph can also be used to do some friendly embarrassing of them in front of their future girlfriends?

I ate two pieces of this cake, it was great!There is nothing like a homemade birthday cake, and the Rivera family was kind enough to offer me a piece.  When they saw how quickly I inhaled the first piece, I was offered a second to bring home with me.  Having been western cake deprived for most of the 00s while living in Asia, I have been doing my best to catch up the past year and a half.  

I feel very privileged to be accepted by the Rivera family and to be invited into their homes to share and photograph their family events.  They have a great, warm family atmosphere among them.  I look forward to the next birthday party!

Admiral Farragut Class of 2010 Graduation Portraits

Admiral Farragut Graduation Dinner 2010 by Jason Collin Photography

Welcome 2010 graduating class of Admiral Farragut Academy and the family and friends of the seniors.  Available now are the portraits that were taken in the lobby as well as a few candids before the dinner began in the ballroom.  Digital copies may be downloaded in full resolution from the gallery link below.  Prints may be ordered from the same link as well, which will be made by a professional printing lab on your choice of three different professional papers.  Thank you!

ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY FOR DOWNLOADS & PRINTS

Jason Collin Photography is both honored and sustained by your referral of family and friends.  

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