Photo Stories

Smacks Bayou home after a storm - black & white long exposure

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A home on Smacks Bayou - Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR micro f/2.8G lens @ f/11 ISO 200 50.4 second exposure on Induro CT214 tripod with cable releaseOnce again an interruptive rain storm allowed me a photography opportunity I would otherwise not of had.  A windy rainstorm swept it right when my evening DSLR Photography Lesson was to start, forcing its rescheduling.  After the rain past I went out onto my back patio with the same gear setup I was to use to teach the lesson with: 

That lens choice would not have been my first thought to use for the Smacks Bayou long exposure landscape shot I previsioned, but I wanted to setup a challenge to see if I could make it work.  Instead of feeling restricted, I felt liberated to be using a 105mm prime lens.  I sat down in a chair, let the tripod hold the camera, and even rested the cable release on my lap as once I setup the shot, I let the gear do all the work!  This is an extremely relaxing way to do photography.  

New Salvador Dali Museum St. Petersburg Florida

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The new Salvador Dali Museum of St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 7-bracket HDR with partial blend of a single image on Induro CT214 tripod with cable releaseThe appearance of any new piece of architecture within a photographer's city is an opportunity to create a defining shot of it.  I am far from the first local photographer to make photos of the new Salvador Dali Museum here in St. Petersburg, Florida, and even farther from producing the defining shot.  Moris Moreno has already made those shots (view here).  When I did a search to see what photos of the museum already existed, finding and viewing Moreno's shots were humbling.  

I finally photographed the new Dali Museum mostly because a commercial client wanted a shot of it to use for cross promotional purposes.  They required only a single shot which is the above.  I then went back on another occasion to use the museum grounds as the site of a DSLR Photography Lesson and made a few more shots during that time.

The above shot represents the culmination of all my HDR shooting skills, plus my increasing use of masking.  I will describe this editing technique in detail in an upcoming post.  It also helps now that I am using a professional level tripod, an Induro CT214 with Induro BDH2 ballhead.  Again, a review of those sticks will be coming soon.

The glass waterfall of the new St. Petersburg Salvador Dali Museum - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/11 ISO 200 7-bracket HDR with partial blend of a singe image on Induro CT214 tripod with cable releaseThe main architectural flair of the museum exterior is a so-called waterfall of glass flowing narrowly from the east facing roof of the building to a wider flow along ground level wrapping around the north side.  Using an HDR technique to photograph the triangular glass panels up close allows for being able to see inside the glass while keeping the sky correctly exposed.

The Mahaffey Theater (right) has a new neighbor in the Salvador Dali Museum - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250th 3-shot panorama on Induro CT214 tripod with cable releaseI always liked the Mahaffey Theater's glass architecture feature, and now it is complemented with the glass waterfall of the Dali Museum.  The buildings are not exactly in a popular area of downtown St. Petersburg, more on the outskirts of it.  The only times I passed this area in the past were on exploratory cycling trips.  The roads are wide, smooth and empty in this area, great for cycling.

Melting Time bench at new Salvador Dali Museum St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens @ f/11 ISO 200 1/400th single frame handheldThe grounds of the museum before the glass waterfall contain a well landscaped garden inlcuding a melting time bench reminding one that they are still in the world of Dali.  It is details like that, an extra expense no doubt, that add a lot to the visiting experience.  I did not sit on the bench myself, for time already moves in strange ways for me.  I did not want to risk any further altered perceptions.

Handwritten note adorning a tree at the new Dali Museum in St. Petersburg Florida - Nikon D300 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens @ f/2.8 ISO 200 1/8000th single frame handheldAnother great feature of the Dali garden was a tree adorned with long green streamers to which people afixed handwritten notes with clothespins.  Some just tied their entrance wristbands to the streamers.  Whoever thought of this came up with a really great idea to give a visitor a sense of what other people experienced and felt on their visits.  No matter how good digital communication gets, the power of the handwritten note/letter/document just cannot be denied.  Penmanship is just as much a representation of a person's character as anything else.  When I formally go to the museum as a visitor, I will take the time to add my own handwritten remembrence.

Sheraton Sand Key Beach Wedding Clearwater Florida

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Sheraton Sand Key Clearwater beach wedding - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/200th STROBIST: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight @ 1/4 power on light stand with reflective umbrella frame leftI have photographed dozens of beach weddings over the past few years, but this was only my second daytime (i.e. non-sunset time) wedding.  The first was just over a year ago and lasted only an hour, but I still remember the heat from that one!  This wedding was two hours and a little later in the year, so I prepared myself accordingly.  

This wedding was for current DSLR Photography Lesson student Chris & his bride Valentina.  I actually first met Chris briefly over a decade ago during my USF days.  For the above photo Valentina wanted a shot that featured the back of her wedding dress.  I thought black & white made the dress stand out from the background.

Sheraton Sand Key Clearwater beach wedding - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/500th Nikon SB-800 TTL mode hotshoe mountedShooting a ceremony that starts at 10:30am means basically shooting in direct, harsh sunlight, i.e. the least ideal conditions.  Still, as a professional photographer one is expected to produce results.  This starts with altering expectations as of course I will not be able to produce any of my trademark stunning sunset portraits.  However, I can get very vivid blues still.  

Sheraton Sand Key Clearwater beach wedding - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/320th SB-800 hotshoe mounted @ 1/4 powerI could also focus on my prefered candid style of shooting, like in the above shot of Valentina and Chris right after their first kiss as husband and wife.  Despite the power of the sunlight, I did have the one advantage of the couple facing the sun during the ceremony allowing for the best possible exposure given the conditions.

Sheraton Sand Key Clearwater beach wedding - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/320th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight TTL mode hotshoe mounted This group shot is of everyone in attendance at the wedding.  The goal is to make sure everyone's head is visible.  I took a new approach this time asking people to please just stand still!  I would get the left side of the group all aligned then go to do the right and turn around to see the people on the left mingling amongst themselves again.  Finally I had to be firm and say please stand still or we will all melt in the sun!  For all future group shots I will start out with this firmness as you may find it hard to believe but adults cannot stand still either, just like kids!

Sheraton Sand Key Clearwater beach wedding - Nikon D80 with Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/8 ISO 200 1/640th Nikon SB-600 in TTL mode hotshoe mountedThe width of the Gulf of Mexico makes it tempting to only shoot landscape orientation shots, but I think it is important to produce a variety of shots, including ones like the above portrait orientation shot.  I still concentrate the most on getting the horizon level be it landscape or portrait orientation as my photo students know I am a stickler for level horizons.  

Sheraton Sand Key Clearwater beach wedding - Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight TTL mode hotshoe mountedNo sunset in the background, but the Gulf of Mexico at any time of day still makes for a pretty good backdrop.  I asked Chris if he could dip Valentina for me.  Surprisingly, he chose this kind of dip rather than putting her into the Gulf!

Sheraton Sand Key Clearwater beach wedding - Nikon D80 with Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/160th Nikon SB-600 Speedlight TTL mode hotshoe mountedThe reception was also out in mostly direct sunlight, but nearby was a shady refreshment stand the guests hung out in until the food was ready to be served.  This is where I was able to get this candid shot of Valentina and her son.  

Commercial Wedding Shoot with Models at Courtyard Marriott St. Petersburg Florida

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Commercial Wedding Photography on historic tile floor at Courtyard Marriott -- SETUP: f/5.6 1/80th ISO 400 STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/2 power with shoot-through umbrella on light stand 9' high behind model & SB-600 @ 1/4 power with diffuser cap to frame right held by assistantThis was my most complex indoor shoot to date involving two models, two makeup artists, a dress designer, a florist, a caterer, a hotel sales manger and one photographer's assistant.  I am very happy to say it turned out to be perhaps my best indoor photography work to date.  It is very satisfying when a big team effort results in such final images.  

I had worked with the bride model, Nancy, before on a commercial fashion shoot in Safety Harbor.  The sales manager, Ryan, of the Courtyard Marriott, who hired me to makes these images, I had met in weeks past at a networking event then in subsequent meetings discussing various photography projects.  My photographer's assistant was Natasha, a former DSLR Photography Lesson student.  When you can have that many people you already know on a photo job, it makes it much more comfortable.

The above shot of Nancy sitting on the historic tile floor of the hotel was my idea, which I came up with on a survey of the hotel a few weeks before the shoot itself.  I am standing on a marble staircase (pictured below) offering the perfect logistics to make this kind of shot.  I wanted to go with a muted light setup producing a bit of a natural vignette to the image as I chose to most prominently light the model in the center.

 St. Petersburg Commercial Wedding Photography - Models Brad & Nancy framed by arching historic doorways - SETUP: f/4 ISO 200 1/60th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/4 power with reflective umbrella on light stand to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/4 power with diffuser cap to frame right held by assistantThis archway shot was another I had previsioned during a location scout of the hotel.  I really like repeating patterns and these archways caught my eye right away.  There were actually three arches, but the first one could not be worked into the shot.  This photograph turned out just as I had imagined.  

St. Petersburg Commercial Wedding Photography - Nancy reflected in the swimming pool - SETUP: f/5.6 ISO 200 1/100th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/2 power with shoot-through umbrella on light stand to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/2 power with diffuser cap to frame right held by assistantThe bride reflected in the pool was another pre-planned shot.  As you might be able to tell, being able to scout a location some time before the scheduled shoot is advantageous as one then can move from location to location and concentrate more on executing the shot at best as possible rather than where will the next shot even be.  Again, I am pleased with how the shot turned out because due to the width of the pool I could not get my speedlights that close to Nancy, but as it turned out there was no lack of light for the shot.

St. Petersburg Commercial Wedding Photography - Models Brad & Nancy on the historic marble staircase - SETUP: f/4 ISO 400 1/100th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/2 power with shoot-through umbrella on light stand 9' high behind me & SB-600 @ 1/4 power with diffuser cap to frame right held by assistantThe original marble staircase was something the hotel sales manager definitely wanted to showcase in one of the shots.  I previsioned perhaps the bride walking down the staircase or maybe the bride on the bottom of the staircase being helped down by the groom, but thanks to the models' creativity with their posing, I liked this shot the best of the staircase series.  I cannot say how much it helps a photographer to work with great models!  It makes my job so much easier.

St. Petersburg Commercial Wedding Photography - Models Brad & Nancy facing the original hotel elevator - SETUP: f/5.6 ISO 400 1/80th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/2 power with shoot-through umbrella on light stand 9' high behind models & SB-600 @ 1/4 power with diffuser cap to frame right held by assistant

To feature the hotel's original elevator I chose to once again use the nearby marble staircase as a vantage point.  Shooting straight on to the elevator produced a flat shot.  I felt shooting from above like this created a dynamic image showing the bride & groom's anticipation, while at the same time including the elevator in the shot, as well as the original tile floor.  I chose also to again keep the lighting soft & muted, to help create that classic look.

St. Petersburg Commercial Wedding Photography - carrying the bride over the threshold - SETUP: f/5.6 ISO 400 1/80th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/4 power with shoot-through umbrella on light stand to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/8th power with diffuser cap pointed at back hallway wall handheld by assistant

There was no trouble to light up the models from the front (within the room), but this meant the hallway looked very dark.  The solution was to place one speedlight on the left of the door frame pointing toward the opposite wall.  Not only did this fill the hallway with light, it provided a strong backlight to the shot.  

St. Petersburg Commercial Wedding Photography - models using their own creativity - SETUP: f/4 ISO 400 1/100th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/2 power with shoot-through umbrella on light stand @ 1/4 power in bedroom to the right & SB-600 @ 1/16th power with diffuser cap to frame left directly on the floor pointing straight up Both Nancy and I had the same idea for a through the doorway bedroom scene shot.  However, her and Brad came up with the pose and prop setup (shoe placement, jacket coming half off) on their own, which I would say made the shot nearly entirely if not for the tremendous challenge I had trying to light everything.  It was by far the hardest shot to light for me ever.  Getting rid of shadows behind Brad was the main challenge.  Putting the second speedlight on the floor behind him solved it, after lots of trial and error.  Ultimately I did have to clone out one shadow along the right side of the bed from umbrella edge spill.  This was also the last shot of the day (3.5 hours of straight shooting!) so it was great to end on one so challenging.

I appreciate the work of everyone at the hotel that day helping make the images in this photo story.

Models: 

More information about commercial & wedding photography:

Street Photography - what comes from the dark

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Nikon D300 Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D @ f/2 ISO 200 1/80th - B&W processing in Silver Efex ProLast month I began watching the original Twilight Zone series from the first episode.  It is a black & white world where the ordinary always leads to the extraordinary.  It is unfortunate that I am not able to continue my street photography career here in St. Petersburg as I was able to do with ease while living in Tokyo.  One has to really look for shots here as there are very few people walking the streets of downtown.  

What drew me to this scene first was the lighting and then my curiosity to what the woman in the booth thinks about.  How often is her mind on something outside the booth?  Does she still try to stare into the darkness before her searching for anything?  Did she ever?

For someone passing by it appears as a small booth, but I am sure she has her own world in there.  Like the ending to many Twilight Zone episodes, what really lies in her mind, or in the dark beyond, will remain a mystery.  

Cessna Sailboat Helicopter St. Petersburg Tampa Bay

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Cessna taking off from Albert Whitted Airport St. Petersburg Florida - f/8 ISO 200 1/800th using shutter priorityEven though it is not entirely correct or perhaps in anyway connected, the inspiration for this post was, "One if by sea, two if by land."  The only real connection between all four of these photographs is that they were taken from The Pier while I was otherwise engaged teaching a DSLR photography lesson.  The photo of the Cessna plane above was taken with a student in practice for photographing eagles in Alaska.  Tracking a small moving object can be tricky and is definitely a skill that needs to be repeatedly practiced and refined.  This plane had just taken off from Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Petersburg.

Setting sail for Tampa Bay - f/7.1 ISO 200 1/800th using shutter priorityThis sailboat represents the whales the above student will photograph in Alaska.  It is kind of funny how The Pier with a little imagination can be a single practice point for photographing the wide ranging wildlife of Alaska!  For me, my goal with the sailboat shot was to get everything framed tightly and neatly regarding the boat's position in the frame, the location of the horizon and the predominantly cloud background.

Helicopter frozen in midair over Tampa Bay - f/4 ISO 200 1/4000th using aperture priorityA few months earlier, again with the same photo student, we were also on the roof of The Pier photographing anything that flew by.  What does it take to freeze a helicopter's blades in motion?  It would seem 1/4000th of a second does the job nicely.  Helicopters always make me think of Magnum P.I.  

Police ride jet skis in Florida - f/4 ISO 200 1/2500th using aperture priorityA few minutes later we were back to looking for waterborne subjects to photograph again and I saw for the first time a police jet ski!  Personally, I am against jet skis and other similar watercraft they just seem to be "too much."  They are incredibly noisy and it just seems so uncivilized for one person to be able to disrupt the Sea so much.  To me it just looks disrespectful.  

If not "one if by sea, two if by land" that what other connecting theme may you suggest for these four photos?  

Dramatic Stormy Sky Over Tampa Bay From The Pier

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Dramatic Sky over Tampa Bay - 5-bracket HDR f/8 ISO 200 tripod mounted with cable releaseI have been starting to miss mountains the past few weeks.  I watched every stage of the 2011 Tour de France as the riders first went over the Pyrenees and then the Alps.  The helicopter views of the French countryside were often as stunning as the cycling action.  With the option to make landscapes of mountains and architecture shots of old castles, I was thinking, "Florida really has nothing in comparison."

Well, Florida has almost nothing.  Here we do have near daily dramatic sunsets and stormy skies.  Each twilight brings a slightly different cloud pattern, sky color and reflection over Tampa Bay (if looking east from The Pier as in the above photo).

Still, once one lives around mountains, it is hard to forget them.  I imagine it is the same for living by the Sea.  Perhaps the combination of mountains and sea are why so many songs are written about California.  

This Tampa Bay landscape is available for commercial license and fine art print, inquire today!