Rusty Pelican Sunset & Twilight Wedding with Mary & Jason

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Rusty Pelican in Tampa waterfront view of Tampa Bay provides the background for the wedding couple

You really never know where you might find a wedding photography job.  Back in February I was still considering other work to supplement the photography business.  I was at some nursing college in Tampa to interview for an English teaching position there.  One of the other two applicants was Mary.  During the mind numbingly boring 2-hour class we were "requested" to sit in on we got to talking and it turned out she was engaged and did need a wedding photographer.  From that very chance encounter, it ended in me photographing her wedding to Jason at the Rusty Pelican along Tampa Bay.  Oh, and though we were told we were the only candidates for the jobs, no one was ever contacted again!

Inside the lobby of the Westin Hotel in Tampa was this very cool waterfall background that presented a challenge to photograph well.

I started photographing their wedding from their apartment near downtown Tampa.  Mary was getting ready there as well as the bridesmaids.  Then I was off to the Westin Hotel to meet Jason and the groomsmen.  The lobby of the Westin was really cool looking and I was excited to have a very modern looking glass waterfall to use as a background.  

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/40th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 to left & Nikon SB-600 to right

I have to admit it took me quite a few tries to finally get the exposure correct so that the colors in the waterfall could be seen and that the groomsmen were all adequately lit up.  To get the above image, I had to use a settings combo that I never had before.  I had to have very steady hands while using 1/40th of a second shutter speed.  I told the groomsmen to likewise hold there poses as statuesque as possible.  In the end I was very pleased with the results and gained a lot of new experience from shooting in such a unique location.  

 At the Rusty Pelican, father of the bride walks her down the aisle to give her awayThe weather cooperated perfectly for Jason and Mary's outdoor wedding ceremony at the Rusty Pelican.  It was not even that hot.  The sky had just enough clouds to make an interesting backdrop for the ceremony and later the formal portraits.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/80th Strobist: SB-800 to left and SB-600 to rightThere were two other weddings earlier at the Rusty Pelican.  We were fortunate to be last because that meant I was already well setup for getting the best sunset and twilight backgrounds for my photographs.  Two other photographers had to scurry for lesser spots.  

Making a group portrait like this at twilight would not be possible without a 2-strobe setupOver the course of this year I added a second strobe to my strobist setup for sunset and twilight portraits.  This allows me to properly light a wide group of people like the nine adults in a row above.  This is one rare, highly specialized skill that is available to clients who choose Jason Collin Photography.

A Wedding Kiss at Twilight from the Rusty PelicanOn their shot list, Mary and Jason wanted a photograph of them under the Rusty Pelican sign.  Time was running short, as often tends to happen with wedding photography, so as we were walking in to the reception, I had them stand under the sign while I quickly setup my 2-strobe technique with my camera bags being hurriedly tossed aside (closed though!) and was able to get several different shots of them while placating the Rusty Pelican staff person urging them to get inside to their guests.  

For me, that was the last tough, time pressured shot of the night.  From there it was off to the free flowing shooting environment of the wedding reception.  Mary and Jason's wedding was a great technical challenge that allowed for me to produce some of my most creative shots of the year.

DSLR Photography Lesson with Betty & her Canon T1i

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Betty showing good camera holding technique and that it is possible to wear sunglasses at the same time!I met Betty at the usual downtown St. Petersburg spot for our first DSLR Photography Lesson together.  She has a Canon T1i, a DSLR I have gotten quite familiar with due to numerous students having that specific camera.  We went to many of the same spots I take first-time students too, but we also had a chance to do a little event photography practice as it was the day before Halloween and something was happening in the Straub Park areas.  We put both of her lenses to use throughout the lesson, including teaching good lens changing technique.

Betty seemed to absorb all we covered during the 2-hour lesson very well and I am looking forward to seeing her improved photographs and our next lesson! 

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    • Cypress Point Park Tampa Sunset on the Beach Wedding

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    Cypress Point Park made for a surprisingly nice sunset beach wedding location.

    Renata and Enrique told me they wanted to have a sunset beach wedding.  I thought, ok, great.  Those are one of my specialties.  Then they said it would be in Tampa at a place called Cypress Point Park.  I had to take to Google Maps to find it because even with ten years living in the area I had never even heard of it.  Turns out its nestled right next to the Howard Franklin Bridge facing Tampa Bay close to the airport.  In my mind I was skeptical about the location, even after first scouting it out a few days earlier.  However, on the actual day of the shoot, I became a fan of Cypress Point Park and a place I would recommend to future couples wanting an alternative to Pinellas County beaches.

    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/125th Strobist: SB-800 & SB-600 off camera to left & right respectively

    Once we finished the portraits with the wedding party and guests, it was time for just the three of us to have some fun.  Renata was really into being photographed, which of course is a very nice for the photographer.  As you may guess, most people are rather shy in front of the lens.

    Nikon D80 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 @ f/4 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: SB-800 and SB-600 off camera to left & right respectivelyOnce it was just Renata and I, she really was excited, and me too.  Getting enthusiastic body language back from the person being photographed definitely helps the photographer.  It is part of the photographer's job to coax such enthusiasm from a person if it is not immediately flowing on its own, but it is always better when the person brings some of their own energy into making the photograph.  

    Tampa bride floating at twilight!Rentata was really up for anything and when I suggested a ballerina-like leap she said sure!  If I recall correctly, the above shot was only the second (and final) attempt.  It is a shot I had been wanting to try for awhile, and I finally had the right circumstances and bride to do it!  Thanks Renata!

    Photography Tip - always close your camera bag

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    This is a true story -- I was walking in downtown St. Petersburg toward The Pier with a student while we were having a lesson.  A woman with a Canon DSLR and large camera bag walked past us.  Ten seconds later we heard a crash and a scream.  The woman had not closed her camera bag all the way and some of her gear fell onto the sidewalk.  Even before this I was already obsessed with closing my camera bag immediately after taking out what I needed, even if I knew I would be going right back into my bag only a minute later.  It is a pain in the neck no doubt to zip and unzip and zip and unzip all the time, but that minor annoyance is nothing compared to the ill feeling that woman with the spilled gear might have felt.  

    Even if your camera bag is not in motion while left open, I still think it's dangerous.  In the photo above my camera bag is set in a chair.  I made sure it was firmly in the chair.  However, I have set countless things firmly in chairs, on countertops, totally sure there is no way those things could fall over, yet many have.  At least if my bag falls out of the chair closed, the ample, stiff padding of my Lowepro bag will protect it.  

    What if you see something interesting and you just grab your bag and head towards it?  If it's open you will maybe risk spilling stuff just grabbing it, or at the least you'll have to take a few seconds to close it up then go, which you may know in photography, a few seconds can make all the difference between getting a shot and getting nothing.

    Therefore, I recommend becoming obsessive about closing your camera bag right back up.

    Digital Photograph Editing Lesson with Eric

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    A New England wetlands scene edited using Aperture 3 - photo by Eric used with permissionFor Eric's second DSLR photography lesson (first), he brought some photos of his recent visit to various New England areas with him on his laptop.  We found a spot at an outdoor downtown St. Petersburg cafe and starting going through his shots made using his Nikon D300s.  The one featured above was taken when Eric hopped off his bike (bicycle) because he wanted to remember the beautiful scenery he was riding through.  Upon first look at the shot, I liked the sine wave shape of the treeline, but thought the foreground was dominating the image too much and not the best feature to focus one's eye on.

    So we began by making the panoramic crop you see above, that eliminated many of the distracting foreground elements, and also made a shot that was not taken at a wide angle appear to be of a much wider landscape.  Adjusting various filters added some contrast and tones to the marsh grass.  Painting with the polarizing brush in Aperture 3 brought back some blue to the sky.  

    This is another example of why I highly suggest that one learn how to shoot well and how to edit well simultaneously.  Eric cannot easily return to that marshland to frame the shot in a different way, but with editing skills he can improve a shot and make it look more like what he initially envisioned.

    For more on learning editing and shooting simultaneously check out this blog post featuring my own photo example.

    I look forward to seeing how Eric puts these editing skills to use in future shots. 

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    • DSLR Photography Lesson with Davina and her new Pentax K-R

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    Davina and her brand new Pentax K-R with beautiful St. Petersburg Florida at twilight in the background

    Davina received a great present from her husband for their anniversary, a DSLR camera!  It was my first time to see the new Pentax K-R and was fairly impressed with the number of buttons on the body, including dedicated WB and ISO controls.  I had no trouble finding and changing any of the four basic settings (aperture, ISO, WB, focus) I start out teaching in a first DSLR photography lesson.  I cannot say this for all the DSLRs I have seen in the many lessons I have taught.  

    We had great weather for our Friday evening lesson and made our way toward the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront to start to learn how a photographer controls the background of his/her images.  There are two things that can really make a photograph stand out from others of similar subject matter:  1.)  background  2.)  light  We focused on background first by photographing the top of a fence post (imagining it was a cool 1950s Chevy hood emblem) the best way, which was to blur the background by using a large aperture and a longer focal length as well as filling the frame with the subject matter.  Basically, we did not want the background to be a distraction, so I showed Davina how to set her Pentax to isolate the subject, and therefore leave no doubt to what it was she made a photo of.  

    In between locations I enjoyed talking to Davina about the benefits of living in Florida and what it is really like in Utah (not just red rock desert!).  I look forward to our next lesson and seeing more of what the Pentax K-R can do. 

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    • Necronomicon 2010 by Stone Hill SF Association

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    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.