Pass-A-Grille Sunset Wedding in St Petersburg

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Silhouette shots are VERY rare for me -- Nikon D80 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/1250thOne reason I think I have come to like Pass-A-Grille Beach at the tip of St. Petersburg so much is because I had never been there before in my previous Florida life.  It is still very new to me.  I like that it is at the tip of the Pinellas County peninsula too.  The end of the line, not built up, not crowded, somewhat forgotten.  It stands in opposition to the horror of Clearwater Beach.  

Such was the scene for the last beach wedding of the year for me to photograph.  Jennifer and John were a jovial couple, not ones to stare deep into the camera, but rather engage in playfulness as I, seemingly unaware to them, photographed them from various distances, such as the above silhouette shot.  This type of image is a staple of sunset photography (because it is dead easy to make).  Perhaps this is why I have basically never made a professional silhouette shot before this one as I try for very complex dual-strobe light sunset shots offering clients a uniquely creative image.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 on light stand to left & SB-600 on tripod to rightThe above shot is more my own "typical" sunset beach wedding shot.  A two-strobe setup showing the vivid colors provided by west coast Florida sunsets.  I suggested to John and Jennifer they do "the dip" and this was the result!  This attempt provided the best smiles of the evening.  For the record, Jennifer was never in any real danger of falling into the water.

Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/100th Strobist: SB-800 on light stand to left SB-600 on tripod to rightAfter "the dip" I suggested Jennifer have some of her own solo camera time.  I believe John was doing something behind me to keep Jennifer laughing.  I asked her to hold out her flowing dress, which made for a rather princess-like shot I would say.

Nikon D80 Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: SB-800 to left SB-600 to rightI am a big fan of the couple looking out to the Sea shot.  No doubt this is because I, myself, was born looking out to the Sea by instinct.  Therefore, it is only natural that I produce photographs that I would want of myself.  Maybe this is what every photographer does?  And since we all like different things, this creates different styles among photographers despite the fact we all use very similar photography equipment and shoot at similar locations.  My purpose with the above shot for John & Jennifer is for them to look upon this photograph in 2030 and try and remember what they were thinking at, to try to remember what they say that evening looking upon the horizon. 

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    • Historic Round Lake Park St Petersburg Florida

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    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 handheld 3-bracket HDRWhen away from home and packing a lunch, it is always my preference to consume it outdoors.  Back in June I needed just such an outdoor spot for four lunches.  To my fortune Historic Round Lake Park, a hidden gem of St. Petersburg, Florida, was just a block and a half away.  The small park was all alone, so I was happy to befriend it along with the squirrels and birds.  The small round "lake" itself was not much of note so I did not even photograph it, choosing instead the grand Live Oak above whose shade I gladly sat in.

    Royal Palm Trees -- handheld 3-bracket HDREven though I have beheld them for decades, Royal Palm Trees still hold an exoticness to me.  This triple cluster of Royal Palms in Historic Round Lake Park were of uncommon height.  It looked to me they were each racing each other to the sun.

    Banyan Tree of Historic Round Lake Park -- handheld 3-bracket HDRNow that I think about it, for such a tiny park it is home to some magnificent trees.  Decorating the eastern half of the park is the expansive Banyan Tree seen above.  Like many other Banyan trees in the area, it has been defiled by fools seeking their name to be known of that as a defiler of nature.  I apologized to the tree for these slights.  Trees are very forgiving creatures.  

    Visit the park yourself for lunch:


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    Juliana 7th Birthday Party at Glazer Children Museum in Tampa

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    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/125th Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power on light stand to frame left

    The Glazer Children's Museum makes a wonderful event space for children's birthday party photography with its floor to ceiling windows revealing views of the Tampa downtown skyscrapers and the University of Tampa, as well as the Hillsborough River.  This was the setting for Juliana's horse-themed 7th birthday party.  

    Arts & crafts time was very popular with the children at the birthday party in the Glazer Children MuseumIn addition to providing a great venue for a birthday party, the Glazer Children's Museum also provides numerous activities for the kids to do during the party.  An elaborate arts & crafts table was setup for them to make hoop necklaces, etc which you can see brought a smile to birthday girl Juliana's face.  

    Nikon D80 Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D @ f/2 ISO 400 1/160th Nikon SB-600 Speedlight hotshoe mountedThe shot above is the kind I always try to get at any type of event I photograph where one or two people are the central focus (see also Bianca, bride series).  I wonder what the person is thinking when all eyes are not on them.  What might be going through their mind?  Do they not want the party/wedding to end?  Is it a relief that the attention is not on them for a moment?

    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6 ISO 620 1/125th Nikon SB-800 Speedlight hotshoe mountedThe finale to Juliana's birthday party was the entrance of a mariachi band that provided the soundtrack to the blowing out of the candle on the cake, and then, my favorite part, the eating of the cake!

    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/8 ISO 640 1/200th Nikon SB-800 hotshoe mountedOnce my photography time was finished and the party was winding down, Juliana's mom said, "help yourself to as much food as you want."  I noticed despite the presence of 90+ people, there was still way more than half of the cake left.  I did control myself though and had only two pieces.

    I had a very fun time photographing Juliana's birthday party and getting to meet her family.  I would very much recommend the Glazer Children's Museum as a fantastic venue to hold a kid's birthday party at.

    2011 Florida Calendar now available for order!

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    Featuring twelve unique fine art photographs, this 2011 calendar does not feature the typical images of Florida, but rather a very diverse series of images ranging from landscapes, to wildlife, to sunsets.  Orders may be placed using this form.  *Free shipping is provided to U.S. address only.

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    • Makes a great souvenir gift for visiting friends & family

    Holiday Photo Card Portraits with Caroline & Evan in St Petersburg

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    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250th Strobist: SB-800 on light stand to frame left @ 1/2 powerWhen another professional photographer asks to hire you to take their portrait, it is flattering . . . and also makes you nervous as you know they know what exactly a good photograph is.  So when local St. Petersburg friend and colleague Caroline of CSE Photography asked me to photograph her, her husband and their dogs for their holiday photo cards, I was both excited and a bit worried about doing a job good another to satisfy another pro.

    The dip! -- Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250th Strobist: SB-800 to left SB-600 to rightActually I was not really worried because I have known Caroline (and Evan) for a little while now and they are both super friendly.  We have had meetings and shared photography business tips and ideas.  You might be surprised how freely professional photographers share information despite being competitors.  For me the reasons are because it is a great way to get real world tips, and there is no real concern about direct competition because no one, or dozen, photographers can possibly photograph every wedding in the city!

    The shot above I was most excited to make as Caroline said she and Evan would properly demonstrate "the dip."  Everyone take note!

    Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/160th Strobist: SB-800 on light stand to frame leftMy whistling ability came in handy once they brought their dogs to the park.  As often happens with photographing dogs, they were very much interested in everything except looking at the camera.  A sharp whistle got their attention as I had my Nikon ready, snap, everyone looking into the lens!  Really though they were good girls.  It would have been much harder to try and wrangle my own dog, Kiki, for a portrait like that!

    Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/5 ISO 200 1/200th Strobist: SB-800 on light stand to frame leftThe above shot was a bit of pre-visualization.  I wanted to use the sun as a natural backlight for this portrait.  It took a bit of fiddling with the settings to get Caroline and Evan in an acceptable exposure while keeping the highlights of the sun in the background.  I needed to keep a 1/200th shutter speed to insure a sharp shot and did not want to use anything but the minimum ISO, so I only adjust the aperture on my D300 and the power coming out of the SB-800 speedlight.

    Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250th Strobist: SB-800 to left SB-600 to rightCaroline really liked Even in his black jacket.  I liked the idea of Evan leaning coolly against the palm tree.  Put those two things together, plus processing in Silver Efex Pro, and the results are a kind of (in my mind) throwback "fly boy" portrait.  In case you were wondering what were the settings to use when shooting in bright afternoon sunlight, I often use:  f/11 ISO 200 (D300's minimum) 1/250th (manual exposure mode) and set my speedlights to 1/2 power (manual mode).  

    I had a lot of fun during this portrait session.  It is always nice to be able to photograph people you know.  It definitely adds something.  There is a certain comfort level and a different kind of creative feeling that must come only from having previously known someone.  Thanks again Caroline, Evan and the pups!