Peninsula Inn & Spa Gulfport Florida Commercial Photography

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Peninsula Inn & Spa Gulfport Governor's Room - 5-bracket HDR - St. Petersburg commercial photographyDuring a DSLR photography lesson yesterday morning the student remarked that she liked St. Petersburg so much because of its old and historic buildings.  Coincidentally, I was assigned that afternoon to go photograph the Peninsula Inn & Spa in the Gulfport area of St. Pete.  The inn is described as having British Colonial decor with a flare of exotic Bali, which can be seen in the above image of the Governor's Room.  I certainly expected to see someone like Hemingway huddled in a corner scribbling away while taking bites of some long ago ordered sandwich.

The famous Six Tables room at Peninsula Inn & Spa Gulfport - SETUP: f/8 ISO 200 6 sec exposureThe staff was very friendly and excited to talk about the history of the inn.  The Six Tables room (three of which can be seen above) offers an exclusive dining experience with some of the highest rated food in the area I was told.  Again, this room had a certain mysterious feeling to it, definitely not the kind of atmosphere one finds in any chain restaurant!  I imagine eating in here would feel like eating in a museum or some Duke's castle in the English countryside.

Veranda surrounding the Peninsula Inn & Spa Gulfport - 5-bracket HDR - St. Petersburg Commercial PhotographyThe wide veranda surrounding the inn offers another dining experience more reminiscent of Bali (and my experiences in SE Asia) with its tropical foliage at arm's reach from the tables.  It is just too bad that smoking is allowed on the veranda.

The Palm Lounge bar at the Peninsula Inn & Spa Gulfport - 5-bracket HDR - St. Petersburg Commercial PhotographyI used a combination of HDR shots and long exposures to photograph the various rooms of the inn.  For the bar photograph above I used HDR since there was pretty good ambient light.  For the dimly lit rooms like the Six Tables, the exposure on the long end of the bracket for an HDR shot would not be practical so I just used a single long exposure instead.

Peninsula Inn & Spa Gulfport Florida exterior SETUP: f/8 ISO 200 1/50th tripod mounted with cable releaseThe architectural character and personable and knowledgeable staff I imagine would make for a great stay at the inn for people visiting from out of state or even out of town.  

DSLR Photography Lesson with Holly on composition & framing creative shots

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No photographer was harmed in the making of this photo! - Holly with her Canon XT photographing architecture detail in St. Petersburg during our 2nd DSLR photography lessonI met Holly again this morning in downtown St. Petersburg for our second of four DSLR Photography Lessons.  After going over many of the technical details for setting up a given photograph during our first lesson, this time the lesson focused more on composition and how to make interesting photographs out of places you may visit on vacation.  

When photographing a building or a place, it is often an instinct to try to photograph the entire building or the entirety of a place.  This often leads to what I refer to as a "mugshot" of a building.  Yes, you can see it all, but so can you by standing right in front of it so that usually does not make for an interesting photograph.  The cure to this is only photographing a part of the building, or tilting the axis, or shooting while lying on your stomach, or any such similar composition that creates something one cannot see at eye level.  

I took Holly around some of my favorite alleys and side streets to show her the things I look for in order to find something that may be interesting.  For example, that big semi-truck in the photo above.  My idea to make that photo was to create the illusion that the person on the street (Holly) may be in harm's way, so in a sense the viewer of the photograph has to stop and think, "hey, that truck is probably just parked."  Getting someone to have one thought about a photograph to me is enough for it to be a success.  

For our third lesson we will meet in the evening to see how less light affects one's photography.

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    Bilmar Hotel Treasure Island Florida Sunset Beach Wedding

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    "The Dip" on Treasure Island - St. Petersburg Beach Wedding Photography - SETUP: f/5.6 ISO 200 1/80th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/4 power frame right & SB-600 @ 1/4 power frame left

    There are always challenges photographing a wedding, but for me personally this was the most difficult due to the news I got about the oldest member of my family when I first woke up that morning.  I have a strong ability to compartmentalize so I rallied and once I first put the camera up to my eye, no one all the six and a half hours I was on site at the Bilmar Hotel on Treasure Island had any idea what I was really feeling inside.  

    Wedding rings hung from a necklace with a cross - SETUP: Nikkor AF-S 104mm VR micro f/2.8G lens @ f/11 ISO 200 1/100th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mountedThe wedding rings were with the bride, Jessica,  in her hotel room, which is unusual as the groom tends to keep them on hand.  Looking for a good place to photograph the rings, I recalled what I did for a Christmas wedding last year, which was to hang the rings from a string type object.  The bride took off a necklace she was wearing an assisted me in getting this shot.  The cross was already on the necklace.  

    The view from the 7th floor of the Bilmar Hotel - SETUP: f/8 ISO 200 1/60th STROBIST: SB-800 @1/4 power to frame right & SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame left both handheld by volunteers!The bride had a very loyal wedding dress assistant her continued her job the entire afternoon and evening.  For the above shot I had two volunteer assistants hold my speedlights as there was not much space at all to setup a pair of light stands.  The weather looks great outside right?  Well, to the east clouds were rolling in fast and within 20-minutes it was raining right at what was to be the start of the ceremony.  There was only a 30-minute delay which was actually welcome, allowing the bride more time to get ready and the guests to cool off in the reception area.

    The groom is pointing at you - SETUP: f/5.6 ISO 400 1/60th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mounted & a room lamp providing backlightI learned a new trick for shooting in hotel rooms:  use one of the room lamps as a backlight in tight quarters.  I had the groom, Justin, and the other groomsmen squeeze between two beds causing them to get into a fan-like pose and also allowing the table lamp to backlight them.  This is definitely a type of shot I will be doing again in the future!

    Treasure Island Beach calm after the storm - SETUP: f/11 ISO 200 1/200th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mounted - B&W processing using Silver Efex ProOnce the rainstorm passed it was kind enough to leave behind all sorts of clouds decorating the sky.  I much prefer clouds to a cloudless beach sky.  Not only are day time photos much better, I think sunset shots with clouds are much more dramatic as well.  

    The groom cries upon seeing his bride - SETUP: Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/800th using natural lightIt was an emotional moment for the bride and especially the groom once the ceremony began.  For me, it is nice to see as I like to see people express genuine emotion.  It also of course helps the photographs.  

    Tall grass sand dunes of Treasure Island - SETUP: f/11 ISO 200 1/160th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/4 power to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame rightThe bride in a quiet moment faces the Sun and the Sea.  This type of shot, where the subject is not looking into the lens but rather off into the distance is my favorite type of portrait.  For me, I wonder what the subject is thinking about.  I hope that some years down the line when the bride looks at this image, she, herself, will also wonder what she was thinking of at that moment.

    A vivid sunset falls on Treasure Island St. Petersburg - SETUP: NIKKOR AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th STROBIST: SB-800 @ 1/4 power to frame right & SB-600 @ 1/4 power to frame leftAfter I took the final photograph of Jessica & Justin at sunset time, I had a few moments alone as I packed up my strobist gear and they started to walk back to the hotel for the reception.  This gave me a few seconds to send my own thoughts out to the horizon, as I do every day, but even more so that time.

    Pelican vs. Great Blue Heron Sunset on Snell Isle Battle

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    brown pelican vs great blue heron - f/5.6 ISO 200 1/1000th

    Two of the largest birds in Florida are the brown pelican and the great blue heron.  They are a common site around Snell Isle.  I have seen both and photographed both many times in the past, but I never caught them in semi-battle with each other.  This particular great blue heron often likes to stand on the edge of a small dock nearby.  I see him/her on my evening walks with Kiki.  This brown pelican too likes to frequent the water around here dive bombing in for a late dinner.

    Well, this time the pelican was diving too close to the great blue heron and she/he got cranky and the showdown pictured above took place.  The pelican was determined to eat, the great blue heron was determined to hold her/his ground.  In the end, the pelican moved on and the great blue heron returned to his/her usual stoic stance.   

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    • DSLR Photography Lesson with Holly and her Canon XT in St Petersburg Florida

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    Holly is eager to learn how to use her Canon XT better and eliminate blurry photos!

    Last week Holly called me, as many people have, to say she has a DSLR, but has only been using it in auto-mode.  This is of course a tragedy that can easily be remedied with my DSLR Photography Lessons.  In fact, Holly signed up for the discounted 4-pack of lessons.  This morning was the first of those four.

    She bought a used Canon XT a little while ago, but as mentioned above was only using it in auto-mode and not getting consistently sharp images.  I started the lesson by showing her step by step how to change the settings necessary for getting off auto-mode.  I also explained a few common photography terms and how they relate to certain types of shots.  With just a little bit of knowledge about aperture, ISO, WB and focus modes, one can begin to take control over the camera and thus take control over the outcome of one's photographs . . . and a DSLR wants to be controlled, it does not want to use its own brain. 

    Holly and I covered a lot of ground in downtown St. Petersburg with practice in both Vinoy Park and North Straub Park.  This first lesson of four was a very broad lesson showing how to do a general range of photography.  Each successive lesson will be more focused on a specific photography area.  My goal is to get Holly totally prepared for making great photographs indoors and out before she visits Washington DC in July.  

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    DSLR Photography Lesson #2 with Betty - tripod night photography

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    Betty setting up a shot with her Canon T1i on a tripod of downtown St. Petersburg at sunsetTime goes by fast.  It has already been 7 months since my first DSLR Photography Lesson with Betty in downtown St. Petersburg.  With a vacation coming up to Seattle and Vancouver, Betty wanted to brush up on her photography skills and get some long exposure shooting practice in, which requires a tripod of course.  She hopes to photograph waterfalls that look like cotton candy with her Canon T1i on her trip as well as do some wildlife photography.  Since the fountain in downtown was not running, we headed straight to The Pier which is a surprisingly good spot for bird photography in particular as well as great night landscape shots.

    A few pelicans were kind enough to let us first get some closeup shots and then some bird-in-flight practice.  Betty soon found out that capturing a bird in flight is no easy task even with all the correct camera settings.  During our lesson she learned the skills to do it, now she will just need to go out and practice as much as possible in order to capture that ideal bird-in-flight shot she wants.  

    Once the sun started to get close to the horizon we went to the top of The Pier which offers the best urban view of the sunset around.  I have had several late evening (early night) lessons at The Pier and I really enjoy them and will suggest them more to future students.  

    With her camera setup on a tripod, I instructed her to be sure and turn image stabilization (IS, VR) off as it actually hinders getting an in focus shot when using a tripod.  Next I told her to always set her ISO to the lowest setting as camera shake is no longer an issue on a tripod.  Finally I showed her how she had to use manual mode to get the best long exposure sunset and twilight shots.  By the end of the lesson Betty realized how using a tripod can really allow one to capture an entirely different kind of shot and that tripods really are very useful.  Plus, I think shooting with a tripod is much more relaxing and its own kind of fun.  

    I look forward to seeing how Betty puts all these new photography skills into action on her Pacific Northwest trip!

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    1st Birthday Party for Brooks - St. Petersburg Birthday Party Photographer

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    1st Birthday Party Nemo balloon chase! - f/2.2 ISO 400 1/400th SB-600 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mounted - St. Petersburg

    One of the most significant birthdays of one's life, the first, is one that is impossible to remember.  Thus, 1st birthday party photographs provide a significant visual window for those curious to see what theme their parents chose for such an important day.  Sitting here now I cannot recall what mine was, and I do not have any photographs nearby to remind me.  The theme for Brooks' party was FINDING NEMO related.  How easy or difficult will it be for him to remember that when he is 36 years old?  I wonder . . .

    1st birthday cupcake smash - f/5.6 ISO 200 1/80th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mounted - St. PetersburgI have spent a very limited amount of time around babies having none myself and always living far from relatives.  I was aware though that babies seem to have a hard time putting an optimal amount of food into their mouths.  In this case, in Brooks' defense, he was given no fork so frosting covered fingers are perfectly understandable.  This solved some of the mystery surrounding babies eating abilities for me.  

    custom underwater cake - f/4 ISO 400 1/200th SB-600 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mounted - St. PetersburgNow this cake remained pristine the entire 90-minutes I was in Brooks' home shooting.  That also means, unfortunately, I never got to taste it myself.  Therefore, I cannot vouch for its flavor.  

    Brooks chewing his mom's necklace - f/4 ISO 400 1/100th SB-600 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mounted - St. PetersburgNow, I do know why babies put everything into their mouths thanks to a college professor who in addition to the subject he taught, was also extremely knowledgeable on baby behavior.  Babies put things into their mouths for a very simple reason, the nerve endings inside their mouths are fairly well developed from birth, but the ones in their fingers are not.  So what sensory data adults can get with fingertips, babies need to mouth to find out.

    emerging from the deep! - f/5.6 ISO 400 1/800th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mounted - St. PetersburgThe challenge of photographing this birthday party was largely due to going indoors and outdoors repeatedly.  This meant a whole sale change of settings and use of flash, on two cameras!  This is why I tell my DSLR photo students they need to be able to change all their settings in under five seconds if they want to start doing paid photography work.  

    It was a fun afternoon photographing Brooks on day 365 for him. 
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