Canon T3i 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg Florida with Erin

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Erin with her Canon T3i during our 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. PetersburgThis was actually my second 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson with Erin, but the first one out in the field with her Canon T3i as previously we worked on editing, content management and website related photography topics.  The weather cleared up to make for a very pleasant Friday evening in downtown St. Petersburg to learn about my 4 (or 5 in manual) step process for producing a well exposed and sharp photograph in any given shooting situation.  

Besides teaching how this process works, I perhaps even more importantly to start out with, teach the person how to get around their DSLR in an efficient manner and be able to change these camera settings eventually without even having to think about it.  To know photography, one must first and foremost know their gear.  Then they can apply photography knowledge using their gear in a skilled manner that will in the end result in satisfying photographs.  

I look forward to seeing Erin's photographs taken in manual mode!

CanonT3i Off Camera Flash Strobist Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg with Elizabeth

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Elizabeth learning off camera flash for portraits in downtown St. PetersburgFor our third of four 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lessons in downtown St. Petersburg I met Elizabeth for an off camera flash portrait photography lesson who brought her very generously willing boyfriend, Angel, to model once again.  Since our last lesson on natural light portraits, Elizabeth invested in a pair of Yongnuo remote flash triggers and a light stand.  This allows her to put her Canon 430 EX II Speedlite right next to her subject, but be able to shoot from any distance up to 30+ feet away.  

You may think why would I want to ever shoot a single portrait subject from so far away, but using a long focal length has many benefits in portrait photography, the least of which is limiting distortion which helps the subject to not look wider than they actually are.  

I am sure with numerous people to help her practice, along with her own enthusiasm for portrait photography, Elizabeth will be regularly wowing her friends and family with her new photography skills!

Florida Governor Rick Scott at Office Depot Foundation children's event in Tampa

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Florida Governor Rick Scott at Office Depot Foundation August 2012 - Nikon D80 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/100th SB-600 @ 1/2 power hotshoe mountedPeriodically as a Tampa Event Photographer I get to photograph government officials and politicians ranging from the Mayor of St. Petersburg all the way to the U.S. Secretary of Labor.  This afternoon I had the opportunity to photograph Florida Governor Rick Scott when he appeared at the Office Depot Foundation event celebrating its charity work giving away backpacks full of school supplies to Tampa Bay area children.

Florida Governor Rick Scott back row left with school children - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th SB-800 @ 1/2 power hotshoe mountedThis was my third time photographing an event for Office Depot who I am very glad to continue to have a very good business relationship with.  Shooting these events helped me to learn the real world efforts Office Depot puts forth that directly help the local community any particular store is in.  

Young Tampa girls getting to meet Governor Rick Scott of Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mountedPeople of all ages were excited for their chance to shake hands with the Governor and have a little chat with him.  I was frankly surprised that these girls showed up early to the event just for their "grip & grin" chance as it is called in the industry.

Everyone in attendance with Florida Governor Rick Scott (center back) - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th SB-800 @ 1/2 power hotshoe mountedIt was a bit of a tight fit, but everyone honored at the event was able to be fit into a single photo.  I stood up on a chair to be able to make this shot, guessing that standing on the floor right in front of them may not be enough.  The event took place right in an Office Depot in a small area prepared for less people than the many that actually came!  It was nice and cozy though.

Everyone competing for Governor Rick Scott's words.I was by no means the only photographer there.  Plus, there were several camera men.  So I had to compete for space and positioning most of the time at the event, as well as predict where the best angle to photograph the Governor would be as he mingled throughout the store.  It was a fun challenge and kind of cool to be around the local press and media.  Thank you again to Office Depot for the opportunity!

UPDATE:  see me (left side) in action in a photo taken by the Governor's official photographer

Office Staff Business Headshots on location in office in Clearwater Florida

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Part of the staff I photographed on location making business headshots for the entire office in Clearwater FloridaThis morning I drove to Clearwater to photograph nearly the entire staff of a business.  It is actually a planned two-part shoot that will entail me returning on another date yet to be determined to photograph the remaining staff.  It was my first time to make so many headshots in a row, all told thirteen different shots.  It was kind of fun for someone to walk in for a few minutes, see how they choose to smile, and then move on to the next person.  No one was really camera shy so all I had to do was tell there where to point their toes and then which way to twist and look.

camera settings for headshots: f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 in brolly @ 1/4 power & SB-600 with diffuser cap at 1/8 power pointed at backgroundI was provided with a near ideal space to make the headshots in--a long rectangular room free of obstacles and even a large table for me to spread all my gear out on.  I leaned the collapsible photography background against the wall, setup my lights, dialed in camera and strobe settings, then it was just a matter of getting the best smile out of each person.  No mess, no fuss!  Nice.

Using a collapsible background to make a home photography studio St. Petersburg Florida

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Kiki & I in a self-portrait featuring my new Botero Collapsible Background - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 in brolly to frame right & SB-600 pointed up at background with blue gel and HONL snoot (open)I am always looking to improve the range and quality of photography products I can offer to clients.  In the pursuit of this I invested in a collapsible photography background (view on bhphotovideo.com) that measures 5'x7' is neutral to dark gray and folds up like a car sunshade into a circle when not in use.  Such a background allows one to setup a small studio space virtually anywhere, including your own living room.  

My new home studio setup featuring a 43" brolly on a light stand, 5'x7' collapsible background & gelled speedlight (behind me)The collapsible background does not require any special holder or stand.  I simply took a canvas print off the wall and rested the background up against it.  It took a little fiddling and flipping it over to get it to stay in the space I wanted it too, but all-in-all a pretty easy setup.  The background is easily big enough for two people, and maybe three or more depending on how they are posed.

This self-portrait headshot took MANY takes to make!If you like to make portraits and do not have the space to maintain a dedicated photo studio in your home, then my photography tip is to invest in a collapsible background that can be used in any room in the house and easily taken over to the homes of friends and family too.

50mm Lens Photography Lesson 1-on-1 with Tim & his Nikon D7000 in St. Petersburg Florida

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Tim with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens on his Nikon D7000 during our second 1-on-1 photography lesson in St. Petersburg, FloridaFor our second 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson I met Tim in the usual downtown St. Petersburg spot for 2-hours of instruction on how to shoot with a 50mm lens.  He has the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G for his Nikon D7000.  This time he also tossed on the external battery grip to his DSLR as well.  There was also a piece of new photography gear to debut for him, a BlackRapid camera strap!  During our first lesson he commented on mine and I said I could not imagine using the old over-the-neck-style strap ever again (read my full review).  BlackRapid if you are reading this I would not mind a FastenR-3 in thanks for referring another customer to you!

Some of the 50mm shooting tips I gave Tim included moving the focus point in the frame rather than recomposing, really paying attention to the background for creating the best bokeh and not always trying to get the whole subject in the frame (read photo tip on this).

In addition to all that his fingers got a good workout constantly adjusting the shutter speed and often the aperture too as we worked exclusively in manual mode today and were often moving from shade to bright light on our tour of downtown St. Petersburg.  For our next lesson we will head to The Pier for a lesson focusing on shooting from a tripod.

1974 Jaguar E-Type Series III V-12 Convertible Tampa Car Photography

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1974 Jaguar E-Type Series V-12 Convertible photographed for RM Auction in Tampa - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/200th tripod mounted with cable releaseIn June I was hired by RM Auctions to photograph a 1974 Jaguar E-type Series III V-12 Convertible.  I was not allowed to publish any of the photographs I made of the car until it went to auction.  I was happy to see that it sold for $82,500!

The interior of a 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series III V-12 Convertible in Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/40th Strobist: SB-800 in brolly above car & SB-600 in car facing dashboard

I was given a shotlist by RM Auctions of exactly the exterior angles that wanted photographs of.  However, with the interior I had a little more freedom for choosing details to highlight along with the required engine and ID plate shots.  Thankfully the car was in an air conditioned room to start with as I had to photograph the Jaguar around 1pm in the afternoon on a hot Florida Saturday afternoon.  

The V-12 engine of a 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series III Convertible in Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 in brolly above frame left & SB-600 under the right wheel housePhotographing an engine with lighting just from above, no matter how powerful, was not enough to bring out all of its details.  So I placed one speedlight right on the floor under the engine (beside the tire).  Again, it was nice to be in a climate controlled room as I worked out the best lighting setup.

Profile view of 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series III Convertible in Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/160thMoving the car outside for the exterior shots of course very quickly became hot work, especially since the car was not in running condition and needed to be pushed.  Plus, there was a very finite amount of space to use so I could not simply just walk around the car in a 360 getting the angles RM Auctions requested.  For each shot the car had to be pushed around again, and the top taken up and then down.  

Steering wheel of 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series III V-12 Convertible Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 105mm VR micro @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 in brolly above right & SB-600 in passenger footwellI used three different lenses to photograph the Jaguar.  For this detail shot of the steering wheel, I put on my Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR micro f/2.8G lens to go for maximum detail and very shallow depth of field.  This was one of the shots where I had a choice on which interior features to highlight.

Trunk emblem of Jaguar E-Type V12 - Nikon D300 Nikkor 105mm VR micro @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/60th Strobist: SB-800 in brolly to frame rightIt was exciting to work for a high profile client like RM Auctions, whom I have seen featured on car shows I watch regularly like Chasing Classic Cars.  There is not much I like to photograph more than a great car.  I hope they have more cars in the Tampa Bay area for me to photograph for their next auction.