Double Headed Date Palm Tree of St. Petersburg Florida

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Hiding in plain sight is this double headed date palm tree in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 3-exposure HDR handheldI must have walked right past this double headed date palm tree dozens of times, but not until I was out teaching a DSLR Photography Lesson last month did I notice this most unusual tree hiding in plain sight.  Believe it or not, this is not the first time I have seen a double headed palm tree before.  Two years ago I found a cabbage palm in Cape Coral with two heads (see here).  Perhaps they are actually not that rare of an occurrence in nature?

This double headed date palm is near the corner of 1st Ave N and 1st Street N in downtown St. Petersburg.  Go and check it out for yourself!


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Behind the scenes at my Morean Arts Center photography class in St. Petersburg Florida

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The four ladies of my Tuesday morning photography class at Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.Last Tuesday I began my first ever classroom teaching of photography at the Morean Arts Center in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida (see Morean's full list of classes offered).  Before that I had taught hundreds of 1-on-1 photography lessons out in the field, very close to where Morean is actually.  I was not sure how it would be to teach photography from a mostly indoor setting and also to a group instead of an individual, but as of the second class today I am pleased to see that it is going surprisingly well.  We were able to do quite a bit of practice shooting from right inside the classroom today, which was good as it was raining a portion of our lesson time.  

The classroom covered in photographer gear and notes!The four ladies taking the class always have relevant questions to ask so having a whiteboard is very useful for getting into camera setting details as you can see in the above photo.  On the whiteboard is my five step process for shooting in manual exposure mode along with some suggested indoor settings.  Next week I think we will venture outside more, weather permitting as everyone is getting a good grasp on the ergonomics of using their DSLRs and how the process works for getting a good exposure in any given lighting condition.

Social Media Portrait St. Petersburg Florida for Facebook with Kate

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Portrait made right in Kate's living room for looking smart on social media - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/9 ISO 200 1/100th - Strobist: SB-800 in 43" brolly to frame right & SB-600 on floor pointing at backgroundI made this portrait of Kate for the intended use of looking good on social media websites from Facebook to Linkedin.  It is a mix of formal and casual made right in her own living room!  I brought my mobile studio setup saving Kate the trouble of having to leave home to get a great portrait of herself made.  The setup consists of a collapsable background leaned against a wall, a speedlight on a light stand in a brolly and another speedlight on the floor pointing up at the background.  

So if you are using a profile photo on Facebook that you are not happy with, stop!  Reserve your social media portrait session today as  I can come to you or we can make a great shot at your favorite outdoor location too!

TownePlace Suites Marriott St. Petersburg Clearwater commercial pool shoot

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Photographing the same subject matter in different seasons or just a significant amount of time later is a very good personal photography project to do.  It is rare to have that kind of opportunity with a commercial photography shoot, but that is just what happened when former clients TownePlace Suites Marriott Clearwater called and asked me to come make a new photograph of their outdoor swimming pool.  They had updated the furniture and needed a new photograph to highlight the changes to the pool area.  

For me it is interesting to see the differences in angles I chose in 2011 and 2012.  The tighter shot of the pool in 2012 was no doubt influenced by the client wanting to see the new furniture in the shot better.

Here is an insider photo tip for shooting pools:  do not get the entire pool in the shot, thereby leaving the exact size of the pool unknown to the viewer.  

Five Ferrari at Tampa International Jet Center - Florida Car Photography

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Five Ferrari parked on a runway at Tampa International Jet Center - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDR tripod mounted with cable releaseI believe the purpose of supercars like Ferrari existing is multifold.  First and foremost of course, they provide a driving experience like no other.  Of course due to the cost of owning (and maintaining!) a Ferrari this is a very exclusive experience.  I believe there is another, even greater experience, for the existence of Ferrari, however.  That is the joy of seeing (and hearing) one drive by and to give one something to daydream about.  In short, the existence of Ferrari is about inspiration.  

Which Ferrari would you pick from the five above?  Having seen them in person, I would go with the yellow F430 Spider.

Nikon D80 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida with Frank

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Nikon D80 moving subject practice in downtown St. Petersburg FloridaMy first 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson of November 2012 was on a very pleasant morning in downtown St. Petersburg Florida meeting Frank and his pristine Nikon D80.  His DSLR was pristine because it had been sitting in a very safe case for a couple of years.  My lesson with Frank was to make sure his D80 keeps seeing the light of day!

For awhile now I have been starting out my photography students right in manual mode.  For a long time I had been starting them in aperture priority mode, but have changed my own teaching methodology.  I mean, shooting in manual mode only adds one more thing to the list of settings for making a well exposed and sharp shot in any giving shooting condition, so why not just go right to the real stuff?

Besides teaching the technical details of exposure, in a first DSLR photography lesson I also teach ergonomics, as in where the buttons are to change settings on that particular student's camera body, how to change lenses safely and how to stand and hold the camera to insure the most stable shooting position.  All these things to me matter just as much as knowing you should use AF-C for moving subjects rather than AF-S.

I hope after our lesson Frank enjoys using his Nikon D80 to make beautiful photos of Florida and it only stays in the case between locations!

GTP Corvette Custom build car photography for Mecum Auction

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A custom built GTP Corvette in Lakeland Florida I photographed for Mecum Auctions - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/30th tripod mounted - Strobist: SB-800 in brolly to frame rightEarlier this year I had the opportunity to photograph a Jaguar for RM Auctions and now I have had a chance to work for another major auction company, Mecum Auctions.  I went to Lakeland to photograph two Corvettes for the upcoming auction in Kissimmee, Florida.  The owner and builder of this custom GTP Corvette were friendly guys who even helped me out by keeping my light stand upright in the surprisingly breezy and chilly morning!

Custom interior for a GTP Corvette photographed for Mecum Auctions - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 in brolly by passenger door & SB-600 on driverside door sillThe interior of this car looked as radical as the exterior with its sweeping red bucket seats that could not have been more than six inches off the ground!  I used a couple of speedlights to illuminate all the features of the custom built Corvette.

Custom GTP Corvette with hood, doors and engine cover fully open - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 9-exosure HDR tripod mounted with cable releaseOne of the guys said the car looked like a Transformer with the hood, scissor doors and engine cover all fully open.  

Exhaust system of a custom GTP Corvette - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/30th tripod mounted - Strobist: SB-800 in brolly beside me

The exhaust sounds brutal when the car starts up.  I cannot imagine what it sounds like when driving and revving that engine close to its redline!

This was the first time all year I had to don a jacket!  Lakeland is a good ways inland from St. Petersburg where living right next to the water keeps things a few degrees warmer.  The guys are working on several new projects which I hope I will have the chance to photograph when they are complete.  Good luck to them at the Mecum Auction!