1-on-1 Canon 5D Mark III DSLR Photography Lesson in St. Petersburg Florida with Dan 2

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Dan learning how to shoot in natural light with his Canon 5D Mark III during our St. Petersburg Florida photography lessonIt has been five weeks since I met Dan for our first 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson in downtown St. Petersburg and he has decided to turn that single lesson into a 4-pack of lessons.  He told me he also basically forgot everything from the lesson and we changed our plans of him photographing his dog to having a refresher on the process needed to shoot in manual mode with his Canon 5D Mark III.  

We began by him showing me some photographs he took at a chalk festival to see where in the 5-step process of getting a well exposed and sharp photograph he went astray.  While he was getting the meter to show neutral before pressing the shutter on some shots, it was not the ideal way of doing so, i.e. with a high ISO and super fast shutter speed rather than a minimum ISO and slower shutter speed.  

After getting things sorted out with the workflow for when to increase aperture, shutter speed and ISO, we then walked around the downtown area putting it into practice making a few natural light portraits and starting to introduce some composition tips too.  I look forward to seeing Dan's improved results next time we meet!

Photography Tip - use a monopod with your DSLR and telephoto lens

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For a very simple piece of photography gear, a monopod is very useful in many different ways.  Traditionally, a monopod is used by sports and wildlife photographers who shoot with large, heavy telephoto lenses.  Using a monopod with such a setup it suddenly becomes weightless, something you can balance in place with one finger.  If you are shooting with a lens that has a lens collar (see above photo, which allows one to attach the monopod to the lens not the camera body) then using a monopod is highly recommended for prolonged shooting.  If your lens does not have a lens collar available, but the weight of holding even a non-f/2.8 telephoto lens or sub-500mm lens is taxing, then a monopod will help with that also.

Other ways you can make use of a monopod even without a telephoto lens?  You can shoot from a very high perspective by elevating the camera way up in the air holding the monopod at its bottom most point.  You can see photographers trying to get shots of someone surrounded by a group of people using this technique.  

Also, if you are shooting in a low light situation, but there is not space for the large footprint of a tripod, then a monopod will add a lot of stability helping reduce camera shake, especially in the vertical axis.  

How do you use your monopod?

Disston Heights New Homeowner Portrait Real Estate Photography St. Petersburg Florida

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A new St. Petersburg home owner and her daughter - commercial Florida photography - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/125th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/1 power in 43" brolly to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/1 power in 43" shoot through umbrella to frame rightThis was my second time (see first shoot) making a promotional photograph of a new homeowner for Crown Group Realty.  I really like these kinds of shoots going out on location and only needing to produce one or two images.  Rhonda and her baby daughter were great and the shooting part took less time than it did for me to setup my speedlights!

Mom & daughter in front of their new home - commercial Florida photography - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/125th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/1 power in 43" brolly to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/1 power in 43" shoot through umbrella to frame rightI intended to make the above shot only, but after seeing how active her daughter wanted to be I took some shots like the first one with her walking on her own.  I ended up delivering both to the client as a bonus.  I hope they enjoy their new home!

1-on-1 Canon 70D DSLR Photography Lesson with Jody in St. Petersburg Florida

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Jody composing a landscape photograph during our 1-on-1 DSLR photography lesson in downtown St. Petersburg FloridaThis morning I met Jody in downtown St. Petersburg Florida for a 1-on-1 DSLR Photography Lesson with her just purchased Canon 70D.  Like many past students, Jody's interest in photography was growing and she wanted to take the step up from point-and-shoot to DSLR.  I have taught dozens of such people and am always glad to be able to save people the years of grinding I did teaching myself by concentrating all my current years of experience into a two-hour info packed photography lesson!

Within the first sixty minutes of the lesson I had Jody looking through her viewfinder using the camera's meter to assist her in setting the shutter speed while shooting in manual mode with a daylight default aperture of f/11.  From there I taught her how to control DoF in order to create a shot with bokeh before concluding with some tips for shooting landscapes.  Jody now has a headstart on learning how to use her DSLR and I look forward to seeing the results.

Christmas Card Portraits Treasure Island Florida Three Sisters

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Holiday photo card portrait with three sisters wrapped in Christmas lights - Nikon D4 Nikkor 24-70mm @ f/5.6 ISO 100 2.5 sec tripod mounted - Strobist: SB-800 in 43" brolly frame rightLong time DSLR photography student Stacy invited me to her home to photograph her daughters for their family Christmas card.  She said I could bring Kiki along as well (more about this below).  This was an unusual shoot as Stacy worked with me to learn how to make portraits and I used much of her own photography gear (note the use of a Nikon D4 for all these shots!).  I had shown her my wedding couple wrapped in Christmas lights shot before, which we did with the three sisters for the above image.  

Christmas Photo Card portrait three sisters in front of their Christmas Tree - Nikon D4 Nikkor 24-70m @ f/4 ISO 100 1/200th - Strobist: SB-900 to frame right in 43" brollyWhen editing this black & white image I wanted mainly the lights of the tree to be visible in the background framing the girls.

Smiling in front of Christmas tree bokeh for holiday portrait in Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D4 Nikkor 70-200mm with 2x teleconverter @ f/5.6 ISO 6400 1/60th - natural lightUsing the new 2x teleconverter Stacy recently got, I took advantage of an effective 400mm focal length to create extreme bokeh in the background of the above shot of the same Christmas tree lights used in the B&W shot.  

Holiday Photo Card Portrait before the fireplace in Florida - Nikon D4 Nikkor 24-70mm @ f/6.3 ISO 100 1/4th tripod mounted - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-900 to frame rightA more formal shot before the lit fireplace, which made things pretty hot for the girls, but throughout our shoot they were great and knew how to get into proper positions unprompted!  It was like working with professional models!

In all the shots Kiki was lying near the girls! It was my first time to bring her on a portrait shoot. Now when I try to photograph Kiki she is never happy about it and ends up looking like a sad puppy (see here).  However, she was all too willing to get into every photo with the girls and smile!  For the piano shot we let a sleeping dog lie and framed the portrait around her.  She just wanted to participate and be involved!

It was a fun shoot and a chance for me to try a few new things shooting inside someone's home, as I most often shoot outside on location.  I look forward to seeing the photos in print on Stacy's family Christmas card!

Great Egret Fine Art Composite Canvas Prints St. Petersburg Florida Photography

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Now available for purchase is this unique great egret composite print.  Featuring three views of a great egret, including one in flight, all photographed in St. Petersburg, Florida.  

For a limited time only buy this print at 36"x9" on 1.5" thick canvas gallery wrap for $250 including shipping.  Larger sizes are also available.

This print will look great on any wall in your home, office or place of business.  Prints can be ordered as gifts too!

New C7 Corvette Stingray (red) at Cars & Couture 2013 Tampa Jet Center Florida

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The controversial rear of the new C7 Corvette Stingray - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 0.4 secI had a chance to see the new C7 Corvette Stingray in person at the 2013 Cars & Couture event a few Fridays ago.  As is often the case with cars at events, it was not ideally placed for photography from a background standpoint and also available light.  Still, I wanted to get some shots of this brand new American sports car.

Even amongst Ferraris, the new C7 Corvette Stingray still drew a crowd - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDRI believe all C7 coupes come with the ability to remove the roof panel for an almost throwback T-tops style.  I thought it added a lot of visual flair.

Red Corvette becomes white in this B&W conversion - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDRWhen you convert a red car photograph to black & white it turns all white!

I thought the C7 Corvette looked better in person - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDRFor many Corvette fans, going to squared taillights is heresy from the traditional round ones.  Some even say they look too much like the Camaro's.  Still, overall the rear of the C7 looks very agressive.  If you have a new C7 and want it professionally photographed I would very much like a chance to properly photograph it in good light with a complementary background.  Contact me for details.