Creative Event Photography in Small Spaces Albuquerque New Mexico
Day two of photographing the Coffee + Creatives 2019 Unconference here in Albuquerque, New Mexico featured Peri Pakroo speaking about contracts for creatives. If I only had heard her presentation when I was starting my photography business ten years ago it would have saved me a lot of time! As far as photographing this event, it presented unique challenges as it was a small space, just one speaker, and the background the speaker was in front of was both mostly just a screen and not far from her. I really had to look for creative angles to make a set of photos that stood out and were not repetitive. One way was to feature cabling and a brick wall in the foreground of the shot above. For other shots I used the bright sunlight coming from a hallway to create a backlight on Peri as she gave her presentation. In this way I was able to produce a creatively diverse set of event photos despite being in the same small space and there being only one speaker.
Professional product photography in ABQ for batteries
As a top three rated professional commercial photographer here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I never know what types of products I may photograph. I have to admit I never heard of products for checking and maintaining battery water levels, but after photographing a dozen different items, I still do not know exactly how one would use them, but I can at least recognize them! Lloyd visited the JCP Home Studio dropping off a variety of battery checking products and wanted them photographed on a white background, and then put on a clear background as well. This was one of my biggest Photoshop editing challenges for sure, as I had to get products with clear tubes and clear packaging cleanly onto a clear background. I was able to deliver what Lloyd wanted and you can see the results right on the EZ Battery Check website.
This past summer I went up to Santa Fe to photograph an Alfa Romeo Spider for James who was selling the vehicle through Bonhams Auction House. James contacted me about photographing even more of his cars, the first of which I am featuring is his personal favorite car, a stunning Rolls-Royce Wraith. I really found myself getting caught up in photographing this car. I am much more of a mid-engined supercar fan, but I could not help but start to fall under the allure of Rolls-Royce. In editing these photos I appreciated the boldness even more in the final images I was able to create.
For regular followers, you will know that I have been spending a lot of time in Valencia County, New Mexico off of Highway 6 that leads from I-40 to Las Lunas. It just so happened that due to their suddenly being good clouds, I made an all afternoon return trip for a 6-property shoot on a Sunday afternoon. I try and not even look at my cameras or my desk, or anything like that on Sundays, but I knew the forecast was not great for the rest of the week and the client really wanted good clouds in the sky. So to get the shots wanted I went even on a Sunday afternoon, which is what one needs to do if you want to be the best rural land real estate photographer in the state, you go when there are clouds.
This was my second photo shoot with Alexis Johnson, who is running for U.S. Congress for District 3 of Santa Fe, New Mexico. For our first shoot we a little pressed for time, so I was very glad she had more time for this shoot done right in Cathedral Park in the heart of Santa Fe. This extra time allowed me to really find the best backgrounds in the park, which were still important to get right even though as you can see they are out of focus in both shots. The bokeh (out of focus background) quality is still very much dependent on what is being made out of focus. So purposefully choosing where Alexis stood for the above photo with a tree being hit by the sun resulted in that great, bright bokeh behind her.
This is my third commercial photography shoot with Amity. A Hair Place in Albuquerque, New Mexico (first shoot, second shoot). Today’s shoot was to focus on the redesigned interior of the Nob Hill located hair salon, however, I ended up getting an action shot and a few commercial portraits of owner Felicia as well! Felicia is my photography client, but I am also a client of hers, for my haircuts! So I can recommend her from first hand (hair) experience and Amity itself as a very cool, and relaxed space to get a haircut in, not like impersonal, noisy chain salons.
I had the opportunity to present the story of how I became a professional photographer at 1 Million Cups this week here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a chance for me to really think about what was the start of my path to becoming a professional photographer. I realized it began back in 2001, on a trip to Thailand and Cambodia. I invite you to watch the video below to hear the full story. I begin presenting just a couple minutes into the video.
