November 30th, 2008 by Jenn LeBlanc
11.30.08
So I hesitate in sharing this, but since there is no way for anyone to know the identity of this young wrestler, except for the wrestler himself, I decided to share.
There are some things you don’t expect to see. You shoot lots of things, and really, X-ray vision isn’t something anyone but Superman should expect to have the use of. Apparently, under the right circumstances, anyone with a camera can have this vision. You just don’t know it, and neither did I until Sponge Bob was staring at me while I was editing my take.
There are certain things everyone should be aware of when shooting sports that involve lycra. Black is not opaque, and neither is purple, as is quite apparent. And when a flash hits purple, it could be considered downright non-existent. Be careful what you capture, and always check your sports edits closely before making them public. Watch out for cracks, crevasses and other unsightly areas. The humility you save may be your own.
November 29th, 2008 by Tiffany Trott
11.29.08
Bridge, originally uploaded by bourgeoisbee.
Since my laptop died a horrible death on Monday and I was forced to reformat I have been thinking about the work flow I use for editing when I am out and about.
I try to NOT edit images on my laptop, reserving that solely for the desktop, but when I travel I need to be able to easily edit any images I take during the trips.
Lightroom is a great tool, but it’s a pretty “heavy” tool. I am trying to keep the laptop in a basic form with only the must have/needed tools installed.
Well last week during my Photoshop class we were introduced to Adobe Bridge and Camera RAW. I started calling the combo Lightroom Lite.
For the most part Bridge and RAW do what Lightroom does, they just happen to be included with Photoshop. So if you have PS CS2, 3 or 4 installed you have these tools already to go.
Camera RAW allows you to do the same adjustments of the things you can in Lightroom and even allows you to run Photoshop actions on your files without opening Photoshop.
Bridge does one thing that Lightroom doesn’t that I feel in love with…it helps you manage your complete workflow/file system with the click of a button.
You can take a set of RAW images and have Bridge save them out to your file system as a RAW, PSD and JPG with one click of a button.
May seem simple, but it helped me immediately establish a new filing system for my images that is super easy to follow when I am on the road.
Bridge will let you name the folders you save to, so I can have a folder for each days images with folders for the RAW, PSD and JPG files inside automatically.
For now I am going to stick with this combo on my laptop and leave Lightroom for my desktop duty. It should make copying the files over to Lightroom when I get back home from trips a snap.
November 28th, 2008 by Sheba Wheeler
11.28.08
Will Smith, originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.
Ta-da! Here is the edited image I snapped of Will Smith minus his belligerent body guard. Since I don’t have access to Photoshop on my computer at The Denver Post (the expensive program is reserved only for design and photo editors) my friend designer Jeff Goertzen called the image up on his Mac.
I told him what I wanted done to the image, and we sat down at the computer together making edits. My portrait editing skills plus Jeff’s design skills combined to create this image. What did we do: some color balance to warm Will’s skin. We used a tool to carefully select around the right side of his body and erase the guard. Then a color was picked from the clear space on the left side of his body and used to fill the space where the guard had been, blending in seamlessly with the rest of the background.
Jeff and I disagreed about one thing: I wanted to use some healing to tone down the hot spot atop Will’s forehead where an overhead light was shining down on him. That was the portrait photographer inside of me speaking. But Jeff is pure design journalist, and he said we had to keep some realism in the photo. He, and other designers nearby, said they liked the feel of catching Will spur of the moment. Others suggested that the original photo, with the body guard scowling at me, was better than this edited image.
What do you think?
November 26th, 2008 by Jenn LeBlanc
11.26.08
High school football is fun to shoot. Action, excitement and strategy, and that doesn’t include what is happening in the game. You have to place your feet where they need to be, get as close as you can without being trampled by the players who could care less who they run over on the sidelines, and make sure you get something besides asses and elbows. (Wrestling is even more difficult when it comes to that last one, I’ll talk about it later)
Shooting is the only way I can stand to be involved in sports. I can’t bear to watch a game now, no matter what it is. I have never been a sports minded person, EVER. But now that I have found my place on the sidelines, I can’t get enough of it. I don’t care who the team is, I root for the one I am assigned to cover, because if they are doing everything right they will be coming right at my lens and I will be in the perfect spot. It is a chess game with all the action of the Superbowl. I’m all in.
- Dakota Ridge senior #3 Andrew Melton fends off Wheat Ridge senior Parker Orms before going out of bounds in the drive to the end zone which culminating with the Eagle’s first touchdown by #30 junior David Judd November 22, at JeffCo Stadium in Littleton during the 4A semifinals.
November 25th, 2008 by Sheba Wheeler
11.25.08
Will Smith, originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.
Here’s another example of why you should always have a camera with you, Shutterbugs. You don’t want to miss any moment life may throw at you. I was shocked last week to discover that Will Smith would be making a stop at my day job. He was being interviewed by one of our entertainment reporters about his new movie “Seven Pounds,” and was less than 20 feet away from my desk in the newsroom!
Others were bemoaning the fact that they didn’t have a camera or that Smith was too far away for them to capture on their cellphones. Needless to say, I wasn’t feeling very professional reporterish…more like stalker paparazzish! I whipped out my Canon G9, which I always keep tucked away in my purse, made some adjustments on its manual settings and started snapping. A less than pleasant bodyguard told me I couldn’t take any more pics during the interview….so I waited until Smith was being escorted out of the newsroom.
Then, all pretenses aside, I RAN down the hallway and tried to snap another shot of Smith. But it was blurry. DAMN! All of a sudden Smith whips back around the corner and asks me, “Did you get it?” with that signature high voltage smile of his. His body guard throws me a look that kills but I don’t back down and Smith apparently does what he wants, and right now he’s talking to me. Resisting the nasty urge to stick my tongue out at the body guard, I admit to Smith that I suck big time at being a paparazzi…the shot was blurry. So he stops — just for me — and says, “Well, take it again!” I got the shot….but his body guard is scowling in the background.
Nothing a little Photoshop can’t handle…. 
Stay turned Shutterbugs….
November 24th, 2008 by Chester Bullock
11.24.08
I was experimenting with different lighting and backdrops for a product photo (I am selling this train set on CraigsList). I used white foam core for the base and background. Lighting was off camera flash bounced up off the ceiling. Nothing special, just experimenting. Everyone should experiment once in a while. In the digital world, it’s only a write to the memory card.
November 23rd, 2008 by Jenn LeBlanc
11.23.08
Sometimes you have to make backgrounds work, and sometimes you are given backgrounds to work with.
The background for this flower was actually a window on a bright but overcast day. shooting directly into the window light provided the backlighting for the flower that added just the right bit of POP that the color needed. The flower itself, waxy and stiff, would not have looked the same had there not been any backlighting, say just on the table in the kitchen. So remember when shooting to check your backgrounds, and if possible move your subject to one that is more suitable and more appeasing.
November 22nd, 2008 by Chester Bullock
11.22.08
The other day I lamented about how my little girl goes crazy once the camera comes out. I have figured out the secret. Put her in an environment where she is distracted, and you can get the really candid pics. Yesterday she and I went to City Park and Washington Park in Denver. Out in Lakewood, the parks just don’t have the massive, modern play structures you find at the better Denver parks. We had a great time, and she played hard as she always does. Since Washington Park is about a 15 minute drive from City Park, she had time to wind down a little bit.
Upon arriving at Washington Park (or Wash Park as the locals know it), she saw the ducks and geese in the lake. We went over to take a look, which was when I was able to snap this shot. I actually got a few good, candid portraits yesterday. She was in her own element, having a grand time. That is the secret.
I have the rest of the images from yesterday available if you want to see them.
November 21st, 2008 by Sheba Wheeler
11.21.08
“Daughter Love You!”, originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.
I love this simple yet elegant shot. While wondering around capturing images during an engagement party, I’m stopped by the guest book hoping to get a good detail shot.
I think this is it. Using a wide aperture, I focused in on the messaged “Daughter Love You!” left by either the future bride’s mother or father. Then I did some more selective focusing and blurring in Photoshop to bring out the message even more.
The black and white treatment makes this an instant classic that I hope the bride and groom to be will treasure forever. Don’t forget the importance of the detail shot in your overall plan for shooting an event. It’s the little things that matter!
November 20th, 2008 by Chester Bullock
11.20.08
I love my little girl. Once in a while I am able to get a good candid of her. But by and large, whenever I take the camera out, she becomes silly and “unmanageable”. Saturday was one of those days. She went to a friend’s birthday party, had her hair and nails done (yes, she is 3), and came home looking cute as a button. Unfortunately, she was really wound up. So I ask you, how (if you can) do you get a child to sit down and do a few good shots? I’m sure if it wasn’t me, she probably would have been fine. I guess next time I’ll just wait it out until she settles down.
