I posted a gallery from the Flashes of Hope shoot I did over the summer with several other local commercial photographers. There was a bug in my blog preventing the photos from being displayed, so I’m reposting them here:
Posts by Brian
The solution to making your images pop? Fall.
Fall isn’t just a great time for photos of leaves and beautiful New England landscapes. It’s one of the best times to take photos of virtually anything outside.
Think about it–if you have a building, a group of people or even trucks that need to be photographed outside, then the changing leaves of Fall provide a dramatic visual punch that will make your images stand out. Couple that with the often-changing (and usually dramatic) weather here in New England and you can get some truly wonderful serendipitous effects that you simply won’t get any other time of year.
I love Fall. I like bundling up in layers that I can remove as the day warms. I love the crisp smell of Autumn in the air. Mostly, I just love shooting photos out-of-doors this time of year.
Hoagies? What are those?
So, this week we learned a couple of interesting things. One, that our studio is a great place to hold events–fortunately–and the other is that using a word like ‘hoagies’ to describe a submarine sandwich in northern New England is a bit like calling a asking a Texan where the ‘loo’ is. You get some puzzled looks and eventually you realize that you used a regional term (in this case, from the midwest or west) that is not generally heard here in Maine.
Luckily, our first networking/food event was successful even if the name could use some work. We’re thinking “Snaps and Wraps” for next time…but are open to ideas.
We had three waves of visitors into our studio, including the crew next door at the co-working space (Rob Landry/Pemaquid Communications) and Kevin Brooks, a web designer. Also present were Gwen of Logo Owl Promotions, Bob Bettencourt of Bettencourt Design, Mike Rock of RR Donnelley and Vianne Nappi, a Univera representative. Among others.
I think three hours was a bit long so next time we’ll shorten it a bit. However, we had a great time with everyone (thanks for coming!) and everyone seemed to enjoy the headshots and the food, too. Special thanks to Nancy and Craig of the CVC Catering Group for the great lunches.
Stay tuned for announcement of our next Headshots and H…whatevers after the first of the year!
Get Back in the Game
One of the great things about being a photographer–besides the cool toys–is the opportunity to meet interesting and talented people.
Meet Imadhi Zagon, 17. Zagon is a junior at Portland High School and a standout athlete in track & field and also on the football field. He’s also one of the reasons the Bulldogs have won their last four games–a guy that coach Mike Bailey refers to simply as, “the whole package”. In addition to being a talented tailback, Zagon is one heck of a nice guy. I could tell, because my attempts to get him to put on a tough-guy ‘game face’ usually ended up with him busting into big grins and laughter.
I photographed Zagon for an editorial concept called ‘Get back in the game’ at Fitzpatrick Stadium with the big lights on. It’s subtle, but I like the look on his face and the relaxed but tough attitude evident in his body.
The assignment was right after sunset, hence the stadium lights. Those didn’t provide much illumination but they certainly added drama to the image. The setup consists of three lights, which provides the separation to make him pop out instead of sinking into the dusky shadows behind him.
Announcing: Headshots and Hoagies
Around here, we’re calling it “Headshots and Hoagies”. What is it? A networking event primarily for our BNI (business networking) friends and associates. Come on by the studio, meet some new folks, have a sandwich– on us. For those interested in getting a headshot taken, we’ll be doing that in our studio area. The cost for that service is $100 (all payment forms accepted), which includes your best headshot image from the shoot for you to use for print and for web (including Facebook, Linked In and Twitter).
You don’t have to be a member of BNI to come, of course. Whether or not you’re interested in a headshot, please do come, enjoy the food and the company! Please RSVP if you know you’ll be here (so we can estimate the food needed). If needing a specific headshot time, let us know so you’re not kept waiting, etc.
Here are the details:
What: Headshots and Hoagies
Where: Fitzgerald Photo studio
28 Maple Street
Third Floor Left
Portland, ME 04101
207-699-9321
When: Thursday, October 15, 2009
11 am-2 pm
RSVP : 207.699.9321 or brian@fitzgeraldphoto.com
Photoshop.com adds new tool for imaging in the cloud
I’m pretty obsessed with cloud-based (that is, web-based) software services. We’re slowly heading to a future where our machines will be powerful web browsers and all our software will be hosted elsewhere (and accessible anywhere). I’m looking forward to it.
Adobe has long been working on an online version of its industry-leading Photoshop photo imaging software. Some may be familiar with the Photoshop Express Beta. Well, now there’s simply Photoshop.com.
Here you can upload and store your photos, edit them much like you can do with the desktop version (though with a much simpler and reduced toolset) and then share them with others. It’s a cool concept, though not that much different than the Flickr–Picnik combo some are using to do the same thing. With Photoshop.com, it’s all in one location.
It’s free to check out–and the site’s pretty slick. If you have an Adobe ID already, it’s a one-click process to join. Otherwise you’ll have to sign up for one. Photo storage will cost you-$19 for basic up to $99 annually for 100GB. For some with basic photo needs, this is exactly what they’ve been waiting for.
Is Photojournalism dead?
According to a piece in the New York Times, yes.
Last month, the powerhouse French photo agency Gamma went bankrupt, broadcasting the difficulties facing organizations built around visual coverage of the news of the day.
Gamma, which was founded in 1966, is being re-organized to focus on photography for magazines and newsmagazines. What? That market’s drying up, too. What it means for editorial news photographers is that it’s even harder to make a living wage doing a difficult, albeit extremely satisfying, job. What it means for the rest of us is that we get to see less and less of the hard-hitting, professional, gutsy photojournalism Gamma provided.
Instead, we’ll see a lot more entertainment ‘news’. Oh…and when we do see news photos, they’re more likely to be shot by a dude with an iPhone.
One Image
This is my favorite image from a weekend shoot. It’s a bit of a rarity; although I help shoot weddings with our sister company, Blush Imagery, I don’t often get a chance to work with other photographers. On this particular occasion, I worked with Amanda Herzberger, a talented shooter from Connecticut, and since I wasn’t the primary photographer I was free to shoot “color”. Basically, this is the feature-type images that capture more of the mood and context of the day. While Amanda had to shoot the couple exchanging vows at the altar, I was able to photograph a wide angle shot of the church showing boys dangling off the sides of the pews. Take both types of shots together, and you’ve got a great, balanced body of work that truly shows the moments and the story of the entire day. For me, this single image was a bit unexpected and captured the flavor of the beautiful setting–Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake.
Blast from the past
I love Google Alerts…for those of you who don’t know, it’s a great (free) tool for finding out when and where a specific term or word is being used on the Web. I just got pinged today, and when I looked found a photo I had taken of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah, ten years ago. This time, it’s running with a legislative-type story from the AP. I still remember that trip–I was photo editor for the Daily Herald in Provo, Utah, and was taking a camping swing through southeastern Utah. I think I shot it (on film, of course) and just uploaded it to the AP so that I could get the $15 per photo kickback they’d send if it was picked up by a member publication. Brings back memories!
Finding your voice
The old adage goes that a single photo is worth a thousand words. When it comes to people photography–the lifestyle, editorial and advertorial work that I specialize in–images have to move beyond a simple, faithful recording of a scene. They have to have voice. They have to speak to the viewer, and convey a concept powerfully.
This is why it’s so important that businesses who really want to connect with potential customers understand that it’s not enough to have a great service or product. You need to show, not tell, why your product or service is so fantastic. You can write about it, but nothing comes close to capturing the authentic experience of your message, product or service as a properly-conceived and-executed image.
That’s where we come in. The most important part of the process is to first discuss how to translate your goals, vision and message into striking images that engage the viewer.
It’s not about pretty pictures. Not really. It’s about finding and expressing your voice–your message–visually.