Week 6 EOC: Ron Galella

"Ron Galella. Widely regarded as the most famous and most controversial celebrity photographer in the world—he's been dubbed “Paparazzo Extraordinaire” by Newsweek and “the Godfather of the U.S. paparazzi culture” by Time and Vanity Fair—Galella is clearly willing to take great risks to get the perfect shot." (http://www.rongalella.com/about-ron.html)I have to admit I have never been a fan of paparazzi photography, yet Ron Galella has some remarkable images and has shot more famous people than I can name. Ron Galella has a passion for his work that shows through in his photographic work. This is what every photographer needs to have if they want to make a career in photography. In the movie we watched in class on Ron Galella you can see why this type of photographer gets such a bad name for themselves. Going after a photograph of a celebrity, doing whatever it takes to get the shot that will sell for the highest value.
"Photojournalism has become a different profession. The sums of money have increased with the dumbing down of journalism where entertainment is cash," says Adams. "The money is not in reporting on wars or famine, but in getting a picture of a celebrity topless. Today's market is Dodi kissing Diana on a boat in the Mediterranean. That sells." (http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=2325)Although I do not approve of some of his methods, I enjoy shooting candid shots rather than a more formal posed style of photography when it comes to shooting people. I enjoy shooting street photography so in a way I suppose that is like paparazzi photography. So if I had to emulate his shooting style for homework assignment that is how I would probably go about doing it. I like to shoot people in action, trying to capture those candid moments.

BOC Week 5: Painting With Light

What is painting with light, painting with light is just as it sounds using a light source to create an image. This is done in many different ways, with a variety of different techniques. The light sources can vary as differently as the techniques. After shooting a few different ways, using things like flashlights, small toys that light up and glow sticks I found that these little toy swords that my kids had were the perfect tools for me to use on this assignment. I shot a few different things like having the kids run around the yard, using the lights to paint different object and stuff like that before I thought of the idea of creating a silhouetted subject standing in front of a painted light backdrop. In the image above I was able to capture a woman standing with her hands on her hips. Sometimes when I look at a photograph something in that photograph jumps out at me. In this case the woman in the photograph is what speaks to me. The colors of the lights in the background make me think that the woman may have two different sides to her, yet her stance looks poised and controlled. I see empowerment in her stance even though her face is hidden in the shadows of her silhouette. The touch of color along the back edge of the subjects body help to separate her from the background and add an extra sense of intrigue into the picture. The hint of color makes you want to find out more about the subject, who is she, what is her expression, things of that nature. I really like the way this image came out and am planning on turning this into a series of photographs. The great thing about photography and it's many forms is that you can always learn new things or new ways to do old things, the sky is the limit when you put some creativity into your work.

Week 5 EOC: Copyright Process for Photography

The copyright process for a photographer is not a complicated process, yet if not done properly the photographer can be taken advantage of or lose his or her rights to their own photographs. Copyright is given at the moment of creation to the creator of a piece of work in this case at the moment a photograph is taken. For the photographer it is not enough that they own the copyright, they then need to establish that copyright by placing the proper information in the metadata. To establish the copyright the photographer needs to place the © followed by the photographers name and the year. This establishes a legal copyright to the picture and can help to protect a photographer when his work has been infringed upon. After this has been done the photographer then has to take an active approach in making sure no one is or has been infringing on his or her work. The copyright serves only to keep honest people honest. If a photographer finds that an individual or company is using his or her work without permission or for a purpose other than what was agreed upon, the photographer must act immediately to stop this infringement. If the photographer knows about the infringement and does nothing to stop it then the photographer could lose his or her rights to the photographic work. The photographer may not in that case even be able to collect penalties or damages from the infringing party. However if the copyright has been established and the photographer acts at the first instance of a found infringement, the photographer can seek a settlement from the infringing party including any and all profit made from the photographic work and damages. The best practice for a photographer is to establish his or her copyright straight from the beginning and then take an active role in protecting that copyright.

BOC Week 4: Wedding Photography

Wedding photography is a huge market for photography, Millions of dollars each year is spent on photography for engagements, weddings and receptions. There are many different types and styles of wedding, yet all have one thing in common and that it a bride and groom. The key to photographing a wedding is to be in the right place at the right time to capture the couples special moments as they happen. 

In the picture above I was able to capture the moment of the first bite of cake which with some couples is cute and sweet and others it can be a bit messy. (The messy ones can be a ton of fun to capture.) As with most of these type of events things can happen in the blink of an eye and if you’re not already anticipating the action you miss the moment and the shot. Many of these shots cannot be recreated after the fact either. Capturing candid moments during a wedding or reception can enhance the overall photographic experience of the couple’s happy day. I was able to capture this moment as many others like this one while shooting this reception for my wife cousin. I basically just spent the entire time behind the lens of my camera looking for situation that could result in some candid moments, as well as being ready and in a good position for the more formal moments. Every time I shoot a wedding, reception, or event I learn new ways to be a little better than the time before so that I am able to capture those so call great money shots that everyone wants to buy.



Sometimes Wedding photography is about more than just the bride to be or like in the case of my sister sometimes you hire a photographer that doesn't deliver. When I said I needed to take some wedding picture for a class assignment my sister volunteered to be my model. So I took her and her family up to the Las Vegas Temple to take some photographs so that she and her husband could have some pictures that they would be happy with. This is one of my favorites from our shoot, my sister and her daughter look so happy and to me that is what a wedding and marriage is all about happiness. There are many different styles of wedding photography. Some wedding photographers prefer to shoot in a more traditional style shooting formal shots and varying little outside that realm. Other photographer's like myself shoot both formal and candid photography. I tend to lean more towards the candid shots trying to capture the real moments as they happen. I like to shoot with natural light when available, the outdoors allow me to do this most of the time. The time of day can play a huge part in how well the photographs will turn out in the end. sometimes it is the luck of the draw as well when you get beautiful clouds to add and enhance the photo's in which the photographer is shooting. In the above photograph you can only see some of the clouds and sky, but in many of the other photographs you can see the impact beautiful clouds and a deep blue sky can have on a wedding portrait. Each photographer looks at the light in different ways and sometimes the photographer looks at light differently from shoot to shoot. In this shoot I wanted to shoot in a some what high key fashion to give the photograph a distinct look when edited a certain way.

BOC Week 5: Competitive Analysis

http://www.trentblackphoto.com/ this website looks very professional, the galleries open in separate page to play a flash slideshow with music. The photographer has his prices on website, as well as a Bio and contact page. When changing from page to page it is done with a nice transition that is appealing to look at. All of the information and pages have a nice connected feel to them. This photographer even has a page with what looks like hand written testimonial, which adds a great final touch to the overall website. This is a very competitive website will a lot of strengths.

http://sagalow.com/ This website has all the elements for a professional website, it has an about page, a blog page, separate pages for the different galleries and a contact page. The website starts out with an entry page with picture button options that look like they would take you into separate website, one for the photographer’s weddings site, one for the photographer’s commercial site, and the last one that actually takes you to a separate website. The first two options take you into a the photographic website that then has tabs on the top of the page that take you to the different areas of the website, just like the bottom on the entry page. Overall the website is a good website, the website looks and feels to me like it’s not a professional website, it feels more like an entry level website. This websites weakness to me is in the overall look and feel to the site being more a cookie cutter standard website.

http://blrphoto.com/ This website has a very simple but professional looking entry page that has options to take you to the photographer’s different web pages or sites. Unlike the previous website this photographer actually has different websites for their wedding and portrait work. They also have has a separate site for their blog. Each site has a very professional look and feels to them everything is easy to access and find, each of the photo sites has flash players with music to showcase their photographic work. Overall I think this in a strong professional photography website.

http://waynewallace.com/photoblog/ This website looks more like a glamour site to me. The look website is in the blog style rather than a professional style site. The photographer has all the information you would need in professional website like contact information, pricing. The site has different tabs for an about page, a portfolio page, a product and services page, and a for photography only page. Overall I think this website is a little weak on the professional style, yet a blog it is interesting and the photographer still comes off as being a professional.

After looking over these websites and other I have a better Idea of what my website should look like if I want to be taken seriously and to be looked at as a professional.

Week 4 EOC: Writing a contract

As a photographer asked to shoot a small event for a charge of $500 or less what would be the minimums that I would need to have in a contract. To start off I would need to have the clients name and address, then the location of the shoot. After that I would want to have the date of the event and the times for which I will be responsible to be there at the location. Then I would need to have a date or set amount of time described to have proofs ready for the client to review. I might also put in the contract the minimum and maximum amount of photographs the client can expect from the event. After this would be a section to spell out some of the details and expectations for me as a photographer in what I expect and for the client in what he or she can expect. Item like travel expenses, meals, parking, etc may need to be included in the contract depending on the event. Next would be a line or two about deposits and when and why they may or may not be returned. Following that would be what the client can expect concerning the proofs and what he or she will need to do with the proofs in order to finalize the editing and ordering of final prints process. Then I may have some verbiage about what may be expected of the client during the photo shoot to be able to obtain the desired photographs. Lastly I would have some verbiage about copyrights of the images and what the client or myself as the photographer will be able to do with the photographs. The last item on the contract would be a place for the client and myself to sign, print, and date as well as print addresses and phone numbers.

BOC Week 3: Sports Photo

There are many type of sports photography; this is an example of youth sports photography. As in any sport there are many opportunities to take pictures during the course of the event, yet being in the right place at the right time can bring the best results. Learning to see the sporting event through the lens of a camera literally is the only way to be ready to capture the shot when it presents itself. This sounds easier than it actually is most of the time. It is an art to anticipate where the next play may happen, or where to stand to be able to capture the most and best action.

I adjusted the colors in lightroom to give it the extra feel I wanted in this shot, other than that it is the way it looked straight out of the camera. I liked this shot for the way that it is framed, as well as the way the white side line runs thru the frame. I also love the way the sky blew out in an ark across the horizon to just above the ball. The long shadows also create interesting lines on the field.