SWYLLWYS Blog

Inspiration for your photographs will not just come from visual stimulation, feel your photographs.

Recharge

The sun burns through the clouds in Northern California south of  the Oregon border.

One of the most important things you can do is recharge your batteries.  I'm not talking about charging your camera batteries, but that is important as well, but your batteries.  Unfortunately we are not equipped with a gauge to let us know when we are running low and at times you can be completely drained without even realizing it.  When that does happen you need to find a way to recharge.  For me trying something new,  or going somewhere new charges my creative batteries.

An old stump that has a new life giving life to other fauna Woodsy Woods located in an undisclosed location in Redmond, Washington.

When you do set out to recharge, remember that you can always make it an event to share with others, just remember to keep things balanced.  What might be fun to you as a photographer might not resonate with your friends and family.  With some planning you can get the shots that you want while having a good time with your friends and family.

My son in front of an infinity window at the EMP museum in Seattle, Washington #sacramentoproud.

When the opportunity arrives you need to be ready and deliberate in your shooting.  Moments are fleeting and you will not always have control of your subject, light, and possibly location.

A look at a storm approaching Seattle, Washington from the observation deck of the Space Needle. 

Always remember that what you see may be different than what others see.  How you visualize and interpret your world is what makes you unique.  Share your world with others and do not be afraid to tread your own path.

A natural archway in the Woodsy Woods located in an undisclosed location in Redmond, Washington.

The best way to recharge is to Shoot What You Love and Love What You Shoot.

Megapixel Wars

It's not breaking news, but the megapixel wars seem to be back on.  Well they are back on for the two major manufacturers that are lagging on the innovation front, namely Canon and Nikon.  Nikon struck first with the D800 and D800E (the D800E subtracts the Optical Low Pass Filter OLPF to increase sharpness)  and subsequently followed by the D810 (no OLPF) all flexing a massive 36.3 megapixel full frame CMOS sensor.  The comparisons were abound, it was unheard of.  Studio photographer Alex Koloskov even did a full comparison with a medium format Hasselblad H4D40.  To see his results check out his Photigy website.  The results were amazing the Nikon truly held it's ground against the larger Hasy.  

Next to the party was Canon's entries.  Just as Nikon had done Canon released two megapixel beasts each with a mind bending 50.6 megapixels.  I'll give you a moment to drink that down.  It's just flat out crazy.  As I mentioned, Canon followed the Nikon road of two models of basically the same camera the 5DS and the 5DS R.  What's the difference you might ask, just like Nikon the 5DS R lacks the OLPF.  I take that back the OLPF is there but the effect has been cancelled.  Odd, so is it just a tweak in software that cancels the feature?  I wouldn't be surprised if the good folks over at MagicLantern have already started to provide this hack. 

So chose your side in the crazy megapixel war, or chose to ignore the war.  Chances are you don't need 36.3 or 50.6 megapixels.  The casual photographer will take the shot do some post processing and put it up for the world to see on any of the myriad of social networks.  Facebook displays your images proudly at 1 to 2 MB.  With the D810 file sizes weighting in at around 40 to 50 MB it's not a far stretch to put the 5DS in the 70 to 80 MB.  Talk about bringing a tank to a rubber band  fight.  This is not to say that these cameras don't hold a spot in the right photographers hands.  The D810 has been applauded for its amazing landscape photography rendering as well as a fantastic studio camera choice and the same might prove to be for Canon's 5DS/5DS R, only time will tell.  The Nikon's have earned there way in to the hand of studio photographers and the tripods of landscape photographers.  As I mentioned earlier the comparison that Alex Koloskov made with the D800E and Hasselblad only furthers this point.  I don't expect to see D800/E/D810 cameras on the sidelines of a basketball, football, baseball etc. game, just as I don't expect to see Hasselblads on the sidelines.  

So what does all of this mean for the casual photographer?  If one of these cameras is the right choice for you, then by all means pick one up.  For everyone else remember that the lure of the mighty megapixel is not the determining be all end all factor.  You ultimately have to decide what will best work for you.

What am I shooting?  As of today June 5 2015 I have a Nikon D610 with a lowly 24.3 megapixels.  Out of the shot in the header of this post I was easily to crop down and pull the image below. No matter how many megapixels you have remember Shoot What You Love, Love What You Shoot.

My first time...

I remember the first wedding I shot like it was yesterday.  It was a learning curve accelerated and I mean Bugatti Veyron accelerated.  Despite the challenges, both expected and unexpected, I enjoyed the day.  

Ready to become one. 

It was a late July day and around here you can bet that it will be a warm day, and it was pushing just over 100 degrees by the afternoon.  I woke up early that morning and started my routine.  I triple checked my gear, the batteries had been charged the night before, the cards were freshly formatted, and my bags were packed.  It was to be a casual "Hawaiian" themed wedding so I dressed accordingly with khaki pants a black Tommy Bahama Hawaiian style shirt and some comfortable loafers.  I jumped in the car and headed out.

I arrived early to set my gear and get my bearings, having attended the rehearsal I had the general plan of the day set to memory and I was to the races.  I had all of the preliminary shots that I needed listed so I quickly knocked those out all the while keeping an eye out for that candid moment that could easily be missed.  As with most weddings the focus was on the bride but I make sure to pay as much attention to the groom as well.  

If there is one constant that I have learned from shooting weddings, it's that the unexpected might as well be the expected.  The wedding started a bit late and it steamrolled from there.  The ceremony began and the shutter was clicking.  Shooting the wedding alone I was all over the place.  One thing I forgot to mention, the wedding and reception took place outside with limited shade.  My gear was definitely getting a heat stress test, and I was proud of the way it performed.  I was also getting a heat test of my own, looking back I should have worn shorts seeing how I was the only guy in long pants, and yes the groom was in shorts.

The  wedding party. 

The  wedding party. 

As a wedding photographer you find yourself wearing many hats, you are there to provide a service and at times you will find yourself going beyond what you might consider the norm.  This is what you do, you are there to help out need be.  On my first wedding I realized that and I have embraced it.  This is there day and if you can do something to ease the stress do it and definitely do not add to the stress. 

 So was it an easy day, no.  Would I do it again, of course I would.  I love photography.  Spending time with people on such a joyous day only feeds my soul, it pushes me to do the best job that I can for the couple.  A wedding is a beautiful and happy day, I feel honored and privileged to be a part in a couples special day. 

A little bit of life advice. 

A little bit of life advice. 

Shooting weddings is not for everyone, it's a demanding day of shooting followed by hours of work in the digital darkroom that is known as your post production work flow.  If you love what you are doing, well that will make your job that much better and it will show in your work.  So as I always say Shoot What You Love Love What You Shoot.

Opportunity

You never know when opportunity will strike and what it can lead to.  There will be times in your photography life that you will have to decide if you want to take a chance on the unknown.   One simple act can lead to an other and before you know it you are given an opportunity to do something that you never saw coming.  I know this to be true, it happened to me just last year.

Our director was retiring and several events were planned in his honor.  An employee car show was one such event, so with camera in hand I headed over to the show.  There were many great autos on display.  While taking shots I talked to the various owners.  As I was headed back to my office I stopped at one more car, a classic Chevy.  I asked the owner if he wanted a photo of him with his car, with his positive response I grabbed a photo and asked him if he would like a copy, got his name and email and that was it.  That night I edited the photo and dropped an email to him.  He thanked me in reply and that was it, or so I thought.  

Fast forward roughly six months and we crossed paths in the hallway.  He stopped me and asked me if I was still taking pictures and if so would I like to do some work for a new web page he was developing.  He told me what he needed and I set out to find the right shot.  A few more shots were added and eventually the project came to fruition.  With the project complete her asked if I could help with one more project.  After many meetings we decided on a photo and the wheels were in motion.  

The project was completed and published.  I have to be honest, it was great seeing my photos printed by the thousands.  Then came the real surprise, I was nominated for two awards and I won both of them!  I was awarded a directors pin, as well as more opportunities to pursue my love of photography.