Hello all,

I was browsing the other day and came across two very informative / educational videos about photography.  The first video is from the Science Channel's DeConstructed show.  They take an in-depth look at how modern DSLRs work.  I like that they take apart the camera and show how each piece works and explain it's purpose.  That link is right here:

http://science.discovery.com/videos/deconstructed-shorts-how-do-digital-cameras-use-light.html

The second video is from the Discovery Channel How It's Made show.  This clip explains how modern photographic lenses are made.  Surprisingly, its still largely a hand-made process, which explains why some lenses can cost several thousand dollars!  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am5wJUEiNAI

This past Sunday we participated in the Ohio Bridal Expo at the Aladdin Shrine Center in Columbus, Ohio.  This was our second year exhibiting and we had a great time meeting all of the potential Kaufman Kramer brides for 2010 and 2011.  During the show, I was able to snap some photos of the booth, expo floor and one of the fashion shows that took place during the expo.  I hope the photos give you guys an idea of what the show was like.  Enjoy.

Date: January 31, 2010

Time: 11 am to 4 pm

Location: Aladdin Shrine Center, 3850 Stelzer Rd., Columbus, Ohio

Admission Cost: $8/per person

Fashion Show Times: 12:30 pm & 2:30 pm

Click HERE for more detailed information.

To download a copy of of our 2010 Client Information Sheet, click here. 

We look forward to speaking with you soon!

Hey everyone! I've been working on some 'behind the scenes' stuff all day and thought I'd take a break to peruse some blogs. One that I've started to check out is Switched.com. They recently did a story on Chase Jarvis, a photographer that we have been following for a few years now.

Chase created an iPhone app called "Best Camera" that allows people to share their photos seamlessly with Facebook, Twitter, email, etc… without having to use 4-5 different apps. Now, I don't have an iPhone yet (still waiting for some other network to pick them up) but I think Chase's message was good. Just take photos.

The video I linked to really showcases how the app is used to free you up to focus on the image. Chase says, "The Best Camera is the one you have with you…Photography is becoming a huge part of our culture… incidentally, because the capture devices are getting so cheap and so available and the opportunities and the means by which we share that material is so at our fingertips. I love it. I think it's amazing."

His message is great because he talks about how important it is to capture moments, which is the entire focus and driving force behind our photography. I thought you would get a kick out of this video. Perhaps it will inspire those of you out there with nothing more than a cell phone camera to start shooting.

-Steve

This year we are taking our presence at bridal shows to the next level.  Steve, Brad and I are really proud of the booth we have put together for this year's shows.  It features some of our most stunning work displayed in a variety of ways. Featured predominantly on our back 'wall' is a canvas cluster surrounding a large 20"x30" canvas print featuring our brand new logo. Major props to Brad for devising a system to hang these clusters.  We are using a complex grid of high strength wire that enables us to position the canvas in virtually any position we desire.

Moving down from the canvas cluster, you can see our dueling 24" iMacs featuring our favorite Animoto videos.  They are surrounded by some simple but effective IKEA furniture that creates an ambiance that you rarely find at bridal shows. Our booth has a distinctive 'warm' feeling that appeal to a lot of the brides that stop by.

One of the most popular parts of our booth is our album table.  This small round table placed at the outermost corner of our booth draws in most people as they walk by our booth.  We feature our finest GraphiStudio sample albums at this table which always seem to be a great conversation starter.

We are trying to go green and reduce printing costs this year, so the only things that we are giving away at the booth are a simple bookmark with links to our website and business card.  As some of you might have noticed, we have a 2010 client information PDF posted on our home page.  By downloading this PDF, potential clients can read through nine glorious pages of information about who we are, what we do, and what we bring to the table.

I look forward to seeing past, current, and future clients at our upcoming bridal shows!
 

As I continue to evolve as a photographer I find that one of the most challenging tasks is making artificial light look realistic.  It's a delicate balancing act.  Natural light, artificial light, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all have to work together in harmony to achieve your desired result.  Getting to that final balance is no easy task.  It requires the image maker to have a intimate knowledge of each of the elements, and what their impact will be on your final exposure.

Every photographer has their own approach to lighting.  Some use trial and error until they see what they like. Others pre-visualize entire scenes and can see the final image before they even take out their camera.  Perfectionists can use light meters to tweak the exposure using 1/10th stop increments. 

What's my approach?  It varies.  It can depend on time restrictions, subject, equipment, time of day, and of course how I'm feeling at any given moment.

Let's look at a the evolution of a shot that I recently created.

This first test shot is crucial.  It shows me how the camera is seeing the scene, and where the natural light is coming from. From here I can begin to understand where my light needs to be, and how much light I will need.

Subsequent test shots reveal how my light is impacting the scene.  From here I can move and shape the light into a more pleasing source.  At the same time I can give the model instructions as to how they need to interact and orient to the light source. I will also begin to adjust light output to more closely match the natural light in the scene.

When trying to balance ambient and artificial light, I will often do a before and after comparison to see if my light is believable or not.  In this particular shot, I have included a practical (cinema term for a light source that is present within the frame) to give the viewer an realistic place that the light should be coming from.  This helps to hide the fact that I am using artificial light and makes the scene more believable.

As you can see in the final exposure, I continue to tweak wardrobe, camera position, and model position until I am happy.  Throughout the entire process I continually re-evaluate the light an shadows to make sure everything is balanced.

Did you attend the Today's Bride Bridal Show in Cleveland on January 17th? If so, here's some additional information about our studio:

To download a copy of of our 2010 Client Information Sheet, click here. 

We look forward to speaking with you soon!