A while back, I got a call from a friend asking me if I would be interested in shooting a company portrait for her.  After we worked out the details of the shoot and did some location scouting at their building, I was ready to roll on the day of the shoot.  

The concept was simple and straightforward.  Shoot a portrait of the company (60-70) people outside in their parking lot.  Make sure everyone is visible and try to make them look good. I said to myself "sure, no problem...I do this all the time at weddings".

I got to the location, and then the fun began. Here's how that conversation went:

Client: "Hi Chris, lovely weather we are having today!"
Me: "Ah yes, cloudy and drab.  Change of plans?"
Client: "Yes...and by the way, the company meeting is running late, and the management team has a conference call sooner than expected, so you'll have five minutes, OK?"
Me: "Sounds perfect, I'll start setting up."

I even had time to do a little video describing my setup. I've also included the final product for you to see. Enjoy!

(Click for a larger version)

Hello everyone.

I wanted to post up a much-desired video of the speeches from Jessica and Kevin's wedding a few months back. We don't typically shoot too much video during wedding day, but we always have a blog cam on us just in case we want to grab a quick vid here or there.

I love listening to speeches... and we've heard some really great ones over the years. Jessica and Kevin are very fortunate to have wonderful friends and family and we wanted to post this just so they have an extra-cool memory from their special day. Congratulations once again you two! Enjoy!

Date: February 28, 2010

Time: 11 am to 4 pm

Location: Columbus Conventsion Center - Battelle Grand, 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!

During the winter it gets a bit harder to find the motivation to grab your camera and go make pictures.  The thing that I hate the most is when I am out shooting and I can no longer feel my hands.  Or when you have to make a finite adjustment to your camera and you can't quite hit that little button without taking off your glove...at which point you are screwed because you've exposed your skin to the elements. All complaining aside, I think getting out and shooting during the winter is a true test of commitment and motivation.  If you can muster the courage to brave the elements more often than not you will be rewarded for your efforts.

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.

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.