MagicLantern and High Speed Photography

As stated earlier I was able to purchase a Canon 5D mk II (thankfully before they were discontinued). I also had learned of a firmware "hack" for this camera called, Magic Lantern. This add-on gives the 5D a bunch of extra abilities. The two that I have found the most useful for my style of photography is the increased AE brackets (up to 9 instead of 3) and the Audio trigger. 

The audio trigger does what it sounds like it does, the camera's built in mic hears a set db and triggers the camera to fire. The delay is pretty minimal and so I am able to experiment with high speed photography. Now mind you, the delay cannot be adjusted, only the db level. 

The image above is of a lit light bulb exploded using a pellet gun. The camera was set several feet away and zoomed in with a 70-300mm lens. A speedlight was set up to camera right, about 3 feet from the bulb. I stood several feet from the bulb and fired directly at it. The camera was fired upon hearing the trigger pull of the pellet gun. It was processed in Lightroom 4 only.

Working With Models, Fort Worth, TX

I had the chance to work with some fantastic models from the Campbell Agency. These guys were great. They were very good at their job and needed little to no direction. I would really like to work with them again on bigger photo shoots if possible. Maybe when I become a commercial photographer, I will be able to.

The Grassy Knoll, Dallas, TX

After living in the DFW area for several years, I finally decided to make my way to the infamous grassy knoll. In case you have lived under a rock for the past few decades, the grassy knoll is where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The street where he was shot is marked by two X's each representing each shot fired. After parking my car, I got out to stake out the area to find an interesting viewpoint to photograph from. As I was looking around, I found it somewhat surreal to see the tourists that came to see the spot where a man was killed. They stood on the grassy knoll posing for their picture with the two X's in the background. Others would brave the traffic to stand at the exact the spot where JFK met his end, turn towards a camera, and smile as if posing next to their favourite ride. I don't really know where I am going with this, other than that it all seemed so strange. Any ways, this is the image I came away with. I hope you enjoy.

Hardway Classic Cars, Haltom City, Texas

I got the opportunity to shoot the massive inventory of Hardway Classic Cars in Haltom City. You can find just about any car you want. I am really starting to like shooting cars, even though I know very little about them. I find that I enjoy focusing more on the shape of the car and not so much on details.

Dallas Fan Days 2012

So, I have made it to each of the conventions for this year. This is the last one for 2012. It was a really good convention, too. The good people that run these things did an excellent job in re-organization. I was only able to make it on Sunday, though. I was trooping with my costume group, the Outer Rim Brigade. This is the first time I have had the opportunity to go with a large group of like-minded individuals. It really made the event so much better. The pictures this time around were not as abundant with my previous coverage. So, I will be attending the next con for a few days. One day devoted to pictures and one day in costume. I can't wait to shoot the next one.

'64 International Truck with Peter Wolf

My good friend Peter Wolf offered up his beautiful 1964 International pickup truck for my photo shoot for today. I have been trying to do few more photos using vehicles as I am finding that I enjoy the images that I get from them. When I first decided step into the realm of paid professional photography, I never thought that I would end up liking auto photography. I am not a car guy by any stretch of the imagination, but I do appreciate the craftmanship that goes into making classics like these as well as more contemporary models. If you are looking for someone to photograph your car, truck, motorcycle, even a plane, let me know.

Halloween Portrait Sessions, Fort Worth, Tx

Halloween specials starting today.
1 Hour session for $40 up to 4 people. ($5 per extra person)
1 CD with high quality images for printing up to 5x7s and low resolution images for posting to your favorite social networking site.
Choice between 2 5x7s or 1 8x10
Printed in house with Canon Professional Glossy photo paper using Canon Ink for highest quality prints.
Prints mounted on 1/4 foam board ready to hang.

On Our Own: How I Shot That

This is a quick run through with the process used for making the series "On Our Own."


 The children were shot inside a studio with a simple two light setup. A medium softbox was setup to the camera right with a grid attached to the front. The light was at a 30 degree angle to the camera. The grid ensured that the light did not spill into the lens but directed at the subjects. It was placed slightly behind the subjects and set 1 stop over the key light to create a dramatic rim light. The key light was set forward of them and directly opposite the rim light. A large softbox was placed over the light to create a soft fill to the subjects. The camera was kept on a tripod for each shot, but I changed the angle and height to create a different look for each shot. After I got a shot I liked, I wrote down the information on placement of the camera (tripod height, angle, focal length). The aperture, shutterspeed, and ISO were kept the same.

The next step was to find the location I was going to fill the background in with. Once I decided on the location I would set up the camera using the information I wrote down back in the studio. I used available light only and shot in areas where there was not any discernible direction of light.

After getting the shots I wanted, I combined the image together using Topaz Remask and Photoshop CS6.

I saved back into Lightroom 4 and edited them some more.

For the final touches I used Color Efex Pro 4. The filters used were detail extractor, glamour glow, and cross processing.

On Our Own

Well, here is the completed collection of photos for my biggest and most complicated series so far. This shoot drained me physically, emotionally, and artistically. I would like to do a series like this again some time in the future. I have learned a lot from this series and if that is all that comes from it, than all the better.