Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Bass Harbor Lighthouse

Cami & I just walked in the door from a fantastic and relaxing week-long trek through scenic Maine.  The LIGHTBENDING 411 WORKSHOP at the end of the week went great!  But before I do a full write-up on that, I thought I’d post a few shots from our travels.  We spent several days in Bar Harbor, taking in the hikes and views of Acadia National Park. 

The first morning we were there I woke pre-dawn and drove to Bass Harbor Lighthouse to get a sun-rise shot.  It was cold and windy.  So I set my white-balance to a 4500K to draw out the cool tones and help evoke the mood of the morning.  I have a wonderful Cokin graduated tobacco filter I like using for landscapes.  But unfortunately I didn’t have it with me.  So when I brought the image in to Adobe Lightroom, I created a Virtual Copy of the image, and processed the second one at a much warmer 7000K white balance.  Combining the images in Adobe Photoshop allowed me to duplicate the effect of that graduated filter and brought back the natural color of the rocks while retaining the cool blue tone of the sky that I liked.  I shot this in two vertical frames that were stitched together for the final image.

Posted via email from Chris & Cami Photography

Friday, October 29, 2010

RadioPopper Goes to Romania

I have been a HUGE fan of RadioPoppers since they liberated me from the line-of-sight limitations of my Nikon Creative Lighting System.  I absolutely LOVE the versatility, dependability, and control that the whole Nikon CLS flash system gives me.  Extending all those qualities to HUNDREDS of feet instead of a couple dozen, and being able to place remote flashes around walls and behind subjects, all while maintaining full i-TTL functionality and high-speed-sync, truly allows me to bring my vision to life without any limitations. 

This past July I traveled to Romania with a very compact lineup of gear that included a RadioPopper Px System.  (To see some my other posts and photos from Romania, Click Here.)  I have a couple of tricks I’ll share some day that allow me to attach the units in a more compact and streamlined manner to my flashes.  This maximizes my opportunities and minimizes set-up, tear-down, and excess space in my camera bag…especially important while doing run-n-gun street-level travel assignments like this!

In spite of the different radio frequencies floating around most of Eastern Europe, I had absolutely no problems with interference.  My RadioPoppers worked every time and made for some really dramatic shots that never would have been possible without them!  Since I’m such a believer and real-world tester of their products, the wonderful folks at RadioPopper have been kind enough to sponsor my “Light Bending 411” wireless lighting workshops like the one I’m doing in Maine next week.  So please check them out at www.radiopopper.com and let me know if you have any questions or would like a discount code so you can order your own set!

Posted via email from Chris & Cami Photography

Kathy & Rusty's family at Folly Beach

I had a really fun time photographing Shelley, Chris, and their son Logan last year.  So I was ecstatic when her Mom called to ask me to photograph the WHOLE family.  J  It was so beautiful, peaceful, and un-crowded out on my favorite stretch of Folly Beach.  One of the joys of my job is getting to know folks as we walk to and from the beach…hearing about all the interesting things they do, their amazing accomplishments, their passions, and what’s important in their lives.  I’m so blessed to be able to do what I do!

Posted via email from Chris & Cami Photography

Alison & Kevin at Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian

Alison & Kevin had a GORGEOUS ceremony last Saturday!  The sky was blue, the temperature was perfect, and Alison & Kevin were a BLAST to hang out with!!!

I met up with them at Alhambra Hall where the wedding party was getting ready.  Kevin & Alison shared their “First Glance” shortly after that, giving us time to get some fun wedding party photos before heading to the church.  Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian has a beautiful historic sanctuary that I love photographing in.  We always obey each church’s protocol, even if it means no photography inside the sanctuary during the worship service.  But I was kindly allowed to polish the glass windows at the back to shoot through them from the foyer, and also mount my fisheye remote camera on the balcony for some unique shots.

After the ceremony, Alison & Kevin burst from the church to an excited gathering of friends and family clapping and blowing bubbles as they rode off on their horse-drawn carriage.  The reception followed at the always-popular Alhambra Hall.  It was an EXCITING party with lots of laughter, emotional toasts, crazy dancing, and a beautiful sunset for some of my favorite shots of the day.  Later, a full moon rose in time for me to grab a couple dramatic images before Alison & Kevin made their grand escape among waving multi-colored glow sticks.  What a FANTASTIC day!

Alison & Kevin, may the joyous glow of your love for each other never fade…

Posted via email from Chris & Cami Photography