Get on the Boat

Get on the Boat:  We have been doing this blog for nearly thirty days.  We have had 1535 views over 24 posts.
Not bad for the first month. I just realized that nobody could figure out how to respond, comment, join or anything else because the site was incomplete.

I encourage all of you to Like It, Share it, Follow it, Tweet it, and link to it.   Moving forward, I want to make this an interactive/sharing site that is about Photography, life, interesting events, and the art industry.

The photo below is called, Get on the Boat
It was taken at Kirkwood Lake near the Ski resort.  The shot was "as is", unstaged
I think if I could just do just one type of photography, this would be it....The stuff that makes you want to be there.
What do you think of this photo?  Tell us about your favorite photo of all time?

See more images at: www.captivatingphotos.net

The Road not traveled

The road not traveled:  The composite shown below was done a few years ago, when we were considering steering our business towards the Martial Arts world. We did a few Martial arts tournaments then realized it was not a sport we wanted to pursue.  Both images below were shot during live competition which is very challenging because the participants are always moving and switching direction.  Getting the color right is another challenge because of mixed lighting in the gym, as well as the reflected colors picked up by white gees from the brightly colored floor mats.  The biggest challenge we faced was from EWACCS, Yep the dreaded EWACCS, (Everyone with a Cell Phone, Camera, or Scarnner)! The EWACCS are ninja-like, shrewd and merciless. You could have the perfect angle to get the Sports Illustrated shot of the century when It seemed every parent would jump right in the way just the right moment, so they could get that dark out of focus shot with their cell phone.  It made me want to invest in a taser!

www.captivatingsportsphotos.net

Great Photo, but greater story!

Great Photo, but greater story:  Brigitte headed out one morning to visit the Isenberg reserve, and to photograph the local bird population.  While driving she saw a Redtail hawk on the ground fairly close to the road,  so she approached slowly so not to scare it off.  She took a few pictures and kept moving closer to the bird.  As she closed the distance she was surprised at how close she was able to get, finally noticing that the bird was injured.  It was a rare opportunity to be this close to such a beautiful bird, so she took lots of close up images.  When done Brigitte knew if she did not do something the bird would certainly die, so she recruited a farmer to help capture the bird.  Brigitte transported the injured hawk to the veterinary hospital at UC Davis who specialize in Raptors.  The vets looked at the bird and determined the injuries were too severe, and euthanize the animal.

Afterwards, Brigitte sat in her car a while thinking about the days events when she noticed something unusual. She noticed that the local crows were using the road as their personal nut cracker.  The crows would fly up and drop their walnuts on the road then rush down to protect and collect their reward then repeat.  Brigitte watched this intelligent activity for a while, and took a few photos to document the activity.

You never know what each day will bring.  Brigitte thought the story of the day was her interaction with the injured hawk, but the crows ended up being the bigger story.  The crow story and photos were published in Birder's World Magazine.

www.captivatingphotos.net

My Hardest Shot Yet

My Hardest Shot yet!:  The County's Administration Building in Downtown Stockton was one of our greatest projects to date. We contributed nearly 70 very large prints to the Artwork within the building.  When the project was nearly complete, we were asked to do a night photo of the building with the building all lit up.  We had to coordinate the shot with the facilities department who controlled most of the interior lights via computer.  Some of the remaining lights were manually controlled, and being good employees people kept turning lights off as we were trying to get the shot.  Brigitte was in constant communication with  the facilities staff, but they could never get everything on at the same time.  Outside the building, I was on top of my car with a tripod in the middle of a live and very active intersection.  Passers but were curious, Police kept driving by looking at what we were doing, and traffic never stopped. Passing cars posed yet another obstacle because I did not want the light trails in the photo, so I had to wait for breaks in traffic. In all we shot for nearly an hour in changing light conditions from dust to dark, and in the end the shot below was my favorite.  We printed this image on a sheet of Aluminum and had it custom framed. The image is 48" X 64" and is on display in the lobby of the same building.

Image was captured at: ISO 400, 6 sec at F.20 on a tripod using mirror lockup and a shutter release.

www.captivatingphotos.net

I got me some old nuts!

I got me some old nuts!:  Hopefully the title got you to look!  I was out driving around Ripon today hoping to photograph Almond Blossoms at their peak.  I in my travels I found this old barn and Walnut conveyor that looks like it was shut down right in the middle of harvest.  I switched to my 17-40mm lens and applied a circular polorizer to enhance the sky.  I had to remove a dead Opossum from the walnut pile, I'm sure you understand why.  I took several versions of the scene.  I just love the old rustic look of the scene.
Handheld  ISO 400 F18 at 1/40


See more cool photos at:  www.captivatingphotos.net

EWACCS "EWOKS"

Anybody that spends enough time around me will here me refer to "EWACCS" which stands for "EVERYONE WITH A CELL PHONE, CAMERA, OR SCANNER".  These EWAACS are killing the photography business.  Here's how EWACCS work.
You provide perfect posing, lighting, and composition and they push you out of the way to take the shot with their cell phone.
You take an awesome group photo and offer it for sale. One of the EWACCS will buy the cheapest possible photo and scan it in a home for all of their friends.
Everyone who owns a digital camera thinks he or she is a professional photographer then puts an ad on Craigslist offering wedding photography for $50.00, or they will do you event for free.  Sounds to good to be true, and it is until you see the quality of their images.
We do a lot of events where we print the photos for immediate sale.  We have had many people take pictures of their pictures on their cell phone to try and get it for free.
So here's a slap in the face,  Read the writing on the image below,  Brigitte found this on someone's Blog!

Simply my favorite

Simply my favorite:  This is a simple photo of a lone tree in and empty field against a colorful sunset.
The composition is very simple and uncluttered and the tree is properly placed in the right third of the shot.
This is hands down the simplest Image I have, yet it is one of by best sellers.  It was also published in Photographer's Forum Magazine's "Best of Photography 2009"
I love it, and I am thankful that I was able to capture it correctly.
Shot with Canon EOS 1D Mark 3,  24-105mm lens,  ISO 200, 1/125 at F10  Handheld

See more images at: www.captivatingphotos.net

What a blast

What a blast:  As some of you know we cover a ton of Running and cycling events each year.  In October we got to cover our first Mud Run where teams and individuals run an obstacle course with lots of mud.  What a blast! I had so much fun photographing it that I wanted to put a team together and participate in it next year.
Everybody had a blast: The promoters, the runners, the spectators, and us we all had a down and dirty good time.
The next time you are taking life too seriously,  dive into a mud pit............It will change you entire outlook.

See more at: www.captivatingsportsphotos.net

The smallest things

The smallest things can often be the coolest.  A few years ago we got a new Macro lens, and Brigitte was just itching to try it out.  She went into the backyard to experiment and she came upon this little flower with a tiny spider inside.  The flower is the size of a dime, so that shows you just how small the spider was.  I love the selective focus and limited depth of field.   This was shot with a Canon EOS 20D, 100mm Macro, on a tripod
400 ISO, 1/3200 at F3.5 EV-1
I love the composition!

Big Fish, Little pond

Big Fish, Little Pond:  When Brigitte and I started our Photography business we had big dreams of Safaris in Africa, and Expeditions to the great unknown.  We bought all the right equipment, and started making the right contacts.  We were well accepted in NANPA (North American Nature Photographers Association), and on our way.  We met with many of the top professionals in the business who gave us lots of great advice.  I believe it was Kathy Adams Clark who gave us the best advice.  She said something along this line:  Competing with world class photographers on the world's stage is exhausting, expensive, and only a fraction of a percent of people make a dent.  The smarter person will develop a niche, or become the best in their perspective area of expertise.  Millions of people will photograph Yellowstone, and Yosemite; is that where you truly want to compete?  What new do you have to offer that hasn't been done a thousand times?

So we reevaluated and changed our approach  we have found a few areas that we seem to be pretty good at.
Now our goal is to fine tune, practice, focus, and see if we can become sucessful at what we love.

There are scenic places all over our region,  here is a local shot I like:

See more photos at: www.captivatingphotos.net

Setting up the shot

Setting up the shot:
I have done several assignments for the same client,  a surgical clinic in the Bay Area.  For months they have wanted me to shoot a large group shot for their website, but getting their staff together was always a big challenge.  Finally this week they had an opportunity.  They informed me that I needed to shoot a group shot of 35 people in a small area, and it had to be edited as a panorama. Oh! by the way I had to do it in 15 minutes or less.
So here is how I pulled it off:  I shot it with my Canon 1D mark 3, with a 17-40mm lens opened up to 17mm.
I took combined light meter readings at my desired depth of F8 which I new would give me the depth of field needed to get everyone clear.  I shot with the camera tethered to a laptop so I could view it on a larger screen to be sure it was clear.
I had my assistant Ivan watching the screen and the group to make sure everyone was visible and properly spaced.
For lighting I used my Canon 580ex off camera at full power and bounced the flash off of a 54" white defuser.  I pretested this lighting set up, and new it was the best choice for the situation.

See more images at: www.captivatingphotos.net

A little down in the mouth!

A Little down in the mouth!
This is a fun photo chosen to show you that you don't need to to travel the world to get cool images.
This image was captured at a local park in Sacramento that had a little pond.  These types of parks are good spots to shoot because the birds are quite used to human interaction, and much easier to get a good close up. I recall visiting Elk Grove Park a few years ago to find a whole Wood Duck family that was very approachable. If you are just learning, and don't have hi dollar equipment this is a great training ground.

Beautiful People

Beautiful People:  We photograph thousands of people each year, and I truly enjoy connecting with the all of the people:  Men, Women, Kid's, Seniors, Couples, or groups.  When people step in front of my camera,  magic happens the magic of connection.  It's almost like I can see inside of them to the beauty that's within...
It is those moments that make this line of work truly special, and I am thankful for the opportunity.
I know I only showed you the gorgeous women, but that was to get you to read the blog.  Hope it worked.

See more portrait samples at: www.captivatingphotos.net

Amazing Panorama

Amazing Panorama:  Most people who have attenpted shooting and stiching panoramas are very careful when shooting.  Got to be on a tripod, got to have a 20% overlap, and everything must be just right.
This shot of the Mothball Fleet in Susuin Bay near Martinez Ca, was made from 4 seperate photos taken handheld from a moving boat traveling at 7 Knots, with a steady 15 MPH headwind.
Amazing, and lucky.

Photo/s by Brigitte Clough

See more of our work at www.captivatingphotos.net

Distorted view

Distorted view:  I never forget a photo opportunity once I see it.  About 3 years ago we walked into the lobby of a downtown Stockton building and saw this awesome stairway.  Brigitte and I both said it would make a cool backdrop for a bridal shot.  For years it has been in the back of my mind waiting for the right opportunity.  Well a few weeks ago I was testing an 8-15mm fisheye lens, and I could not think of a better place to test it out.  I shot this stairway from multiple angles and vantage points, but I think I like this shot best.  Fisheyes are fun to play with, but I'm not sure I would use it enough to warrant the purchase....It's not really what I do.

Never give up

Never give up regardless of bad weather.  Sometimes the worse the weather gets, the better the opportunities.  Brigitte and I try to visit Klammath Falls, Oregon every February to photograph all of the Wintering Bald Eagles. A few years we visited and were met with the worst weather ever.  It was pounding snow with gail force winds.  Most of the birds we grounded in low spots to hide from the wind.  We discussed not going out, but decided to see what we could find.  It turn out to be a good day.  The Northern Harrier in the photo below was unconcerned with our presence worried more about surviving the conditions.  Harriers are normally very camera shy,   Brigitte shot this from out of the car window with her Canon 500mm f.4 lens

See more bird images at www.captivatingphotos.net

Art in Agriculture

Art in Agriculture:
There is art in everything,  you just need to know how to capture it.  The shot below was done by Brigitte a few years ago.  We were approached by a Tomato Grower to do some photos for their business.  We met at one of their fields in Byron, Ca. just before sunrise.  We wasted no time getting busy.  Brigitte saw a beautiful opportunity using the sunrise as a backdrop.  She quickly placed herself in a great position to perfectly capture the moving harveter and leading lines.  The dynamics of this shot made it very difficult: Shooting a moving object in very low light, handheld, while standing in muddy tomatoes.  Once again she shows her dedication, drive, and eye for the shot. 

Here is the image, and a sample of how it was used by the client

See more ag images at www.captivatingphotos.net

Charred Remains

Charred Remains:  I had a meeting today in Vallejo, Ca.  Since there was a lot of driving involved, I took my camera with me.  After the meeting I decided to explore the area.  My travels took be over the bridge to Mare Island, the former Navel Base.  I drove all over the facility looking at all of the cool spots for future photography,  and then headed out a different way than I came in.  As I reached the outer edge of Mare Island I saw smoke.  I stopped at what looked like a building that had just been bombed, and the wreckage was still smoldering.  I must have just missed the fire department because there were still flames in some spots.  I grabbed my camera an explored the site for about an hour walking through the twisted & charred remains.  I could feel the heat rising up from the ground, and the scene reminded me of the lava flows on the Island of Hawaii.  It was an old warehouse about the size of two football fields, built in a time when they used real wood and heavy beams.  I was very dramatic and humbling to walk through.

Sports Photography

Two years ago we decided to pursue Sports photography.  We had an opportunity to shoot a Marathon in Sacramento for a larger company.  Since then we created www.captivatingsportsphotos.net  and have gone after the market offering our own brand of Sports Photography.  There was a ton of learning involved, but we have managed to work out many of the kinks and roadblocks.

Shooting large events and capturing thousands of quality images in just a few hours is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, and is not for everyone.  I personally like it because it is a hi-energy situation, and challenges me to be my best.  In our sports photos we try to provide good action shots while including the landscape, this helps provide a sense of place.  This image was taken at the Wine Vine Run in Paso Robles, Ca. The course runs through the Meridian Winery, so we like to show the grape vines in the background.

Sometimes you just get lucky!

Sometimes you just get lucky!  A few years ago I was driving in Tracy, California, looking to do some photos of wind turbines against the green foothills.  As I drove back into town I saw a plume of black smoke up ahead.  I passed under the Grant line Rd overpass, and when I got to other side I looked up to see this truck fully engulfed in flames.  It was a very dramatic scene, and just ahead of the wreckage was the driver on his cell phone.  I could only imagine the phone conversation, "Hello Boss, I am going to be a bit late....and ummm, well ummm  I had a little fender bender.....ummm....."

I titled this image, A bad day at work.

This is dedication

Brigitte, my wife,  is a true professional photographer with a passion for birds, and Sandhill Cranes is one of her birds of choice. Her dedication, and patience is amazing....I don't have it,  and few people do.

What does it take for an award winning shot?

We spend one or two days previewing the area looking for nesting pairs of birds; looking at the accessability, and how the light will be in the morning.  When she is ready for the shoot we get up two hours before sunrise and drive to the predetermined site.   Operating in the dark, Brigitte quietly moves into position often climbing fences, rocks, crossing creeks, and hiking distances while packing in all of her heavy gear.........  On this particular day she fell and sprained her ankle.

Keep in mind that this picture was made at the end of May in the hi Sierras,  so it was about 37 degrees.
Brigitte laid still in a Camo Blind for about 3-4 hours....Freezing

What was I doing?  I was snoozing in the nice was vehicle.

Sunset and Night photography

While playing around with some new lenses last week I stopped on Treasure Island to do some sunset and night images of the San Francisco skyline.  This shot was made from 5 photos stiched together in photoshop with the sunburst added in post production,  Shot with a tripod mounted Canon EOS 1d mark 4 with a Canon 24-105mm lens.

Surgery

I recently had a cool opportunity,  I did a photo shoot for a Surgical clinic who needed images for their new website.  The biggest problem was shooting all of the images in the wide aspect ratio shown in the webpage below.  The fun part was getting all dressed up in the scrubs, cap, mask, and booties.  We spents about 8 hours shooting Pre op, post op, and the operating rooms to get about 20 good images.  In planning for the shoot we showed up with big lights, reflectors, and several other items, but in the end most images were shot with a single flash bounced off of a big white ceiling while balancing with ambient light.

See more of our work at:
www.captivatingphotos.net
or
www.captivatingsportsphotos,net