A fuzzy photo of a sharp idea : A sharp photo of a fuzzy idea :

Both photos say pretty much the same thing… there is beauty in Hawaii. One might just be a pretty picture to look at. The other makes us wonder. Shouldn’t ‘good art’ do both?

Pretty with a Feeling

Sure, we indulge in pretty pictures like a light-hearted romantic comedy. Nothing wrong with that. Other times we want to think critical or challenge convention… like watching an Oscar-nominated flick.

Making a great photograph has little to do about a camera, but everything to do about composition, lighting, and a revealing moment. In fine art wedding photography, I love rewarding clients with not only a great experience but gem images that illustrate a feeling… an experience.

I love this image from Jenn & Mike’s wedding at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Saturday … thank you for treating me like ohana : Blog readers : What ever you do today, whoever you hold… soak it in and take a mental snap shot of just one moment and store it into your heart. Laugh a bit longer. Hug a bit longer. Talk a bit longer to someone special who lives far away… better yet, Skype. Take an extra moment for yourself. Start another game of Words with Friends. Ever feel like the more we try and hold one to moments, the more it wants to slip away and fade into a fuzzy detail? A polaroid, a love note, or annoying beach sand in your shoes is all it takes to bring it all back.

Grab it while you got it! Happy Monday ! Mahalo!

“You will accomplish more in 11 months than 12,” I thought to myself, feeling a need for a break.

My solution? I woke before dawn, hopped on the beach cruiser and pedaled for 6 hours. I love just wandering and visually exploring with a time sense in the world. It was a treat, a perfect way to recharge, slowing down and get out. I love speaking with random people on the street and photographing a few of them. It builds courage. But also offers a genuine human experience, on part with conversations with friends. Otherwise I could easily stare into my MacBook Pro for 11 hours, leaving me lonely with tense shoulders as the day slips away. Carpe diem.

Getting ready to start another whirlwind adventure on my 2012 calendar this week and leave this beautiful island on Monday and head to Arizona to teach a workshop and shoot in the slot canyons near Paige, AZ. Super stoked about going from one extreme to another. But before that, a quick recap from the week :

• Arguing with my brother over wiffle ball rules and trash. On the beach. Pinch me. {trash talking allowed}
• Skyping with a adorable couple in New York about their wedding next October. Gosh, autumn in New York. I can hear Frank Sinatra singing now.
• Juggling timezones and connecting with the Dave Gallagher, Steve Hendrix, Doug Peterson, and Bryant Genesi at Capture Integration for their amazing service. Be sure to speak with them if you have any interest in destination wedding photography with a medium format (MF) digital camera like the PhaseOne IQ 180.
• Being a student of photography again by connecting with mentors and pushing my limits of creativity with new tools. From polaroids to Nikons, iPhones to a PhaseOne 645 DF… they are just tools to do a job.

Off to photographing a destination wedding in Oahu today!! Super stoked!

Visual treats from yesterday’s Kailua photo safari: A perfect combo wrap to a grand Friday: guys poker night and my first light painting with MF digital! PhaseOne P30+ medium format digital back / Phase One 645DF camera / Schneider-Kreuznach 80mm leaf shutter (LS) lens.

I found this 1937 gem after cracking the cover of a book I stumbled upon for $20 find at Bookends, a used gently used book store in Kailua, Hawaii. I felt compelled to share my Cliff’s Notes :

10 Truisms, 75 Years Later :

1. Tell a picture story, and tell it well. This goes without much explaining in the world of digital photography. There is no room for the full type of picture which tells little or nothing. According to Ezickson, the image must be informative and carry immediate interest which may depend upon action, personal emotions, adventure, the strange, the everyday events revealed from a fresh slant.’
2. Be cool in emergency. This might take years of training to keep eyes and hands and nerves steady at critical moments. Avoid stage fright.
3. Be friendly. While you might straighten your tie or look twice in the mirror.
4. Watch trends. Know your market carefully and be well conversant in your genre, including key players.
5. David can beat Goliath. Freelancers can still out scoop a staff photographer, thanks to social networks like blogs, Twitter, and the like.
6. Accept jobs willingly. Not every shoot is a Grace Ormonde feature or New York Times spread. Moments and incidents we shoot often are drab and dull, however it is up to us to make them interesting. Do your duty and do it well. If you treat most people decently they will likely reciprocate.
7. Steady persistence pays. You may not acquire perfection in the first few attempts at anteing, but conscious efforts and hard work and patience will in the long run reward you with pictures which will not only satisfy yourself but please even a discriminating audience.
8. Dull pictures bore. There is no room for the type of picture that tells little or nothing.
9. Exclusive remains important. Editors want to publish a picture rivals don’t have.
10. Do your own book reports. It’s easy to read other’s thoughts, gloss over, and be on with you day. Think critically, arrive at your own conclusions, share. These are MY thoughts to pass along.

In the iPhone age, the best camera is the one that’s with you … yet the same ideas existed 75 years ago, illustrated by Ezickson: “ The miniature camera has accomplished one big thing.  As a bright new weapon in the ceaseless quest for the photographic gem, it has stirred the imaginations of thousands to the possibilities of new triumphs in the photographic field…. to new vistas of accomplishment… and record new picture documents to give the world as imperishable data.”

My jaw dropped after seeing the author signed these very pages… in my very hands, at this pivotal point in my life, watching a sunrise on Kailua, Hawaii : As an extension of my gratitude for your readership, I share a bit of creative energy… an image created shortly after sunrise at Kailua beach, Hawaii. I shot the images with my Nikon D-700 paired with my Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR II panning for 1/15 sec, sans Photoshop.  If Ansel Adams or Georgia O’Keefe were alive today, how would they make rent? What would they blog about? What tools would they be using? How would their concerns differ than artists today?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Because it’s a Happy Thursday, I’ve dropped desktop resized and sharpened images for your pleasure, sized 1440 x 900 pixels, downloadable by clicking here and here. Next step, save image to your desktop and enjoy, compliments of RJ!

Mahalo from Oahu!

__________

You also might like :

• Part 1: Take the Big Step
• Part 2: Delay Instant Gratification
• Part 3 : Knowing When to Make the Jump

“I spent the weekend working with some great photographers volunteering their time for a great cause.  They had the right equipment, were experienced in weddings and were very good, yet were not full-time photographers.  Their photography was supported by their day job.  One couple had been in business for 3 years and they were reinvesting in gear so much that they had not reported a profit yet.

As an artist, you sell your work as apart of yourself. That is key, yet without risk comes no reward. No different than hang gliding for the very first time… sure jumping off a ledge is a scary thought… but the bliss can be worth it and I hope you can visualize this in this next image: Good news. There IS a balance between getting all of the pieces in place to go pro, yet still affording milk for the baby. We all juggle the same pins.

1. How long do you stay in the reinvesting and portfolio building side? 

If you stay passionate, and have the means to keep at it, then by all means keep doing it and hit that goal of being a destination wedding photographer. You’ll never see a funeral hearse towing a Uhaul. While money provides lifestyle options, you can’t carry it with you after you die.

Sometimes it takes 10 years to be an overnight success. Other times, you’ll go bankrupt even with a Kodak name. You have to be a CEO and a creative business person at the same time, which is never easy in this line of creative work. If you find yourself constantly justifying your art to pay bills, you might need an additional source of income to support your passion. However, there is nothing wrong with a ‘day job,’ as it long as it supports your passion and doesn’t burn your out from working two jobs at once which balancing health, lifestyle, family, and friends.

I’d say that 50% of full-time wedding photographers put all their eggs in one basket for their full-time income, which I think is stupid. Diversifying your business will provide you the grounds to build your cliental, experience, and offer the needed time to genuine connects in the industry which will sustain you a la Chase Jarvis. Create. Share. Sustain. And have a bit of fun with taking a picture of a polaroid in a picture perfect spot on Oahu:

2. What self “checks” do you put in place to make sure you are moving ahead and not stuck?

Look at your bank statement. If more money is going out than coming in, that’s a sign perhaps your biz skills could be improved.

If you earn $100 and spend $99, then you are heading in the right direction. If you earn $100 and spend $101, you aren’t. Can’t paint a simpler picture.

Setting goals is paramount, but not at the cost of staying happy. Paying yourself now might come in the form of a piece of equipment, but if you owe more time that you care to give, reconsider outsourcing or be prepared to call it quits.

If there is passive income, however when the bread and butter of your livelihood comes from shooting, then knowing how to draw lines of profit vs loss is important. Do 50% of small businesses ‘fail’ within 5 years? Not sure, but I know that if I work smart, not just hard, the pay off will always come.

3. How do you balance purchasing gear (reinvesting in your photography) and paying yourself?

For me, it is all about goals and managing IRS expectations. If I don’t make money in 3-5 years, then I have a expensive hobby, not a business. If I am able to pay off a car, sock $20K into retirement, or pay off a loan with supplemental income then I know I am heading into the right direction. If I haven’t made money in a year after starting a business, I’d be very concerned given these current market conditions.

If I made one penny in a year with all expenses paid and I was happy, then it’s a successful year.

• Rule #1. Never go into debt.
• Rule #2. Reward comes without risk.

Think of the business like a Tetris game. At first you are able to place all the key pieces in the right places. With volume, the pieces pile higher and higher. Eventually, you must figure out how to place them in a finite amount of time to do your best work. Other wise the pieces stack up so quickly we can’t catch up and succumb to folding.

Some times you need to turn off the Tetris game, check out and go analog. My brother and I very much enjoy shooting Instax w/ the iPhone (check out that iPhone 4S bokeh):

So here’s to all those creative business couples just trying to make ends meet… set your goals strongly ( recommend a 101 in 1001) and share them. That simple effort at least makes you accountable for your goals with others and increases your chances of connecting with people that can help you accomplish some goals. Some of my goals like racing in a triathlon, creating a promo video, or improving my photography blogsite SEO would have never happened.

Here’s to chasing those goals and not let the wind get you down but raise your sprits and let you experience an awesome ride we call life!

__________

You also might like :

Part 1: Take the Big Step

Part 2: Delay Instant Gratification

Like chopping firewood, washing a car, or mowing a lawn, we love seeing the instant fruits of our labor. However, what happens, after years and years of work, there’s not much to see?

We have two options: 

1. Give up and resign to the fact that it isn’t worth doing.
2. Knuckle down & stay focused, knowing the results will be worth it.

Take high school chemistry class, for example. Some of us arrived at the correct answer, second-nature. Some interpreted the funky mole symbols divided by delta stuff and manage (I’m proud of my “B” in college chem 102). And some quit. Like having a baby, loosing weight, or growing a creative business, the process is much sweeter if you can see it, feel it, measure it, and share it. And there are those who had to work extra hard and persevere, years later see the fringe on the horizon. “God, give me patience now!” we pray.

Deep inside, we all rest easy that good things do come to those who wait. Things money can not buy, but efforts which put us closer to genuine happiness, builds strength and discipline, and leads us more to a fulfilling life. The benefits of delayed gratification are many. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that the cliche runs true.

But when you study for months and months for what seems like the most difficult test in your life, waiting for the results tests nervous of anxiety. Anticipating the results might look something like this: But the reward is bliss when you arrive on the other side!!!

When you find out the great news, it’s off to celebrate! Here’s what 1,000 words of happiness with frozen yogurt looks like: If we look like we are 11th grade, it’s because we both feel that way!  I am so proud of Krista!!! I also think we found the fountain of youth… which lies somewhere between the local frozen yogurt stand and an Polaroid moment. It’s nice to cherish something in our hand, a tangible memory not necessarily for the final product but for the laborious process to arrive at that destination.

Photographers, do you dream for analog simplicity with instant gratification? My solution on the cheap, a pair of Instax cameras VERY cute together, because sometimes one good thing needs a match: I have lots of fun shooting the $60 Fujifilm Instax 2010 or the trendy $82 Instax Mini 25. I highly recommend them both if you are looking for a genuine old school analog creative tool with instant gratification, sans iPhone. Fujifilm Instax Mini film will run you $15 for 20 shots (75 cents a shot), but it’ll last longer than a Diet Coke. You frame then right away, hang up the results on the wall, or scan them old school style if you want to share them (I recommend 300 dpi JPEG). Now THAT’s instant gratification!

Brides, if I bust out the old Polaroid on your wedding day, I promise it isn’t a squirt gun, but will create a tangible memory, a keepsake you can hold and share on your special day before the day is over. Now take THAT, digital!

__________


You also might like :

Going Pro series pt 1: Take the Big Step

Shooting Polaroids at Wedding {Anti-photo booth in Greece}

11 Tips on Getting the Most of a Photography Workshop

You see, the D4 is the prom queen, albeit not the top of her class, she starves for attention. She’s like a machine gun with infrared goggles that can shoot accurately in super-low light scenarios.

On the other hand, a medium format (MF) digital camera like the Pentax 645D, has understated status, a strong build, and knows quality takes sacrifice in features. And likes fine art.

The Nikon D4 dates soldiers. MF cameras like artists.

General Observations on shooting MF :

• I dig rich dynamic range files… something difficult to get with a D3 / D700 sans HDR post production or flash. Medium format has what I want.
• While I love shooting with shallow depth of field, I also shoot at f/16. Diffraction at f/16 isn’t as much an issue with medium format as it is with 35mm.
• Increased image sharpness due to no anti-aliasing filter. My buddy, Otto Schulze, loves this feature on his Leica M9.
• I much prefer the 4:3 aspect ratio of Mamiya and Hasselblad over the 3:2 aspect ratio of 25mm and the Leica S2, especially for printing and framing.
• You have to really slow down, focus, and think cause it costs $2 a shot with film or $$$$ with digital MF.
• Drum scans are VERY expensive and really the only way to get the quality of the medium on paper. Digital MF is the future.

Sure, there’s nothing like shooting medium format film, like this portrait of my buddy, Danny, on our first day this season at Beaver Creek, CO (Mamiya 645 / 80mm f/1.9 / Portra film scan by RPL). Love the clarity!

Looking Forward

Lightpainting with MF digital is ultimately where I want to head this year with fine-art portraits, weddings, Burning Man, and personal work in the landscapes I run across.

When a new camera has been introduced, I like to stay away from the hype until the buzz has settled, kinks have been worked out and the results are conclusive. I’m not a fan of temptation and I loathe buyer’s remorse. I test drive only when I am really serious.

“The grass is greener on the other side of the fence?” You know why? It’s because you don’t see the dirt.

Which is why I still shoot with dual Nikon D700 cameras, which I love. In fact, my buddy James Christianson observed the Nikon D700 has better auto-white balance than the 24MP, $7500 Nikon D3x. I find myself looking carefully to the future.

Pentax 645D Hands-On review

Last week in Denver, I met up with Pentax 645D Product Specialist, Mark Davis, who welcomed me into the Pentax headquarters. He shared with me the Pentax 645D, which was an incredible experience considering you can’t just pick one of these up at your local camera store. I was very appreciative of Mark’s time and wanted to make the best of the situation as it would apply to a ‘normal’ shooting situations in sterile in-door conditions, harsh overhead light, and not much beauty to behold. This corporate boardroom fit the bill, as shot with my iPhone: But does digital have the same look and feel? It was up to me to prove it to myself. With Tim Gunn in the back of my mind, I ‘made it work’. Shot in a conference room on the 26th floor of a Denver office building, my iPhone served as the primary light source for these abstract light paintings with a Pentax 645D and 55mm f2.8 lens: The above images were all created from a single image, 40-megapixel image using Pentax 645D medium format digital camera. The entire image: Download the high res JPEG here. I shot another image in RAW which you can download here (37.4MB).

Sparing full details, my quick thoughts on shooting with the Pentax 645D:

Pros:

• Awesome image quality. Hands down, amazing.
• Superb ergonomics. Felt like a D700 on steroids. Handles like a DSLR and not like a medium format camera.
• Weather-sealed and durable for extreme heat and cold and dust (many refurbished digital backs like the Aptus II for studio use)
• Easy to use. The dials and controls seemed intuitive even though I haven’t held a Pentax in 10 years.
• Nice viewfinder.
• Available for purchase now.
• Tons of older lenses readily available.

Cons

• Pricey. $10,000 is still a fraction of the cost compared to new Phase One back.
• Limited upgrades. You can’t upgrade just the sensor in 5 years. Instead, you have to replace entire camera.
• Max 1/125 shutter sync, lame. This means my flashes won’t be as powerful. I crave 1/800, or 1/1600, making my Alien Bees easier to overpower ambient and use wider aperture (a la Joey L).
• 1.3x crop factor. The Pentax 645D isn’t a full-frame medium format camera. It should be called the Pentax 433 due to the small sensor size.
• SD cards get lost easier than a CF card. Plus, that means I can’t use all my older cards.

Needless to say, the Nikon D4 won’t be making it in my bag anytime soon. I side with David Hobby and bail on the Nikon D4.

My realistic dream? To get my hands on a used PhaseOne 645DF and a back that would allow me to sync to 1/800. Then I’ll make a decision.

PS- Thank you again, Mark, for sharing your time and expertise with such an amazing creative tool! I’m impressed to say the least that you offered me such a wonderful experience and were very patient!