"Mind's Eye"

I think everyone has experienced a situation when you "see" a scene, push the shutter button, and the picture you get is not necessarily what you saw in your mind. I'm not talking about a bad exposure or anything like that. I mean, what you envisioned in your mind was not what you end up with. For me, I find it just requires a change in composition or my vantage point and then I get what I "saw" in my mind. Then there are situations when there is nothing you can do to get what you see in your mind due to things beyond your control. In some of those cases you can create your vision through the wonderful tool that is photo editing software. By no means am I Photoshop guru, quite the opposite. I can't shoot a portrait of you and create a fantasy world where you are hovering over a flower with fairy wings, but there are talented folks who do amazing things like that. I simply use it as a tool to help get to what it was I saw in my mind.

In August I was hired to shoot a car show and I experienced a situation where I couldn't always get what I saw in my mind because of things I couldn't control. As I shot, I made mental notes of a few cars I wanted to shoot for the client without the distractions that come with a car show. If you've never been to a car show there are rows and rows of cars next to one another, signs, vendors, and lots of people walking around looking at the cars. The reflections of these distractions also turn up on the cars' polished exteriors. So I planned to ask a couple the owners to move their cars to another area onsite to shoot them after the show. Halfway into the event, thunderstorms rolled in and the weather was going to be nasty and stay that way through the rest of the day. So I had to shoot as close to what I envisioned (without moving any of the cars) right then and do the rest later in Photoshop. 

This first set has the most dramatic differences between images. You can see all of the "distractions" I mentioned. I would have liked to have also shot this De Lorean from the 4 o'clock position, but there was a car to the left (you can see a bit of shadow on the grass) and cars behind it to that side. I also wanted to shoot it from the 8 o'clock position but the car on the left was in the way and there were umbrella stands, vendor tents, cars, and people in the background. So I had to shoot it straight on and reconstructed things later.

In this photo of a 1966 Camaro, you can see a bit of a gold Stingray Corvette on the left of the image and the obvious green Camaro in the background. As you can tell by the clouds, the storm was upon us and the rain had started. The owner of the car was loading things in the trunk which was why the trunk lid was up and the interior light was on.

It took FAR, FAR, FAR longer for me to edit things out and create pieces of the image that didn't exist as opposed to doing a couple of quick tweaks with a clean background. I like to get as much correct, in camera, at the time because it means I get to spend more time behind a camera and less time in front of a computer. In the end and under the circumstances, the time spent one these edits was worth it to me to get what I saw in my mind's eye.

If you click on an image all four will pop up in a box at the bottom of your screen. If you click one photo and then the next, it is kind of like a "Photo Hunt" game.

"Here, There, & Everywhere"

Since January I'd been looking forward to the arrival of April. With the warmer weather, there are a lot of great opportunities to shoot and I was booked for a destination wedding on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. Here we are on the last day of April and I've been so busy it feels like the month has just flown by. This is my month in photos:

 High school senior portrait shoot 4.1.12

 Covered the AHL record breaking team The Norfolk Admirals for BMLTV 4.3.12

 Shot Nick and Stephanie's Wedding 4.7.12

 The groom takes the stage with his favorite local band (Hey Hey Hooligan) during the late night after party 4.8.12

 Fun college graduation shoot 4.8.12

 Shot the AAA Norfolk Tides opening night at Harbor Park for BMLTV 4.9.12

  Over the Gulf of Mexico on my way to Cancun Airport 4.12.12

 Third floor balcony view from my villa in Chetumal, Mexico (66 miles south of Cancun) 4.13.12

 Shot Steve & Sarah's wedding at the Gran Bahia Principe, Tulum 4.14.12

 The bride and groom help a resort "taxi" that got stuck. 4.15.12

 The lobby of the Gran Bahia Principe, Akumal 4.16.12

Shot my nephew's little league game 4.19.12

 Shot Nathan & Jaclyn's wedding 4.20.12

 Shot a Civil War reenactment at Endview Plantation 4.21.12

 Shot Steve & Sarah's state-side wedding reception 4.21.12

 Managed to find time for my first surf session of the year. 4.24.12

 Impromptu portrait session with my new puppy  4.26.12

Engagement Session with Andre & Julie 4.27.12

Now it is time to get back to editing. See you next month...

A Chip Off The 'Ol Block

photo by Hailey Thomas

Finding inspiration and creativity, whether shooting or writing this blog, can sometimes be tough to come by. As the end of the month approached, I still hadn't come up with a topic for this blog post. Then I found a bit of a muse while editing some skate photos. I decided to write about being inspired by others.

A buddy of mine asked if I'd come over and shoot a few images of him skating so I grabbed my gear and I headed over there. As we were shooting his daughter came outside with her camera and started taking some photos around the backyard. At 11 years old, she is quite the young artist (having won local awards for her artwork) and has an eye for photography.

There was a break in the action while my buddy was taking a rest and his daughter came over to show me some of the photos she had taken. The photo at the top of the page is one she shot. When I saw the photo on the back of her camera I said to her, "I wouldn't have seen that. That really is a good picture. I like it!"

I really wouldn't have seen that photo, because I was focused on shooting the action of skating and not really the little details that were around. When the action stopped during the break, I stopped shooting. Now if had it been a wedding or something of the sort, sure, I'd have been able to find those photos to take. It really reminded me not to get so focused on one thing when I'm shooting for fun...or anytime really. It was a moment of realization and inspiration for me and it didn't come from a pro teaching a workshop, it came from an 11 year old in her backyard.

In her case, she's a chip off the 'ol block because her father has been a talented artist for many years and has been snapping photos for just as long (below is one of his photos). It is great to see those interests and talents carried on within their family. If she continues on this path, it may not be too long from now that she's showing a gallery of her artwork or photography...or both! Keep up the great work Hailey, your folks are certainly proud of your talents and for good reason!

 photo by Shane Thomas

Inspiration and creativity come easily for some and others have to work at it. Sometimes you have to keep in mind that being too focused really limits your creative possibilities. Inspiration is key to making pictures, whether it comes as an "ah-ha moment" or from the work of an 11 year old, take heed as you just may find something you weren't looking for.

I Didn't Buy A Ticket For This Ride

After the first of the year I was able to finish up some remaining work and take some time to reflect on 2011. Last year was quite a roller coaster ride to say the least. It was not the kind of fun and exciting roller coaster that you would want to buy a ticket for. It was the type of ride where you suddenly find yourself sitting right up front, there is no way to get off, and the ride just won't end.

The year started with bookings, a slam-packed wedding season to look forward to, and the addition of some new gear. Now out of the gate and making the assent, everything felt great. As the year continued on there more bookings, a number of events to shoot, I was producing work for clients that they loved, and I was published in the BMX magazine PULL (2) (3). But, we all know that the first drop is a doozy, and my first drop on the 2011 roller coaster was the loss of my one of my cameras to the murky depths of the Swallow Bag Bay in Manteo, NC (the blog post on that story). 

The ride continued with ups, downs, twists, and turns. I had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of great people, had some fantastic experiences, and produced great images for my clients. At the other end there were equipment failures and back-up equipment failures that occurred before, during, and after shoots. As one thing was replaced, repaired, or a problem was solved; the next issue was waiting around the bend. It wasn't just my professional life riding this roller coaster, my personal life was sitting shotgun which only made the ride drag on and on. It was truly an ongoing mixed bag of gut wrenching disappointment and excitement. 

Featured Gallery: "2011 HIGHLIGHTS"

Featured Gallery: "2011 WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS"

When the ride finally came to a stop, I jumped off and ran like hell. Needless to say 2011 was not exactly a year I would like to have to repeat, although I did come to some sort of understanding and was able to make peace with it. With the exception of my camera going into the drink in July, nothing else that went wrong was my fault. They were things that just happen in life and were beyond my control. The great times in 2011 were either the result of good timing or something I had a direct hand in. The bad times of 2011 ultimately taught me a few things and  really tested my ability to adapt to and overcome situations I hadn't experienced before. We all know that there will be things that happen in life that we cannot control. When they do happen, it is how you deal with them and what you learn from them that help define you as a person. I've never been one to get caught up in "what if's" and "why me's" because they are simply a waste of time. When you find yourself in the front seat of that roller coaster just before the first drop, you just have to suck it up and deal with it until the ride comes to an end.

See You In 2012

Here it is New Year's Eve already! I've been so busy with everything that I really haven't had a chance to sit back and reflect on 2011 just yet. In January and February things quiet down a bit and I will have a chance to do that.

In 2012 I have a few of personal projects I plan to work on as well as dabble with some more video editing. I've pretty much been working non-stop since August. Heck I was editing on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and even most of today. It has been fantastic to have so much work and positive feedback coming in! Thank-You to everyone who helped make 2011 a very successful year and I look forward to what awaits in 2012!

So on that note, I'm going to get away from work for the rest of the night and enjoy the last holiday of 2011 away from my computer and camera. Until the first post of 2012, I leave you with some of the highlight photos I shot in 2011... 2011 Photo Highlights. I will be posting a "2011 Wedding Highlights" Gallery in January, so stay tuned...

Think Small

Sometimes photography is about what you don't see, and more to the point, what you shouldn't see. As I am about to finish up my wedding season that drove hard toward the end with 11 weddings over 13 weeks, it inspired me to touch on something aspiring wedding photographers or just the casual photo enthusiast may be interested in considering... small spaces.

If you've shot a wedding, taken photos as a friend during the wedding day, or been a part of the bridal party you'll know that the preparation phase of day is pretty hectic and can be quite cluttered. Often times you are relegated to the cramped quarters of a bedroom, hotel room, or a Sunday School classroom where there is an entire group of people (with all of their things scattered about) as they prepare for the big day. As a photographer you need to get clean shots of the dress, rings, shoes, jewelry, flowers, and the details that are important to the client without the distractions of suitcases, shoe boxes, duffel bags, posters, and the like. You need to do all of this without rearranging the entire room and without being a nuisance to the bridal party. It is time to start thinking small.

In the shot at the top of the page...the room had busy backgrounds everywhere I turned and there were people constantly moving about as they got ready for the day. Not a problem. I used the simple, yet small space provided by a windowsill for this shot.

This bride, who is a hunting enthusiast, requested that I incorporate a pair of her boots into some of the photos. I shot this laying on the floor to avoid all of the boxes, bags, and other odds and ends that were on the bed and nearby tables.

The cramped space of a hotel room can be made to seem open with the use of a wide angle lens and simply moving a few items aside. Here there were tables and chairs to both sides of the windows in this hotel room. I moved them just a few inches out of frame, laid on the floor on the far side of the bed, and shot around the foot of the bed.

This is the same dress in the same room. I slid the chair over to where it was when I arrived, closed the sheer curtains, incorporated the veil and shoes, and shot from a different perspective.

In "Sunday School" classroom situations, look for every and any opportunity to eliminate distractions and clutter. You can make it seem as if there is no one and nothing else in the room, even when there are people, suitcases, posters, and boxes all around you.

Here I simply used a chair that was in the room and a shallow depth of field as the rest of the bridal party was getting ready just a few feet from me.