Ukrainian Ball, Chicago

Not knowing what I was in store for upon saying yes to meeting up with some friends at a Ukrainian debutante ball at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel last night, I ended up having a great time!  These people can dance!  Here's one photo out of hundreds I snagged during the 20 minutes of high-energy dancing with my Canon 50mm 1.4 lens.  Definitely not too sharp at 1.4, but who cares?  Who said there was anything wrong with blurry pictures if that's what you're going for?

Removing Contrast

It seems like I'm always adding contrast to my work in Photoshop post production.  But today, I decided to take some away.  It takes a little getting used to, and I'm not totally in love with it yet, but there might be something here!

My New Friend

I made a friend today!  Well..a few, actually.  Rebecca Parrish from Interchange Productions was nice enough to extend an invitation to me to do work out of her place today, so as to not be alone in a coffee shop or at home.  It can get pretty lonely when you're freelancing.

I took time away from marketing to capture "Niki" with available light at ISO 3200 with my Canon 5D v1.  I used to be scared of high ISO, but learned not to be.  A little digital noise is okay, especially when you add more grain to it with either the "Grain" filter in Photoshop, or Imagenomic's "RealGrain" plug-in.  Personally, the plug-in iz da bomb!

 

Creative Freelancer Conference, Denver, CO

Every time there's an out-of-town conference or seminar that has anything remotely to do with photography or freelancing, I get excited!  It's easy to justify spending the money to travel when it's continuing education for my photography business.  This "Creative Freelancer Conference" is no exception. 

Tweets about the conference are slowing growing in number as the internet marketing about it increases.  I've been doing some research on the credibility of the speakers, and have found them to be quite knowledgeable.  As much as I'd like to see Denver, I'm going to hold off on registering for a couple months to see if more sponsors sign on, and what other freelancers tweet and blog. 

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Review (or, brief commentary)

Got the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens today in the mail.  I thought Calumet had shipped me a box of air at first, the lens was so light.  Haven't given it much of a field test yet, but took some shots of the dogs. I think I'll enjoy the speed (f1.8) on this lens - which is the widest of any lens I've had thus far.  click images to enlarge

Both of these photos are at f1.8 1/20, ISO 3200, for your viewing pleasure.  I bought the lens for an out-of-town trip, as it's super small and fits anywhere.  The trip never happened, but I'm prepared for the next one.

The only thing I dislike about this lens so far is the small focusing ring.  I'm so used to the spacious ring on the 24-70mm 2.8 that my fingers grab the center of the shaft where nothing turns.  The focus ring is about the width of these shish kabob skewers, pictured here.  But for the price of $99, and the weight and size, it's a no-brainer.

A Little Liquor And HDR

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

adamdaniels.com

Walking Around Chicago With My Canon

Photos spanning a few hours of roaming the streets of Chicago, one of my favorite things to do.  Shot these with an older 5D with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM.    click on images to enlarge

WPPI Conference Not For Me

The glitz and glamor of Las Vegas does indeed appeal to me.  I've been there a few times - one or two on a photography shoot, a few for conferences - and have never had a bad experience.  So when I heard that a couple of old friends were attending this year's WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International), I seriously considered it. 

I actually became a member, as I believe that would have gotten me cheaper admission; plus issues to Rangefinder magazine.  But after adding the trip up and seeing what WPPI had to offer in the way of business seminars, I opted out. 

Being that my main career focus is commercial and advertising photography, not so much wedding and portrait, I decided that local Chicago-area business and marketing seminars put on by APA (Advertising Photographers of America), or ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) - both outstanding photography organizations - would be a better match.  Although my side "portrait" business, ChicagoDogPortraits.com, is off to a great start, despite my inept skills with HTML.

My Attempt at Photographing Sheep

While in Iceland, I was determined to get close enough to one of the numerous sheep roaming the countryside to curb the hunger of my full CMOS sensor.  But this, like many may think, is no easy task.  Even after chasing them for several yards, I was inept at capturing anything of significance.  Nothing better than a blurry butt shot.  Baaah!
 

adamdaniels.com

I Received A Gift Tonight

From time to time, I get a gift from out of nowhere.  Some extra synapses fire off in my skull causing a refraction of vision, where I begin to see things in a new light.  This evening, my birthday present to myself was a couple weeks early, and in the form of a creative epiphany.

click photo to enlarge

I'm not sure what I'm onto, or just plain "on", but it's something!  When I was little, I was never fond of abstract paintings and abstract photography, claiming that they were the so-called artist's poor attempt at a masterpiece.  My, how my love for the arts has grown.

I'm seeming lately to stray a bit, at least in this current phase of my life, from the super crisp, edgier photographs, to a softer-focused, merely suggested feel.  This only pertains to my personal body of work, mind you.  I continue to enjoy commercial food photography, lifestyle photography, and just about all the rest of 'em too!  I'm sure after I've had sufficient in this foray of modern hotel-like wall art, the two styles will begin to twist and morph into an unstoppable rebel force, extinguishing all that is bad on this earth: like murderers, and potholes, and Lean Pockets, and, and..  Oh no, another synapses thingy blew up. 

click photo to enlarge

"So, how can I join in on all the excitement in your world, Adam?" 

It's funny you should ask, Italic Type!  As I further this newly discovered "I-don't-know-where-this-is-going" abstract photography style, I encourage YOU to throw your glass out of focus at different f-stops and shutter speeds, and explore the world around you, a bit..well..differently!

So, go on, pick it up!  Grab your camera and shoot a couple frames of whatever is in front of you, out of focus.  Turn those creative valves on in yo' head, man!  I'm sure you've got a digital camera, right?  What have you got to lose?  Film?  NOT!  Make the shot, then send me a low-res image.  I'll post it right here for web wanderers to wonder what you were thinking when you took the shot!  And don't look at the date of this blog entry if it's a few months old and think that you're released from this simple, yet powerful suggested self-assignment.  Because you're not!

O--oh, you've got an excuse?  Not enough light in your room, is that it?  I've got a solution to your problem!  Simply roll your settings on over to "M", set your ISO to the highest it will go, and open your aperture to the lowest number.  With the amount of light coming off your computer monitor, you'll be able to capture something!  Shooting something, anything everyday will strengthen your artistic eye.  I speak from experience, and from old instructors' words.  They were right!  

adamdaniels.com

Found Objects - Random Act of Love

Tonight as I was walking to my bedroom, I couldn't help but photograph this organic form.  What does it evoke in you?  (click to enlarge)

 

Selective Focus Can Change Everything

I saw an image today in the park that I really wanted to capture, but upon capturing it, I was disappointed in what I saw on the screen.  I wanted to capture the holiday lights in the trees - the glow that I was seeing through my eyes, but as you can see, this photo doesn't really do it. 

I then racked my focus to blur the lights out and see if I could create the ambiance I was striving to achieve.  Voila!  A much more pleasing image, and all I did was change my focus.

adamdaniels.com

Another Use For A Light Stand

Microphone