Hello out there in the vast wasteland of the internet. I was doing some research on what kind of video experience I could gain from DSLR for additional offering to my clients and came across some other fantastic videos. I am a Nikon shooter by choice so I am particularly interested in what a Nikon can do for me and am quite impressed. I am not looking to go into the videography business but do believe the ability to capture short high def video clips has a lot of great potential for not only journalism but all of the other photography disciplines I partake in. So I thought I would post some of those videos here on the blog for you to enjoy. These are amazing videos generated by very talented creatives and I can only hope to aspire to this level of accomplishment. So sit back and enjoy the shows. Till next time stay sexy!

This first video is by Vincent Munier and is titled Summer Variations. Amazing wildlife coverage from this talented photog. This video was shot on the Nikon D3s

This next video is from Bill Frakes and is titled All Over Down Under. This video was shot

completely on the Nikon D3s and I think you will agree will take your breath away.

This final video is by the talented Ami Vitale and is titled Mirages. This video was shot

completely on the Nikon D300s and is amazing also on it's execution and craftsmanship.

Marc Silber Interview with Hunter Freeman

Here is a great interview with photographer Hunter Freeman. I love his concept of keeping things simple and removing the clutter from you photos to increase impact and interest without overload. Lots of great info in this interview so enjoy and subscribe to Marc Silber's blog to keep updated on future episodes.

Advertising+Photography+-+Tips+from+Hunter+Freeman+for+Great+Photos

Nocturne by Vincent Laforet

This is an absolutely incredible show of the capabilities of the modern DSLR when it comes to video reproduction. I am an avid Nikon shooter but I have to admit that Canon is at the head of this game with their 5D Mark II and the new 7D. Their 1080p movies although without the feel of cinema film are fantastic when put together as well as Vincent Laforet does. This video is all available light with no supplementary lighting at all. Also the video was shot at 6400 ISO and if you can find any noise I think it is negligible. So sit back and enjoy.

Nocturne from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Walk in The Park

Had a great day today hanging out with the photoministry from my church. Glad to see all those that could make it and hope those who could not are doing great. Also had a great time hanging out with my good friend Dan and then going to Oggi's for a little after the photo shoot chow and adult beverage. It was a great day for some interesting photos. The sky was overcast badly for much of the morning and we even got a few sprinkles here and there however, when I see those gloomy skies I immediately think of HDR. HDR just seems capable of making a low contrast, dreary sky into something magical. I am always blown away by the way the processing can bring the best together and yield some mind blowing images. I hope you enjoy the pics, they were rushed a bit and I tried a few new tweaks here and there. For anyone who is wondering, I start my workflow in Lightroom (Currently 2 until the full release of 3 comes out). I then select the photos for processing and export to Photomatix then it is back intoLightroom (I love the Photomatix - Lightroom integration). After the import back intoLightroom it is off to Photoshop where the final curves adjustments, levels adjustments, masking and noise reduction (Noiseware by Imagenomic <----- Love this does an awesome job) is completed. Of course Photoshop (CS4 by the way) is tightly integrated with Lightroom so the pics are saved right back into Lightroom. Well that about sums up my workflow. Honestly most of my wedding, event, corporate etc. etc. workflow can be easily handled in Lightroom but HDR requires a lot more finesse to get a final product I am happy with. Well gotta go gonna loose an hour of sleep tonight from some reason or other. Till I blog again you stay sexy.

My Next Lens Just Arrived

Well Nikon finally made some new lens announcements and since I am not honored to be among the testers I am learning of it first hand and sharing with you. The lens I now lust after is the new and just announced, drumroll please, Nikkor 24mm F1.4 ahhhhhhh. This is a lens I have been desiring for some time now. I love my 50mm F1.4 but in certain situations just wanted something wider. I currently have the 14 - 24mm F2.8 which is a phenomenal lens all on its own but can not throw focus like a F1.4 and after all an F1.4 has 4 times the light gathering ability so you can shoot at two full stops less in ISO in order to preserve image quality. I love using F1.4 at weddings especially to get those natural light moody shots and let's face it getting a shot with just candle light is plain awesome. I will be first on the list to get this lens when it is released and will post some work with it as soon as I can. Until next time take care and God be with you. By the way I apologize for not being on here as much as I wanted to but life happens. I promise to keep new information and work coming at a greater pace in the future.

Here are some of the Stats:

Main Features

• A fast, wide-angle lens with a fixed focal length of 24mm at the maximum aperture of f/1.4
  
• Fast lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.4 that allows users to capture images with beautiful blur characteristics
  
• ED glass and aspherical lens elements are utilized for a new optical design that achieves high resolution and good balance in terms of aberration for pleasing blur characteristics
  
• The adoption of Nano Crystal Coat effectively reduces ghost and flare
  
• Quiet focusing with built-in Silent Wave Motor (SWM)
  
• Two focus modes selectable - M/A and M

Till next time take care and stay sexy!!!!!!!!!

Surfing the Sky

I found this awesome video footage most of which was shot using the new Nikon D300s camera. The scenery is incredible seeing these waves of clouds rolling in just like an awesome set on a west coast beach. The serenity of the lone hang glider surfing these waves in the sky as graceful as a bird. This was an awesome undertaking seeing the engineering that the photographer had to overcome in order to get the shots his client wanted. Makes me think of the creativity which needs to go into the shoots we do and being able to think outside of the box in order to get extraordinary results. Enjoy the video.

Randy Moves On

My brother by another mother Randy Torres, photographer extraordinaire, decided to fly the coop and head east to the Big Apple. Randy was an integral part of the photoministry at East Lake Church where I also attend and am active in the ministry. Randy was a mentor to me and is sorely missed for his expertise, knowledge, compassion, companionship and friendship. But on the plus side I have a place to crash when I attend the next PDN Photo Expo YAY!!!

On a different note the above panorama, from Randy's going away wake, was actually taken and stitched all in my iPhone. Randy is the one in the awesome pork pie hat. I use a nice little piece of software available form the iTunes App Store called Pano ( I in no way get an compensation from Pano for this review, unless they insisted then OK). The software is very simple to use and has overlapping exposures so that you can line up all of your shots. It then gives you the option of using the shot or taking it again. After that you just sit back and let the software do the work. It dumps the final product right in your camera roll on the phone and is then available for uploading to your favorite social network or whatever. I was amazed when created my first panorama and continue to love to use it when the right moment strikes. If you use and iPhone please go check it out and give it a try I think you will be pleasantly surprised as I was.