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Michelle Turner’s latest Wedding Field Guide

Fundy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:48:08 +0000

National speaker, author and photographer extraordinaire Michelle Turner has just published another book, “The Wedding Photography Field Guide: Capturing the perfect day with your digital SLR camera.” This compact 6×4 field guide gives tips on how to shoot in a dark church, a crowded dance floor or while on location. Michelle’s book covers all the important topics and she includes great inspirational shots from the best in the biz.

Michelle has also written “Wedding Photography Now!” which is full of advice for that photojournalism style that is popular today with couples. She is based out of Maine but travels to worldwide destinations shooting weddings.

See for yourself and check out her new book here. Great stuff!

Read all about Michelle, who was our Featured Photographer a few weeks ago!

New studio, workshop, classroom space from Dave Cross!

Fundy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:17:11 +0000

Dave Cross knew that it would be challenging to launch his own studio, but he didn’t expect how much fun he’d have being back in the entrepreneurial saddle. “Gosh, it’s great to be making all the decisions again after more than eight years of working for someone else [albeit a great someone]!”

Cross recently opened up the doors to a new space–part photo studio, part classroom and part workshop–called Studio 3 in the Tampa Bay, Fla., area. Take a look at Studio 3.

Some of the great workshops coming up include a DSLR Video Fusion course with Jason Groupp on July 12, a Joel Grimes workshop on Photoshop, marketing and lighting on July 9-10, and a shooting/retouching day with Scott Kelby on July 29. There will be a full range of topics from lighting, shooting, Photoshop, DSLR Video and other Creative Suite lessons. People can register for workshops on his site and there are classes posted through August with Fall dates in the works right now.

What Studio 3 has to Offer
The best way some people learn is within a small group, according to Cross, and his workshops will focus on that more hands-on feel with only 12 to 15 attendees. “I really feel like I want to do something different with a smaller group setting,” he said. “My goal is to have a wide range of courses from a wide range of teachers. Through Photoshop World … I’ve met top people who I’ve considered friends.” And many of those top people will be teaching courses over the next few months at Studio 3.

Cross said what makes the new space unique is that participants can shoot in the mornings and work on a Photoshop or workflow lesson in the afternoons. And he hopes that the studio will be a multipurpose space: a traditional photo studio, a rental studio, and a classroom. Some classes will be straight Photoshop and some will include photography and computer work. “My goal was to find a space that allowed for that range of possibilties.”

Check out the awesome lounge:

And especially exciting for Cross is that his daughter is a photographer and is taking a fairly active role in the new space. She is really into family/child portraits and some pet photography, which will bring something unique to the studio. And to make this a family affair, his son just graduated with a degree in graphic design and may be helping out with his expertise as well.

In the future, Cross envisions doing a demo day with some groups where photographers can try out gear before they buy. Also he hopes that he can open the space up to photographers in the area as a meeting location where those who shoot just for fun can gather and share portfolios, techniques, stories, ideas, etc. “This is an additional aspect on top of the workshop schedule,” he said. “Photographers love to share images. Having a social gathering to pull out a portfolio so everyone can look and offer suggestions is great.”

This venture is all very new with Cross hosting an open house in May and his first workshop last week but he is excited to be back in his roots of teaching in a small setting. He hopes the studio can be a great learning center where photographers can ask questions and offer suggestions about future workshops. For example, if someone is asking about using other Creative Suite products, the studio can set up a tailored “InDesign for Photographers” class.

Lots of Studio Space

What a great resource for photographers! See for yourself, http://davecrossworkshops.com/

Take the video tour of the studio!

Starting with Adobe Illustrator classes in 1987, Dave Cross has taught Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign to thousands of users around the world. He has a Bachelor of Education, is an Adobe Certified Instructor in Photoshop CS5 and is a Certified Technical Trainer.

Don’t forget YOUR family

Fundy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:22:03 +0000

I like to write about this at least once a year. I know as professional photographers we get bogged down in the daily shooting, busy, busy, busy. We get tired of lugging around the heavy gear. Sometimes we never want to pick up another camera again.

I’d like you to remember back to when you were just getting started. Remember when you would take a picture of anything and everything? I took so many photos of my kids when they were little that they started hating getting their picture taken (they still do to a point – ha ha).

It’s so important to document your own family’s lives. Remember to take your camera, from time to time, with you when you go out, and not just your iPhone. Take your camera to family events, 4th of July, Christmas, your cousin’s kids’ birthday party – whatever. If you’re tired of lugging around huge SLR gear, do what I did and get one of the small Micro 4/3′s cameras. I like the Olympus Pen’s with the Panasonic/Leica lenses.

My kids on the left and their cousins are on the right. We were just going downtown to do some shopping and get a donut, when we crossed the railroad tracks. I pulled out my Olympus with the Panasonic/Leica 45mm 2.8 (90mm on a full frame camera) and took a couple quick shots. I love this photo.

This was processed with out of camera BW + the Gentlemen’s Grunge from the Fundy Mentals action set.

Photoshop Curves Made Super Easy

Fundy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:33:07 +0000

This is a little trick from way back in the day. I assume most people are doing their adjustments in RAW in Lightroom or Aperture. But there are those times, when you’ve finished your RAW conversions and are doing and album, or retouching a photo and it’s just a bit dark. Going back into the RAW at this stage is just a pain in the neck for me.

When I want to lighten up a photo in Photoshop, there are a few ways to do this – levels, exposure, etc. Most of these ways are linear. In the example photo, I would instantly lose the highlights. The great things about curves, is that it is super easy to bring up just the mid-tones, which is where most photos need to be lightened. This preserves both the highlights and the shadows.

Before Curves

After Curves

Learn From This Video

How to work curves, how to make a quick action to bump exposure, how to use this action in Work Flow and Album Builder

Create a sweet window pane effect!

Fundy — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 07:00:35 +0000

This is an awesome tip for creating a nice window pane effect. You can merge one single image across multiple image boxes. I use Grid Maker to design a layout and hit Enhance Design>Merge Selected to put the separate masks into one group mask. Click Fill Opening and put an image in there and presto! Go ahead and manipulate the spacing and play with key lines for different effects.

Check it out:

Got rave reviews? Share them!

Fundy — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:08:15 +0000

Networking, marketing and generating leads are parts of any business, including your photography business. Getting your name out there and showcasing your work to as many potential clients is key. Enter Wedding Wire. Their site is a go-to for couples planning an upcoming wedding and they offer services such as a profile page, gallery page, matching, reviews and more. And they have 8 million visitors a month across a network including Martha Stewart, Project Wedding, Wedding Bee, Bridal Buds, among others.

Add yourself as a vendor.

Create a profile for those couples searching in your area.

Gather up those reviews.

If you get a rave via email, ask if your clients wouldn’t mind reviewing you on Wedding Wire for those other potential brides looking to hire a recommended photographer. Create a free “storefront,” upload great shots in the gallery and start collecting reviews, which will enhance your word-of-mouth status.

Continue thinking of ways to improve your presence and ultimately grow your business. Check them out, www.weddingwire.com.

Featured Work: The McLellans

Timothy John — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:34:56 +0000

Some of my favorite photographers on the planet, would be Sean and Melanie McLellan. If you have the chance to meet them, they’re warm folks with a passion for photography and people. Their work has taken them around the world. Here’s a few of my favorite shots garnered from their blog.

I liked this shot because of the effect caused by the light. The bride and groom are positioned in front of a mural with a speedlight behind them. At first glance, the image looks unique because it appears as if the light is coming from the mural.

One of the other things I like about their work, is the way they use lines in their compositions. In this shot strong lines are established by the train tracks, the subject’s position on them and lastly their adjoining hands.

Such a simple shot, but so well executed. It’s nothing more than the tack sharp focus on the groom’s face as he sees his bride being walked towards him. This shot is about impact and fast skills. Remember, there are plenty of great moments happening outside the attention we often pay exclusively to the bride and groom.

In this shot, again they’re using lines. The frame of the door behind the model grabs your eye and helps drive it right in on the center subject. The flowing dress breaks the linear shape and draws the eye down and to the left.

This shot is a great example of what you can get with a little play and creativity. The story on the blog says the bride found their fun location–an old prison. Using the rope ties into the theme of captivity and establishes lines and texture in the image. This is such a fun series, definitely check it out on their blog.

Big thanks to Sean and Melanie McLellan for letting us show off some of their awesome work. Check out more of their awesome work on their blog and follow them on Twitter.

Live from Japan

Fundy — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:15:17 +0000

As many of you know, I’m off to Japan for some time with our family and friends over here. My wife, definitely my better half, was born in Japan and definitely needs some Japan time ever year or so. I actually lived in Japan for 13 years. More of my adult life has been spent in Japan than the US. How’s that for something odd?
Anyway, one of my goals while in Japan is doing some serious street photography. While I love shooting portraits and have loved all the weddings I’ve done, it’s street photography, á la Bresson and David Alan Harvey that really get’s my creative juices going. Here are some first shots from the first few days.
Convenience Society

Japan is the land of convenience. You go into a convenience store, it’s clean, has everything and you are in and out in a few minutes. They make 7 Eleven look like a clunky store from decades ago. In this photo, you can see a small kiosk just stuffed with everything from beer to freshly made Onigiri. This little kiosk was inside Shin Osaka station where we caught the bullet train to Okayama before heading off to Shikoku.

Lost Generation

The Japanese school system is a bit of an enigma. Kindergartens and elementary schools are somewhat magical, as if existing perpetually in 1957. The kids are happy, they learn a ton, do a bunch of art and creative things, and then Jr. High hits. While the world has changed drastically, the schools have not. Jr. High and High School is based solely on tests and wrote memorization. In a fast moving world economy, the kids just can’t keep up with their eduction. They graduate from high school or college just waiting for jobs that aren’t going to exist anymore. The result of the wrote memorization is often just blank stares and boredom in schools. This girl reminded me of this.

On Time?
Need to be perfectly on time somewhere? Then you need to take a Japanese train. It’s odd, the train schedules say things like 11:38 to Okayama. Why not just called it 11:40 and be done with it? Well, the reason is that the train will take off at exactly 11:38, without fail. If a train is more than 1 minute late there will be an announcement with an apology. Our Shinkansen (bullet train) arrived two minutes before departure, everyone got on and it took off at the exact time it was supposed to. Trains! Ah, no check in, no hassle. Man, if they could build a bullet train between Vancouver BC and San Francisco, that would be awesome (I left LA out on purpose…)

Books

The Japanese have the highest rate of literacy in the world and, man, do these people read. If you can get one hit book in Japan, you’ve got it made. These things sell like hot cakes. There are bookstores everywhere and not only are they filled with books, but with magazines galore. There are at least a dozen high quality camera magazines. And when I say high quality, they are mostly filled with photos, not gear reviews. It’s like heaven.

Textures How To + Bonus Free Action and Textures

Fundy — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 02:08:30 +0000

Using textures has become a common practice in modern wedding photography. And just like sloppy borders have been used far too much by far too many people. In this blog post I’d like to talk about when and where to use textures. We can’t just willy nilly (love that phrase) throw textures on anything and everything. Used sparingly, they can take an above average image and propel it into something completely unique and special.

The Perfect Image

In my book. This image is the perfect image for a texture. It is backlit and is a wide shot. Let’s check out the before and the after.

Before

After

Now, I’d like to post an image that I would never use a texture on, except in this case, to show you how bad it looks. Here is a shot done completely front lit and a close up.

Before

Now we see this shot with a texture on it. I just hate the feeling of the image, not to mention the orange child!

Want some more information on when and how to use textures? Watch the video.

Textures – How To Video

Click To Download Action + 1 Free Texture

Share the Love and Get 4 Free Textures

One-Stop Album Design Shop

Fundy — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 07:00:38 +0000

Want the ease of designing your albums right in Photoshop and have that one-stop shop feel? Make image changes and design pages in Photoshop with Album Builder. Editing has never been easier. Select images you want to edit, hit the Pop Out Images button and be able to access all your plug-ins and tools that you regularly edit with. This is a great time saver so you don’t have to navigate through multiple programs. Keep it simple. Design and edit with ease in Photoshop.

See this: