Today is day 2 of my 365 day project. The image i created tonight is a simple one, but I like it. I decided to make the image using my Canon 40D, since I never really get to shoot with it. Having the 5D Mark II, I use that most of the time with the 40D as my back-up camera.

The image was made using one Alien Bee 800 to camera left with a large softbox. I used my 100mm Macro lens again. I may just make every image this week with my macro lens. Again, this is a lens that I don’t get to use a ton, but that I really like. I guess that will be one of the benefits of this project as well. Mini assignments within the major project, and the chance to get to work with equipment that I don’t get to use all the time. I guess I will make it official. This week all images will be with my 100mm macro lens.

Today I also read page 97 in my 5D Mark II manual, Auto Exposure Bracketing.

Tags: 100mm, 365, 40D, canon, day 2, Macro, paper, pen, Photography

Here are some more Senior Portrait tips:

1. Sleep!   Make sure you get at least 2 nights of good sleep before your photo session so that you will look fresh and won’t have bags under your eyes.

2. Guys, let a new hair cut grow out for at least a week before your pictures, allowing time for any white tan lines to disappear. Also, take the time to get a close shave. Girls, if you plan on coloring your hair or getting a new style, also allow at least a week to get used to the style.

3. Have your clothes and accessories ready the night before your shoot.  Choose clothes that reflect your style and the changing seasons (summer – fall).  Make sure they are clean and free of wrinkles.  Ask your photographer how many outfit changes he/she allows or suggests.  For each outfit, put your accessories in a zip lock bag and attach it to the hanger.

Tags: Photography, portrait, senior, tips

Sorry, this is NOT a picture of my son. This is a picture of one of my daughters dolls, that happens to be about the same size as him. I was playing around with lighting and also with my new Canon EF 100mm Macro lens and took some shots to see how the lighting and lens was working. I then worked on it in Lightroom and gave it a split tone look that kind of makes it feel cross processed. I will be shooting the portraits of my on tomorrow, but for now you get an old Cabbage Patch doll. Xavier Roberts would be happy.

Tags: Cabbage Patch, newborn, Photography

This past Saturday I got to photograph, actually my first, wedding. The happy couple was Gao and Jerry. I actually booked this wedding in kind of a different way. A good friend of mine, Chang, had been talking to a friend of hers about me knowing that his sister was getting married. He had said that he would ask if she had a photographer yet, but Chang never heard back from him until about 3 weeks ago. He called her and asked for my number. Well, he called me and I spoke to him that night, and he said he would talk to his sister. The next day he called and told me that they were going to book me, and I guess the rest is history. I found out on Saturday that they did have someone else in mind originally, but that he had to back out, hence the phone call to Chang. I was completely honored that they decided to go with me, and they are such a great couple! The entire family was so nice and generous. I started the day shooting at her brother’s house, and from there we went to Heritage Hill. A friend of mine hooked me up with his girlfriend that works there so that we could get in and use the grounds for pictures. It is an amazing palce with lots of old buildings and interesting textures. It was a blast to shoot there. The first picture in the post is in front of an old cheese factory, and the second picture is in an old church on the grounds. From Heritage Hill we moved on to Josten Park, and finally to The Ravine where the reception was held. There was no actual ceremony for this wedding, because the couple was already married in a traditional Hmong ceremony this past summer. The weather was beautiful that day, so we got a lot of nice outside pictures. The couple then danced and partied the night away with friends and family. It was a great day indeed!

Tags: Gao, Jerry, Photography, wedding

Today, while I was doing some scouting for a wedding that I am shooting next weekend, I thought I would really give the GPS Tracker App for my iPhone a test. The app works along side a web site called InstaMapper. What it does is set the iPhone to track your position using the same satellites that a “normal” GPS unit would use. The iPhone 3G has a GPS receiver built into it. This allows you to upload in real-time your exact position (well within the accuracy of the GPS unit, usually with in 50 to 200 feet) to the InstaMapper website. You may be asking yourself why in the heck anyone would want to do this. Well, the answer is this: I drove all over Green Bay today to try and find some cool places to shoot the couple next weekend. How in the heck can I expect to remember where I was? Well, one of the features of this solution is to be able to download all this data in a format that can then be added to the EXIF data in the photos I took today. Using this technology, I can open a link right in Lightroom that will bring me to a Google Map showing me pretty close to where I was when I took the picture. Then I can simply look back through my location phots and easily get the GPS coordinates and a map right back to that spot. The picture in this post was taken at a location I knew about, but if it had been some place new to me, I feel confident that I would be able to find it again to take more pictures.

There are some down falls to this app however. First, it can be the only application running, so I couldn’t listen to Pandroa and have this going at the same time. you could start the iPod and then turn this on. You also can get calls, but when you do, you have to turn it back on and you don’t get any data tracked while you are on the phone. Also, having the GPS running and the data being constantly uploaded eats the battery pretty quick. I kept mine charging in the car while driving, and took it out with me while walking and I had no problems with battery life though.

For what this app does, it is an amazing addition to the photographers tool bag! Best of all, it is FREE so it doesn’t hurt to try it out!

Tags: GPS, InstaMapper, iPhone, Photography

Wedding Rings? What is the significance you say? Well, I will tell you. I have officially opened for business. I am now looking for clients to photograph. I will be doing portraits (including families, kids, adults, pets, maternity), events, Seniors, and most importantly weddings. I say most importantly, because other than having kids, your wedding day is probably the most memorable, fun, frantic, and wonderful day of your life. I want to be there to capture those moments as they are happening and give you something to look at 20, 30, 60 years from now and remember fondly of the day you got married. So if any one out there happens to know of someone looking for a wedding or other photographer. Please direct them to my website or having them call or email me to setup an appointment.

Tags: business, Photography, wedding

This is a picture of my brother from Christmas. Some say I look just like him, but we don’t agree. I thought it was just a really nice photo of him. Also, this was the first opportunity for me to get out and really try out the new 580EX II flash that I just bought. This shot was in the basement of my uncles house. While there are fluorescent lights, there is not a great amount of light. That new flash came in very handy!

Tags: 580EX II, Photography, Ryan

I know it has been a while since I have posted, but I have been busy. I am making the switch from using Apple’s Aperture program to Adobe’s Lightroom application for cataloging and developing my pictures. I have spent a lot of time learning and taking some training on the new software. I have also been doing some photo shoots. I took this picture for a co-worker as a potential Christmas card. I also shot the picture for my wife’s work for their company Christmas card. I have a few more photo shoots coming up and I did our own Christmas cards. this is one of my favorite photos from my recent work. I hope you enjoy it.

Tags: Photography, updates

I got a new lens today. I finally was able to get the much sought after Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens. This is the one that pretty much anyone who is a pro portrait or wedding photographer uses. It is one of Canon’s sharpest and nicest lenses. It is truly a professional level lens. I have taken a few shots with it today, but I intend to do more of a test this weekend. I was just so excited to get it today, I had to share.

Tags: canon, lens, Photography

If you haven’t noticed already, I have completely redesigned my website and blog. With this change, I have also changed the structure of my website. My main URL (www.adammarin.com) will now point to my photography portfolio and is hosted through SmugMug. My blog will now be found at www.blog.adammarin.com and is hosted on server space I have purchased. This also means that the RSS feed for my blog has changed slightly. Click on the RSS link at the right to get the new feed, or you can point your RSS reader to http://feeds.feedburner.com/AdamMarinPhotography. The change will help me to better promote my photography and still maintain a blog and have them all linked together. It took a little while to get to this point, but I hope you enjoy the changes and check out my photography. You can simply click on Galleries at the top of the page to view the photo galleries. You may also want to check out my home page at adammarin.com to see a small slideshow of some of my favorite pictures. Thanks for reading and please let me know if there are any issues.

Tags: Photography, redesign, website