White Bedroom Photo Shoot

My latest stock photo shoot was a "White Bedroom" session. The concept was to create a clean & wholesome look of a young woman in various scenes in her bedroom. To create the set we brought a small bed, night-stand, bedding, lamp, alarm clock and other typical bedroom items (predominantly in white) into the studio and set them up on a white seamless background. The reason I chose the white was to surround the model to allow her face to be the main attraction.



The model in the shoot was Alyssa. This was her last stock session with us before taking off for a couple of months out of state on her summer break from college. I have photographed Alyssa more than any other model and we work very well together. With my wife Michelle (above) assisting me with hair, makeup and the other little details I always seem to miss, we captured numerous scenes to add to our stock image portfolio.



Featured here are a couple of my favorite shots from the series. They involve a sleeping/tired girl and an old-fashioned analog alarm clock. This is an everyday scene that most of us can probably relate to.

Photographing People with Kenneth Linge

This past Saturday wrapped up a three part teaching series that Kenneth Linge has taught this year called Photographing People, Parts 1, 2 and 3. I feel privileged to have spent time as a student in all of these classes. Anyone that has followed this blog for a while knows that Kenneth is a master portrait photographer that openly shares his techniques with the students that attend his seminars.

In part one and two of the series (held earlier this year), the students spent the majority of the time receiving instruction from and working with Kenneth (along with his wife MaryLyn) in a classroom environment. Part three was a departure from this setting, as we were given the opportunity to put our skills to work and venture out into the real world.

For the first part of the day, the students were paired up, given a model and instructed to head out into the downtown area of Salt Lake City to find locations to photograph. I captured the image of Brittanie (above) during this part of the class. It was taken just off of a sidewalk against a red door.

When the afternoon turned toward evening, the group of students, models and instructors headed out to the Great Salt Lake for some twilight shooting. As the sun set we had the opportunity to continue to put the techniques we'd learned to work in this beautiful setting.



By using a combination of natural light, reflectors and tungsten lights we were able to create some rather unique portraits. The above black & white image of Brittanie standing on the shore is an example of the use of a combination of these three methods of lighting.



Over the past year I have attended a total of eight days of training with Kenneth and MaryLyn Linge. Even though the teaching was aimed primarily at portrait and wedding photography, I can honestly say that the greatest skill I have received from them is a greater ability to see light as it relates to photography. This fluency carries over into ALL aspects of my photography and has greatly helped me in my stock photography business. I look forward to continuing to learn from them in the future.

To learn more about Kenneth Linge and The International School of Photography, visit his website at KennethLinge.com.

Behind the Scenes: Cafe Photo Shoot

Model Andrew enjoying a fresh cup

Last Saturday I did a photo shoot in a small Cafe`. The purpose of the shoot was to create images to add to my stock portfolio. My friend Jeremy came along to shoot some behind the scenes shots, so I thought I'd share a few of them along with the resulting final images.

On the shot above of Andrew, I used three lights. The main light was a large softbox positioned to camera right with a second softbox behind the model. A third light was used to light the background area.


High angle shot of Andrew at the counter


Model Kattie with the menu board

On this image of Kattie, I wanted to communicate 'Cafe', so I shot from a low view to include the large menu board in the top of the frame.


Low angle shot of Kattie with the menu board


Models Julie, Jessica and Kattie on the couch

For the three ladies enjoying their beverages on the couch, I wanted a high vantage point with the girls looking up. I always carry a small stepladder on my shoots for this purpose. As can be seen in the shot below, the extremely slick floor necessitated the use of a ladder stabilizer - namely Josiah.


Josiah offering some stability to my stepladder


Models Kattie, Cerrick and Josiah at the counter

I used a couple of first-time models (at least for me) on this shoot. Both Josiah (right) and Kattie (left) in the above image did a great job. I look forward to working with them in the future.



And lastly, it just wouldn't be a shoot without Alyssa (below). I have photographed her more than any other model and we work well together. Here she is with another regular of mine, Andrew.


Frequent models Andrew and Alyssa

As you can see in the background, this cafe is located inside a climbing gym. Definitely an interesting location.



As always, I cannot do what I do without the help of others. Involved in this shoot were models Andrew, Alyssa, Cerrick, Jessica, Josiah, Julie and Kattie along with assistants Michelle and Erik. It is always great to get to shoot on location, and this shoot wouldn't have been possible without the great folks at Momentum Climbing Gym and Cafe opening their doors for us.

To see the full set on my iStockphoto portfolio, click here.

Special thanks to Jeremy Hall for taking the behind the scenes images.

Save the Date: Photowalking Utah Tulip Festival

The next Photowalking Utah event is coming up on April 19th. Here are the details from the announcement:

This month's event is scheduled for Saturday April 19th from 5:00 pm to closing at 7:00 pm. We'll enjoy the blooms of spring around the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point catching the evening light.

They are located just off I-15 in Lehi. Click here for a map.

As always, this is for photographers of any age and skill level to come and enjoy taking pictures with other like minded people.

There is an admission fee:
Adults: $10.00
Child (Ages 3-12): $6.00
Senior (Ages 65+): $9.00
Tickets are available online.

Afterward, we'll be meeting for dinner at some place yet to be determined.

As was stated in the announcement, these events are open to photographers of any skill level. The group is a great way to meet other shooters and advance your own photography knowledge. Feel free to contact me at rich(at)leggnet.com with any questions about the event. You can also add to the conversation on the Flickr discussion. I hope to see many of you on the 19th.

Photowalking Utah: Trax Event

There was a nice turnout for today's Photowalking Utah event in Salt Lake City. I joined twenty-five other photographers aboard TRAX (Salt Lake City's light rail system) for a train ride around the city. We got off the train at various stops to photograph, before boarding the next train to continue our journey. It was great to meet several first-time photowalkers as well as catching up with the regulars.

The next Photowalking Utah event will be in April as the group heads South to Thanksgiving Point for the annual Tulip Festival. Stay tuned for details.

Today's image is of one of the original members of Photowalking Utah, Scott Smith, working his new 40D aboard the train as the event unfolded. Be sure to check out Scott's photoblog at www.scottosmith.com.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/160 second, f/4, ISO 1000

Save the Date: Photowalk #7, March 29, 2008

This month's Photowalking Utah event is coming up on Saturday March 29th at 4:00 pm. We will be riding TRAX (Salt Lake City's light rail system).

We will begin our journey at the University of Utah and head West toward our final stop near the Gateway. We will be getting off at various stops to photograph and then catch the next train. Depending on how many stops we get off at, this will take around 2 hours.

As always, these events are open to photographers of all skill levels, from brand new shooters to seasoned pros. Our main goal is to get together and have fun.

We will be meeting at the station adjacent to the Moran Eye Center at 4:00 pm. This is located at 65 Medical Drive in Salt Lake City (there is plenty of parking at the eye center).

For more information, visit Photowalking Utah's community page on Flickr at www.photowalkingutah.com or email me at rich(at)leggnet.com. If you are planning on attending, please comment on the thread on Flickr and/or comment here.

See you all on the 29th!

There's still time to "Create Your Own Creativity"

As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, internationally recognized portrait photographer Henk van Kooten will be hosting a one-night seminar in Salt Lake City on March 25th. The main subject will be "How to Create your Own Creativity". It only takes a few moments on Henk's website to see how creative and unconventional he is with his photography. He is able to take somewhat radical ideas and introduce it into his portrait work to create stunning results.

This seminar is not only for portrait photographers, but really any photographer that wants to improve the creativity in their work. It doesn't matter if your main subject is landscapes or weddings, Henk will inspire you creatively.

Doors open at 6:30pm and the seminar starts 7pm precisely. It lasts until 9:30 with 2 breaks. The price of the seminar is $85 with a maximum of 40 students. To sign up, email Kenneth Linge's International School of Photography at: intsop@gmail.com. In the mean time, be sure to check Henk's work out at www.henkvankooten.com.

The International School of Photography is a sponsor of LeggNet's Digital Capture. I have attended several of their training seminars over the past year and value their mission of sharing information and training photographers. I will be featuring their programs from time to time on this site.

Setting the Background in Stock Photography

One of the most enjoyable times for me to photograph is when I am doing a stock shoot on location. I like the challenge provided by setting up a realistic looking scene in a new place. An important item to remember when setting up a scene is not only to focus on the main subject, but plan the background as well.

In today's shot of Holly at the health club, I placed Tyler in the background doing curls with a dumbbell to better communicate the theme. Combining this model placement and a shallow depth-of-field not only adds depth to the image but increases the 'realism' of the shot.

Another example of this technique is demonstrated in last month's laboratory photo shoot. By placing models Ron and Julie working on the bench behind Michelle, the scene becomes more interesting.



One drawback to adding background people is a bit of complication to the lighting. In the health club shoot I set a low-power monolight aimed specifically at the background model(s). I set the exposure for this light at approximately half f/stop below the subject exposure. I wanted them to pop, but not overpower the main subject.

This technique can be utilized in recreational photography as well. By paying attention to the background and either adding or removing people, the impact of a shot can be greatly increased.

View these images in my stock portfolio: Health Club - Laboratory

Photowalking Utah - TRAX

The monthly Photowalking Utah events have become quite popular. Last month's event at the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center attracted over 50 photographers. Thanks to everyone who supported the outing.

This month's event is tentatively scheduled for Saturday March 29th at 4:00 pm. The plan is to have the group meet at the TRAX station located at the University of Utah. We will then ride West toward the Gateway, getting off at each stop to photograph then catching the next train.

We have applied with UTA for the necessary permissions to bring 50+ photographers onto their trains. We did this to minimize the "FREAK OUT" factor that the railroad cops might have when we showed up photographing everything in site.

I am posting this now (prior to permission being received) so everyone can mark their calendar. In the event that we don't receive permission in time, we will push this event to next month (April) and come up with an alternate location.

As they say in show biz, "Stay tuned for details..."

For more information on Photowalking Utah, please visit our Flickr community page at www.photowalkingutah.com.

"Create Your Own Creativity" with Henk van Kooten

Do you sometimes find yourself in an inspirational rut with your photography? Then come along with me as we spend an evening with Henk van Kooten and free your imagination.

Epson and The International School of Photography are hosting a seminar with Henk van Kooten from The Netherlands in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, March 25th at 7pm.

Henk's main subject will be "How to Create your own Creativity". Henk is unquestionably one of the most creative photographers you will ever meet. There is no end to his imagination and creativity, it is simply AMAZING!

It will be held at the new SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Salt Lake City Downtown located at 625 South 300 West. It is very close to Pictureline and if you need a room for the night ask for the Pictureline rate.

Doors open at 6:30pm and the seminar starts 7pm precisely. It lasts until 9:30 with 2 breaks. The price of the seminar is $85 with a maximum of 40 students.

To sign up, email Kenneth Linge's International School of Photography at: intsop@gmail.com. In the mean time, be sure to check Henk's work out at www.henkvankooten.com.

NOTE FROM RICH: The International School of Photography is a sponsor of LeggNet's Digital Capture. I have attended several of their training seminars over the past year and value their mission of sharing information and training photographers. I will be featuring their programs from time to time on this site.

Rule of Thirds - Revisited

Today's simple scenery image of a lone pine tree against a blue sky is a perfect chance to revisit a previous post from last year concerning the Rule of Thirds. Have a great weekend!

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/200 second, f/8, ISO 100


from April 1, 2007:

One of the first things to get emphasized to novice photographers by those who claim to be more knowledgeable is to "Follow the rule of thirds". While this is sound advice, the phrase can be confusing. Let's take a few moments and simplify this "Rule" so that we all can use it when making captures regardless of our experience.

Simply put, the Rule of Thirds is a tool to use when composing a photograph. The way I like to instruct it is this: Place four evenly spaced imaginary lines on your image, 2 horizontal and 2 vertical. I have even further simplified it to some (mainly children) by suggesting that they imagine a "tic-tac-toe" board over the photo. Once you can picture the lines, place your subject very near a line and, if possible, arrange the main focal point of the subject where two of the lines intersect. In doing so, you increase the odds that you will create a photo that is visually appealing to how the human mind interprets the image.



For today's image (above) I took one of my favorite hawk photos and added yellow lines to help illustrate the process. When composing the photo I placed the bird on the right most vertical line. The main focal point of the bird is the eyes and beak, but I found that if I placed them on an intersection the photo was a bit bottom heavy. Instead, I placed the bird's body where the two nearest lines meet. Doing so creates a pleasing composition since the birds head is close enough to an intersection to take advantage of the rule. Had I taken the same photo and composed it differently by placing the bird in the center of the image, the result would not be as pleasing.

Since I'm on the subject of image composition, the image above demonstrates another "Rule" that can be followed to make a shot more pleasing. In most situations it is desired to have the subject looking toward the center of the image. If the bird were looking to the right rather than the left, the photo would not be as pleasing to the viewer's eye. In fact, to many people it would just "feel uncomfortable". The same can be said for motion. If the photo is of a subject in motion, compose it so it is moving toward the image's center.

Lastly, remember the old phrase "Rules are made to be broken". There are plenty of times when a more pleasing image can be created by breaking the Rule of Thirds rather than following it. Try using this rule as a guideline and see if your work improves.

50mm f/1.8 lens - Put One In Your Bag

I frequently receive email questions from photographers that have upgraded to a digital SLR camera. One of the most often asked questions is about additional lenses they should add to their kit. The lens I recommend more than any other is the 50mm f/1.8. This lens can be had for under $100 (Canon) and is a great addition to any photographer's gear bag. The inexpensive little lens offers numerous advantages including:

- One to two f/stops faster than a standard 'kit' lens
- Very narrow depth-of-field for a great blurred background
- Extremely compact and lightweight

The Canon version of the lens feels very cheap light due to its plastic build. Don't let this deter you. The optics are very good, especially considering the low price.

Today's image of Kenneth during a video presentation at one of his classes was taken with this lens. The combination of the fast lens speed and a high ISO made the shot possible.

Here are links to the lens for Canon & Nikon:

Canon 50mm f/1.8
Nikon 50mm f/1.8

Of course, if price is no object you can do what my scientist friend did (you know who you are) and cough up some real cash for a Canon 50mm f/1.2 :)

Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens - 1/20 second, f/1.8, ISO 800

Save the Date: Photowalk #6, February 23, 2008

The next Photowalking Utah event is fast approaching. The event will be held at the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center located at 65 Medical Drive in Salt Lake City. Here are the details:

Our sixth Photowalk will be February 23rd at the Moran Eye Center from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. We've got a two-part indoor event: a Photoshop tutorial by Ann Torrence and photographing the new Moran Eye Center (architecture, scientific labs, microscopes small and large, glassware, computers, etc.). We will start capturing photos at 9 am, Photoshopping at 11. You can attend either, part or both.

These event are open to anyone who wishes to attend, regardless of skill level. We typically have participants who vary in ability from beginners with point-and-shoot cameras to seasoned professionals with their high-end gear. The main emphasis is a sharing of knowledge and building of friendships.

For more information visit the entry on Jones Blog and/or drop by the Photowalking Utah discussion group at www.photowalkingutah.com.

Canon PowerShot G7 - 1/500 second, f/4, ISO 400

More Studio Space!

To quote Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together".

Last Saturday we (myself and two photographer friends Dale and Benjamin) removed two walls in my studio and doubled the shooting space. In addition to two seamless backdrops, I now have a sitting area that can double as a set. In total, the studio is just under 600 square feet.

As Michelle and I now make the majority of our income from photography, we continue to look forward to where this journey will take us.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 2/5 second, f/4, ISO 100

Reflector Lighting in Mid-Day Sun

Pro photographer and instructor Kenneth Linge had another of his Photographing People clinics this past Saturday in Salt Lake City. I was privileged enough to be invited again to help out and photograph during the class. Kenneth is a master at using mid-day sunshine with a reflector to create stunning portraits.

I took the above photo of Lindsey in direct overhead sunshine in the parking lot of the hotel the seminar was held at. The lighting was provided by a single silver reflector positioned by Kenneth. The combination of the warm light on the face with the cool background bokeh created a pleasant portrait.

Here is an overview of the scene as captured by my favorite videographer Jeremy Hall.



It is always rewarding to be able to capture a nice portrait such as this in an environment that many photographers would consider inhospitable to portrait work.

On a somewhat related side note, I processed this image in under 5 minutes using Kenneth's Photoshop Actions. I will be providing more information on these actions in the near future.

On the web:

Kenneth Linge
Jeremy Hall

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/800 second, f/4, ISO 100

Photographing People Seminar with Kenneth Linge

I had a conversation yesterday with my friend Kenneth Linge. Kenneth is a world class wedding and portrait photographer as well as a photography instructor. In chatting with him about his upcoming seminar (Photographing People, Part 1) this Saturday in Salt Lake City, he mentioned that there were still some spots available. Being someone who is always on the lookout for something to blog about, I freely offered to pass along the info.

I have attended two of Kenneth's classes in the past year. I find it amazing that a photographer of his level is so willing to freely share the techniques that he has learned in 30+ years as a working pro. Scott Smith (a photographer I met through this blog) attended Kenneth's last class in Salt Lake City. Here's a little bit of what he had to say about it on his blog:

"Kenneth teaches seminars in the US and Europe. He successfully completed five European tours last year. Kenneth and his wife Marylyn taught the class of 15 students. Their class was structured in a way to teach some basic fundamentals with techniques they use and build upon them in upcoming seminars. One of the highlights for me was to participate in a live model shoot in downtown Salt Lake City. It was amazing to watch Kenneth look for the natural available light and apply it to create some amazing photographs."

If you're interested in learning more about the seminar (and possibly attending), pop on over to Kenneth's website for more into: http://kennethlinge.com/seminars.html

And when you decide to attend, you can see yours truly in action. I will be there photographing the photographer :)

Calling Photoshoppers - My Version

It was great to see the response to the Calling Photoshoppers project we featured this week (original post). I received a few suggestions that I give a shot at editing the image, so I spent a few minutes with it this morning. Here is my version.

I didn't keep a detailed list of my editing steps (like the others did so well), but I will touch on a few highlights.

- Cropped and leveled
- Removed rock (thanks Brian)
- Blended two versions of the images, one sepia and one color
- Warmed up and softened using an action
- Brightened faces
- Vignette

My goal was to create a sepia image with a subtle color on the couple (especially the jeans and her top). Similar to others, I sought to create an old-fashioned feel to the image.

So, how'd I do?

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/250 second, f/5, ISO 100

Calling Photoshoppers - The Results

Last week I put out a call for Photoshop users who would like to put their skills to work on one of my images (original post). I received a very nice response and selected the first five to participate.

I have since received the four edited images (one person was unable to complete the assignment). In addition to doing a great job applying their Photoshop chops to the image, they each wrote a narrative on what they did and why they did it. It is very interesting for me to see the different style and approach each artist took.

Each person was provided with an unedited JPG and RAW image (shown above) of the couple walking on abandoned railroad tracks. The only guideline given was that they could do whatever they wanted. Here are their results in no particular order.

ANN TORRENCE



Technically

In short - two Adobe Camera Raw interpretations of the same image,
over and under exposed. The diffusion is simulated by copying the
over-exposed image, blurring it, and using the Screen mode.

The under-exposed ACR conversion is blended with Multipy at a partial
opacity to bring back the dark zones. A Curves Adjustment Layer
introduces the Cross Processing look; search on-line for many cross
processing curve examples to download. One more thought: edit in 16-
bit mode when making dramatic shifts and expect a spiky histogram.
Down-sampling to 8-bit will smooth much of the spikiness out.
Cropped to 8x10, light sharpening for Rich to resize and sharpen for
printing.

Artistically

I imagined this couple would like one image from their engagement
session styled for fashion. I wanted to give them an image that they
will like now, their kids will laugh at on their 25th wedding
anniversary, and treasure on their 50th.

I liked the pose, motion and expressions, and how the color of her
shirt pops out of the image. But their beautiful skin and hair tones
get lost in the muddy colors of the tree leaves. And the unfocused
weeds at the bottom of the image have to go (Rich was smart to keep
the camera plane parallel to the couple, and allow some room in the
composition for cropping.)

Cross-processing refers to an old-school color film technque of
processing slide film as if it were color negative or vice versa. It
gives a characteristic color shift and contrast transformation to the
film, and has been used a lot in fashion photography. Another tool
fashion photographers might use is a diffusion filter. Since Rich
didn't use one on his lens, I faked one. I wanted to use both ideas;
retaining a full range of brightness called upon a bit of Photoshop.

BRIAN AUER



Technically

I processed the RAW file using Adobe Camera Raw 4.3.1. I left the white balance as shot, and I started with the “Auto” adjustment for the exposure settings. I tweaked a few minor things, then I got started in Photoshop CS3. Once in Photoshop, I applied a curves adjustment layer to increase contrast. Then I converted to black and white using the Channel Mixer adjustment layer at 34% red, 66% green, and 0% blue. I set the blending mode of this adjustment layer to “Overlay” and dropped the opacity to 80%. Then I desaturated the image using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer by dropping the Saturation slider to -35. The final adjustment step was a Photo Filter adjustment layer using an LBA Warming Filter at a density of 35%. Then I cropped the image (see why in the next section). And finally, the rock in the foreground was a little off for me, so I cloned it out. No sharpening was applied.

Artistically

I felt the scene had a lot of potential and I knew I wanted the image to have a kind of timeless and carefree look and feel to it. The adjustment layers got the overall mood where I wanted it, but the composition was off for me. I loved the slight tilt in the image, but the upper half of the scene wasn’t working for me – the background was too dark on the left and too light on the right. It added too much tension and took away from the “carefree” feeling I wanted. So I played around with different crops and I finally landed on a 3:2 aspect that cut off just below the cuff of the white shirt on the left arm. To me, this was the most interesting part of the image (no offense to the models… or Rich for that matter). The photo was suddenly more timeless and relatable. It wasn’t about the two specific people in the photo -- it was about the carefree feeling of walking down the old tracks on a sunny summer afternoon, hand-in-hand with the person you love.

RICHARD MILES



Technically

My first step was to eliminate some of the empty space around the couple, so I cropped the image to bring the couple forward. I then tilted the image to take away the linear power that the original had, and also in hopes adding a more visual element to the picture. Overall, I felt the image had too much space around it, and was too much on the straight and upright!

Artistically

I bumped the contrast a little! I also played with different levels of contrast and decided that since the couple are wearing jeans containing pattern and texture , to bring out that element and use that as a unifier that this is a "couple"!

I then added a soften glow to the shot, and then layered a sepia toned layer on top. I took a black paint brush at around 2% opacity and painted over the whole image to achieve that black/sepia combo and add a little warmth and hopes of a romantic flair.

TIM MILLER

ARTISTICALLY

I looked at the photo and it seemed to be a pretty candid shot snapped mid action, but when I thought about it from the perspective of the couple, there was obviously going to be some memories associated with the event. It was obviously a staged candid shot. The railway tracks and the way they were dressed and walking holding hands suggested that a photographer had set this shot up for them – maybe as a anniversary special photo occasion or something. So while wild fantasies of photo shopping an old fashioned steam train in behind them to make them look as if they were in danger crossed my mind (in fact I even found some suitable photos) I didn’t attempt this. Instead I reasoned that the couple would be interested in framing this photo on their wall as a memory of this event or time in their lives. So I created two different looks and borders that would lend themselves to printing on canvas or photo paper and framing with a nice frame.

TECHNICALLY

Shot 1 – the sepia image. First I tightened the shot by cropping substantially. I then copied this onto a larger white canvas to create a large margin. I then changed the image to black and white using a gradient adjustment layer and then added a colour adjustment layer of sepia. I then created a slightly larger selection in the background and filled this with black to give the old time real photo look of the black edges and sepia tone. I then added the text at the bottom. This would look good in an old wooden frame – probably 2-3 inches in width in an old fashioned style.

Shot 2 – the soft edges. Once again I tightened the shot by cropping the extraneous material. I then create a border inside the edge and feathered this by 170 pixels. I then selected the inverse and deleted to create the soft edges. This would look good on a matt photo paper and framed in a thin metal frame, gold or maybe silver.

____________

And there you have it. I would again like to personally thank each participant for taking the time and energy to be involved in this little project. Based on the response, we will be doing this again in the future.

iStockphoto Download #10,000

Today marks a milestone in my stock photography. Just a little while ago this image of Jenna as a school teacher sold on iStockphoto.com marking my 10,000th photo sold on the popular stock photography website. This advances me to a Gold Level contributor and not only entitles me to a higher royalty payment percentage, but I am now eligible to also sell my stock photography via Getty Image's (the parent company of iStockphoto) royalty free collection.

Shooting and selling stock images has grown over the past year from a small part of my photography to becoming the major focus. During that time the income I receive from sales has increased to where it is now the majority of my monthly revenue.

I look forward to the year ahead as I now set my sights on iStock's Diamond Level of 25,000 downloads.

If you'd like, you can click HERE to view my stock portfolio.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/60 second, f/10, ISO 100

Studio Photography Photowalking This Saturday

We are having our January Photowalking Utah event this Saturday. This will be an indoor event with multiple sets for doing studio photography. Based on the response in the Flickr discussion, it looks like we are going to have a HUGE turnout. This should be fun.

Here are the details:

When: Saturday January 12, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm (ish)
Where: Gateway Community Church - 584 E. 12300 South, Draper UT 84020

As always, these events are open to anyone interested in attending - regardless of skill and/or equipment level. If your camera has a flash, we will be able to sync you to the lights.

I have scheduled six amateur models to be available to pose for the photographers. We are asking each photographer to make a $5 recommended donation to compensate these models for their time.

For more information, visit the group page at www.photowalkingutah.com or read my previous post by clicking here.

Feel free to contact me at rich(at)leggnet.com or (801) 259-3500 with any questions.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday.

UPDATE: I just came from my favorite photography store Pictureline where I picked up the door prize donations. They have generously offered up over 20 items including Nikon thumb drives, Canon memory card holders, Nikon coffee mugs and much more. These will be given out by random drawing at the event. Please keep Pictureline's generosity in supporting this event in mind the next time you need to make a photography purchase.

Use Wide Angle Lens Distortion for a Creative Portrait

One of the fun poses I like to do when working with a model is a close-in wide angle shot taken from above the subject. The distortion created by a wide angle lens causes the subject's head to appear oversized with a small body filling the remainder of the frame. For further exaggeration of the face, I get as close to the model as possible while still maintaining focus. To be able to get over top the model, I keep a small ladder in the studio for this purpose.

On both the shot of the menacing looking gunman (above) and the little bride (below), I used my all-purpose 24-105 f/4L lens on a Canon 5D. Since the 5D has a full-frame sensor eliminating the crop-factor, I get a true 24mm in the widest focal length causing the large head effect to work nicely.

One of the lenses on my future-purchase list is the Canon 17-40 f/4L. This lens will give me even more versatility in creating this type of portrait.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

2007 - This Photographer's Look Back

324,157 - Unique Visitors to LeggNet's Digital Capture
126,742 - Most Hits on a Single Day
16,586 - Photos Taken
8,693 - Photos Sold Online
1,748 - Photos added to Flickr
1,514 - Photos added to iStockphoto
732 - Comments left by Readers
334 - Blog Posts Made
2 - Frontpage DIGG Stories
1 - New Camera

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and support throughout the year. I anxiously look forward to what 2008 has in store for all of us photographically.

'In the Kitchen' Photo Shoot

(Alyssa chatting on the phone while cooking dinner.)

I spent yesterday morning shooting for an 'In the Kitchen' stock photo series that I am working on. Our location was a local company's kitchen/cooking training facility. In addition to a large very nice residential type kitchen, the room has 48 theater style seats. This gave me plenty of room for my equipment and props.


(Behind the Scene shot of Evelyn cutting vegetables.)

I used two softboxes (20x30" & 30x60") for the strong side lighting. Fill light was provided by a single monolight firing directly into a 60x84" piece of ripstock nylon. I prefer fairly strong directional lighting for this type of shoot.

My models Evelyn, Donna, Alicia & Alyssa all were extremely patient and did a great job. They were a lot of fun to work with and offered plenty of expertise for 'keeping it real' when it came to setting up kitchen scenes.


(Donna with a sheet of freshly baked cookies.)

My pre-Christmas activity is now to edit and upload the considerable amount of images to my iStockphoto portfolio.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/9, ISO 100