Forgotten Coast Weekend Workshop in October

Greetings, Everyone.

My wife, Brenda, and I are excited to announce our fall photography workshop in Apalachicola, Florida. Brenda is putting her event planning experience to work and I will be leading the workshop. We promise lots of opportunities for photography, seafood and fun in historic, picturesque Apalachicola. Contact me or Brenda for details.

kgp@kennygray.com

brenda@kennygray.com

This workshop will be widely advertised in the region and we are accepting only twelve participants, so register right away and get a gas rebate and room discount.

Take care and keep shootin’.
Kenny

Welcome, Robin.

This Fall, Robin Trimarchi,
award-winning
photo-journalist for the
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
will join our teaching staff at
the CSU Rankin Arts Center.







Robin will be teaching Family Photojournalism: On Assignment and Introduction to Sports Photography.

Robin has a new blog filled with some of her best pictures and great tips for improving your photography-check it out.

Use sunscreen, read Robin's blog
but above all,
Keep shootin',
Kenny

Evolution of A Baby Portrait

The original 17 megapixel capture (Raw, 1/125 sec., f/8). Three adults assisting: My associate, Nicole blowing bubbles toward Talia, her mother, Sophia standing next to me talking to her, a student of mine, Tanya, spotting Talia to keep her safe. Photographed in the Rankin Arts Center's studio, two lights, black velvet backdrop. Notice that my main light, a 4x6' softbox, is positioned far around to the right (short lighting) to create three-dimensionality and to backlight the bubbles.

The image has now been cropped and I have adjusted contrast using Levels. I have also imported bubbles from another shot, resized and enhanced them, and retouched her pampers to appear solid white.





Cropped tighter now, scratch removed from her cheek, eyes enhanced.





I tried out a sepia/selective tint, decided I didn't like it.




I tried a watercolor filter. You may have to enlarge the image to see it (just click on it). Decided I didn't like it, either.


Here is the final portrait. I have added a Photoshop filter called Accented Edges, on a separate layer, adjusted opacity, and then created a rough, painterly edge. This portrait would look great printed on watercolor paper.

Good equipment, outstanding crew, beautiful happy baby, Photoshop, lots of patience in the studio and on the computer= Talia with Bubbles! See more of Talia here.

Love those babies, and

Keep Shootin'
Kenny

#1 Beginner's Mistake

Take a look at the three images to the left. The top two represent what you might see when looking through the viewfinder of your digital camera. You will likely see other numbers and icons that tell you the settings you have chosen for your camera. For now pay attention to the two numbers displayed: the number on the far left is your shutter speed, to the right, your aperture. It is the shutter speed that concerns us today. Notice that the shutter speed is one-forth of a second, (represented by 4 or 1/4, depending on your camera manufacturer), much too slow to hand-hold. In the low light of this cathedral, your camera is "telling you" that in order to get a good exposure, you need a slowwww shutter speed, no problem unless you forgot your tripod, but will result in camera shake without one.


The third image shows how your photograph might look. Camera shake is not a focus problem, it is a result of the camera (photographer) moving during a long exposure.

Your camera has a built-in light meter, and the shutter speed and aperture numbers displayed in your viewfinder, and LCD display, is the light reading. Learn to "read" your camera's display before taking your picture and you will avoid this common mistake.


Keep your eye on your light readings and

Keep Shootin'.
Kenny

Requiem for Polaroid ?

Sharon, 1993 from Dreamers

I have been thinking about Polaroid film lately, since the company's announcement that they were discontinuing production. Like most photographers of my generation, I used Polaroid cameras-initially the cheap, plastic versions my parents provided and later beautifully crafted folding models with Zeiss lenses, like the one I used in 1993 for a project called Dreamers. My film of choice was Polaroid Positive/Negative, which produced not only a black and white print (positive) but a large negative that could be cleared and dried and used in a darkroom to make enlargements. I also used Polaroid BW film to test lighting set-ups in my studio.

Polaroid film was important because it cut out the middleman; the photographer took a picture and within a few minutes, held the print in his hands. No drugstore or minilab to finish the job and often finish it badly. (Almost) instant gratification, way back in the 50's, and a unique one-of-a kind photograph, ready for a family album. I sincerely hope that some other company decides to license the Polaroid technology- there are a lot of photographers who are passionate about the product, but are there enough?

Check out this site, devoted to saving Polaroid film.

Ansel Adams was directly involved in the development of Polaroid film, used it extensively and wrote the definitive book on its creative use.

Dr. Edwin Land, Polaroid's inventor, profiled here.

Use any technology, old or new, simple or sophisticated, but

Keep Shootin'.
Kenny

Shannon Szwarc: Award-Winning Photojournalist

If all goes well, next fall the Photography Center will showcase the work of talented local photojournalist Shannon Szwarc. Shannon is the newest hire at the Ledger-Enquirer, and we are fortunate to have him working in our community.

Take a look at his website and his "Riverwalking" blog.

I am especially impressed by Shannon's black and white work, published in his book, “Wilderness Within Wilderness Without”, which chronicles the nine months he shadowed a group of troubled youth living and learning in a therapeutic wilderness program in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. Along with the honor of being asked to present at the National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camps, the book received national recognition in the Photo District News Photo Annual and several universities have since hosted exhibitions of the photographs.

The work is spare, inspired and poetic. See for yourself.

Like Shannon, Keep Shootin'.
Kenny

Photojournalism: Lost Links

Several of you were puzzled by the two links included in my last post, wondering what they had to do with each other. I just followed the links and discovered why; the picture stories I linked to are updated frequently and so the links change as well. The original link targets were photos of refugees in Myanmar and China who had lost virtually all their belongings. One couple was attempting to save a family photo album, the other a large framed wedding portrait.

Photographers who document their family's life are providing a precious resource for future generations, as are professionals who are hired to do the same thing on special occasions.

Follow the links anyway to see some of the best of the week's photojournalism, and look for a new class next fall at the Rankin Arts Center, Family Photojournalism:On Assignment, taught by the Ledger-Enquirer's Robin Trimarchi.

Keep shootin' your families!
Kenny