California Pictures 08 – pt 1
Written on February 26, 2010 Posted in Jarvie Trip, Landscapes, Travel Photography
Articles tagged ‘Photo Sites’
(A thanks to Suzanne for the great picture of me)
Mormon Artist
The magazine Mormon Artist has done an interview of me this month.
Read Article Online Here
Even better: Download the beautifully laid out PDF
(Or full magazine PDF)
On another note the founder of magazine is an amazing person, one of the most talented and intelligent people I’ve ever known, follow him on twitter @bencrowder
What a Wonderful project he has taken on himself to produce. Thanks Ben for your contribution to the arts and the LDS community.
The Interview
They don’t mess around it’s 10 pages including the 20 pictures they used, big and small.
I talked a lot because I had an 8 hour drive from San Diego to Vegas and I had nothing else to do so I talked for like 90 minutes, I wondered how they’d cut it down: Answer… Use most of it 
Yes of course I’m happy for the exposure, it’ll be fun.
My favorite part of photography is seeing people happy about my work.
The Way I see it
As we all know I love sharing things I’ve learned, hoping that it helps others or at least speeds up the time it took them.
I think there are a few questions I answered that could help anyone going down the photography road.
So I hope that beyond exposure that YOU learn from things I’ve shared.
I have written a history of how I got into photography already on my site, this article takes a little different spin.
BEST THREE LINES
I’m the type of person who is crazy enough to agree to take on a wedding, never having done one.
How has the gospel influenced your work as a photographer and also as a teacher of photography?
I like to try to do everything in a principled-based approach. I don’t believe in just saying: “It’s good business.” I think that’s a cop-out and it can be very destructive when someone excuses themselves with “I think it’s good business.” Almost all these principles I learned at church, through the interpretation of the scriptures, or from church leaders. Where we learn that the purpose of life is not to get more money but that we’re supposed to help others, we learn the value of real education. It’s not about a piece of paper that says you’re educated. It’s about really gaining light and knowledge, and at the same time, expanding our talents. It teaches us that we shouldn’t hide our talents but we should share them, and that they should be beneficial to other people. We don’t always need to prostitute our skills; we can just share them and give them to other people.
What are your plans for the future?
I see myself doing a lot of education. And I see myself almost completely doing Envision the World project work. And having a family, and you know, enduring to the end, and living happily ever after.
Words I never thought I would be saying:
“I’m going back to school next week”
In fact about a week or two ago I wasn’t planning on it.
But now I’m a school bound fool.
Learning from past roads
Good news though… It won’t be the typical schooling experience.
It will be heavy emphasis on the learning this time around.
Taking from the 16yrs of schooling experience in my life I believe this experience will go about things in a much improved system.
My personal belief is they shouldn’t just pump more money into a bad system… but change the system. Or perhaps take the old horse out back behind the shed carrying the trusty gun and a shovel.
If you can’t find the perfect solution … Create it!
Quick Rant
I just quickly wanted to leave a couple of words. (Turned into a lot)
Drop a quick rant on the blog.
If you’re a photographer and you want my honest advice.
Here it is.
Think about how you present your pictures.
OK so I can sometimes be a bit lazy sometimes and though I have tons of ideas there is plenty i’ve thought of or appreciated in others that I have yet to implement.
Sometimes I try to stand on the principle that the pictures should speak for themself and I object to people trying so hard to present their pictures so nice to try to make up for obvious lack of quality.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
But if there is one thing that I believe strongly in… it’s first impressions.
Putting your best foot forward means lead with what you do best.
If you’re going to show your pictures, you should probably start with the best ones.
(Much more after the jump)
Continue reading about Best foot forward – First Impressions
Hey look!!
I used a lensbaby on an actual photo-shoot.
These are wedding detail shots from two weddings.
Both were pictures of rings.
That’s not to say I probably couldn’t use it even more and get some really fun results.
But I just haven’t… many times the situation wasn’t right or I didn’t have enough time.
Focusing takes a lot longer so the situation had to be right.
Taking pictures of rings are cool… because they don’t move.
I did these without a tripod and it took a while.
I was using the macro filter adapters, and focusing and the depth of field was so narrow it was really hard to nail down.
I ogirinally bought the Lensbaby because I was trying to purchase the Nikon 105 macro and pictureline was out of stock that day.
Therefore I used the lensbaby to get Macros.
Next wedding I’m taking the G11 and testing it out to get some macros (details)
May I add I had a second generation lensbaby years ago… tried it on one wedding and never used it since.
The LensBaby composer is much more user friendly in my opinion.
To learn more about LensBaby go here
This is probably the most iconic LensBaby look… with the blurred edges.
First wedding that I used it on was the following
Are we going with MAC as an industry for some actual reason?
Or just because everyone else is doing it? Is it all HYPE a sort of placebo affect?
(FYI: I own a PC and a MAC.)
What actual benefit does MAC have on graphics that everyone says
“If you do anything with graphics or video, 100% hands-down, no option go with a MAC.”
Pictures look real pretty on a MAC and I hope my clients view on a really nice big mac display.
But I run a color calibration to get Real-as-they-should-be-looks and it seems to take away all that niceness so I can view the picture as it really is.
(So doesn’t that erase the benefit of those displays?)
This is because of the way they build their displays and do their color profiles… so should i just be buying a Mac Display?
(Aren’t the color profiles replaced when you do a color calibration?)
Continue reading about Am I supposed to own a Mac as a Photographer?
I signed up for SmugMug Apr 2nd 2008 – And this is my review
(200K+ pictures and 1000Gbs later)
Read the FULL long and Intensive review after the jump
Apparently I like to see how far I can stretch myself.
Previous instances of going big.
- Doing long wedding day shoots … up to 14hrs once.
- Doing shoots I’ve never done before is always a fun challenge and stretch.
- Going to a new location is a fun stretch I’ve done so many times it’s not that stretchy anymore.
- Like when I shot 60,000 pictures in 3 months and drove 12,000 miles while I was in europe.
- Or when I had like 8 weddings in a couple weeks in several different states and drove almost 5k miles with several plane flights all during the Christmas season equaling an insane amount of pictures.
- Or when I did 2 weddings in one day at 2 different locations
- Or when I did 3 weddings in one day (only one reception)
- Or when i did 32 shoots for the 2nd annual charity shoot
- And at the same time bought and used for the first time studio equipment the day before all these shoots.
Another fun challenge.
This week I’ll be shooting 50+ photo shoots.
I find myself often almost caught by the tide of the popular ideas.
I used to say certain things… that I want to be able to say again with 100% certainty.
With the new wave of business centric thought in photography…
I don’t want to get caught up and forget the things that helped me get to where I am.
That’s not to say I don’t appreciate philosophizing about the business of photography
I watched a presentation by a very successful photographer David Jay but he also stressed.
“If you truly make your business about helping other people you’ll always have alot of work”
I would like to be another witness to that statement.
Things I used to say and stances I used to keep…
Which I re-affirm to keep
I used to say with 100% assurance the following:
“I make my wedding photography and wedding packages the way I would want it, if I were getting married”
I’m gonna make sure this is still the case…
I will fight the fad to make packages it in such a way to make the most money possible and be tricky and suck the unknowledgeable in.
Yes i suppose this could be a blatant affront to those charging low amounts for their photography but walking away with a grip of cash in the end because they charge for everything.
I don’t want to be salesman and I’m lucky enough my business is going well enough I don’t have to be. I don’t want to have to sell and up-sell and squeeze every last drop out of their wallets.
Don’t charge by hour -
I could go off about the trickery in marketing the whole by hour costs seems to be. But I do understand it’s benefits in some cases.
I’ve seen the scenario cause problems in too many cases… well I should say I’ve heard to many horror stories.
I wouldn’t want an hourly person at my wedding… so therefore I’m not gonna be that person.
Another good reason is since everyone else charges hourly in Utah (and many other states) it sets me apart
Don’t push people into buying more -
I don’t like being sold something I wasn’t really after. I’m susceptible to doing it… I’m a spend thrift and am often a sucker…
but it feels so dirty afterwards I feel like they took advantage of me. I don’t want to be that person someone looks back at and says I love the product but in a way I kinda feel like I got tooken advantage of.
Don’t make it all about money.
Corn fields : A first time for everything
Written on September 26, 2009 Posted in ! Favorite Posts, Formals (Pre-wedding Portraits)
Hurray for my first ever in the corn fields picture. haha
It’s funny how we often go somewhere to take pictures where the look is iconic and yet you take pictures with a background that you didn’t even think about.
A background that looked like it could have been from anywhere.
It’s as if you go to the Beach to take pictures and yet it doesn’t look like the beach at all… no water, no sand, no glorious sunset or surfers. haha
I often go to a shopping center called Riverwoods and walk away with mostly nature pictures of a pond and a bunch of trees with no shops or buildings in site.
(Thought I’d add the picture in color too)
Seems like most of the time we go out of our way to go to some amazing place and our favorite pics are of the person in front of a wall… or maybe even with just the sky.
I could have shot this corn picture in any number of locations closer to me in tons of corn fields in my city.
Well on one hand it seems funny we put so much emphasis on location to the couples and even sometimes pay lots of money.
But there’s a lot of reason behind it and some of that is perception.
I really didn’t mean to write a schpeil on locations and even though I and many others have lots to say… I thought I’d mention that this time I took a picture that totally matched the name.
I went to wheeler farm and took pictures of the couple in the corn fields… never mind the fields were relitively tiny and a small portion of the location… but it was the first time for me and I thought their glamorous and stylish look would be a perfect juxtposition.
Here are a couple other pictures that did fit them very well.
I suppose going to a city park in the farm format and taking pictures of a old truck could be an example of my previous discussion.
On that note I was happy that my assistant pointed out the existence of the truck.
This was definetly part of wheeler farm and the look… so this does prove why a nice place with lots of options and well maintained is a good fit.
Think about the dress too… a nicely kept lawn is a good thing to keep a white dress clean… but if not… have them hold the dress. Could be fun.
This picture really could have been any any clump of trees
This following picture is a great example of a “this could have been anywhere shot”
We were taking pictures of the truck and there was a bridge i was being pointed to but I just loved how the light was hitting this little section of trees.
Trees that could have been anywhere but I just felt like it would have matched them and their look and the way I was feeling. So …. bammm
Continue reading about Corn fields : A first time for everything
Announcing the 3rd Annual Charity Photo Shoot
Written on September 17, 2009 Posted in Jarvie Charity Shoot, newsYes a FREE photo shoot from yours truly…
Hard to believe this is the 3rd year of my yearly tradition of shooting pictures for FREE
But I’m excited to do it again and have some new changes to spice it up a ton!
I’m going back to my roots like the first year and doing a Fall Colors theme.
Last year I did a week long of studio shoots and I’ll also offer that during the week as well.
So here’s the deal for those who don’t know.
I do quick shoots all week long for FREE … which for no financial gain on my part.
My way of saying thanks to my friends. Thus the charitable part.
The Charity
But last year I started a new tradition of taking donations which were given to a charitable organization.
The organization will be FFHE (Family to Family Humanitarian Expeditions)
It does a lot of great work in Mexico for families in need and also affects the lives of those that go on the expeditions
Check them Out http://ffhe.org/
I also end up donating a week to shoot for this organization in Mexico.
Here’s some pics from the expedition from last year.
i will note that some of the cost will go towards some equipment needed for the shoots
Survey
In any case… this post is to announce that the event will be held from Oct 5th to the 10th
We are not scheduling quite yet but you can help to give us get that together.
The theme is FALL COLORS + Studio
Which canyon would you prefer (we’ll do all of them just need to see demand)
- Provo (Sundance) Canyon
- American Fork Canyon
- Little Cottonwood Canyon
- Big Cottonwood Canyon
- Other Canyon
- Studio
Which Day
Monday through Saturday
What time
10-2 (Studio) or 3-7 (Canyon)
Minimum donation
I’ve found over the years that those paying nothing do not seem to appreciate the offer
Plus it goes to a good cause.
So would everyone be willing to donate a minimum of $30
This is not only a charity for a good cause this is a charity for YOU so I don’t want to exclude those that can’t.
So the questions are is $30 acceptable and secondly what would a short shoot be worth Donating for you?
FAQ
I will do another post when i get a few minutes and announce how to sign up for a shoot spot.
They will fill up fast and I will let those doing the survey get first choice
Send survey to accounts@jarviedigital.com or just respond here.
I will also post pictures of previous years.
One quick note is that I won’t be doing any wedding shoots for Free and the time periods will be somewhat limited to fit everyone in.
Last years many people showed up to do family shoots, roommate pictures, individual shoots, model pictures,
BE Creative!! I wan’t this to be fun… it’s your chance to do shoots you wouldn’t have done if you had to pay $500 to get done.
Continue reading about Announcing the 3rd Annual Charity Photo Shoot
Steppin’ it up
Written on August 8, 2009 Posted in ! Favorite Posts, Bridal Pictures, Formals (Pre-wedding Portraits)
‘Things are clicking. (Pun intended)
I’ve got some fancy new toys like new lenses and lighting stuff.
I’m working better with all the people coming to assist.
It’s a lot of work getting each person to know what to do specially when it seems i have to deal with someone new each time.
But i’m getting better at it and showing them their job faster and better.
While still keeping the connection with my clients.
Things are starting to get even busier around here with 3 weddings each week for the next few weeks.
It’s just about the right time to start getting in a groove.
And I think I’m in a groove, taking things to the next level.
I’ve been spending a bit more time on lighting my pictures.
ALSO, after years trying to get faster at editing… I think I’ve slowed down.
Sometimes I’ll edit all the pictures then go back through and see what I missed.
Checking a second time to see how I can improve the pictures.
Yes maybe I don’t have tons of time for it at the moment but i think it will help step up the level for times to come.
The plan is to do Fewer jobs and focus on them a little more.
(Which happens to mean an increase in price, but shhhh don’t tell anyone. haha)
I hope you all have enjoyed what you’ve been seeing these days.
The following set is from the SLC library in case you wanted to know the location.
Finding and working a new location on a whim… Pays off.
Don’t you just love the reflection off of the glass.
The one on the right looks almost fake. For some reason it just came out that way. I did add a bit of vignette.
I admit it’s not the perfect wedding picture, but as a regular kinda modely picture for some reason I love it
Girls love their veil, their ring and romantic moments… so that’s a 3 in 1
To join the UPES group on Flickr go here
The plan is to set up a seperate Blog for this monthly competition.
To highlight pictures and have guest contributors talk about how they reached certain results.
When I get a couple moderators for said blog helping out and assigning other photographers to get that done I’ll do the wordpress install and get that Blog going.
But for now I’ll use my blog to show the winners of each picture.
The winner this month was David Daniels
The event took place at the Pictureline in Draper
Both tied for Win
This was part of an early morning photowalk.
The same one mentioned in the previous post about photo things happening this week in Utah.
I had my handy dandy 14-24 lens out to get super duper close to the flowers. This was like a few inches from the flowers
To view them all… or view them in a better format check them out here
We got there about an hour before sunrise… but this was a while later when the sun actually rose.
This moose came up pretty darn close to our group. If I weren’t in a group of about 20 people I probably would have scampered away like a scared little school girl. But I figured I was faster than at least a couple of people.
Lanscapes up in that area is pretty stellar (See Below)
Albion Basin photowalk
Saturday 5AM (Tomorrow)
Find more information on flickr page , Blog Page
Ann torrence is leading us up to a beautiful spot early early in the morning.
This promises to be an awesome trip for only those tough enough to get up that early and hike.
I don’t have any trouble waking up and I love mornings, so I plan on being there.
Small groups like this make for a great way to get to know each other… hikes are specially great.
No one should be able to use the excuse that they have a wedding going on at that time of the day, you don’t come it’s because you’re not tough enough. haha J/K
Bring your best toys but I’m assuming we should pack light for the hike.
I’m still deciding what to bring. One camera and a couple lenses.
14-24 for the great panoramic views. 70-200 in case some critter needs to be shot and the 24-70 because I’m buying it today.
And maybe even the 50 1.4 because it’s so light anyway.
I’ll also get to try out my super lightweight carbon fiber tripod.
So i guess I’ll be trudging along with all that stuff… but oh well… I’ll probably convince someone to shoot with the 70-200 for part of the hike.
Ann Torrence says:
“Nautical twilight is when we need to be working out compositions, to be ready for things to start to color up by civil twilight.”
“Then after sunrise, as the sun races across the valley, you can track with it to do flower portraits, or trundle up toward Secret Lake (about a 1 mile hike). Possibility to see moose, perhaps closer than you’d like.”
Photo by Ann Torrence
Find more information on flickr page , Blog Page
Photographer BBQ
Tuesday 6PM
Further information can be found at the event page on Facebook
Jeremy hall is the great organizer.
He plans in advance and always has a great turnout… if he can’t do it really well, he doesn’t do it at all.
He is the master organizer of Utah’s highly successful PhotoCampUtah (P.s. sign up to be notified about PhotoCamp 2010, we’re gonna plan an even bigger better one this next year)
It’ll be at his house, bing some food and mingle without the pressure and need to take pics.
Of course there will most certainly be a lot of us being geeky and talking techy.
Photo Editing SHOWDOWN
This wednesday at 6pm the gloves come off when up to 10 local photographers compete at the Draper Pictureline
177 w 12300 Draper Utah
They will be editing the same batch of photos and then the audience (which is guaranteed to be standing room only – so come and expect to stand)
We will all vote on our favorites and in the end crown this month’s champion.
There is still time to sign up to compete as most people just want to watch.
It will be a great learning experience and I will be presenting the pictures at the end and using it as a teaching moment. Showing what the photogs did to achieve their results.
Send Pictures
We will be accepting pictures for use in competition. If you’d like to see your picture edited in about 10 different ways send them to me jarvie@jarviedigital.com
They must be in DNG format and not already edited. That’s about the only requirements.
JaG Conclusion
Facebook event page or official blog post describing in full, the event
The Jarvie Game is a competition, primarily to win a workshop, and it will be concluding early next week and the winners will be announced.
The competition is in the form of a game that ends Tuesday at Abt Midnight
There are over 50 people competing for several options of prizes, foremost among them is an all day long photography workshop.
The person with the highest point total in this game is awarded an automatic spot.
Then up to 8 other spots will be given, some at random, some to those who’ve competed well.
There is still time to enter, winning the most points will most likely not happen now, but at least get yourself in this drawing.
Even if you don’t need a photo workshop. Other prizes include a 1 on 1 in lightroom training or a 20×30 print etc…
Assisting Opportunities
As a note primarily for JaG competitors
There has been lots of response to past assisting opportunities on weddings and other related jobs.
In this next week there are several more available.
Those with high points in the Jarvie Game will be given more consideration
I will be accepting people to assist in the following
Tonight(Friday) bridals – 6:30pm
Tuesday – wedding – 3pm- 7
Thursday = Bridals - 6:30
Friday = wedding – most of day
Saturday = Wedding – most of day
Respond on the Business page on facebook
Need more persuasion the Utah photographic community is among the best in the world??
We just had a Strobist group meetup at the great Salt Lake where a lot of people showed up.
A couple weeks ago with the World Wide photowalk there were over 5 photowalks in the Northern Utah area, with full capacity on a couple of them
There are a couple consistent groups who meet on a weekly basis.
There are great stores like pictureline and pixels who serve the community well.
Lots of photographers who share quite a lot.
The first PhotoCamp here was way way sold out and over 300 people came. When 200 were expected.
Probably great percentage of photographers in Utah than any where else.
And I’m here… so take that.
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