I told you about a mobile production unit we are putting together. We had to bring this vehicle in from way out West and that was not a fun task but we got it back here into town by the grace of God. But that's just about how far we have gotten on it. It will need a lot of cleaning up before we can start working on it to make the changes we need to make it useful. We hope to have that task done by the end of the week. She's a beauty and I can't wait to get it operational. When completed, we will have a vehicle that can handle virtually any on site location event to include weddings, engagement and senior shoots, church directory shoots, party and special event shoot, and on the list goes. We will be able to have power for our light systems and an area for our models and customers to change without being potentially exposed. We will have the ability to carry virtually any equipment we need in order to get the results we want and the model(s)/customer(s) will be able to view their photos on a full size screen and see how they look while quick and basic editing is done right there on the spot. And when it is hot there will be a cool place for those on the shoot to keep their cool with water and soft drinks available. We'll keep you updated from time to time as we make further progress.
The History of Branson movie is still being edited. I had a call from Mike Johnson who owns Bear Creek Production and is the director/producer of this documentary movie and was given an update on the progress of the video. Production has been interrupted several times due to layout changes and conflicting projects that had to be address but still a lot of progress is being made and when we have a release date I will let you all know.
Pro Pix Tips: Let's get out the old can opener and begin digging into this next part of composition. In our last post I said that the very first step to good composition was having a reason to take the picture. I also said that every picture tells a story and the trick is to ensure that the story it tells is the one you intended to tell. Therefore answering the question, "Why" brings us to the next step in composing our photo, "How?"
"How" is not as simple as many self proclaimed photographers might have you to believe. It has several factors that will determine how you take the shot. In fact, contrary to popular belief, virtually every "How?" is not limited to one shot. In fact, a whole series of shots should be made to capture the photograph as your minds eye envisions it. One way that generally tips you off about how good and experienced the photographer is is to watch how many different adjustment and angles he or she makes when setting up their shot (I'm throwing that little tidbit in for free). Even the most seasoned pro takes a lot of pictures in order to get just the right look they're looking for. To get just the right look for that one photograph that the pro releases, they may take a staggering number of shots all with little to hug changes in setting and positioning. The thing that determines what the right look is will be determined by what story you're trying to tell. It also determines where you will take the photograph, either on location or in a studio setting. While we will discuss the "Where" question in a future post, I bring it up now because the location has a deep impact on "how" you're going to set up your lighting for the shot. Usually, how we capture the ambient (natural or existing) light greatly impacts the composition of the photo. If our subject is located in a shady area with a sun lit background how will you balance the lighting in the shot? Is the shade producing any splotches of sunlight onto your subject giving them a kind of lighted bullet hole effect? Will you need any kind of light shaping tool such as a scrim, reflector, flag, or even a cookie to control the light and contrast of the shot? Have I just started talking Greek to you with some of those terms. If so, than depth of field, white balance, key and fill lighting, as well as noddle points may be equally unfamiliar to you. Not to worry. We will touch on these and much more in future post.
As I said at the beginning of this post, "how" is not as easy as some people make it out to be. What determines that is whether or not you want to settle on the just "good enough" band wagon or rather take the time and effort to apply some effort to get the right shot that captures fully what the minds' eye sees. Decide not to be a GETGB (pronounced "get-geeb") which naturally stands for "good enough to get by" person. Commit to taking some pride in each and every shot you take by going the extra effort to get the shot right.
We'll continue with "How?" in our next PPT by looking at the different ways to light our photograph. Have a great day everybody!
Richard
No comments:
Post a Comment