Big, Big Week Up Here At The Lodge! (Again!)

Hello everyone! The last week or so has been so hectic around here. When we get to the end of the season it just seems that the work just has no end. So I have to apologize for skipping out on the blog but frankly over the past few weeks I forgot where I put me and couldn't find me for days at a time. It got so bad that while I was driving from place to place I often passed myself going the other way and I know I saw me but I didn't wave hello. When I finally catch up to me I'm going to give me a piece of my mind I'll tell you! That's just plain rude (the doctor says I'm getting much better)!

It's almost Christmas and I'm just now getting into the swing of Labor Day. I really don't know if I'm going to get into the Christmas mode before the end of winter. We had our year end/Christmas party/bash Wednesday and it was one for the books. Despite all the distractions that were going on we took a look at what our company is able to do and our plans for the upcoming year. We didn't cover a third of what we needed to and still I'm exhausted. So just in case any of the staff have logged into the blog I'm going to give a much better list of all the services that 2C Photography is getting ready to push in the upcoming months.

Photo directories (church, clubs/civic groups, etc.)

individual and family/group portraits

senior and student photos/packages

I-stock photos

retail outlet locations selling photos and photo creative items

real estate photography/video promotional services

360 degree photography services

e-bay and other sale venue item promotional photos

modeling program

wedding chapel services

wedding photographer services

movie/documentary productions

official online distributor of the new "History of Branson" documentary movie

And that still isn't the full list of services. Are you tired out yet? This is a very exciting time with our company and we are taking action to see to it that we are ready to provide professional service in each and every one of these programs. But to do that we are going to have to make some changes in our souvenir program. At our party we announced that some of our staff were going to have some new duties in the upcoming year. One of those changes involve Chris our graphics guy who will be the companies general business manager. While most of his duties will revolve around the above listed programs he will also serve as an overseer of the restaurant souvenir operations. We anticipate our lead restaurant photographer will be handling the overseeing of the general day to day operation in the restaurants. So now along with Jackie and Chris the name Kelvin will most likely find it's way into this blog from time to time. As for Jackie her work load will stay mostly the same with some vital additions as this off season planning continues.

The changes don't stop with our staff. At least one of our operations are making changes that should greatly benefit our business, to include a complete makeover of the restaurant. We are updating our equipment and will be changing our sale operation in several of our venues in a way that we believe has not been done in this area but proven very successful on the east coast. And we have a few other tricks up our sleeves as well.

And the excitement is just only beginning. Mike from Bear Creek Productions contacted me just in the past few days. His new project is starting to gear up and is in the early stages of planning. From what he has told me up to this point this project is going to be even better but also much more challenging. But with five Crystal Award under his belt and a great team of excited and committed staff in support I have every confidence that this movie will be outstanding. Shooting could start as early as February and I am told that there will be a need for a number of extras. So if you have ever had the wish of being in a movie and can round up some clothing that would match the 1850s t0 1870s era then this could be your chance for a dream come true. We will keep you posted as the plans become known.

Well I guess that's enough to have your head spinning for a day or so. No Pro Pix Tips this time but be ready cause they're on the way. Have a great day everybody!

Richard

Deja Vu!

Hello, everyone. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. It's my hope that you all had reason to be thankful this year. I know I have a lot to be thankful for but like most of you there is hurt and pain that is going on in a lot of peoples lives today. I know people who have just lost someone very close to them, people who are having deep financial problems, family and marital problems. But even with all that they all have things that they are deeply thankful for. It is my hope that this Holiday Season brings joy, happiness, love, and peace to you and yours.

There are a few traditions that I follow every year and this one is no exception. Before Thanksgiving day comes to a close I always get out my VSH tape of "A Christmas Carol" staring George C. Scott and watch it all the way through. I know most of the movies dialog and find myself speaking the lines right alone with the characters of the story. I also took the time to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas", I know all the lines from that one. And this won't be the last time this year that I watch these shows. Christmas Eve into Christmas Morning you'll find me in front of the TV enjoying these classics again. You have a standing invitation to pull up a chair and enjoy them with me.

These are some more photos taken on the movie set of the "History of Branson". Have you picked up your copy yet? Many have and the reviews and replies that have been receive have been most positive. Mike Johnson talked to me and gave me an update to his new project preparations and the pieces are all starting to come together. I am so looking forward to this new project because unlike the the "History of Branson" project, I am getting the opportunity to work with it from the beginning instead of picking it up in the middle. Man what an honor to be included into the Bear Creek Production Team. These are a great bunch of guys and gals who love their work and are committed to the production of a great product.

Well with a little good fortune we are going to be able to set up a retail selling outlet within the next few weeks. We are zeroing in to a location and hope to finalize the are plans soon. Then you will have the opportunity to pickup some of our work without having to go through the ordering process and shipping time. And if all goes as I hope our prices for our pictures will be very reasonable in deed. And there will be more than just our pictures for sale, but you will have to wait for that added announcement.

This installment of Pro Pix Tips is going to continue with our discussion of composition but is just a bit off the trail. We are going to take a quick look at the use of flashes for our lighting needs. We have had some discussion about lighting in past post but I want to touch on something that came up in one of our venues were we are using multiple flashes for our photos.

Cameras with flash capability have what is called a "sync speed" which simply means that there is a maximum speed that the shutter can be set so that the flash will fully be able to light your subject so that is captured by the sensor properly exposed. If that speed is exceeded the lighting will appear to light your subject only partly. This will appear as a very distinct line where above it the photo will be properly lit while below the line the photo will be very much under exposed. This is due to the fact that the shutter is opening and closing so quick that the flash will not fire fast enough to expose the entire photo. On the other hand if a shutter is set to a speed less than the sync speed there will be very little difference in the lighting of your subject. This is because that for the most part the light from the flash does exactly what the name implies, it flashes at a high rate of speed. So if I am only counting on the flash as my light source it will make very little difference whether I use a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second or 1/10th of a second. The exposure of the photo will not be that much different. The ambient light being produced by any other light source will be different. Why? Because unlike the light from the flash, the other light source will be continually on throughout the exposure time. Therefore, the longer the shutter is open the brighter the ambient light will be in the photo, and visa versa. So how can you control the exposure of the photo with only a flash as the light source? With your ISO and aperture settings. ISO (International Organization of Standardization, so why isn't IOS) denotes the sensitivity of the digital sensor of the camera. The higher the ISO setting the more sensitive the sensor resulting in higher exposure, and visa versa. The aperture refers to how open or closed the lens is. The more open the lens setting the more light gets to the sensor and the brighter the exposure and visa versa. Only when combining the flash with ambient light will you be using different shutter speeds to control the light. The technique of how to do that will be discussed in a future PPTs.

I started writing this post on Friday and choose to finish it Saturday. While that seemed like a great idea at the time, sometimes life has a funny way of tossing in a monkey wrench or two into things. Today has been no exception. Personal notes are getting to be a habit for me. This one is most painful. I learned late Saturday evening that I have lost a very close and personal friend. The lose, though not that unexpected, has brought great pain and grief for me. I have known them for the majority of my life and having to continue without them will be very life changing for me. Life can be very cruel. It seems to get a kick out of dealing out cards in your life and watch you try to do something with them. None of us are immune from life's cruel acts. No matter what life gains from its' escapades, the one thing you can be assured of is the presents of shatters hopes, dreams, and lives that are left lying in its' wake. Because of my lose many of those aforementioned items have suffered that fate. No matter how many bowls of rusty nails you eat for breakfast, losses like this, no matter how they come, are always devastating. A part of me has been crushed by this lose, I fear to a point of no recovery. For those who truly know me, they know I don't take losing well. But as I stated at the beginning of this post there are still those things for which I am grateful, the times I shared with this friend among them. But it's the time in the future that life has stolen that generates the hurt and pain for which there is no relief. No matter how good the memories, how kind the thoughts conveyed, it's virtually impossible to be thankful when your heart is no longer in one piece. My friend is gone but my love for them will remain unchanged forever.

Richard

Get Your DVD Right Here!!!!!!!

Hello, everyone! Thanks for stopping by. Happy Thanksgiving week to ya! It's my hope that in spite of all the negativity that may and probably is going on in your life that you are able to find several things that remain for which you are truly thankful for. Gobble Gobble!

Great photos, right? These are some taken on the set of "The History of Branson". You might see one or more of these in the movie. If you would like a copy of the new documentary movie "The History of Branson" you can order it right here. We will soon have a link to the online ordering page right here on our website but until then you can drop us a note and we will get in touch with you with all the details. The DVD sells for $19.95 plus tax and shipping if required. They will make great Christmas gifts because they are sure to bring hours of enjoyment and information to those who receive it. And let me let you in on a little secret. The video has done so well just in the past week or so that the makers of the documentary have started planning for their next project in what could be a series of releases. Go ahead and ask me how I know about this.

I know my staff reads this blog and they do because they like to find out what I'm thinking up now. I'm sure that when I post a new entry their heart go up into their throats. That has to be especially true now since we are so close to the end of the season. Well I have been working on a lot of projects that I have been talking about in this blog but due to the time limitations the work on those projects tend to be slow going. However, if you have gone into the gallery lately you will have noted that there are a few new photos that I have up loaded and there is more where those have come from.

This is a photo I got in the last day or so. With the slowing of the season I am looking forward to get more photos taken and proceeding with those projects I have been promising. So to my staff what I have been thing up is just ways to get those projects we've already discussed up online. So stop sweating bullets and get ready to finish up those things already in the pipeline so I can think up new stuff.

Don't forget about the new DVD and letting us know if you want one. Have a great day everybody!

Richard

Have My Point. Now What?

Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out the post today. As you know, we are taking a look at the wonderful world of composition in a series of Pro Pix Tips and today we are going to start looking at the second step of composing that photograph you want to take. But before we get started I'd like to catch you up on some previously mentioned projects we are working on.

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

Don't Miss the Shot!

Hi everyone! Lots of things going on, so much so that I think I keep passing myself on the road. I'm really mad at me because when I do pass myself on the streets I always wave but being the kind of guy I am I don't wave back and that just makes me so mad.

Seriously, there are a lot of things a happenin' around here. While I haven't seen the article yet, I am told that there should be an article in the upcoming addition of the Missouri Life magazine that will be discussing the new "Shrine to the Holy Spirit" and the wedding chapel that is located there in. I am told there should be several pictures in the article taken by yours truly. I'm also told that there will soon be fliers placed around town and the surrounding area advertising the new services being offered there. We are very pleased to be associated with this new Mansion venture and look forward to helping to create the perfect wedding day for all those who choose this wonderful location to celebrate the love they have found and their commitment to each other. If you are thinking about getting married and are looking for a place to have your ceremony I would encourage you to check out the services being offered through the Mansion at this wonderful location. Tell Tina that I sent you! Hopefully she would charge you double just for knowing me.

Also, the new "History of Branson" movie is going into its' final production time and I expect that it will be finished and release to the public in the next few months. I do know that Mike at Bear Creek Production has a few one on one interviews to record including me I'm told but that should not take very long at all. I will keep you posted!

Pro Pix Tips: I have had the opportunity to talk to a couple of folks the past few weeks about photography and during each of those conversations it seems that I wound up talking about the same thing. It usually starts out the same way as well. I'm thinking about getting a camera and wonder if I should get a Canon or a Nikon. What model should I get? What lens should I get? Folks, don't get me wrong, next to taking pictures I like talking about photography and taking pictures. But there really isn't a good answer to any of those questions. Now I shoot a Nikon and so my usual answer to what kind of camera to get is "The only people who shoot Canons can't spell Nikon!" That's the partiality talking. In fact, the only true answer is "That depends" on what type of photography you want to do. Camera's for the most part have a lot to do with the degree of comfort you have in using it. I'm not saying that there isn't a difference between the two because there are many, but how comfortable you are with the use of the camera plays a huge role. Both companies put out great products with great accessories to go along with them which also have a role in the consideration of which camera to buy. The thing is that it doesn't matter how good a camera you have if you don't have some good knowledge to go along with it.

With that in mind I would like to touch on something I haven't talked about much if any before this. You have to be continuously look for opportunities to get a great picture. Don't ever let your guard down because you just might miss a great opportunity. Case in point is I was driving though a parking lot the other night around 11:30 pm when I saw several things that looked at first like small branches of a plant or bush. After passing the 5th or 6th one I decided to stop and check it out since it had not been storming or any strong winds. What I found was not a stick or small leafy twig. What I found is below.

I had to give $5 to this Praying Mantis to pose for me (hey, times are tough everywhere) and getting a signed release was another trick in and of itself.

Seriously, I could have just missed this picture if I hadn't been alert or didn't have my camera with me and there have been many times I have done just that. You can't get the shot if you don't see it in the first place. In short, while what kind of camera to buy is important, don't forget to train your mind and your eyes to seeing the things you can capture with that great camera (that would be a Nikon I'm sure) you finally do purchase. Don't forget the WWATT thing (What Wound A Tourist Take) and avoid waisting your time on those shots. And just don't settle on taking just one picture. Take lots of shots from many angles. That's what I did here on this picture and I think the results look great. So keep your head in the game and keep shooting those pictures. Send them to us, we would love to see your work.

Well, that all for me today gang. Have a great day!

Richard

Adventures with Chris the graphics guy!

Hi everyone! Busy, busy! We have been vary active with new work projects and a few just opportunity shoots involving several widely known entertainers. It's kind of wild when you have the opportunity to photograph several well know stars in the same picture, print them and put them in photo sleeves, give them to each of the stars and then set back as they look at your pictures of them and then take turns autographing each others photos. While I can't use names I can say that one of them tends to fly around the stage a lot during their performance and several others dress funny but collectively sing real pretty.

We are still waiting on the completion of the "History of Branson" movie. Mike from Bear Creek Production tells me that the editing is coming right along and I plan to visit their production facility in the next few days. I have always found video production fascinating and Mike has been kind enough to allow me the opportunity to come by and annoy him. I am looking forward to that visit.

I have in the past talked about the guys who work for and with me. Jackie has been working on her photo skills and during a recent post wedding shoot and the impromptu star shoot she captured some great shots. She also was the backup for a wedding we shoot and those turned out great as well. Chris our graphics guy got an opportunity to do the old on location assistant thing the other day. It was a tad windy to say the least. Now in order to appreciate the rest of this story it would be appropriate for me to have another Pro Pix Tips inserted here and then give you the rest of the story.

Pro Pix Tips: I'd like to remind you that photography is all about how you control and capture the light. Sometimes we need only use position to get the light to be our friend and illuminate our subject as we need. Other times the light causes too harsh of light (commonly referred to as a hard light source) which produces to heavy of a shadow area on our subject or will be at such an angle as to cause a deep shadow around the subjects eyes commonly referred to as Raccoon eyes. There are several different kinds of tools we as photographers use to control the light and they all have funny little names. Anything that is placed between the subject and a light source whether it be a flash/strobe, room or spot lights, or the sun itself is called a GOBO. Some GOBOs are designed to prevent the light from illuminating part of the area you want to photograph. These are called "flags" and are usually black in color to help prevent any unwanted reflections of the light. Others are designed to allow light to pass through them thereby softening the light so as to reduce the harsh shadows. These are called "scrims" and are usually white in color so as to not project an unwanted color onto your subject. The ones we use are home made out of a light weight frame and a white bed sheet. The size depends on how big of area your trying to cover or illuminate. The bigger the scrim the softer the light because the scrim when placed between the subject and the light source actually becomes the light source and generally increase the overall size of the light source (yes the sun is very big but at the distance we are from it, while very bright, is still is a relative small dot in the sky). Depending on the area it covers the scrim cause the light to spread out over the entire surface of the scrim and then over the subject allowing the light to more readily wrap around the subject and reducing the hardness of the shadows caused by a small light source like the small dot sun in the sky. This allows your pictures to have softer contrast to your subject and give a nicer more three D effect for your pictures. Try it out for your self. Find a toy or another none flat subject to photograph. To light up light your subject us a strong flashlight pointed directly at your subject. Note the hard shadows caused by the small light source. It's small light sources that cause hard light. Now find a small sheet to place between the subject and the light source (flashlight). Make sure that the flashlight is back about three or four feet from the sheet. Note how much softer or less harsh the shadows are and how much more of the subject is illuminated. Just remember that any time you place something like a scrim between your subject and light source the strength of the light is diminished and so you will need to move your light source closer or adjust the shutter speed and lens opening to accommodate for the light reduction. Play with that and see if it doesn't make your pictures look a lot better especially those taken outside.

Now to continue my story about the adventures with Chris the graphics guy. Chris was holding one of our scrims up and over the heads of our bride and groom placing great light onto our subjects. Now there is one small detail that I left out of the Tips. If you will remember what they are made of you might notice a similarity to a sail on a ship. Please recall it was a windy day. While I'm looking through my view finder, one of the many things I don't want to see is any part of that scrim so it and Chris our out of my view. Just as I am about to take my picture I hear Chris start saying "Oh! Oh! Oh!". Then I hear Jackie yell for Chris to hold on as she runs in front of me and my camera toward Chris. It's only then I realize that the wind has caught the scrim and is wiping it around coming very close to hitting my bride and groom who was looking at the camera and unaware of the events unfolding inches from their heads. With the help of Jackie the scrim was brought back under control and we were able to complete the shoot without any more incidents and the bride and groom alive to tell the tail. And to think my mom wanted me to be a brain surgeon. Where I ask you is the adventure in that?

Got to run guys. Have a great day everyone!

Richard

Where did June go?

Wow! Is this summer flying by or what? If you frequently visit our website you will have noted some of the additions we have made to our services and galleries. You might have especially noted the wedding pictures taken at the newly opened Shrine of the Holy Spirit next to the Mansion out on Gretna Rd. These pictures were taken to promote the Mansions new wedding services at the Shrine which they will be introducing very soon. Boy, is this place a beautiful spot to tie the knot. The chapel seats 85 people and as you can tell in some of the photos it is just simply beautiful inside. And there are so many great angles for pictures. It's nice during the day but when the sun goes down and the lights are low (sounds kinda like a song, doesn't it) the place just explodes in color and that color is constantly changing and you can see for your self just how gorgeous the location is. But it doesn't stop there. There's a garden and gazebo area very close by and reception facilities on the grounds. And as far as the wedding packages are concerned well I got a sneak peak at them and let me say they're going to be tough to beat. Watch for the official announcement soon as well as the brochures that I believe will be put out. If you or someone you know is looking to get a great deal on a wedding chapel and service, then this just might be the answer. As soon as we can post a website link to this service we will do it and let you know.

Hey, the "History of Branson" movie is really taking shape and is it final stretch of editing. We are so excited and just can't hide it ( is someone playing a radio out there) due to the fact that our contribution in photos seem to be increasing week to week and that just alright with me (there's that radio again). In fact, I have taken a break from some editing and going through some additional photographs that the director/producer Mike Johnson asked for just today! I can't wait for the release cause I have seen some of the finished sections of the movie and wow, the music, sound, color, and quality is just outstanding, And besides, some of our pictures are in it!

I know I keep building this movie up a lot. I don't want to do to it what happened to the movie "Poseidon Adventure" when I was just a kid and went to see it. All of the kids at school were talking about it and saying how cool it was and how you "just gotta see it" thing. So I went and did the "just gotta see it" thing and was so disappointed because it had been built up so much that in my view I was expecting something like "Gone With the Wind" or "Doctor Shavago". Don't get me wrong. The movie was good but just got overly reviewed and bragged on. So I don't want that to happen here, but the movie is really awesome! More photos are coming and I hope to get them up this week.

Well I guess I ought to get back to work, but before I do I like to make another offer to anyone out there who would like the opportunity to work with us at 2C Photography. Yes, it does start out in our souvenir division and yes, it does mean working with tourist but hey, if you can handle that you can probable handle all the other stuff that goes with the territory of the photographer. If your a great worker than we are looking for you!

See ya next time and have a great day everyone!

Richard

Just another Hollywood moment

Hi everyone. I spent the day working with Bear Creek Productions on their movie set of “The History of Branson". It was a really great day working with the cast and crew again. Mike Johnson, the owner of BCP, has really done his home work and goes to great lengths to get the story right. It has been a great experience let alone a privilege to have been given this opportunity to work on this movie. Mike has given the ok to post some of the pictures I’ve taken and so here are a couple.

Pretty cool, huh? I got to tell you I have had a lot of fun doing this job and then to have several of the photos I've taken used in the movie, well that's just to super cool (pretty hip for such an old dude right). I am really looking forward to the movies' release and I want to encourage you to watch for the World Premier. Our history in the area is not pretty but it is fascinating. I'm looking forward to working with Mike and the whole BCP team on future projects.

We've also shot a wedding and are looking to having many of those pictures posted up on our site in a few weeks. Shooting a wedding is exhausting but really in the grand skeem of things it is fun and rewarding. There is just something about capturing the beginnings of a couples union and the story of the day that is just so neat (will there goes the hipness out the old window).

There is one thing that I have began to notice about weddings that to me is kind of alarming. Now I will have to go into it in depth in a later blog but in brief it pertains to what is missing from the wedding celebration. We all hear and see the love that has grown between the bride and groom but you never hear why they fell in love or how that love came to be and grow. To me those things seem to be just as important if not more so than the union itself. The reason, I think, is that weddings seem to fall under the "but rule". The "but rule" is simply that no matter what is said it is completely canceled out when the word "but" is put into the statement behind it. In short, when the couple says "I do" the memory of their courtship begins to fade. Much like the use of the word "but," all those special things that brought them to this moment looses their value as if the calender is reset to day one. As their life as man and wife moves forward it seems that that the foundation only goes back to the "I do" thing. To me, thats a little like trying to build a ten story building starting with the third floor. When the "why" is forgotten the motivation looses something. Wow, if that's brief I can't wait to see how long the not brief version is.

Well, this post started out great and has ended in a groan. Yep, my work here is done!

Have a great day, everybody!

Richard

It works in the movie!

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our blog. Have you ever wondered where the name blog came from? I am sure it makes sense to someone but I guess I have missed it. Well something we don't want to miss is the Pro Pix Tips I promised last time we met. Let's get to it.

Pro Pix Tips: Picture composition is a major part of a photography that separate casual photographers from the more advanced photographers (how's that for a little diplomacy). One of the most basic rules of composition is called "the rule of thirds". Now I could go into a great deal of rambling but instead let's just cut to the heart of the matter. Positioning the subject of your picture is tied to what is appealing to the human eye. Rarely does the placing of your subject look the best or most appealing to the eye when the subject is place directly in the center of the shot. So how do we get the picture to be more eye appealing? It starts with tic-tac-toe. Take a piece of paper and draw a tic-tac-toe playing board. Now draw a box around the playing board to represent the view finder of your camera. Note how the view finder is divided into thirds horizontally and thirds vertically. Where any horizontal line crosses a vertical line that is a point where a subject can be placed in the picture and be a more appealing placement to the human eye. Any point of interest can be placed at any of these points and will fit in the rule of thirds for picture composition. One additional point here is if the point of interest is a living thing that has the ability to look at or face something. These should face into the picture and not out of them. If they are looking out of the picture the viewer of the picture will be left with a sense of question or confusion as they wonder what the subject of the picture is looking at. Now as with all rules they do have exceptions and when to use those exceptions is why there is still a need for professional photographers (how's that for a not so subtle comparison).

Now, to help you with with this rule of thirds and the tic-tac-toe board thing many of the new cameras have a display option that will place a tic-tac-toe grid on the view finder itself. Play with this rule of thirds and try to take a picture of someone or something placing it in each of the 4 crossing points and the middle of the picture as well as your subject looking alternately in an out of the picture at each of those point and study each of them your self. Then show them to someone else and get their opinion. If you do I am sure your composition will improve greatly. Try it, you'll like it.

Now on to the rest of the blog (blog? How did they settle on that?). The title might be a little thought provoking at first and maybe you've already guessed what it's all about. On Sunday we were on location of one of many movie sets of the documentary film of the "History of Branson". Our friends at Bear Creek Video Productions are doing the film and I'm telling you they have gone to great lengths to research the facts and capturing those facts on film. BCV Production owner, Mike Johnson and his entire staff are great to work with and present a professional work ethic that made the entire movie set relaxed and easy to do the job. And not to be left out, the actors and technical director are all classy people who love their work and, like the BCVP staffs' work ethic, professionalism was clearly in their blood. It's one thing to do a good job because you're paid to do it, yet another because it's a passion and clearly that was not lacking in any of the crews. The only negative encounter I had involved a ground hog and maybe I will share that incident in a future post if someone reminds me.

This is a great film and has so much information about the Branson area that I had no idea was a part of this local history. It's been a project in the works for years as I understand it and the research behind it has been exhausting. Some of the stories have been filmed on the location where they took place and some of them are a little difficult to find I'm told. But found they where and I for one am looking forward to its release sometime later this year. Our excitement has nothing to do with the fact that some of our photos are going to find their way into the final project........really nothing to do with that. Over the upcoming weeks I am hoping that we will be able to share some of these photos with you when we have the release to do so. I do know that Mike got video of us taking photos while on the set and will being getting some of that video to us for display on this website. I'm looking forward to that as well, not because I'm on it.....really not especially sense I'm on it....really!

Now I want everyone of you to mark down on your "to do" list to watch for the release of this great documentary movie "History of Branson" and buy one for yourself and everyone you know! They plan to have the movie distributed nationally and I'm sure we will have links to where you can find them. You can bet we will scream the news about the grand release here and I'm sure we will have several more entries to post in the future about our further adventures with this film in this blog (blog? Where, how, ......oh well).

Have a great day everyone! Richard