nate update

I had the pleasure of shooting photos of the 3rd Las Vegas Event for Project Dinner Table. It’s a great event put together by really cool people – benefiting great causes, too. You can learn all about it – and buy tickets to the next one on their website here: http://www.projectdinnertable.com/

The PDT site does a really nice job of getting you the important information, so I’ll keep this post geared to my photographer friends & family. This assignment was a challenge! I shot it with two Digital SLRs, a Canon 5D Mk II with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, and my backup camera, a Canon 20D with an 11-18mm lens for the wide stuff. Hey, it was a LONG table! I swapped out and used a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens toward the end of the evening, too. The calculation with the smaller sensor makes it an even longer zoom than 200mm.

The most challenging part of this assignment was to get shots quickly – especially the chefs preparing the food – then, jump out to the dinner to see guests enjoying the meal – and be careful not to miss any of the fun activites like the 7th inning stretch poety reading, the presentations, or the singing of the national anthem. There were even some action shots of guests tossing the ball around the diamond!

It’s been a while since I shot events – I used to hate it because I was changing batteries all night with shoe mount flash units, that I didn’t ever really jive with. Now, with the advent of higher ISO settings, I can capture much more color in much lower light.  Not to mention have a LOT more fun!

Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did taking them. Cheers!

Live, Raw and Hilarious – Feel The Steel! This show was a photographer’s dream. I interviewd frontman Michael Starr for the Station Casinos Blog recently. What a kick in the pants. Great show, too. Let’s wish them luck landing a show on Comedy Central. I’d watch it. Well, I’d Tivo it. Links to the 2-part interview are below the flickr slideshow below.

Interview: Return of Steel Panther – Part One

Interview: Return of Steel Panther – Part Two

If you consider yourself a rock music fan – you should treat yourself to a Sinners show. They do tribute tunes and originals. I saw them cover Guns N’ Roses Appetite For Destruction a while back – and I was hooked.  I have seen them at Ovation at Green Valley Ranch, as well as Club Madrid at Sunset Station. Both are awesome places to catch a great free concert. I’m not just saying that because I work for Station Casinos, either. In fact, you can catch the Sinners with Nawgahyde (don’t miss those whacky rockers, either) opening for Great White at the end of July at Sunset Station.

Here’s a review I wrote of the GNR show at GVR last November.

Hey, you can do a quick google search and you’ll find several pages of people reviewing CS5 and Lightroom 3 beta. Some are experts, some are lame. I’m not going to waste my time or yours giving you another review. Instead, here are my notes / observations while I run Photoshop CS5 alongside Lightroom 3 beta for the first time, along with some screen shots:

• First glance of Lightroom 3 beta is very impressive. I knew in 2 minutes that I’d buy the upgrade in July. Very fluid import of a ton of large DNG files sold it for me.
• PS CS5 Lens correction filter worked somewhat well on a 16-bit photo. Took about a minute to load it, using what looks like the beginning of a flash movie loading up. Kinda cool. Kinda annoying like a flash site on a dial-up connection, depending on your processing power.
• Irritating that most of the filters still do not work with a 16-bit photo, even after converting it to a smart object. I’ll keep toying with this.
• Do we really still need the render>cloud filter?
• Freaking lovvvve the Kuler extension built in. Mini Bridge has potential to be great, too (ONLY if you have 2 monitors like I do).
• new photoshop color sampler tool is cool, though I’m not sure its functional.
• Grain feature in Lightroom 3 is nice. I think this will really make printed pieces look great. Or like a really decent scan of a film print, if there is such a thing.
• Brush heaven! If you are a digital painter, you’ll absolutely love the new brush functionality. Very cool with a Wacom Tablet. Identifies Left and Right handedness. Several new brushes.
• To date, I have not had a chance to sink my teeth into HDR photo conversion software. This product will be the tool that introduces the rest of the world to HDR photography. It’s easy to use, very intuitive, and allows amazing control for infinite creative possibilities. I know there are other HDR products on the market that are very reputable, but this one wowed me.
• Be patient when you play with the HDR images. The files can get really big in a hurry.

I’m just scratching the surface with these two applications. I’m curious to dive into the 3D tools and other improvements. The content-aware tools have got most of the attention to date, and I know my Vegas Photoshop User Group Co-Manager, Krystal Hosmer has plans to demo this at the Adobe User’s Group mega-meeting on May 25. You’re RSVP’d right? You should be there, since we’re giving away multiple copies of the CS5 Master Collection, as well as a whole gang of other cool schwag.

When it comes to discovering new things, I’m like a crazy heroin addict. I think it’s the definition of living. My dad always said (ad nauseum while on vacations) to “expand my horizons” and as a teenager, it drove me nuts. Now, I’m a father… and I get it.

Did you ever hear a song, read an article or a book and go, “How did I NOT know about this!?” I do it all the time. 2 or 3 times a week, lately. So, I’m starting a new string of blog posts called “New To Me” and it’s about people, organizations, bands and such – that are newly GREAT to me. I hope you like it.

This first post is about a photographer who changed the game for me. Bobby Model passed away last fall, and I can’t learn enough about him right now. My introduction to the National Geographic photographer and adventure-seeker came from another magazine, American Photo, who featured him in the July/August 2009 issue. I relate to Bobby Model in a couple different ways. I love extreme, off-the-path places, risk vs. reward photography, and I’m from Wyoming, like Bobby.

Model was named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic last year, where he was quoted:
“I grew up in Wyoming, one of the most isolated areas of the United States,” he explains. “So hanging on ropes and moving around mountains just came naturally. It’s also why I’ve always found it easy to relate to ordinary people who work the land. I really respect and appreciate those individuals and their stories.”

Wish I could have bought that guy a drink, was my first thought, when I learned of his passing.

I talked to an Award-Winning fine-art photographer Steve Campbell from Las Vegas-based Casey’s Cameras last week at our Vegas Photoshop Users Group meeting. We discussed fisheye lenses. He said he sells them to “extreme sports photographers,” mostly.

I can’t help but think of Model as a pioneer in this genre – he shot adventure photos before there was an “extreme” label, and before it became commercial.

The next time I’m shooting an oncoming race car doing 180mph, a mosh pit or a KO’d kickboxer hanging above me on the ropes, I’ll think of Bobby Model – who shot in ice caves, waist-deep snow, hanging from ropes, and on mountain bikes. My kind of office.

Learn a thing or two at M-11, Bobby Model’s portfolio website. I did.

For my second photo assignment last night, I shot the new series of Unsigned: Bands On The Rise at Ovation inside Green Valley Ranch. I was excited to see it was old friends, Slow To Surface on the bill for this, the third installment of the local and indie showcase that the Station Casinos Entertainment Team has lined up for a couple Thursdays a month inside Ovation.

The last time I caught a show at Ovation, I was impressed by the venue. Actually, I made note of it on my blog post for Station Casinos. These photos will show that there’s a very impressive presentation for these bands. Great for photography! This time around, I had my gear, and I hope you like the results as much as I do.

I had the pleasure of shooting Michael Burks last night at Boulder Station’s Railhead. I highly recommend you catch as many Boulder Blues sessions on Thursday nights as you possibly can. I can’t believe it’s a free show. $2.00 beers will get you loose if the smokin’ hot blues doesn’t do the job.

Here are some photos from the show. Be sure to check the lineup over at boulderstation.com and I hope to see you at the next show.

Tonight I read on Allfacebook.com that facebook is upgrading the events function, along with some other sharing upgrades. I haven’t tried it yet, but here’s my take on this upgrade…

Good!

Since the latest interface upgrade a few monts ago, I think facebook’s events function got sort of swept under a rug ( even more than they were in the first place). What I mean is – there’s no nice little red alert button (some of my friends hate those, but I like ‘em) on the top navigation, or anywhere else. Currently, event updates won’t go to your inbox – or ever again to a wall except for the minute its created. No – they go to the menu on the left side of the page, under your inbox. Heck, even “I’m stuck in traffic” wall posts can relatively easily get 10,000 impressions in a weekend.

I’m looking forward to posting some new events later this week. I’ll follow up when I do with results.

If you’re in the creative industry, (unless you live under a rock) you have probably noticed in the last few years or so, most professional Graphic Designers have successfully adpoted the use of quality photography and the way it is utilized in advertising. We rarely see low-resolution photos in print anymore, and more often than not, the images are using correct exposure and beautiful depth of field, therefore lending great imagery to commercial projects.  Now, I’m issuing a challenge on behalf of designers: Photographers, its time to raise your design game.

This is the week the WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers) Convention comes here to Vegas. It’s always a great show.  On behalf of my city, I’d like to welcome some of the best photographic talent in the world.

I have attended the last 3 or 4 WPPI conventions, and it’s clear that my email and mailing address has been cycled through several mailing lists.  Let me tell you – there’s something awry with much of this massive load of photo-promotions. It’s not just email marketing, either. Many of the trade publications, sites, signage, and mail pieces, too. Most of it’s really, really poor.

Look, typography is a science in itself, so don’t be surprised to learn that cute font that came with your wife’s Dell just doesn’t cut it. While you were in the darkroom, Designers were in their second semester of color theory. Look at the “big guys” at the trade show. They have beautiful booklets, great logos and packed booths. Not a coincidence.

Investing in porfessional design shouldn’t be hard to grasp for shutterbugs. And its certainly not meant to sound condescending or offensive. All of us creatives need to check our egos and take a critique from time to time. The experienced Designer’s mantra is identical to yours, Photographers: when your clients hire true, experienced professionals, they get top-notch results. Designers carry the same responsibilities as Photographers, too. Deliver results on behalf of your client, or your phone may not ring again for awhile. In this, the era of facebook and twitter… word gets out about poor service in a short moment.

I’m as aware as anyone of the financial challenges both industries face, so my advice is this: Buddy up. Professional photographers should seek partnerships with Professional Designers and vice versa.  Build it in the budget. Find a way. Work out trade deals, retainers, industry-rates…  hell, issue frequent flyer miles if you have to!

This week, I was graciously invited to be the co-manager for the Las Vegas Photoshop & Print Users Group, or, VegasPUG. What’s that, you say?

“Vegas PUG exists to introduce or reacquaint  people with Adobe’s powerful desktop and web applications for Print design. Our meetings are structured in “show-and-do” lab format, giving attendees an immediate opportunity to put what they’re learning to use right away as well as tapping into the knowledge of our PUG Xperts as they roam the room answering questions and providing individual instruction where needed. Quarterly advanced labs will give seasoned users an opportunity to expand their skills or to share a technique with the group. Meetings are held monthly and are free for members”.

I’m excited to connect with this new community (I’m a community type of guy) and share some of my tricks with Photoshop and all things Adobe (big fan).

Over the next few weeks I’ll have some more news about upcoming programs and – who knows – maybe some other really exciting stuff to share.

Here’s a link to the group page on Adobe’s group pages. Currently there are 59 members. Are you one?