Sneak peek for Nancy and Dan

Dan is working on his modeling portfolio and this session was on location at an abandoned farm (empty silos included). Overall I think Dan did a great job-I think it is probably not easy to have to change your look and emotions on demand (which explains why I have always been BEHIND the camera and not in front of it :)

My only complaint about this session: the bug bites. I guess when you shoot outdoors near overgrown weeds in the heat of July, you get what you get. Still better than a bunch of green heads eating us alive...

Dinner at 6pm...

About the title of this photograph, which also happens to be the title of this blog entry:
I am in this absolute wreck of an abandoned house (probably illegally) with some photographers/friends and each of us wandered into our own area, examining the light, the potential for photo ops and the general scene before us. There, amidst the old sofa cushions, crushed beer cans and old kitchen utensils strewn about I spy a decent, albeit very DIRTY, wooden kitchen table. There is sits, in the middle of absolute chaos. Beside it is an old fireplace. It appeared that the fireplace was covered over with dry wall at some point and then re-opened by tearing off the drywall in a very haphazard way. Now I like to think I have a pretty good ability at envisioning the potential of something and not just taking things at face value. This is especially true when it comes to real estate and this room in this dirty, creepy house was a large space with loads of potential (if you had around $400,000 to play with on its repair).

After studying the scene for a few minutes (and actually looking at the light and how it was streaming in through the window), it got me thinking in a very sarcastic way, "What time's dinner?"...this of course, is what led to the title of this photograph. I am not a funny person but I sometimes THINK I am :)...oh, well, I tried...

I am not sure which version I prefer so I have included both...

Underestimating the Power of A Picture

One of my biggest frustrations is with people who think that anyone can just randomly take a good photograph. With the way technology continues to provide us with more and more great cameras that are more and more user friendly, I know it has gotten easier to get a decent photo. But truly great photos take time, patience and practice. I don't care how much money you throw into buying the best camera equipment. If you don't know what to do with it, you might as well be shooting with a 120 pocket point and shoot from the 70's.
I was having a conversation about this with a friend and colleague of mine and we agreed that since her photographs of her jewelry improved, her business has gotten noticed more and more. My friend is a jewelry artist who hand crafts incredibly sterling silver jewelry. Until recently, her photos, though functional, were not ones that would stand out in a crowded arena of jewelry artists. When she worked on making her photos better she succeeded in getting her jewelry noticed, the way it should have been noticed all along.
If you create something and invest hours, days, weeks and years into perfecting your craft, don't sell yourself short on presenting your creations. Invest the time to learn how to take better photographs of your work or hire a professional. The decision will pay for itself...