That Camera in Your Pocket

So lately I've been using my iPhone more and more for photography.  In the past I have always dismissed it as a viable source since you couldn't change lenses, play with the shutter or aperture.  However with all the recent applications (apps) that have come out, things have changed.  Creativity and minor adjustments can now be made within the phone to yield some pretty good results.  

Most of the photogs have heard the expression "the best camera is the one that's with you" as stated by the well known Seattle based photographer Chase Jarvis (www.chasejarvis.com).  I couldn't agree more.  The past few months I've been able to capture some decent shots with my iPhone that would of been missed entirely simply because I didn't have my "good" camera with me.

One thing I've come to appreciate with the iPhone camera is its limitations.  Huh? Did I miss something?  Like most things with limitations it forces you to find another way.  In this case I have to think about composition & lighting even more to get a useful shot.  This is great practice!  By not having additional features, I'm forced to think the shot through from beginning to end.  Granted I should be doing this every time, but with certain situations you can give yourself "extra room" with a DSLR.  You simply don't get this with a fixed focus camera.    

Practice, practice, practice.  The sure fire way to get better at something.  By having my phone with me nearly all the time, I am able to get that practice.   I also make sure I only use the apps on my phone to make corrections or enhancements (no going to Photoshop or Lightroom).  I'll have to admit it is actually fun using a few of the apps and isn't that what it is all about!  They don't have the power of Photoshop but they do offer some unique filters and such that allow you a great deal of creativity.

I encourage anyone with a newer smartphone to start using its camera if you are not.  And certainly try out some of the apps available (iTunes or the Android store).  One of my favorites for the iPhone is Camera+.  It offers quite a bit of options and is pretty affordable at $1.99. (Note, this is by no means a paid endorsement only a personal recommendation).

Until next time...

Sunsets & Bridges

This past weekend didn't leave a lot of time for making pics.  Sigh.  I really need to win a lottery so I can focus more on photography and less on the day job.

I did manage to slip down to Tempe Town Lake on Saturday evening for a few brackets.  It is sort of a default location to shoot if you are pressed for time.  There is always something new to shoot there or a different angle.  I happened to make it down there around sunset hoping for a fire lit sky.  I didn't quite get what I wanted but what I did get wasn't too bad. 

Granted sunsets are very cliche in the photography world, but I never get tired of the ones we have here in the valley of the sun.  Not sure what it is about them, but they are spectacular.

After the sun had vanished I turned my camera towards the Mill Avenue Bridge.  There are actually two bridges to accommodate inbound and outbound traffic to/from Tempe.  I've always loved the way they are lit at night with the string of lights running down the sides.  The reflections on Tempe Town Lake never fail to delight. 

 

 With night shots I think one thing people overlook is getting the shot before dark.  In general you want shots like this to be taken at dusk so the contrast of the blue sky adds to the image.  A pitch black sky would of added no value to this shot.  Something to consider the next time you set up for that night time capture.  

My last shots of the night were up on top of the bridge.  I staked out a spot on the sidewalk and set up for long exposure shots of the traffic.  Again I didn't quite get what I wanted, mainly due to the lack of traffic.  Some things are beyond your control. :)  I do plan to go back and get a better shot.  Just need to figure out when the high traffic times are for the inbound bridge.

These images along with the rest can be seen in full resolution at: 

My website

-or-

My Flickr site

Until next time...

Balloons

This past weekend we decided to drive up to Cave Creek AZ for their annual hot air balloon festival.  They advertised tethered balloon rides, inflatable rides/bounce house, obstacle course, and night time inflating of the hot air balloons.  Of course I played this off as a treat for our kids, but truth be known I wanted to go for the photo op.  I'm sure my wife had no clue. :)

Upon arriving the first priority was parking.  Naturally there was nothing close so we had to park out in the north 40.  I'm willing to guess we walked about half mile from our parking spot to the entrance.  First lesson learned, arrive early.

After paying our entrance fee we began to walk around and look at the balloons in various stages of inflation.  The first thing I noticed was how close people were able to get to the balloons.  No taped off areas or ropes.  Not what I expected.

My wife was kind enough to take the kids over to the play area for awhile so I could grab some shots.  As the sun was going down, I secured my spot on photog row and began hitting the shutter.  Being satisfied with those shots, I packed up and made my way to the balloons.  Figured I would take the opportunity to get up close and personal.  By this time my hands were fairly numb.  Second lesson learned, bring gloves next time.  I finished up grabbing a few close shots and met up with the family.

Next stop the hot chocolate line.  Twenty five minutes later we had our hot chocolate/hand warmers.  There was a night time skydiving jump scheduled which would of been fun to see.  However the kids were shaking from the cold so we bailed.  Third lesson learned,  make sure kids bring heavier coats and gloves next time.

Seeing the ballons light up at night was a real treat.  If all goes well I'm hoping to plan a trip to Albuquerque NM this October for their balloon festival (the granddaddy of them all).  See info here if interested: http://www.balloonfiesta.com/

Until next time...

www.ChrisFrailey.com

Choo Choo

I'll have to admit this now before we get much further along.  This blog will most likely be slanted towards pictures of my kids.  It is not my intention for that to happen but I'm just say'in.

Cole getting ready for a ride

Anyway, we loaded the family up and took a little trip over to the Desert Breeze Train Park in Chandler AZ.  It is a great place to take the kids as they have a little of everything.  You can find a train of course, monster playground, a carousel, ducks, swings, a lake, and acres of grass to run wild in.  Oh and in the summer they have water fountains for the kids to soak themselves.  Like I said great place to take the kids and let them burn out energy.

Kaeden & Montana

Our youngest received some overalls for Xmas complete with matching hat.  These just happened to be pin striped (train conductor style).  What better place for a photo op than Desert Breeze.  Our oldest had her best friend and partner in crime Montana over, so she went too.

Conductor Cole ready to go

I was able to grab a few good shots during the afternoon.  Of course my subjects grew quickly tired of having a camera pointed towards them which meant bribery was to be employed.  The youngest got his ride on the train and the two girls got a game of tag from yours truly.  Good times.

Kaeden stopping for a pose

I do my best to cherish these times as I know there are only finite number of them.  Tag you're it!

Cole in a rare moment of not moving

Until next time...

The Year 2010 in Review

Wow, here we are December 31st 2010.  Hard to believe we are a full decade into the '00s.  It doesn't seem that long ago we were all worried about Y2K.  Somehow someway we survived and are staring at 2011.  Crazy.

This past year has been a big step for me in the photography world.  I made a small step from it being a hobby to taking on clients.  To say that it has been exciting would be an understatement.  For me this is the beginning of a dream come true. 

It is only fitting that the year started out by meeting new photog friends.  First up was Lamont & Maki Hardy.  I was introduced to them at a friends new year's eve party last year.  Lamont is an avid photog who I have had the pleasure shooting with on several occasions.  You can find his work at www.flickr.com/photos/lamonthardy. 

Along with meeting Lamont I was introduced to Jackie Sutherland.  Jackie is so much fun to shoot with because she is always in a learning mode.  Perhaps its the engineer in her or just the desire to be a better photographer.  What ever the reason she makes us all better because we have to think.  You can find Jackie's work at www.flickr.com/photos/jackiesutherland.

Next up is Holly Baumann.  I was introduced to Holly by my wife.  Holly is an experienced photographer who does outstanding work.  Her blog (hollybaumannphotography.blogspot.com) is well written and I encourage all photographers to give it a read.  For her fantastic photography visit:  www.hollybaumannphotography.com. Holly was gracious enough to allow me to 2nd shoot at the Children's Action Alliance benefit.  The experience from that outing allowed me to land my own event client, AZ Society of Association Executives. 

And as fitting as the year began it ends with me meeting one more photographer.  Through the power of social media (Twitter in this case) I met Mike Olbinski.  Mike specializes in weather and HDR photography.  I was able to meet up with Mike and a few of his photog friends this past week for a photo walk in downtown Phoenix.  It was great getting out and seeing Phoenix on foot with a camera in hand.  I've done a little urban photography but have never really gotten into it.  This past outing has sparked an interest into doing more of it.  When you get a chance stop by Mike's website (www.mikeolbinski.com) and prepare to be amazed by the AZ weather.

To everyone else who has helped me along the way let me say "Thank You".  Most of all I would like to give the biggest "Thanx" to my wonderful wife Carol.  Your never ending patience with me while camera in hand goes beyond what should be expected.  I don't recall "patience with photog husband" being in our vows, but somehow you've honored that and then some.  I'll try to be better but make no promises. :)

Below you will find a few of my favorite pictures from this past year.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I had in making them.  To see more of my work, visit me at www.ChrisFrailey.com.

  

A Rare Treat in AZ

Typically the weather in AZ has two descriptions, hot or nice.  And by hot I mean 115 in August.  And by nice I mean 75 on December 18th.  Occasionally we have rain but it never lasts more than a day.  So you can imagine the surprise and delight when we had fog!  Real genuine hard to drive in fog. 

Granted most of the country would curse at this occurrence.  However I have only seen fog about 3 times in the past 12 years I've lived here.  So this was a treat.  Cool pictures were sure to happen.

Of course as luck would have it, my wife had a presentation to do in northern AZ.  She was out the door at 6:30am which left me with kid duty and taxi service.   Grrr, precious picture taking would have to wait.  Not what I wanted to hear.

After rattling the cages of our two monkeys I prepared the fastest breakfast a dad can, milk & cereal.  With breakfast eaten time to get our 3 year old dressed.  This is always a crap shoot as sometimes he goes with the first pick and sometimes not.  Luck was on my side as my first attempt was met with approval.  The 8 year old was dressed and brushing her teeth. 

Last up was preparing lunches.  I could just envision the sun coming out now and burning off the fog as I spread peanut butter.  Grrr.  Loaded for the day we hit the garage and popped the door open.  Sweet! The sun was buried behind a massive layer of clouds so the fog was able to hang around.  I still had a chance for a few good brackets. 

On the way to my daughter's school we drove past a park that was blanketed with fog.  I could see the shot right there in front of me.  A choice had to be made.  Should I stop for a quick shot or two and risk my daughter being late or continue on and pray there would be enough time to get back.  Priorities. I decided to go on and drop her off on time and then drop my son off as well at his school.  This would allow me to shoot in peace assuming there was something still left to shoot.  

  Upon returning I saw that luck was still with me.  The fog had hung around for me.  It wanted to be photographed.  I could feel it.

Until next time...

A Model Shoot

One of the biggest benefits of belonging to a photography group is you always learn something new.  This past SmugMug meeting was no different.  Ken Robert (co-organizer of the Meetup) lead the the mini-workshop on using multiple flashes for lighting a model.





Ken started the session explaining that just because its pitch dark doesn't mean you have to crank the ISO up to 800 or more.  By using the 2nd curtain (or rear curtain) sync you can keep your ISO & shutter speed down and still walk away with properly exposed shots.

A quick sidebar for those unfamiliar with 2nd curtain sync.  When you switch to 2nd curtain sync you are causing the flash to fire at the very end of the exposure (rather than the beginning).  What this does is allow the ambient light to come into your camera first and then your flash will fire to expose your subject.  This way you get your subject exposed with the natural background light as well.  It gives you some depth and detail to the image. Without it turned on, the flash will fire at the beginning of the shot, expose your subject and end the exposure.  What you get then is your typical point and shoot flash shot, background pitch black with the subject lit up like a Christmas tree.  Back to the parking lot.

For the better part of the night, Ken used three speedlites to shoot the model.  These consisted of a key light inside a small softbox, an unmodified flash for rim lighting, and a hand held flash bounced into a reflector for fill light.  Most of these techniques I've used, but it was good to see how someone else implements them as well.

Ken's gear was Nikon based so I was unable to use his light setup.  But I was able to use my Canon speedlite to grab a few decent shots.  Would of been nice to mount my flash on a stand to get better directional light, but given the group size it was not practical. 

You can see a few of Ken's shots here: http://blog.kennethrobertphotography.com/2010/10/20/lighting-it-up/

Until next time...