Santa was very, very good to me!

Well, Santa, for the first time in many years, actually surprised me! He told me the Canon 5D Mark II had been ordered but he wasn’t sure it was actually going to make it here in time for Christmas. So last night we had dinner, opened gifts and sent the girls off to bed. Then, of course, Santa got busy. He said he had to collect things from all over the house; so I did my stuff first and went to bed. This morning, I rolled open a note from Santa which read:

“Dear Lisa, My Canon elves have been very lazy this year. I asked them to deliver one of these (picture of camera) to me so I could give it to you, but they failed. Something about a tax increase to pay for healthcare. they see no reason to work harder only to get it taken away. I’m sorry, you probably don’t want excuses, only a camera. I promise to deliver it as soon as my elves get back to work. If they don’t deliver soon, I will start firing them and find others who are willing to work. Hope you aren’t too disappointed. I promise it will be here soon. Love, Santa”

As he begins to open his stocking I want a photograph of him; so I grab my camera off of my tripod, where I left it last night to remotely shoot candids of us opening gifts. It feels a little heavier than normal; but I just got up and am not really awake. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) I shot off a couple of images of him and daughters; but when I went to review the images I shot, the back of the camera was very different from my 40D. Anyway, to make a long story short; he replaced my camera on my tripod, including the bracket and light, and replaced it with the new camera. I was shocked, not only at receiving this special gift on this special day, but that he was such a good actor in the entire process. Thanks, Santa, I love you! TTFN SDG

Group Pic from Photojournalism Seminar

From Left to Right: Lisa Cave, Damian AhChing, David LaBelle, Brett May, Amanda Gardner, Cooper Ricketts

Upper Quarter GTC Peeps, volunteers at the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, posing with David LaBelle. We had a great time and learned so much. Can't wait to do it again next year! TTFN SDG

Christmas Break

I'm taking a few days off to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. I shot a fight night at Wild Bill's with Nelson Bigles on the 18th; but had to put my MAC computer back in the shop the next day. This is the 3rd time in less than a year that I've had it in the shop. I never took our PC to the shop! I thought MACs were supposed to be superior products; what gives? I'll post pics to the fights as soon as I get my computer back. In the mean time, I hope and pray you all have a blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year! TTFN SDG

David LaBelle Interview, Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar

I had the awesome privilege of spending some quality, quiet time interviewing David LaBelle on the final evening of the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar. My heart agrees with his heart and I love that he has such an amazing platform from which to share. You’ll love his son, Tucker, exploring my MacBook’s video capabilities. He was a curious and informative young man and such a help to everyone involved with the seminar. Though I don’t see myself as a photojournalist, Dave makes me want to push that side of me further to see the beautiful, happy things in life and to also give a voice to those in need. I was also fortunate to spend a few quiet moment discussing homeschooling with his lovely wife, Erin. We exchanged information and I tried to urge her to check out Athens in hope of moving to a homeschool friendly environment. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have the LaBelle’s in our ‘neck of the woods’ for a time! I really hope I have the opportunity to spend more time with Dave’s lovely family in the future. Thank you, LaBelle’s for being so gracious to us! TTFN SDG

“Finding Home” opening night a success!

“Finding Home” opened last night. These are images I took from my camera on the final dress rehearsal. I had a remote control I used to snap while I was on stage. You can see it in my right hand (in the fur wrap) in the image on the left; it looks like a conductor’s baton. The show went smoothly, even with all the opening night catastrophes. If you came, thanks; if you haven’t yet attended, please do! Check it out at Cornerstone Productions. TTFN SDG

Show Opens Tonight!

“Finding Home”, the Cornerstone Productions musical I’m in opens tonight at the Morton Theatre in Athens, GA. I have laryngitis; but I’m on steroids to hopefully bring down the swelling so I can get through the weekend. I’m singing in six performances from now until Sunday evening. Hope you can make it out! TTFN SDG

I want to know why . . .

On my final Multimedia project, I exported it from iMovie in three different files. The largest one was going to take five hours to upload to YouTube. The next smaller was the same amount of time. I googled iMovie to YouTube and exported it like this. But . . . every time I tried to burn it to a CD the audio messed up. I want to know why and how to prevent this from happening in the future. I really hoped we’d get more info on this; so I guess I will have to do more trial and error experimenting. My husband is usually pretty tech-savvy; but even he is stumped. If you can help, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks! TTFN SDG

Wreck en route to class

Here’s the life-flight helicoptor from the wreck I sat through on the way to class this morning. I took pictures of the vehicles as I drove by; but they were all too blurry to use. I hope and pray the people in that chopper survive. After seeing the carnage, I have my doubts. TTFN SDG

Final Assignment

Here is the assignment sheet for our last week. There was no mention of a minimum number of blogs so I didn't post but a couple. TTFN SDG

5th Quarter Final Project

Well, it’s been an experience we won’t soon forget. But I’m happy to say, I think I survived it! Now, I really need to get some sleep! TTFN SDG

Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar

I’ve been working the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar since Thursday morning and it’s been an amazing experience. I met Dave Labelle, above; he was wearing a sweatshirt from Texas Tech the university in my hometown, Lubbock, Texas. I bought some books from his entrepreneurial sons, Tucker and Henry and was able to talk about homeschooling with his wife, Erin. I also got a hug! I love this man’s heart for the people around him, the homeless in particular. I was privileged enough to sit in his two seminars yesterday, Finding Features and Documenting the Homeless, and gleaned invaluable knowledge on getting to meet people. Listening and caring are the keys to giving a voice to the homeless; and photographing for emotion (making people feel good is an okay thing!) always makes a special feature more meaningful. TTFN SDG

Best Images with Background, Fall 2009

I saw several people reposting their ‘best images’ video and realized that I, too, had not put on a background image. I don’t really like the image in the background; I think it’s distracting. But, you gotta do what you gotta do! TTFN SDG

Holiday Portraits . . . Fin!

The whole upper quarter gang, Commercial Photography at Gwinnett Technical College. Holiday Portraits are over for this year, except for the clean up. It was fun, successful and enlightening . . . a great experience on which to build for future studio shoots. Thanks to everyone for all their hard work! Thanks to our instructors and assistants for putting up with all our learning experiences! TTFN SDG

Tamrac Adventure Messenger 5 Laptop and DSLR Camera Bag

I need a new bag for my camera and laptop. Right now I have a Canon 40D, but am hoping to move up to the Canon 5D Mark II. I have two lenses, the 24-105mm, which stays on my camera most of the time. I also have the 70-200mm lens. I use the Canon 580EX II flash, and my computer is a 13" MacBook. This looks like a bag that would be both comfortable and convenient for all my stuff. Does anyone have a terrific bag they love that would hold all this and still be comfortable to carry through the airport or in the outback? TTFN SDG

Ken Duncan talks about his photo ‘Power of One’.

This is the guy, Ken Duncan, with whom I'd really like to intern. This is quite a story! I really hope we don't have any encounters like this if I actually do get to intern with him! I'm not sure I could have not run; or if I needed to run I don't think I'd be fast enough to get away . . . TTFN SDG

Paralympic Swimming

My photojournalism essay is on a disabled athlete who swims and went to the Paralympic Tryouts last year. She has a great attitude about life in general and is a Journalism major at UGA. She was really patient with me as I interviewed her and photographed her on several occasions. I can't wait to show her the finished product. Her swim team, Athens Bulldog Swim Club, may use it as a promo for the team; so I really want it to be good. TTFN SDG

5D Mark II . . . may have been wrecked :(

The girls are safe; but the car is totaled; and our cadet made it on her flight so as not to be AWOL! I think my Canon 5D Mark II may have to wait. We are just so thankful they were not hurt and that no one else hit them as they spun across all four lanes of traffic. We are blessed! You think Finch will give me credit for spot news? TTFN SDG

Christmas Gift Idea?

So . . . last week, Santa asked me if I’d be interested in getting a Canon 5D Mark II. (Check out this review!) What was I thinking? I hemmed and hawed about not being sure exactly what equipment I really need to buy because I’m not sure what I want to focus on for a specialty. I love my 4×5 large-format camera, which I think I’ll be able to use again next quarter for Advanced Commercial. And if I go the commercial route, I may need a digital camera back for it or some way to be able to shoot through it digitally. I think Brett May mentioned an apparatus you could use; I’ll have to check with him on that. What will I tell Santa if he asks again . . . I think I need to speak to Mrs. Harkins, the Commercial Photography Program Director at Gwinnett Technical College, and get some much needed advice. You don’t want to take advantage of Santa if you don’t need to . . . TTFN SDG

Thanksgiving with Family . . .

Our Thanksgiving dinner was small this year. We usually have from 10-25 people around our home, eating, laughing, visiting, playing games and just having a great time together. We didn’t have our extra friends and family this year; but we were blessed to all be together again. We have no idea how many years before we won’t be able to get together; but I’m sure that our Air Force cadet daughter’s ‘holidays with family’ will be somewhat limited once she graduates and moves on to the real Air Force. We have tried to make the most of our short time together and are already counting down the days to her return home for Christmas. I hope you all had a very restful and thankful time with family and friends this past week. TTFN SDG

Family Fun

I found out over the holidays how truly difficult it is to get a bunch of jokers to pose for a photo. Here’s my family giving me fits on Thanksgiving evening. We were too stuffed to have another meal; so we snacked on popcorn. I love my family…but they can be annoying at times!! TTFN SDG

Death…

Sorry I've been away, we had a friend pass away over the Thanksgiving break. He was only 46 and left behind a wife and two college-aged children. I guess it was his age that was so disturbing. He was four years younger than am I and eight years younger than my husband. You just never know when life, or in this case, death, will take you. The moral of the story is: never take your life or those of your loved ones for granted; each time you see them, appreciate them for who they are and love them in spite of themselves. TTFN SDG

How To Keep Your Batteries Charged While Traveling

With internship choices coming up fast, I have to consider how to keep shooting when I’m away from home. Places I may travel include Australia, Israel, United Kingdom and the Western U.S. Check out this article if you’re leaving the creature comforts of home for your photography adventure. TTFN SDG

Camera Strap

I have a friend, John Weatherford, who photographs swimming events in our area; and he loves his Black Rapid R-Camera Strap. I think it would be very helpful and much more comfortable than the Canon strap that came with my 40D. I’ve been thinking about getting one; but I need some stocking stuffer ideas to give my husband Christmas. I can wait till Christmas to see if I’ve been good! Check out this article if you’re interested in a new camera strap. TTFN SDG

Internship Possibilities

I’ve been re-investigating photoserve.com and have come across a photographer in Australia with whom I would love to intern. His name is Ken Duncan; his work is amazing and very much along the lines of photography I would love to be able to produce. It will be interesting to see where I end up next spring. TTFN SDG

Photo Skills Book

In Photo Imaging III, we had to make a book using our Photoshop manipulated images and iPhoto. We created our pages and inserted them in to the book format from iPhoto, then ordered the 8 x 6″ soft-sided books from Apple. Here are the images I used in that book. Mr. Jones returned them; but I have misplaced my book. I intend to redo my book before portfolio; but please take a look at what I first created during the summer of 2009. TTFN SDG

First YouTube Photo Video

Here is my first post to YouTube. My images turned out really dark on the video. Is this normal; do I need to do something different to prevent it? I really like this new, to me, avenue of presenting my work. I hope you enjoy it! TTFN SDG

Finding Images

If you’re stuck in a rut, as far as finding interesting images to photograph, read this article for a fresh outlook on where to look and how to work the scene. Happy hunting…for the perfect images! TTFN SDG

The Art of Pregnancy Photography: Posing

I just received a MAC-ON-CAMPUS newsletter with an article on pregnancy photography based on the book The Art of Pregnancy Photography by Jennifer George. I’ll be photographing a friend, Sharon, the director of the musical in which I am now involved, as soon as the production is over. She is due sometime in March or April 2010; we just hope she makes it through the show! TTFN SDG

YouTube

We created a YouTube account in Multimedia II today. If you’re interested, read this ‘how to’ article. I’ll be posting images on YouTube and then linking to my blogs. TTFN SDG

Photoshop Plug-In?

I’m considering purchasing a Photoshop Plug-In for portraiture and this one is in the running. Read this article and review. Tell me what you think or if you have any other suggestions for me to consider. TTFN SDG

Patterson and Creative Light

Get an inside look at how commercial and advertising photographer Richard Patterson uses Creative Light gear in a shoot with an aerial silk acrobat and a ballet dancer.

As my classes progress, I’m learning more what I don’t know about lighting (check out these articles). I’m really hoping that through experimentation and trying new things I will be able to discover what works and be able to repeat the process for more successful images. As an actress involved in stage productions, I would love to be able to photograph the dancers in our shows with the finesse shown by Richard Patterson. TTFN SDG

Executive Portraits

Carmen Mari, Admissions Counselor at GTC, was my selection for executive portraits for Advanced Portraiture. She was a great sport and a beautiful subject. I had to get some serious shots to show off her smile. There are three images Mrs. Harkins wants me to work up. I can't wait to see the finished product and take an 8x10 to Carmen as a 'thank you' for putting up with me. TTFN SDG

Environmental Portrait

One of the janitors at a private Christian school in my area was kind enough to allow me to photograph him for my environmental portrait for Photojournalism. He was a good sport; and ended up clowning around at the end of the shoot. He even took his teeth out for me and swallowed his nose! I placed him in this hallway because I loved the quality of light from the doors and light fixtures reflecting on his polished floors. I don’t think I’ll be turning these in for a grade; but I thought they were kind of fun! TTFN SDG

Fill Flash…Again!

My next, and final, attempt at fill flash, not retouched at all, only cropped slightly. I really think this one is pretty good. I love good friends willing to let me photograph them! Thanks, Haley! I don’t think this assignment would have been difficult if my flash and sync cord hadn’t been giving me such fits. Oh well, just one more thing to try to figure out! TTFN SDG

Fill Flash

My kids have informed me they’re too busy to be my models without me first making an appointment with them. Humph! So, my sick-with-a-cold husband was kind enough to pose for me while I practiced fill-flash, our next Photojournalism assignment due Wednesday. Can anyone tell me if this is what Finch is hoping to see? TTFN SDG

Exciting New Smart Car Designs

The new 'Smorvette'! Check out the new smart car designs. I received this email earlier this year; but I absolutely love it! You will too, if you're a photoshop student/professional. TTFN SDG

Photojournalism Essay

In Photojournalism yesterday, Finch showed us some multimedia presentations similar to what she’s looking for on our essay projects. Check out these sites to see the projects. They come from students in the Western Kentucky Photojournalism School. “Closer to Home“, “Under the Table“, and “The Road to Stability” are great examples of photo essays! TTFN SDG

Holiday Set…Shooting Starts Tomorrow!

Before tweaking the set and after…do you like the middle box color switch from white, which looks kind of gray, to red? We also lit the trees so they don’t look like black holes any more. We begin photographing clients tomorrow afternoon at 4pm! If you weren’t planning on coming, don’t you think the set would make a creative gift for your loved ones? Check out the full schedule here!

Happy Veteran’s Day!

Veteran’s Day takes on a whole new meaning when you have a daughter in the military. She’s only 19 years old but could be deployed immediately upon graduation from USAFA. My husband was in the Air Force for 9 years; but never saw active combat. He did fly the C-141 on support missions for the Grenada Invasion Conflict. If you are related to or know a veteran, give them a hug or a handshake of thanks today for serving on the front lines of defending our liberties and those of other oppressed nations. Thank you, veterans, for your gift of service to our nation! TTFN SDG

Sindhi Sabha Diwali Revisited

Before and after images taken at the Festival of Lights I spoke on in an earlier blog. As you can see, the background set up for photography was sadly lacking. The color was wrong, it was a gold wrinkled chiffon you could see through to the chair rail molding and the darker paint below, it was wrinkled and it had an ugly valance that was so low it cut into the heads of standing subjects any taller than about 5′7″. We had to overcome many obstacles to shoot: not enough room to get our lights in the right place, background, seating, space, pocket wizard cords . . . you name it and it was a problem! I’m not sure who shot this image because we were passing cameras around; but Suchi and Rosira did an amazing job in post-production. TTFN SDG

More Rain…

Okay, now I used to be tired of the drought…but this is ridiculous. It’s been raining since Monday night with no end in sight until sometime early Thursday morning. I would build an ark; but I don’t have 125 years to build it! How do you shoot a fill-flash, environment portrait and a fantasy assignment outside when it’s pouring down rain and the wind is blowing? TTFN SDG

NEW QUIPS!

Debra Hodges and Nicole Cochran, committee head and member, of the Set Construction 2 Committee have done a great job of preparing the waiting area and decorating the trees for Holiday Portraits. Debra has tied an amazing number of beautiful bows for the set. Thanks for all your hard work girls! Only two more days to go before we start our Holiday Portrait 'business'! Good luck on your individuals shoots, guys! TTFN SDG

Fill Flash Assignment

Here is my fill-flash assignment for Photojournalism. I shot it in Colorado Springs at a Halloween Party. TTFN SDG

Header Fixed

I just reworked/resized my wordpress header. It’s a photograph I took of the London Eye in September of 2009 using a slow shutter and moving the focal length of the lens while the shutter was open. It looks great; at least, I think it does! TTFN SDG

Interview

A very good friend of mine recently interviewed me about the photography program at Gwinnett Technical College and what my goals are for the near future and my internship. Click play button to listen in. TTFN SDG

New Blog

I’m required to begin a new blog on wordpress; so here it is! I don’t think I’ll be giving up my blogspot; so far I’ve found it more user friendly. We’ll see if wordpress rubs off on me or not…TTFN SDG

Tim Fitzharris

Here is another possibility for my internship. Tim Fitzharris does some amazing things with ambient light in natural settings. I think his photograph of Teardrop Arch is just beautiful! Exactly what I'm looking to perfect! All images on his site enter his homepage; so go through and explore his beautiful images! TTFN SDG

Internship Possibility

While in Colorado this week, I began researching some local photographers. I came across Andy Cook of Rocky Mountain Reflections Photography. His work is amazing; and he teaches hands on photography workshops, with which I would love to assist. I will be considering him as an internship possibility later in the school year. TTFN SDG

Photography: History of

Because I am a photographer in a photography program, I thought it would be interesting to share the history of photography. Enjoy! TTFN SDG

Blogging: History of

With all this blogging we've been doing, I decided to check out the history of blogging. Check out this article to see how it all began. TTFN SDG

Garden of the Gods

I went out to Garden of the Gods yesterday to shoot while I was waiting to for my daughter's surgery. This is a distance view of the kissing camels through the bottom of the balancing rock. It was a beautiful day in Colorado Springs! TTFN SDG

Halloween Party in Colorado!

I went to a Halloween Party with my daughter and her friends Saturday night and was able to shoot some fun images. Check out the winners of the costume contest! They came dressed as a bicycle accident; they were great! TTFN SDG

Color Munki en route!

I just received email confirmation that my ColorMunki (see review) has been shipped and the scheduled arrival date is November 4th. Yeah! I can't wait to calibrate my printer, the Epson 4880, my iMAC and my MacBook so everything I see on the screen actually matches my prints.

ColorMunki

After my husband listened to the Mac-on-Campus guy on Wednesday, he decided I need a ColorMunki to keep from tearing out my hair color-correcting prints for portfolio. He ordered it Friday from B&H after scouring all the sights for the best price. Hope it works! TTFN SDG

Lenses

I'm looking at purchasing another piece of equipment. This lens is in the running but is way above what I really want to spend; so I may have to settle for the 50mm, 1.4. The fastest lens I own now is the 70-200mm, 2.8. I want a lens fast enough to shoot inside without a flash. TTFN SDG

ANTM: Cycle 7 Clip 18 Photo Shoot 6: Black & White Sexy Creepy Beauty Shot

America's Next Top Model hostess, Tyra Banks, photographs the contestants in this photo shoot. It's good information as we prepare to shoot our Fashion/Glamour/Fantasy shots. Pretty cool! TTFN SDG

Zone System Continued

This video, section 1 (Zone System) is mostly a slideshow of beautiful images, both black and white and color. Metering individual objects is key. I hope he does Section 2 soon. Enjoy! TTFN SDG

New QUIPS!

Ana Doemland has done an amazing job as a member of the Print and Bookkeeping Committee for Holiday Portraits! She collected all the email addresses from Lower Quarter and Upper Quarter, set up a Facebook Group for Holiday Portraits and sent out the Evites for this event, which included typing in over 300 email addresses. You have made a great sacrifice to help make our Holiday Portraits an amazing event! Without the invitations, we would have no clients to photograph. Thanks, Ana, for all your hard work; and congratulation on being the latest Quarter, Upper Invaluable Photography Student! TTFN SDG

Zone System

Last year in our Advanced Black and White Techniques class, we were introduced to the Zone System by our instructor, Ms. Finch. I was intrigued, and still am, with the entire process and would love to intern with an expert in the system in the Colorado Springs area. Please check out this article on the Zone System to improve your own ability to photograph like a master. TTFN SDG

Ansel Adams

While sitting in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains, it's impossible for my mind not to wander down the path to the great master photographer, Ansel Adams. As soon as I heard about our internships, I considered shooting large-format black and white film in the Colorado Rockies. TTFN SDG

Speedlite 580EX II

The flash that I own and will be using for our Photojournalism 'Fill-Flash' assignment is the Canon Speedlite 580EX II. I found this three part Tip Series on the Canon Digital Learning Center site. Hope it helps anyone looking for help! TTFN, SDG

'sdg' Inquiries...

As a musician first, Johann Sebastian Bach is one of my favorite composers. I thoroughly enjoy singing his compositions, particularly his Mass in B minor because of it's difficulty and beauty upon delivery. To Bach, music was not just music. To me, photography is not just photography; it is my tribute to the One who created all things I love to photograph. In response to several posts, I am sending you to this link to answer the question, "So what, exactly, does 'sdg' stand for?" After reading it myself I must be bolder, so . . . TTFN SDG!

Holiday Card Completed!

Here is the final Holiday Card sent in to the printer today. I am so shocked and honored my image was selected. I hope the faculty and staff of Gwinnett Technical College are pleased with the end result. Thanks, Damian, for helping me get the logo just right! TTFN sdg

TTFN!

I just received a comment asking what 'TTFN' means. Am I that old...please, don't answer that. 'TTFN' means Ta Ta For Now. I thought it was a common acronym used in texting and on Facebook; but I believe Tigger, from A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, may have originated it in the media. So...TTFN sdg!

iMAC Problems!!!!

My computer is giving me fits! I want to shoot it right now!! I have a 24" iMAC that I bought in January; and it just quits on me in the middle of anything I'm doing. My husband determined tonight it it not Snow Leopard. He thinks it's hardware related and probably in the graphics card. It's been quite an evening of attempting to get the holiday card image ready to go to the printer, Modern Postcard, tomorrow. Needless to say, I'm going to bed with the card unfinished. I'll just have to stay late tomorrow and get it done. Wish me luck...I'm about ready to tear my hair out!!! TTFN sdg

Thriller!

My daughter's dance team from, Joan Mann Dance Studio in Watkinsville, performed a dance number based on the Michael Jackson song/video Thriller. They danced in front of Halloween Express at the Alps Shopping Center in Athens. It was great; but a little scary! She said she made an eight year old boy cry when she zombie-walked through the store between performances! TTFN sdg

Sindhi Sabha Diwali

I assisted a classmate, Suchi Patton, and a graduate, Rosira Palmer, in photographing an Indian New Year celebration last night. It's called Diwali and is considered their Festival of Lights. There was much dancing, eating, laughter and partying involved. The sari's were beautiful and the food was delicious! It was very interesting to see how different country/religion attempts to destroy the reign of darkness. I handed over all my memory cards of the photos to Suchi, who was the one hired. I'll try to get one back to post. I did realize how much I still need to learn about lighting! TTFN sdg

New Business Cards!

Last week I was really frustrated when I was out shooting some photojournalism pics and was unable to leave a card with people who asked. I had saved a coupon from Vistaprint I received earlier this year for free business cards, so I went to work. The cards came in today; so now I'm toting...business cards, that is. Check it out! I received 250 cards and a card holder for less than $20.00. Yeah! Now I can advertise just a little! TTFN sdg