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

Peter Guttman & Travel Photography!

I've been contemplating my internship in the spring; and I still haven't narrowed down the type of photography in which I want to intern. One field, which does interest me greatly, is travel photography. Kodak has some great resources and I found Peter Guttman, an award-winning travel photographer. Check out this article. TTFN sdg

Magic Mouse for MACs!

Apple is introducing a new mouse; and it's included with all the new iMacs. Click here or on the image to read the article. Get in line for your new iMac...it will be amazing! TTFN sdg

Photography Tutorials - Commercial Photography

MY IMAGE WAS CHOSEN as the 2009 GTC HOLIDAY CARD!

My image was chosen to be the Gwinnett Technical College holiday card for this year! I am shocked and amazed and very honored that my french horn was selected! Thanks, Jeremy, for being my partner and helping me light! I know your arms got tired holding that diffuser up the whole time I was changing my focus. Gerald was also holding a card over my tent. Thanks, Gerald! You are both very helpful friends in the studio! I'd also like to thank Chick Piano for loaning me the french horn to shoot. I shot it with my 4x5 camera (check out this article), using Tungsten film, with an ISO of 64, 180mm lens, and 8.5" bellows extension. My exposure was F 11.25 at 4 seconds. Wow, how exciting!! Now, I have to order the cards through Modern Postcard. What an exciting day! TTFN sdg

New QUIPS!

Brett May is my latest QUIPS! Brett drew out and designed the set for holiday portraits. We all voted on the designs; and, as you can see, many people thought this design was the best one for this year's set. Chelsea's box looks amazing; and, as of Monday morning, we are off to work, putting together all the pieces of the set! Don't forget, everyone, wear work clothes and bring paint brushes/rollers, buckets, tarps...and a great attitude for work and fun! I think we're going to have a great time making a great looking set! Look out November, here we come! Congratulations, Brett, on a great design and a great artistic talent! You're photography is amazing as well! On a side note: thanks for helping me get my header fixed. Notice, Mr. Jones, the text is not embossed! TTFN sdg

Low-Key Shoot

Mr. Jones said we should document our process in our shoots. He had no idea how pitifully I draw! This is the approved thumbnail I turned in for our High-Key, Low-Key portraits. You can barely tell, or maybe you can't, that this is supposed to be a person.

Here is the portrait I shot. I think it looks somewhat like the thumbnail I turned in; but the photograph is waaaaaaaaaay better than the drawing. I hope Mr. Jones is pleased to have imparted my pathetic artistic skills to the world! Thanks, Mr. Jones! TTFN sdg

Stat Counter

I just added a counter too! Thanks, Jayne! What a great idea! I'm not sure I put in on right; so I'll keep checking it. TTFN sdg

Help!

Does anyone know how to help me with my text? I dropped the script, which I had hoped would be my logo look; but it looks pixelated, even after it's rasterized. I changed to Verdana text, which Mr. Jones said was a better photoshop text; and it still looks pixelated. What should I try next? I'm going to try this website for help; does anyone have any other suggestions? I'd really appreciate your help! TTFN sdg

New QUIPS!

Chelsea Smith is the team leader for the Set Construction 1 committee for Holiday Portraits. She was so motivated to get a handle on her duties she decided to build one of the big boxes this weekend! Kuddos to you, Chelsea for taking the initiative to really be on top of things! I've been impressed so far with all your ideas and execution. I know your team is going to do an amazing job on the set; without it we really can't move on nor will we have any customers who want their portrait made! I can't wait to see the set completed; it's going to be simple yet amazing! (Sorry I caught you on a bad hair day but hope the pic is okay for you!) Keep up the good work, girl! TTFN sdg

New Flickr Account!

Mr. Jones taught us the importance of being able to share our photographs on Flickr. It took me a little while to figure it out; but I think I am now connected. I've posted my ten favorite images; click the image to the left, check out my top ten and tell me what you think! TTFN sdg

My Cadet

My daughter is a 4th class (that's government speak for a freshman) Cadet at the United States Air Force Academy. Here's her swimmer info page, a far cry from the child that grew up under my nose! She's having shoulder surgery in November, so her swimming career may be nearing an end. According to her former coach, Harvey Humphries, she has the 13th fastest mile in the state of GA. I can't find the USA Swimming link to verify that fact; but I will contact Harvey to find out where it's located. TTFN sdg

Henri Cartier-Bresson

I was reading our Photojournalism assignment on Features and ran across Henri Cartier-Bresson's name and remembered the photo Mr. Jones showed us in one of our previous classes. I remember thinking how amazing it was to be at the right place and time to capture such a charming and intriguing image such as this. I'm really trying to get into my photojournalism shoes; but they seem to be way to big for me. I'll keep plugging away in an effort to bring back that feature that will make one want to smile and grimace at the same time. TTFN sdg

Rain...Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Oconee County Fall Festival is today; I was going to go work on finding some feature shots. Alas, the rain delayed my search...again! My husband said, "I'm ready for the drought to return!" I'm not quite there yet; but it has seemed like the weather has been a daunting factor to overcome ever since I began to pursue this photography degree! Let's see what tomorrow brings. I may have to drive down to Perry for the GA National Fair tomorrow and pray the rain doesn't follow me. Did you ever feel like there was a black cloud over your head? Anyone else having problems going out to shoot? Share your experiences! TTFN sdg

Christmas Production Time

I just got home from rehearsal for our new production "Finding Home." It was commissioned by Cornerstone Productions specifically for our acting ensemble. We're really excited to be performing a new piece designed for us. Save the dates: December 10th through the 13th. We'll be performing again this year in the historic Morton Theatre in downtown Athens. Make a date night of it; it will be fun! I'm playing Mrs. Bailey, the mayor's wife, and hoping I get to wear a great hat with plumage! Something like this would be great...only it's not exactly the right era! The musical is set in the early 1900s. Check out the fashion of the day and what we may be wearing. Here is a picture of me in our 2007 production of Shenandoah Christmas. I sang 'O Holy Night' very near the end of the show. It was a great moment for me; one I hope to one day repeat. TTFN sdg

New Series-QUIPS

Until I have a better name for this, I will begin a new series entitled QUIPS! It's an acronym for Quarter, Upper Invaluable Photography Students; and, yes, I know the
title is lame. The person who comes up with the best idea for a new appropriate acronym will be my next feature! Leave your suggestions in my comment box. Damian AhChing is my first feature. He is the team leader for the printing and bookkeeping committee for Holiday Portraits. Mrs. Harkins asked him to create a raffle ticket design last weekend and he did a great job! I can't wait to see what else he has in store for the remainder of the quarter. Damian won the regional Skills USA Competition and went on to Kansas City where he placed third nationwide. Congratulations, Damien! You have an amazing career ahead of you! TTFN sdg

Holiday Portrait Studio!

It doesn't seem possible, but we are now in the process of preparing for Holiday Portraits. Upper quarter is really psyched to do an amazing job this year; and it seems like lower quarter is excited to be helping out as well. We feel confident we can bring something new and different to the table and provide for our clients a product that is well worth their hard-earned money. We look forward to 'raising the bar', finishing tasks ahead of schedule, with our enthusiasm still intact. We have an amazing team of leaders ready to take up the challenge to perform their duties in a timely and professional manner. Kuddos to Amanda, my partner in crime helping with the admin end, Chelsea, our set construction team leader, Deb, our waiting room organizer, Damien, in charge of printing and bookkeeping, Lindsay (who is slacking right now, on a cruise, no less!!) is our lower quarter liaison, Jayne, team leader for internal and external communication, and, last but certainly not least, Jenni, who will be in charge of tying up any loose ends. Jenni, we hope to put you out of a job! Stay tuned for a blogspot, email and website giving many more details as they develop. For now...GREAT JOB EVERYONE !! I've posted a pic from a former holiday portrait, can't wait until we get our set together so we can 'wow the socks off' of everyone who sees it! TTFN sdg

Chinese Photography Visitors

Friday evening, from 5-7 pm at Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston, the visiting Chinese photographers will be having their opening exhibit. Check out the full story. I hope I can go; but I was planning to go to the GA State Fair in Perry that day to try to shoot some features. We'll see what the weekend brings.

Also, we learned so much about our sports pics today in Photojournalism. I really wish we could have critiqued last year's images last week before we attempted to shoot. All the information we heard during the critique will be very helpful the next time we shoot an athletic event. High ISO, fast shutter, crop tight and pray for no rain!! Here is my image cropped in tighter and dodged a bit. 

Do you think it's better

 than the one posted below? Please answer, 'Yes!' TTFN sdg

Jaycee and Football!

Today was a topsy-turvy lab day! We started out in our lab, had to move down to the small one so Finch could lecture to lower quarter and then moved back to our lab. We worked it out though-Day Group rocks! I just got permission to post Jaycee's picture. This is the one I'll be turning in for a grade; but there were so many cute ones from which to choose. Jaycee is a beautiful little almost two year old who smiles all the time - until I need her to smile for my portrait! That's okay, I'll get to photograph her, hopefully, many times as she grows up into a beautiful young woman. Yes, Momma Leanne, she's going to grow up way too quickly to suit you and Nick. Enjoy your precious gift as much as you possibly can. The time will fly; but it will be an enjoyable journey!

I had a chance to have Finch select my sports pic; she didn't pick any I have posted so...here's my picture and my caption.

"On Friday evening, October 19, 2009, with less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Oconee County quarterback, Hutch Roper, moves the ball inside the 20 yard line on the quarterback keeper, setting up their second field goal in the 27 to 21 victory over Stephens County. This was Oconee County's first win of the 2009 football season."

Not too bad, but maybe too wordy. I'll find out tomorrow during photojournalism. TTFN sdg

Rainy Monday Blog

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down; but I had fun shooting my 2 year old, Jaycee Leigh, this morning. Before I post a pic, I'd like to have permission from the parents. I dropped the make-up idea because there was so much going on, Jaycee was already distracted. I had my sports thumbnails ready to be perused today; but Finch was out sick this morning. Hope she's feeling better. I showed Mrs. Harkins the Holiday Portrait forms I created this weekend; she seemed pleased. I will deliver the hard copies to her tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will be a more productive day - I need to complete my pet portrait, finalize my sport pic and get it on the computer, get my children's pic selected and select and tweak a picture to put on my blog nameplate. Here is one of my best football pics. TTFN sdg

Sunday

Well, I still haven't done post-prod on my football pics yet; so I'll probably do them later tonight or Monday. It was overcast and drizzling most of yesterday; so I just worked on Holiday Portrait forms. I had no idea how much organizing went in to make Holiday Portraits a success. I just hope we can do as well or, hopefully, better than former classes have done. I have high hopes with our class. It seems like everyone is really excited about the prospect of doing a great job. I really hope the excitement continues all the way through November 24th!

Tomorrow, we do our children's portraits. I'm shooting a two year old cutie playing dress-up. The plan was to shoot her in front of a vanity with a mirror; but I'm trying to use the KISS rule this time. I'll be shooting her with a black background in a blue dress and hot pink accessories. Hope she's happy and cooperative! I'm going to go call the Mom and re-confirm our appointment for tomorrow. It would really be a bummer if she got sick and wasn't able to make it. I met her last Wednesday; and she's absolutely adorable. She didn't want me to leave; and I had a hard time pulling myself away. It just reminded me of days gone by when our three girls were little. Time has really passed by quickly!

My sinus infection is finally going away. Yeah! It's been way too long since I started having symptoms. The second antibiotic finally worked. I didn't end up going to the airshow; I thought one more day of trying to take it easy would help me get over this thing quicker. TTFN sdg

Football Game Last Night

I spent almost four hours at the Oconee High School football stadium shooting the Oconee County-Stephens County game. I still don't think I have a very good sports photo. Catching the ball in mid-air with all the other aspects of the picture being just right is really difficult. If the sun clears up, I may go shoot some soccer matches in the park later today. For now, it's GA vs. TN. Gotta watch them dawgs! I'll post a football pic later today after post-production. TTFN sdg

Softball Shoot Out!

So last night I went to the Fastpitch Softball Regional Play Off game at the Oconee County field. I got a few good shots, I think?! We'll see on Monday when I show my contact sheet to Finch. I also shot a Swim Meet last Friday night; but I'm pretty sure there's nothing there that is terribly spectacular. I may be going to an air show on Saturday with Jeremy and Nelson; but it will depend on my sinus infection and how I'm feeling with it tonight. I went to the doctor this morning...another round of antibiotic and Claritin D. Woohoo! I just hope it helps; I'm a little tired of feeling like my head is about to explode every time I bend over. Off to an eye doctor appointment in Gainesville. This is always a fun - and expensive - outing for the entire family. This year is the first we aren't all going together. One daughter is off to college and hubby is in Venice (bummer for me); he's already gone for his check-up so I'll be picking up some of his glasses while there. Depending on the weather, I may try to shoot the Oconee County-Stephens County football game tonight. TTFN sdg

Exciting Week of Photography!

What a busy week we've had. I built a set for my pet portrait assignment in Advanced Portraiture over the weekend. I bought some muslin and stenciled doggie paw prints on it; I also stenciled the prints on a big chili pot and painted the inside too. A wooden spoon was also painted. With red felt, I made an apron and a little chef's hat. The plan was to photograph a 'cooking' pooch or a dog 'taste-testing' his dinner. On Monday we did our pet portraits; I shot a little terrier mix pooch...really cute and, thankfully well behaved. As you can see from the chosen photo left, none of my hard work made it into the picture. I just can't seem to get the hang of the KISS rule! Plus, almost every image has a strand of hair across his right eye. Mrs. Harkins said I should have just snipped it; but 1) I didn't even see it until post-production and 2) she wasn't my dog to be snipping!

Here is one of my doggie images with all my props. I still think she's cute; but this is not the image I will be submitting .

We also had to write a paper on the History of Photojournalism over the weekend. My family was in Colorado Springs visiting our oldest daughter, who is a cadet at the Air Force Academy; so I had a pretty quiet weekend. It was actually a little too quiet...I'm not looking forward to our empty nest! Anyway, the paper was written, despite this horrible sinus infection and headache I've been dealing with!

On Wednesday, we had to go out before class and shoot a weather feature in the rain. I came across a car that had spun out and quickly shot a couple of images before I saw the policeman frantically waving me by! I'm not so sure about Photojournalism; it's really going to take me out of my comfort zone. And I hope I don't get in an accident trying to get that headline shot! Ms. Finch liked the image but wanted a person in the photo. I tried to come back to the accident, but by the time I drove to the next exit and returned it was all gone. Next time I think I'll just pull over and walk back to it. We also didn't have to compose a caption for our photos today; that will begin next week on our sports photos. TTFN sdg

Multimedia II

This is my first post to my professional blog. I am now in my fifth quarter of an eight quarter program in commercial photography at Gwinnett Technical College. I'm really excited to be a member of the 'upper quarter', a talented group of individuals passionate about photography.

I just got back from London. I'll be posting more pics from there. Enjoy the London Eye for now! TTFN sdg