Howdy! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had a biq weekend of tech support. I upgraded my God Mother’s iPhone from iOS 4-6. Taught a little iPad 201 to my mom (for someone who doesn’t like technology…she sure love the iPad….I’m guessing that’s why it’s so successful). Then, in exchange for a new water heater, I helped out a good plumber buddy get his new computer set up. Three days of tech support, across a bunch of different platforms can make you a little crazy….
Today’s Photograph
I found this place along the shores of La Jolla beach. I’m not sure what it is…I think it’s an event center? The star and palm tree at the end of a long walkway caught my eye. I remember being exhausted at the time, but knew I couldn’t pass up this photo. I’m glad I had one last image in me that night. Do you ever get tired and have to force yourself to make a photograph because you know you won’t be able to live with yourself in the morning?
Winter Book Club – Creativity & Awesome Prizes
The winter book clubs continues to roll on. This has been really fun! Thanks for joining in. I really hope you are getting some new found inspiration out of it. Here’s this week’s winners.
- Rob – Won something from the Nik Collection
- Ryan – Won the card organizer from Think Tank
- Scott – Won a free eBook from Craft & Vision
- Pam – Won a free eBook from Craft & Vision
- Mel – Won a free eBook from Craft & Vision
This week’s book: I’m a people person, so this book is kind of a personal one for me. But I thinks it applicable to all of us. I hope you enjoy it! Forget Mugshot (by David duChemin)
Weekly Prizes: Each Monday for the next 5 weeks I will choose a book for us to read. Sometime that week leave a comment on that post about your favorite part. I will then choose a 5 random winners each week.
- 1 person will win a Think Tank card organizer!
- 3 people will win a free eBook!
- 1 person will win software from Nik Software! (It could be Define 2.0, Color Efex 4, Silver Efex 2, Sharpener Pro, Viveza 2 or HDR Efex)!
Grand Prize!
This is the best part! At then end of the six weeks, I will choose 3 lucky winners that have participated regularly. Those winners will receive either a ThinkTank Retrospective 5 or Nik Software’s ‘Complete Collection‘ or every eBook Craft & Vision has ever published.
hey justin!!!!!! beautiful shot! thanks for the ebook prize! off to download this weeks book choice…….i have to say, i really look forward to mondays to see what the next book will be. i’m going to miss it after the 6 weeks!!
From FORGET MUGSHOTS: “The single best photographic skill when making portraits has nothing to do with your camera.” Great portraits start with the connection made between photographer and subject. You only need to study the iconic images taken by Yousuf Karsh to see the value of creating a connection. Yanking a cigar from the lips of a cranky Winston Churchill was a brilliant move. I wonder how many of us here would dare to make such a move? Not me, but I love the result.
I think the best piece of advice from this book was the first one…..relate. Relating with the subject of a portrait before you start, can really make a HUGE difference in the picture you get.
I’m not much of a portrait photographer. I mostly shoot landscape/architecture. This book was an interesting read. Getting a natural smile I think is a key aspect of a great portrait. What I hadn’t considered is the effect this has on the rest of the face. The book describes the “crinkle” near the eye. The crow’s feet :). It does truly make the face more expressive and a feature of a natural smile.
This read was a good start for me since I really don’t know anything about portrait work. I am going to be applying many of the suggestions next time I’m out taking pics of the everyday surfer. I will “Wait for the moment” and “Use more than one frame”. Great read & will be reading it more than a couple of times. Good pic Justin!
This week’s read was another good one! I’m also a rookie when it comes to portrait photography, so I will be referring to “Forget Mugshots” a lot! Waiting for the right moment seems very important. The shot of the little boy smiling at his friends…the author waited for the moment the boy was unaware of his presence and was reacting only to seeing a good friend. A very natural and genuine reaction. A great example for a great tip!