White Balance Blog

Portland Christian Winter Formal

2010-02-12T08:42:02Z

I don't think I've ever done a job where the subjects were having so much fun! The kids came up with the idea to make a photobooth, which created a lot of energy and, well, silly faces. The kids had a great time and the project was pretty simple. We also shot candids, and made a slideshow during the event for a backdrop - they kept us busy!

We got a new radio flash trigger, umbrella diffuser, and flash stand for $160 at Pro Photo Supply in Portland – perfect for this project. Our shooting style is very lightweight and mobile. Next time I plan on using an externally powered flash for something like this – the cycle time was like 10 seconds which was too long for the photobooth concept. That, and the kids’ silly faces started to cramp after 5 seconds… it was amusing catching them unexpectedly, just like a real photobooth! Great concept the kids had, I think it really worked.

Another thing I tried to come up with was an automated way to kick out the photos in a strip (Lightroom can do this with proof sheets) and import those into a template of sorts in Photoshop. I couldn’t quite get it to work automatically, but the result looks great:

We also provided the images in color through Smugmug. I checked it out a year ago when we were starting WBI, but wow – as a pro who needs to sell his work, I couldn’t ask for anything more than what Smugmug provides. It completely removes the hassle of photo fulfillment and lets us focus on shooting and editing. It’s $160/year, and I think will be completely worth it.

IdeaCamp Portraits

2009-11-22T08:29:18Z

Kristi and I got to go to IdeaCamp Pacific NW today, and really just soak in all the energy, people, and stories flowing from this very creative, motivated group of Christ-followers. It was really fulfilling to catch up with old friends like John Sowers and LV Hanson and reconnect with new ones like Dawn Decart and Brett Alijets.

It was also exciting and – at one point, hilarious – to get to meet people face-to-face that I’ve only known through Twitter. Jim Gray and I have been playing phone & twitter tag for months now – great to meet in person finally. We were halfway to the Ital-icious Caffe Umbria, when I realized we had churchbartender (Michael Trent) in my car! “OOOHHH!! CHURCHBARTENDER!!” Too funny, as I’d followed him for ages and not really known what he looked like.

It’s like in the movie Matrix, where everyone goes by some handle (“Neo” or “Morpheus”) rather than their “original” name. Only, our Matrix has “@” in front, I guess.

Pasquale, one of the owners, had supported Michael with gourmet coffee and encouragement when he was starting his coffeeshop-in-churches business – when no one else would. He was a gracious host, and very good to Michael.

What a day! Very great to meet you all, stay in touch.

Allan’s Mother, Cash Mtn.

2009-09-17T00:52:24Z

I shot this photo of my mom, watching the kids play on the trampoline. Yes, I’m totally evoking the famous “Whistler’s Mother” painting.

Portrait: Keith Palau

2009-09-15T00:22:55Z

Today I shot a few portraits of Keith Palau, Director of Donor Relations here at Luis Palau. I shot a few in the studio, and just went outside with a flash & diffuser just for a minute; these turned out much more natural and pleasant in my opinion.

Having a strong backlight makes the photo just sparkle, if done right. The basic idea is to get a strong backlight (setting sun, flash, etc.) for interest, then throw lots of light on the subject to compensate. In this case, I used a Westcott Apollo light modifier with an off-camera, hand-held flash. I pushed the flash to +2 stops of extra light (you lose about a stop with the diffuser), and pulled back the camera’s exposure -2 stops. In short, the scene is overbright (matching the bright background), so you reduce exposure to compensate.

I’m still learning this technique from the likes of Tyler Gould and Strobist. There’s a lot of trial and error; there’s many variables. I’m drawn to it for some reason.

As part of any package of “official” portraits these days, I included a square, 512 pixel-square icon for use with social media sites. Need a headshot?

Shorpy Image Archive

2009-08-31T21:40:07Z

Some great archival photos shot with that good ‘ol glass and big negatives. Via Art of Manliness.

November 1938. “Farm woman beside her barn door. Tulare County, California. No more horseshoes!” Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration.

Beach Light

2009-08-20T00:58:36Z

I had a great day at the beach with my family this last week. The weather was really warm and sunny (though at Cannon Beach the wind did pick up a bit). We headed to Indian Head beach at Ecola State Park later that day, and the result was spectacular – no wind, fewer crowds (most had left), and an amazing sunset.

We made a fire, roasted smores, and the kids played their hearts out. My girls in particular love the water, and seem immune to the cold Pacific waters – until they’re not, when a wall is hit and suddenly they realize, “hey, I’m freezing! Ahh!!”.

I tried to shoot some stuff when the light was golden, but I just couldn’t focus with the kids running around. Some times you have to either be in the moment, or be behind the lens. I chose to be in the moment and set the cam down for a bit.

Splash!

2009-08-16T21:26:22Z

We did some family portraits at Peninsula Park in NE Portland while Allan’s family was in town. My kids, of course, are drawn to the fountain.

Recovery and Re-engagement

2009-08-09T07:54:14Z

Why has this space been so quiet lately? Well, I’ve had a season of intense travel, event production and incredible networking with amazing people all over the world. I’m now back in Portland, Oregon trying to draw breath (ow! the air is on fire!). I had really hoped to write about my experiences – I have this incredible backlog of writing in my head now – but realistically, there’s very little time to write in my days. For the time being, at work I’m focused on organizing the 15+ hours of footage I shot, and the stack of 1500 photos I made over the course of three weeks in Africa; I’ve also got a few internet-related projects on the plate.

More importantly, I’m focused on reconnecting with my wife, kids, friends and family. My folks come into town this August from San Angelo, Texas and hopefully my brother Tim will come up from Colorado. I’ve gotta unplug and re-engage with, y’know, real people and all.

There has been lots happening – as you can see from my Twitter and Facebook status updates. More and more of my online thoughts are going there (technically, to both places) – I hope to redesign this blog to reflect that. Twittering from rural Africa was so cool! It was great to share my experiences with you all as they were happening. Check back soon, and say “Baraho!” (Kinyarwanda for ‘hello’) on Twitter or Facebook!

Primavera

2009-05-31T23:07:45Z

A Spring evening up on Cash Mountain.

I Love Hot Moms

2009-05-25T04:58:02Z

I love hot moms. Ok, really just this one.