May 10, 2007
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Photoshoot With The Lee Family
…and yes I am alive
Wow does this seem unfamiliar now. I haven’t posted anything for nearly three weeks
! I promise it wont happen often. The last few weeks have been somewhat rough for me, lots of ups and downs but I am managing so far and thanks to all who have kept me in their prayers. Well if it isn’t apparent, I have been pretty busy, not so much with photos but with work, job search stuff, interviews and all sorts of testing. To be honest there are some days I wish I could just throw in the towel but I’m no quieter! Frustration is seriously an understatement. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t even had the time to look at my photos from a photoshoot 2 weeks ago, =(. I hope to get to those soon. Last weekend I had a couple photoshoots; shooting my Aunt’s engagement with Junshien which was pretty fun and a awesome learning experience. I have sooooooo much to learn, I swear I am such a noob when it comes to posing, being creative, understanding lighting environments and working in a timely manner. I also got to shoot some of my dearest friends this past weekend. Pictured are Matt and his wife Ruth along with Matt’s brother Mike. Matt is a staff leader for Davis Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Mikes is currently a student of UCD and involved with DIVCF. Ruth is a up and coming wedding coordinator and I will be one of the photographers at the wedding she is coordinating this weekend. So exciting. Technically my first wedding I’ll be shooting too, wish me the best =)!!! Tomorrow night I will be the photographer for Korean Culture Night (KCN) at UCD. My sister will be the MC too, yay sis! =) KCN is promoted by Sigma Kappa Ro and I encourage you to check it out if you’d like. The event starts May 10th 8pm @ the Davis Veterans Theater. Hope to see you there! =)
Another exciting note, I got hired to shoot another event for the Oakland Asian Culture Center. I am excited once again to be working with awesome people and a great organization. This month is full of photos! =)
Big Sur, CA in June…that is going to be off the hook for some spectacular photos!
In the mean time, let me know what you think of the photos above. Believe it or not this is my actual REAL offical photoshoot I’ve done ALONE! =) I’ve done mainly event photography and back up so I am learning a lot about how to place my subjects, hands, positions, orienting them with the light, figuring out where good spots are for photos and learning to find the sweet spot for people in photos. I think everyone has a angle or pose that just makes them look awful but finding the sweet spot can be tricky because you want to discover where they seem to most natural or comfortable. A lot of times I try to give examples from movies, or act out things to help my client figure out what I want in a photo because posing can be awkward for some people. Some people spend more time thinking about how and what they are doing that they actually become unnatural with their pose. I happen to think posing is awesome but it is really an acquired skill. I can’t wait to learn more and get more practice.
P.S. – The photos above show some standard family like portrait styles along with my attempts to be a little more creative.
**EDIT** – I’ve reedited the first three images! =) thanks for the awesome critique everyone. I found it most helpful! I happen to like these current edits a lot more, they are less flat! =) Hope you like as much as I do!
Thanks for reading
Cheers,
Steve
Comments (50)
very nice! you’re gonna have to tell me what to wear for my photoshoot! i have no clue!
They’re all awesome. I love the 3rd one best!
when am i gonna get MY photoshoot? hah kidding.
btw, #4 is my fav.
ryc: when i’m 10lbs skinnier…i’m soo down. ha.
woot. i’ll give more in-depth critique in person. haha. but good job =)
they all look so young i thought it was a mother-sons picture. Anyway they look great.
#4! great job on your first real shoot! kinda gets you a little nervous huh! you did a good job, but i think the b/w images could use stronger definition, i see a lot of grey, and not very many strong blacks in them, which in my opinion makes b/w images look a little better. i’m pretty new to b/w stuff, but i’ve found a couple techniques that i like. hey check your messages in a minute
Great post processing brother. I’m sure they are going to be happy with them.
Daniel
:sunny: beautiful photos!
i see you’ve got the stair thing happening as well =)
photos turned out quite nice mate
hahahhaa
do you like it when ppl say “cute!” about your photos
Stephen, there’s definitely something to be said about shooting with a fast-apeture prime, and especially when you stop down a little. My 50mm f/1.4 is just razor sharp at f/2.8, like sharper than zooms get at f/8 lol. And it’s no slouch wide open at f/1.4 either..
The Sigma 30mm is a great lens and I consider getting one a lot. It’s a typical performer, sharp in the center wide open, but soft in the edges, however the edges improve dramatically and the whole picture gets very sharp by stopping down one or two stops..
The problem getting the Sigma is justifying the cost when, like you said, 50mm lenses can be found for so cheap. But it’s definitely worth the money, if you really want that wider view that it gives…
-Matt-
i think those pictures are awesome!
sorry bout all the frustration with job searching, but congrats on yer first wedding gig!!! im still waiting on my first real wedding gig
and im gunna be shooting my friends family portraits! imma steal some of yer ideas if you dont mind
after finals lets schedule a photomission!
:goodjob: I like the 1st and last images best. Why? I think it’s their relaxed poses and easy smiles.
I’m shooting a wedding this weekend too:spinning: My nephew is getting married on Mother’s Day, outside at 1pm with the ocean as a background. I need prayer!
i like all the green scenery in the 1st two pictures :fun: i think you did a good job, their poses look very natural. God bless you in your busy month!!!
oh mister woot =) have a little faith in yourself and you can go miles
haha all the pics look great and you got so much potential in front of you….thats why you getting all the jobs mang! hahaha I’m sure God has great plans for you and you will find your path….whats life without a little spice??? hahahha (spice = hardship) hang in there mister! =D
These are very well done. I like the creative composition.
#4 is my favorite! :goodjob:
I can definitely tell you’re putting Scott’s Action to use.
On a lighter note, to answer your question I used the Canon 500D macro filter attached to the end of my 70-200mm.
the 500D is for lenses 100mm and up while the 250D version is for mid-range lenses (i.e. 17-55mm, 17-40, etc…) If anything, if you cant afford a macro lens just yet (like myself) than i definitely recommend checking out the 500D macro filter!
with that said, VIVA PHOTOGRAPHY! :sunny:
dang has it really been 3 weeks since your last post already? time just flew by for me then. all those photoshoot events sound fun. i work in the fashion/celeb industry and we don’t even have as many events as you.
nice work! i like numbers 4 and 6. keep up the good work and hang in there! (:
beautiful work on these, steve! the great thing about portait work is that the more you do it, the more comfortable you get at it…i guess that’s true with most everything else in life, so nothing profound in this statement
one of the challenges of working with white shirts is trying to keep some detail in them. i know that the degree of ”blown highlights” is a matter of personal taste, but you might try toning down the shirts in #1 and #3 to bring back some detail. solid white shirts have a tendancy to dominate scenes.
btw, i replied to your lens question on my blog.
nice!
i was about to say..
where’s steve?
Very nice shots. I like the ones on the steps the best but I also love the actions on the first image a lot too.
Wow, hearing how busy and stressed your life has been lately makes me feel even more special that you have taken several opportunities to stop by and visit my site. I appreciate all your comments. I hope life settles down for you soon and that you find some rest amidst the chaos. Good luck on your first weddng!! I did my first one “solo” back in February. I know you’ll do great. God bless you!
Hey Stephen!!!
Love the locations and the relaxed spontaneous look of the subjects….it looks like they were comfortable with you…that is great to have a good rapport with the client.
The white shirts comment is true that Tim mentioned. Mark and I are being careful with that in our work as well…
Glad to see you around and I do hope you find some sliver of hope in the job market. I always try to remember it is always darkest just before the dawn…
On the other hand your photography work sounds busy which is great!!!
Kerri
Hey Steve,
I like he concept of the stairway..
I’ll have to work on that sometime
I like the second to last shot most, and the third one is pretty green LOL!
BTW, you should try the DJ software, its pretty cool
You’re an amazing photographer
steve, these re-edits are BEAUTIFUL! the previous ones were very nice, but imo, these new ones are so much better. like you said, the overall tone, body, and detail are much more noticeable. sometimes, certain processing produces flat and blown out images. these news ones are very well-balanced and pleasing to the eye. i appreciate your willingness to learn and apply. your attitude is going to grow your photography skills so greatly! keep up the wonderful work.
:goodjob:
Steve, I think your composition is really awesome! My favorite is the 4th.
he’s a growing boy!
hehehehe i guess i ate food you cooked, at least when we did dinner for our biblestudy preps
but i dont think i ever had your chicken alfredo pasta
Hey, thanks for sharing your opinions, and I have to agree with them! He is actually “better off” than me, so it’s not a matter of finances…perhaps he has just gotten lazy? I enjoy paying from time to time, but I thought it was polite if the guy paid for the nice, expensive dates. Great pictures by the way, and good luck on shooting your first wedding!
I’m actually searching for a photographer to shoot some pictures for my portfolio for Miss Philippines, but I suppose Glamour Shots will have to do…
Yay for the Lee family… okay I don’t know them, but the photos are great =D.
Hey Steve!
Good job on the shots. Keep working hard and improving. It was a pleaseant surprise to see pictures of people I know! I like the first and the 3rd the best. I like the color of the first one, and the genuity/naturalness of the 3rd shot. I’m not used to the pose on the 4th one. I guess there being three people, it looks more heavy on the right side with two people. Keep at it though!
all the photographers on xanga needs to get together sometime… however, in regards to wedding gear, a macro filter/lens would be the premier in capturing wedding rings & flower photos. nonetheless, i agree, we should definitely all hang out sometime! :goodjob:
Srephen…its all true …you are awesome! I know God is going to show you the way…He always does…He is the Light unto our path…:love:
Kerri
Great job! By the way…you sound so unsure, you did a great job!! congrats on the new gig! Take a deep breath and relax, things have a way of working themselves out!
These pic are nice, also they are very “natural”……..good!
Hey, go buy dvd and watch that movie, it’s very sweet!
very very very nice steve! keep up the great work!
AMAZING!! INCREDIBLE SHOTS!! AND I LOVE the new signature!! :wave:
thanks for the advice
welcome back, nice job!
ur sis is going to fidm? she can look for The Hills girls!
ha…the hills as in mtv’s the hills, the tv show. they’re working or interning there or something. i don’t know – i don’t watch the show.
Yeah, I love my old Fuji S3100
family photos are awesome, good job
Love the stairs images. The lush garden shot is fantastic too. Nice work.
photos looks great.
i would like to see atleast one portrait of each person. you probably have it, but just wanted to show only the group shots. i find it easier to practice shooting portrait with just one person just to figure out the best way to shot just one person. then i would go to two people, then three… etc. by the time i can shoot a group, i would know all the best wayt to shoot everyone up to that point. you might find it useful.