Using a softbox

Natalie (by Chester Bullock)

In the past I have done a lot of do-it-yourself photography projects. And yes, that included a DIY Softbox. The results were acceptable enough, but after a short time the softbox looked like it had been taken out one too many times. As I continue to do more professional photos, I want to also have a more professional look when on location. Also, I like the better spread of a bigger box. That said, I picked up an inexpensive 16″ softbox from Cowboy Studio (they sell on Amazon).

It is priced quite reasonably, $35 at last check, and as you can see from the photo above, it delivers. I mounted my Vivitar 285 on the L-bracket and did a quick test session with my daughter. Once you get your flash dialed in (I think I need to get a light meter to make this faster), the results are great. I took a few pictures of my daughter with it, and am now quite comfortable using it. Next step will be to add a hairlight or background light (easy enough with my Cactus triggers and my other flash). In fact, thanks to a session I attended with David Tejada, I learned a couple of ways to position the box relative to the subject and also a bit about background lighting. Total sidenote, but I would recommend David’s blog and workshops to anyone.

In short, while making my own softbox was fun and interesting, it is hard to beat the 16″ Cowboy Studio 16″ softbox, especially given the price.

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Best Western Denver SW (by Chester Bullock)

I do product photography, and I do real estate photography. But when it comes to shooting hotels and resorts, it’s a mix of both.

The manager of the Best Western Denver SW (located in Lakewood, Colorado despite the name), saw my photos recently and liked my work. They are in the middle of a website redesign and needed new photos of the property since they have completed renovations recently. I went down one recent afternoon and took care of the shoot. By the end of the weekend I had presented him with the images I thought were keepers. He was extremely pleased and they should be showing up on the website after the new one is launched. And I’ll be going back for exterior shots once things green up here in Colorado.

Contact me today if you have photographic needs in real estate, products or portraits.

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Side Chapel at Mission San Xavier del Bac near Tucson, Arizona

I have now been a SmugMug Pro user since November. Prior to that, I used a competing site called Zenfolio (for one year). I fully intend to renew my Smugmug Pro site once it comes up for renewal. The key features they were lacking versus their competitors are now available (namely coupons and packages), but this is not the only reason I’ll still be here.

The one thing that continues to set SmugMug apart from the rest of the serious image hosting companies is their commitment to their customers. Sure, they are privately held with no debt load, so sometimes features are slower to appear than at a VC funded competitor. However, this creates an environment where they are only adding things that are essential to the Pro user, and they only do it if it really makes sense. No knee jerk reactions to odd requests, or doing things just because they can. The end result is an ongoing financially viable service that won’t disappear out of the blue someday (without warning no doubt). In fact, they also provide an easy to use and democratic method to submit feature requests.

The commitment to customers is carried over to customer support as well. They truly are fanatical about this. In fact, I think the only other company I have dealt with that is comparable is ExactTarget (an email service provider). SmugMug will respond to you extremely quickly via email for any support requests you might have. And they are actually pretty quick to respond on their message forums as well, although that is not the official channel (seriously, if you have an immediate support need, email, don’t go to the forum). The General Manager, Andy Williams, is generally the first person to respond to posts in the forum, and provides great insight for why items are or are not possible.

The last place that this commitment to customers is so evident is the creation of the SmugMug User Groups (SMUGs). These events are actually open to any photographer or videographer, but the conversations at times can be of direct benefit to SmugMug users (such as in the Denver meeting last December when feedback was solicited about the coupon and package systems). So many companies toss up a forum or a Facebook page and call it done. I love that SmugMug is sponsoring these in person gatherings. Paralleling my experiences with ExactTarget at Connections (I cannot sing their praises enough), a SMUG meeting is a great way to get feedback on your thoughts, as well as make your voice heard to the people who are really involved with this company. That in itself is priceless.

Customer service isn’t the only reason to stay with a company of course. The whole reason for having images hosted by a site like SmugMug is the ability to sell them. People who have purchased my prints have been quite pleased by the final product quality. Fulfillment by Bay Photo (one of two choices SmugMug Pro users have) has been flawless. When you couple this fact with the customer service commitment I see, that is the reason I do not need to look anywhere else – nor should you.

If you have been looking at similar services, or if you belong to one and have been thinking about moving, I would encourage you to take the SmugMug 14 day free trial. All features are active during the trial, so you will be able to get a real feel for how it will fit with your needs. You won’t be sorry you did.

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Lakewood Tigers baseball pitcher

I am very excited to announce that 2010 will be the year I begin offering team photography services for local youth sports organizations and teams. Just in time for the 2010 Jefferson County Junior Baseball League season, I have developed special package pricing that is more focused on value to the family, while providing great products that the athletes and families alike will cherish.

I am a local photographer who spent five years coaching in the Lakewood Junior Baseball organization, with my 5th year as head coach. It was always a challenge for me to coach while wanting to get great pictures of the kids. Now I am able to focus completely on getting great pictures of the kids, be it at practice, in a league game, or in a tournament.

For more information or to contact me with specific questions, please see the Team Sports Photography page. Every player deserves a great photo, and I will deliver that.

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Arjuni Photo Shoot

I love shooting hard-to-photograph items. I am getting pretty good at it. But this time, I really had my work cut out for me. Arjuni is a Denver purveyor of hair weaves. The owner came to me with what seemed like a simple request – take photos of roughly 27 samples for use on the new website. It was something of a rush job, because the grand opening of the site was two weeks out. On top of that, two other photographers had been tried beforehand, but could not deliver images to her satisfaction. Great, no pressure there.

I experiemented a bit with some different positioning and lighting, and then settled on something that seemed to work really well. The owner was pleased. I started getting comments like “Phenomenal work!” and “Thanks for all of your hard work. You’ve definitely captured some gems that I’m excited about!” Really, this is what it is all about. Sure, I get to make images that make me happy, on my own time, but when I am on the clients’ clock, I need to deliver.

That said, I really like doing product photography here in the Denver area. So far I have done some neat things and met very interesting people. I have started to see repeat business, which is a good measure of success I think. If you need a product shot, even if it is not a hard to photograph surface, contact me for a quote. I have no doubt I will deliver images you can be proud of, and ones that will help sell your product.

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Congrats to the January Winner

Congrats to Kathleen D., the January winner of a $50 gift certificate to my online art gallery. She was selected at random from all of the fans of my Facebook page. More contests are coming, so become a fan today and you will automatically be entered to win.

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Durango & Silverton Steam Locomotive #482

If you are a railfan, you know about the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in southern Colorado. This is a different view of the one I posted Wednesday. As with the HDR version, this image is also for sale as a print or a download in my online photo gallery.

Also, this is the last reminder to become a fan of my Facebook page. Do it before the end of the day Sunday and you will be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to my online photo gallery.

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A Piece of History

Durango and Silverton Steam Locomotive #482

Watching the newest episode of Top Gear on BBC America the other night, I was inspired to revisit my images of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad that I shot back in August of 2009. There was one 5 shot sequence where my intention was to make an HDR. I actually made it, but then I saw some ghosting from people moving, so I shelved it until I had time to work it out. Well, I went back in, and tried a different option for ghost handling in the latest Photomatix. The result is the image you see above. Well, kind of. After I got the HDR, I brought it back into Adobe Lightroom and applied some of the Kubota Lightroom Actions to the image. The result is an image that feels shot in the period, but has the benefits of HDR.

Available for sale in my online gallery, this is the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad engine #482. It is a Baldwin 282 steam locomotive, manufactured in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Having served on the Denver & Rio Grande Western from 1925 to 1962, it was then sold to the Cu,bres & Toltec Scenic Railway in 1970. I have not been able to locate information detailing when it was sold to the DSNRR.

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Outdoor sports season is coming

Texas Hawks 14U Pitcher (by Chester Bullock)

Believe it or not, the spring/ summer sports season is right around the corner here in Colorado. If you have a child on a team that is looking to have pictures done, contact me and I’ll add you to my calendar. For a small retainer, I will dedicate an entire game to your team, and get pictures that will make all of the parents beam with pride.

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WMD Geiger Counter

Twice now in the last 7 days I have been asked to do product shoots. I do these in my home studio here in Lakewood. One company who has become a repeat customer is WM Devices, a local producer of electronic effect devices for musicians. William hand builds all of the equipment he sells, and doesn’t sacrifice a sharp look on the exterior. Baked enamel finishes with screened lettering, these look right at home in any musicians kit. If you are a musician, check out his stuff at wmdevices.com.

I like shooting products. I can take as long as I need to in order to get the lighting just right, and can take multiple images if I need to. I normally use my DIY Light Tent, but for larger objects, might revert to the DIY Backdrop holder. Lighting is the really fun part, making sure to get the colors just right (especially for something like the WMD Geiger Counter above). I can take all day if I need to, and the client gets charged a flat rate, so it isn’t eating into their budget.

If you have a product you need photos of, drop me a note or give me a call and we can discuss your needs, timing and budget.

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