Studio News

The studio work has been very active. I have been experimenting a lot with all sorts of photographic ideas. I finally have had a chance to spend a little time doing some landscape photography. It seems however, that today's photographer is more and more involved with software issues, processing and computer resources than ever. The days of film photography were in some respects much easier. For certain, you had to know what you were doing, as every frame was money. Yet, the process was perhaps a bit more creative. The photographer had complete control over everything. Now so much depends on monitor calibration, printing methods and digital manipulation.

Lately, I have been shooting a lot of film. That was my first love in photography. I believe that a wonderful black and white photograph is timeless and expresses so much more than a color photograph. I now shoot both 35mm and medium format film and develop all my own prints.

In order to keep up with these issues, it is essential for a photographer to attend seminars, classes and workshops. These events are full of new ideas, updated information and a lot of encouragement. Over the past year, I have attended:

• The Nikon School
• Denny's Travelling Road Show
• David Ziser's Digital Wake-up Tour
• Tamron's Workshop at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta
• Studio Lighting at Photo Barn
• Advanced Portrait Lighting at Photo Barn

In addition to my usual photography classes, I also keep up with portrait painting. I have done this for years and I really feel it is a tremendous advantage in photography. If you can paint each feature of an individual, you can sure photograph them! In portraiture, lighting is the key element. It also is in photography. It is no secret that all photographic lighting techniques attempt to mimic the techniques of portrait painting. The two disciplines complement each other like no two art forms.

I am a member of the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International and the American Society of Media Photographers.