Beautiful Sunsets

While photographing sunsets take some technical know how, its more about being in the right place at the right time.  I shot this while on a cruise.  My wife and I had a cabin with a balcony so I was normally able to get the sunset or the sunrise coming and going.  Yeah, I had to wake up early while on vacation but it was so worth it!  Occasionally the boat would be traveling East/West so I had to actually put on clothes and go topside to get my shots.

When you love what you do, you are not working :).  Go to www.asharpphoto.biz to see more and to purchase prints.

Super Moon

I love this photo!  I used an application called, The Photographer's Ephemeris to get it.  As a computer application it is free but there is a charge to use this program on an android device or an iPhone.  Anyone can find out what time the sun or moon rises or sets by going to weather websites.  What is different about this program is it uses google maps so that you can pinpoint a location and it will tell you exactly where the sun/moon rises/sets in relation to your location.  This helps you plan shots based around using the sun or moon.

Since I knew what time the moon was going to rise and where it would be, I was able to get to my location prior to the moonrise and plan my shot as I waited for it to come up.  I took a few different shots that I wasn't particularly enthused about and then I started rotating around my location until i saw the moon through some trees and moss.  I knew that it was a great shot!  But, I always take 2 or 3 more just to make sure I got it.  Sometimes you may be unsteady or your focus may be off so always take multiple shots.

To see more, go to www.asharpphoto.biz

Jessy Felix

I had the pleasure of working with this model and wow!  As a photographer, it is important to know what you are doing technically and it is important to know how to bring out the best in people.  Everyone that you work with will not be a model and will not know how to pose, how to communicate with the camera or how to give you what you want.  I actually bought a posing app for my phone!  Sometimes, I don't know where to start and neither does the person that I am working with.  Some ready-made, standard (or non-standard) poses at your disposal can give you some great starting points.  But with all of that, it is great to work with someone that knows what they are doing.

You see someone attractive and sometimes you think, 'they should be a model.'  But like anything, it takes work.  Professional models actually stand in front of a mirror and practice their posing.  They also take care of their bodies and skin.  Jessy Felix was dynamite and she really knew how to project herself into the lens.  If you are trying to build your portfolio, I would recommend that you work with an intermediate or professional model.  Some photographers may disagree with me, but paying a model is not a bad idea at all.  If you are building a business you will have to make investments.  If you can get something for free or low cost, awesome; but never be afraid to spend some money to grow your business.

Click here to see more photos of Jessy Felix

Broken yet Beautiful

This is one of my earlier photos.  I would be lying if I said I really knew what I was doing when I took this photo.  My wife sent me out to get some Chinese food and they had a broken window.  I asked if they had a problem with me photographing it, they didn't so I took a few shots and Voila!!  I didn't do anything with the photo for a while because it was just a part of my daily photo project.  Months later when I had a better understanding of photography, I looked back and realized that this was one of my accidentally great photos.

When I decided to put this in my art gallery, I had to name it.  Being the philosophical dude that I am, this photo made me think about people and things that we encounter that are damaged in some way.  We normally equate brokenness with ugliness but sometimes, when things are broken the right way something beautiful can be born out of catastrophe.  If you feel like the very foundation of your life is crumbling, don't worry; that's just God making you into something beautiful to put on display.

Go to www.asharpphoto.biz to see more art.