Through My Eyes

2009 Summer Tour

2009-07-19T16:10:00.001-07:00

This summer brings exciting news! I, along with my close family, will embark on a two month long tour bringing us all over the East coast, from Dropzone to Dropzone, ending with a stop in the deserts of the West to experience Burning Man (Burningman.com). I will be bringing updates to this blog regularly, as well as helping to keep up the TonySuits blog (TonySuits 2009 Tour Blog) So, check back often, becoming a follower of this blog, as well as the TonySuits blog to get up-to-date information and photos from all across the country this summer.

To give you a visual of the distance that will be covered, I've added the map below.

View B&F Summer Tour in a larger map

Working with noon day sun

2009-02-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

This is a short post as I'm uploading and editing a ton of photos from this weekends workshop lead by Robert La Follette(.com). I felt this post was an important one because it is something that opened my eyes a bit about shooting in the middle of the day. On Sunday Robert took a group of us to Homosassas Springs state park to photograph the plethora of wildlife that is being rehabilitated there. We arrived around 11am and got to shooting about 12. I didn't want to sit around waiting for the light to soften, so I decided to do my best with what I had to work with.

The difference in exposure this time of day between the direct light and the shadows can be extremely difficult to deal with, so Robert gave us a few tips. One was the opportunity to completely black out the backgrounds if we choose them carefully. The two shots below are examples of what can be done by changing position, and setting the camera to expose for just the bird, and not the entire scene. The first shot below is what I saw as I walked up to the flamingo. The water the flamingo is standing in is in the shadows and has a dark green color. You can also see how bright the sun is shining from its wing which is a clear indication of the difference in exposure between the sun and the shadows. By changing my position relative to the bird I was able to put the dark green water directly behind it. I then set my camera to expose only the bird, which was in the direct sunlight. The water directly behind the bird, and part of the flamingo itself was in the shadows meaning there was a great deal of difference in exposure between the two. This lead to the opportunity of completely blacking out the background and darkening some of the bird leading to a much more dramatic image. I then filled the frame with the flamingo and waited patiently for the bird to take a more compelling pose. Once it tucked its head next to the beautiful wing I took a few shots and captured what I consider to be a great image!

What do 325 Drums, 1/2 mile, and Turner field have in common?

2009-01-30T10:06:00.001-08:00

Hello! You will have to excuse me while I blow the dust from my blog...

This is an exciting post for me because I get to share with all of you my first big out of state photo gig. I am a staff member of Drum Magic (drummagic.net) and we had a huge gig to complete at the 755 Club at Turner stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Drum Magic was hired to bring drumming to 325 CVS business men and women, as well as some of the staff from the leading stores in and around the ATL and Florida. This was a celebration for CVS as well as a long day of presentations and meetings. Drum Magic was the hired as the morning icebreaker and when we left the members of the meetings could hardly sit back in their seats..

Drum Magic is a company owned by Jana Broder and it brings drumming to anyone and everyone. She is often hired for team building exercises for sports teams, icebreakers, and she even does work with mental health facilities as drumming has been proven to be a huge stress reliever and provides healing for the body.

With all of that said it is normally a pretty easy thing to setup, but problem with this job was getting all 325 drums into the upstairs club!

It took a team of 6 three hours to get all of the drums moved. The main time consumer was the distance between the loading dock and the freight elevator, it was just about 1/2 mile!!! We were able to use a few vehicles towards the end of the unload to help speed things along, and as you can see, the forklift pushing a wagon was a life saver. Once we made it to the freight elevator, it was a whole new challenge because some one had to stand and hold the button so the door wouldn't close on us. It seemed like challenge after challenge, but we luckily had an amazing group of people that some how made the whole thing hilarious. At the very least that hard work made a cold beer taste that much better once we finished.

After we finished the unload we headed back to our hotel to have a few beers and rest up for the next morning. We got the the hotel bar about 9pm and had to be up at 5am to prepare for the 8 oclock gig. I was excited to get back before the sun came up for a number of reasons mainly because I saw the potential for an amazing HDR shot that I had to get. Luckily I had an empty room and about 20min to myself, so I was able to score a couple of great shots.

Another fantastic opportunity presented itself to us as the sun began to rise over the stadium so the team headed outside for a group shot in front of the field.

Then it was on to a quick briefing with the team and the people started to pour in having no idea that they were walking into a room full of drums for a morning icebreaker!

Once everyone found their seats the group drumming started. Jana and her team, Steve Turner (givingtreemusic.com), Pierre Green, Jason Isla (www.givingworldpercussion.com), and Dave Holland (www.beatinpathrhythmevents.com did such an amazing job bringing smiles to the faces of everyone in the crowd. They are all professional drum circle facilitators and it showed when the show started.

It is amazing to think that it took a total of 5 hours to setup and break down the setup all for a 45min show, but it was well worth the work as the smiles and excitment of the crowd told us all we needed to know about the work we were doing. Once the show was over the CVS groups picked up their drums and walked them over to an area to pile them up and begin the reload back into the three trailers.

I am so excited to be a part of this company and I have learned a great deal about shooting during these types of gigs. They provide unique challenges that require me to think on my feet. If I hesitate to figure out my next shot I might miss the best one of the show. This requires me to use all of the skills I have picked up along the way in my career. The most important is knowing my camera backwards and forwards. It is so important to not have to think for a second about a setting in these events. Since this gig I also learned my weaknesses and I have started to work towards righting them. All said and done this is a huge step for my company and a huge step for me along my path as a photographer.

A big thanks goes to Jana Broder for giving me the opportunity to be a part of her amazing company.

And just for S&*#s and giggles, a pic of me!

MORE DIDGE!

2008-10-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of helping my buddy Jeremy work his Didgeridoo booth at a local Native American Flute festival this Sunday and I had an absolute blast. Jeremy makes amazing quality didgeridoos and we definitely had the loudest tent there. I was able to help him out AND play my didge pretty much all day, so it was a win win situation. I had the pleasure of meeting some fellow didge players, but I only had the time to take a few photographs.... The Native American Flute festival was an interesting place to say the least and I met many people from every possible walk of life. From a local groundskeeper to a Musk Ox caretaker from Alaska.. go figure... I also bought a few crafts from some outstanding local artists. One of which carves native designs into shells native to the areas of the designs he carves.. Truly outstanding artistry. The few pictures I do have are all of didgeridoo players that have a lot of character and were really fun to spend time with. Thanks to Jeremy and the others for a laid back Sunday!

It has been a week or so....

2008-09-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well... Ike did exactly what people thought and wrecked my old home town. Power was JUST restored yesterday to my family's home in Kingwood and many of my friends are still without power 14 days after Ike hit. The worse hit areas are Galveston as many of you may have read, so I wish everyone good luck in dealing with Ike's BS. Boats aren't supposed to sail on the freeway!!!

Ike Aimed at Houston!!!!!

2008-09-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

Update #2: Ike has taken a nearly direct path to my hometown with warnings of storm surges up to 25ft in Galveston!!! It is said that the unusual size of Ike is producing a much larger storm surge then a normal Cat 2 or Cat 3. It is supposed to make land fall in about 18 hours as either a high Cat 2 or a low Cat 3 with damage between the two being nearly identical. Above is a photo from Nasa's shuttle giving us an idea of the size of Ike. If you would like to see more absolutely amazing photos of hurricanes photographed from space click here.

I have spoken to my friends and family back home and they have all told me that my hometown, Kingwood, is overreacting and everyone is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I do wish I was there to photograph the madness, but I'm stuck here, so I'll keep posting updates with new photos and news. Check back!

Update: Most models have now predicted Ike aimed directly at my home town. I am a bit jealous as the pictures from Galveston are going to be amazing, but I am worried about my family and friends... Blessings to you all and stay safe!
It looks as though Ike is heading for my home town! I've lived in Florida for about 2 months now which I was told is a Hurricane broom and in this short time two have skipped right by Tampa and towards my Houston, my home town. I wish I was there to see this beast come in!

...Destined Evolution...

2008-09-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Could this be the much anticipated 5D replacement? If so, I am ready for a full frame camera body!!!

Click to see Canon's teaser

An Unexpected Subject

2008-09-02T14:41:00.001-07:00

Hello again to the readers of thy blog... Thanks for checking back in to see what is going on this week!

I jumped in the car to meet Robert La Follette down at Honeymoon island again, but this time to catch some pictures of the surfers enjoying the waves from hurricane Gustav (best hurricane name ever). When I arrived it was raining a little, so I found Robert and his wife sitting under the covered bathroom area shooting surfer pics with his zooooooom lens. The three of us stayed under cover until it stopped raining and then relocated closer to the surf action. On our way over a VW van (I believe this type of VW van is called a Samba) caught my eye and shouted at me to have its picture taken. This old VW van is just PACKED with character that was begging for some HDR (High Dynamic Range) pictures to be taken. I walked over to the owner, David Gause, to ask permission to take photographs and he graciously agreed and even opened her up for some interior shots. I originally wished for some better light, but after editing these photos in HDR I fell in love with the stormy sky and rain drops which are such dramatic features to this series of photographs. It is hard to see the raindrops on the small pictures, but I will be adding some of these to my portfolio online, so check back again if you would like to see them full resolution. I have some more editing to do with them (for your photoshop readers I have to clone stamp out the cars, straighten etc...), but I wanted to get these up quickly for everyone to enjoy. I hope you like them and check back again soon!

Ibis!

2008-08-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago my cousin's family and I went to a local park here in Tampa to feed the Ibises! These little birds were by far the most interesting I have come across during my short time here in Tampa. They sound like Kazoos when they sound their calls! After doing my best to capture pictures of the Ibis a little squirrel decided to get in on some of the bread that was being thrown left and right. He was extremely friendly and would eat out of our hands, but was easily startled and only stayed for a few minutes. After our squirrel attack we went back to hanging with the Ibises as they would practically stampede us for the bread. All in all another amazing day in and around Florida.

When Squirrels Attack!

Didgeridoo!!!

2008-08-24T13:33:00.001-07:00

Some of you might not know that I play the didgeridoo, or at least, I am trying to play it. Since I do not know many people in and around Florida I decided to Google "Didgeridoos in Florida" to see what result I would get. It turns out that Jeremy from Didgeridoo Revolution, a group that plays shows and puts on performances for schools, is a didgeridoo instructor about an hour from me. I gave Jeremy a call and he agreed to meet in Sarasota for a lesson! Jeremy is an amazing teacher and was nice enough to show me around Sarasota and fill me in on the best places to visit. After spending about an hour practicing and going over the basics Jeremy invited me to hang out and take pictures of a band he was practicing with that night. They were all super cool and invited me in and gave me dinner to boot! Thanks goes to all you guys and Jeremy for helping me get settled in my new home state.

Click here to see pictures from the evenings band practice

My first photography trip in Florida

2008-08-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

As some of you may already know I have made a move to Tampa, Fl recently. I have been so busy with the move that I haven't had the chance to move around a little and take some photos, but an old friend of mine helped pull me from my photo lull. A mentor photographer of mine, Robertlafollette(.com), whom I have learned from on two photography workshops lives in Clearwater, so he offered to show me around Honeymoon Island which is one of his favorite spots. He was a huge help for me because in new areas I often find myself completely overwhelmed by my surroundings and I end up coming home without snapping a single photo. Robert helped me to focus and find some amazing areas to shoot.

Not only did Robert show me around the area, he gave me an introductory lesson in bird and wildlife photography as well as teaching me about the local wildlife. We happened upon an Oystercatcher which, according to Robert, isn't a sight often seen. The beach was busy so the little bird was easily startled, but Robert showed me how to walk out and around to get the shot and we ended up with some fantastic shots of the little bird.

After spending the late afternoon getting accustom to my beautiful surroundings Robert decided to go get setup for a sunset HDR shot. The shot came out pretty well, but I have to admit, at times photography is harder then I remember. I had my camera very low to the ground to get the sunset framed correctly so I had to lay down across sharp limestone and hold as still as possible while I took my shots. This left me a mosquito's dream, and as I vocalize my discomfort I hear a, "Welcome to nature photography!" I had forgotten that sometimes you have to do what is necessary even if you are a feast for every insect in 5sq miles.

(Click on the thumbnails for a larger photo)

A Dog's Day Out!

2007-11-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine, Kyle, added a new addition to his family! He just picked up his 7 week old Chocolate Lab named, "Dakota". He called me up and asked if I wanted to meet his new little one, so I grabbed the camera gear and headed out to the park. I am always amazing by puppies as they find entertainment in EVERYTHING, from a pine cone to a pack of Labs that were pulling their owners around the park. She minded surprisingly well for such a young puppy, but that is credited to Kyle for training her so well. She stayed when she was told, and would stay in one pose as long as Kyle directed her to. We spent about an hour chasing her around and vice versa, but the light started to fade and the day began to wind down. Dakota started falling asleep, so we packed up and headed for the car. All in all it was a good day, I managed to get a hefty serving of grass stains on my pants from sliding to my stomach to get the shot, and about 20 or so great shots for Kyle to remember his first dog's younger years.

Travel and the Secret of Life!!

2007-10-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well, now that I have your attention from my title I wanted to post a quick blog to express some emotions from my last trip.

I have been fortunate enough to be a part of two on location workshops lead by Chris Hurtt and Robert La Follette. Not only are these workshops taught brilliantly, they are lead by two of the greatest instructors and photographers I've ever had the pleasure of learning from. It seems that the more I travel and the more people I meet I am realizing how important it is to get out in the world, take a chance and do something that takes you away from the normal. When I left for my first workshop I wasn't exactly comfortable leaving home and flying somewhere to meet 10 people I've never seen before, but pushing through the nervousness and just doing it has taught me a lot. After completing my second workshop I am realizing even more that traveling the country, and world, and meeting new people is part my passion. Every time I return with hilarious memories from my travels I understand how important it is to experience the world and meet as many people as I can. So, what is the secret of life? I have no clue, but I do know that traveling the world, meeting new people, and experience in and of itself is a part of the secret!

WELCOME!!!

2007-10-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all! This is my very first blog post and I thank you all for visiting! I will be updating this blog at least twice a month with the stories behind my photo trips. I use the word "Editorial" in the blog description loosely as I am nowhere near a writer or journalist, but I will do my best to add some editorial work to give a better understanding of how I reached the end result, the photograph. Thanks for looking and I hope you will check back often!

-Blake Johnson