RandJ Photo Blog

It's Greek to Me!

2012-01-07T09:59:00.001-05:00

Spiritual
Photo by: Michelle Ashley
via Picasa Albums
Creative Commons License

It started with a comment on the image of Amy in my previous post by one of her friends on Facebook. That triggered a touch of inspiration and after a few minutes research on the Internet I found the story about Sunna, daughter ol Sol according to Norse mythology. So in the spirit of carrying things to the excess I started researching mythology and the Muses.

Originally there were said to be three muses but later that was expanded to nine. Muses were inspirational figures, each with their own particular specialties. From the muses I expanded my study to Greek mythology. (a damn hard subject to read that gives me a greater appreciation for the term "it's Greek to me"). The stories from Greek and other mythology actually are ways of describing actual events of conditions of ancient times in more eloquent and romantic ways.

Has it Been Two Months?

2012-01-02T22:11:00.001-05:00

I really have to post here more often. But I've been busy with some classes, both my regular photography classes and some private studio classes. Plus there are some more on the horizon. I'm working on some locations to teach location lighting for commercial and figure work. More on that as it comes together.

Meanwhile I've started a presence on the Fine Art America web site. (You may have noticed the small slide show in the right menu bar.) They offer online gallery as well as fulfillment services for many types of artists. You can check out my portfolios as I add more images for sale.
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/robert-swinson.html

For now I'll leave you with one of my favorite images from 2011. This is Amy at sunrise. I titled the image Sunna after some comments on Facebook.

From Norse mythology: after the time of Ragnarök when the world has been destroyed, a new world shall be born, a world of peace and love, and the Sun's bright daughter Sunna shall take the reigns and drive the chariot of the sun across the sky, And that Sunna shall outshine Her mother, Sol.

Amy's Always Jumps Right In, Eager to Get Started

2011-11-04T11:30:00.003-04:00

The weather promised to be nice with a little breeze out of the east yesterday. Finally we could get by the beach and shoot a few ideas. Amy and I headed over just at sunrise with a few things to work on. We picked a section of a local beach that has little if any traffic.

As you can see Amy is eager to get to work, jumping in at the first opportunity. Swimsuit and beach modeling has not been a large part of her work but she took to it right away.

We only shot for a couple of hours but the skies changed constantly from clear, direct sunlight to hazy and puffy clouds giving many different looks to the pictures. The wind out of the east kept the surf kicked up and the hair and scarves blowing.

Need Rain? Just plan a Sunrise Shoot.

2011-10-17T18:39:00.004-04:00

I went by the inlet Sunday morning to take a look at the erosion and shoot the sunrise while I was there. If there had been a sunrise that's what I would have done. Instead I managed to get some "Crack of Gloom" shots of the jetty. Applied some tweaking with NIK HDR Pro to find some texture in the clouds.

Eventually the sun came up. Somewhere behind the clouds...
We haven't seen it since.

Unbelievable Day at Unbelievable Acres

2011-09-02T14:40:00.003-04:00

A couple of weekends ago I took my class from the Armory Art Center to Unbelievable Acres to make up for a missed class during the previous session.We invited Amy along as our wood nymph for the day. She was quite at home in the little rain forest Gene has created.

Gene started his rain forest back in 1970 by planting the trees that are now the canopy overhead. After the canopy was providing enough shade he added the smaller shrubs and plants that grow in a rain forest habitat. He conducts private group tours as well as allowing photographers to use his 2 1/2 acres of paradise by appointment only. Once a month he has an open house, well actually an open forest, for garden tours.

I shot along with the students and got quite a few good shots and many good ideas.

You can check with the Armory Art Center, www.armoryart.org for more information on my Photographing the Human form class as well as other photography and fine art classes and workshops.

After the Storm the Clouds Parted and...

2011-08-17T11:56:00.004-04:00

Looking west from Hobe Mountain observation tower

I went up late yesterday afternoon to pick up the last of the prints from the " Florida In and Out of View exhibit at Jonathan Dickinson yesterday. As I entered the park the rains were just starting at the visitors center. well maybe a bit more than rains. An isolated monsoon was descending on the park. I sat in the car for a good 30 minutes before the lightning subsided enough that I could make the run into the building.

As I headed out of the park the rains were reduced to a drizzle and the clouds were starting to part. I took a few minutes and stopped by the observation tower on Hobe Mountain. The above shot is part of a 270 degree HDR panorama I shot of the parting clouds.

For those that want to know how:

1. I hand held the camera with auto-bracket set to do a nine shot sequence with one stop difference between each one. I overlapped each section to included details that the software could use to align them for the panorama later. Exposure was set to manual.

2. Imported into Lightroom to adjust the basic settings. I actually used the defaults as I was doing so much added processing in other programs. From Lightroom I selected three images from each bracket sequence and exported directly to NIK HDR Effects Pro.

3. In NIK HDR I processed the first section to bring out the colors and pop some contrast into the clouds. I then saved this setting to use with each additional section to help unsure the look was the same. For each subsequent set I picked the corresponding three images from each set in Lightroom and exported to NIK HDR.

4. NIK HDR saved the resulting seven sections back into the same folder as the original RAW files. At this point I selected the seven HDR tiffs and chose edit in Photoshop as a Panorama. Photoshop CS5 crunched on them a few minutes then presented me with a wide panorama. But the horizon was bowed upwards in the right half probably due to misalignment of the sections as I panned. Being more precise and using a tripod would have reduced this but I was there and the tripod wasn't.

5. I flattened the image to a single layer and selected the right side where the bow was. I then chose Warp under the edit menu in Photoshop. I pulled the horizon down carefully, good enough!

Looking from east to west, a 270 degree panorama from the observation tower, Hobe Mountain

The photo above is actually from that section. Below is the entire panorama of approximately 270 degrees.

And Then The rains Came

2011-08-08T13:19:00.004-04:00

This area is still suffering from the ongoing drought. Water tables that supply drinking water to most of the cities on the south east coast of Florida are two to four feet lower than normal. Local lakes and streams are three to five feet below where they usually are this time of the year.

So when a tropical storm formed we thought this was a chance to catch up some. Tropical storms and hurricanes usually move across or up through the state dumping huge quantities if water as they go. The water dropped on the central and northern parts of Florida are what flow into the ground water tables for the wells. This water also flows into Lake Okeechobee which acts as a reservoir for the canals that feed the farms and adds hydrological pressure to the ground water to prevent salt water from entering the water tables from the ocean not to mention the water flow to the Everglades and Big Cypress swamps to the south.

But that was not be with this storm. It dissipated and moved to the north east into the Atlantic. It did however cause a tweak in our weather patterns back to partly cloudy with afternoon showers.

These pictures were taken yesterday at grassy Waters Preserve, part of the surface water supply for West Palm Beach. West Palm Breach relies mainly on surface water for it's drinking water unlike other municipalities in the area. Surface water that is getting scarcer as the days go by.

The three to four inches of rain that fell yesterday will help very little as it falls into a system of canals that are designed to carry water from west to east. And as the water fell on the eastern side of the county it did little to replenish these waters supplies along the western edges.

Great Leaping Amy!

2011-08-04T14:31:00.006-04:00

The Great Leaping Amy!

It was hot yesterday. Amy and I had planned on shooting in the late afternoon when we are almost guaranteed thunderstorms here in south Florida. Well that wasn't to be the case this time.

Even though there had been a little shower pass by and there were some on the radar headed this way they just disappeared before they reached us. So it was hot. Direct sun, no breeze and high humidity hot!

Heat we can be hidden from the camera but direct sun is not so easily denied. After attempting a few of our planned shots I popped up the little built-in flash and had Amy jump. Maybe she was jumping for joy because she was cooler than me as she wasn't wearing clothes. Maybe she was happy we were almost done. But in any case I came away with a few fun images of the great leaping Amy.

Cameras vs. The Human Eye

2011-07-27T11:34:00.002-04:00

Sean McHugh always does an excellent job in explaining technical issues in photography on his site Cambridge in Colour.. The latest article, Cameras vs. The Human Eye, is no exception.

Take a minute and explore some of his articles. You may find a new direction to pursue with your photography.

Bug Love

2011-07-10T19:45:00.003-04:00

A while back I picked used Micro-Nikkor 55mm macro lens from the consignment counter at Delray Camera. (My favorite camera store) At $200 it cost a little less than half of the current price at B&H. Now this is an old style, manual focus, manual aperture design but it is tack sharp! Attached to my D300 it yields some really impressive images.

Take a look at this romantic encounter between two giant jewel stink bugs on some milkweed in my back yard. My technique is to shoot several in a continuous sequence to accommodate the slight breeze then pick the ones with the sharpest subjects.

One from the series

Close crop from series.

Stinkhorn Mushroom

2011-06-26T17:51:00.004-04:00

Man you just can't make up anything stranger than reality.

Jackee saw this when she came home from the store. It had popped up next to the hedge. It is about the size of a tennis ball.

Properly known as Clathrus crispus, or commonly as the lattice stinkhorn, it first appears to be a toy ball being it is a bright red color. It secretes a stinky sticky goo on the inside that attracts flies and ants who either pick up spores on their feet or ingest them and then spread the spores around.

For more info see: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/clathrus_crispus.html

Great Quote

2011-06-25T22:40:00.000-04:00

"You see, according to Cocteau's plan, I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think; I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I'm the kind of guy who likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecued ribs with the side order of gravy fries?" I WANT high cholesterol. I wanna eat bacon and butter and BUCKETS of cheese, okay? I want to smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section. I want to run through the streets naked with green Jell-o all over my body reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly might feel the need to, okay, pal? I've SEEN the future. Do you know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing "I'm an Oscar Meyer Wiener".

Edgar Friendly from the Demolition Man

Florida In and Out of View: A Group Exhibit.

2011-06-25T10:56:00.015-04:00

Grand opening at Jonathan Dickinson State Park Saturday, June 25, 2011 this group exhibit will travel through the South East Florida region to various venues yet to be announced.

Judged by Holden Luntz of The Holden Luntz Gallery in Palm Beach, Florida the exhibit features work by members of the Photo Salon of The Armory Art center, West Palm Beach, FL. The Photo Salon is comprised of photographers of many interests and experience levels and is open to any with an interest in photography to visit and join the group.

Images submitted for the show covered a wide range of subject matter and technique. My Luntz was asked to choose the best from each person's submission of up to five images then select additional images from the remaining ones to allow the show to fill out larger venues.

Our images that may be seen at the exhibit

Robert's images:

From left to right; West Palm Twilight, Cigar Bar, Miami Waterfront Sunset

Jackee's Images:

From left to right: Riviera Beach, Miami Waterfront, Lady Bug, Female Golden Orb Weaver

To see images by our fellow Salon members and continue reading on Examiner.com

Photo Salon presents views of Florida - West Palm Beach Fine Arts | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/fine-arts-in-west-palm-beach/photo-salon-presents-views-of-florida#ixzz1QIjKPhCa

An excellent article by Maxine Schreiber in the West Palm Beach edition of the Examiner.com

The Making of the Pirelli Calendar 2011 by Karl Lagerfeld

2011-05-15T13:22:00.002-04:00

A bit of mythology, a generous helping of beauty, some wonderful insights into the "behind the scenes workings" of a prominent European photographer; I don't generally post links to others work but in this case I'll make an exception.

Pirelli Calendar 2011 by Karl Lagerfeld Making Of.. from gabriel on Vimeo.

Our Bahamas Cruise: Heading Home

2011-04-24T13:05:00.006-04:00

At about 6PM, the Bahamas Celebration slipped quietly away from the dock and began the overnight trip to West Palm Beach. I captured these HDR parting shots of the Freeport harbor and our now empty slip to the right.

Cruise to The Bahamas: Hair Braiding 101

2011-04-24T12:41:00.006-04:00

It was pretty hot when we arrived at the Our Lucaya resort. Having spent the morning in an open jeep we were ready for something cool. I knew just the place.

We slipped around the tourist briefing and headed across the resort by way of the beach. Having been here last year on a photo shoot I knew my way around and exactly where I wanted to go.

We headed to the Prop Club near the western end of the resort. It's a nice beach front bar/restaurant with some high top tables and stools along the front windows. There we could watch the beach activities and enjoy some cold beer and a large plate of seafood samples.

Once cooled off and fed, Jackee decided she needed to have her hair braided by one of the locals working along the beach. Well she had decided earlier but I finally relented some time. I could sit int eh cool bar and finish my beer while she sat out front in the little braiding stand.

After a bit I went out to see how she was progressing and shoot a few details of the task.

Cruise to The Bahamas: Our Day on The Island

2011-04-24T11:58:00.011-04:00

Living in South Florida close to the beach the idea of just hanging out at at beach resort wasn't very appealing to us. So instead we opted for the Jeep tour of the Lucayan National Park and the pine forests of Grand Bahamas Island. We were met at the docks by two buses and the group was taken to our Jeeps. Our convoy was led by Jeff Pinder directing us through CB radios we explored some of the "off the beaten path" locations of the island.

The first stop was at Taino beach for a quick break. It was a small beach with no tourists that morning. The bar was empty except for the morning sunlight streaming in as the few employees began preparing for the day.

From there we proceeded through the pine forests and onto the National Park.

There are miles of caves mapped by experienced divers over the years. The fresh water source is subterranean similar to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. Here we stopped by one of the caverns to learn just a bit about their history.

Our last stop was a small beach just across the road from the cavern. There we enjoyed a light lunch and some time wading in the edge of the ocean before heading back to base.

Finally we were taken by the resort to reunite with the other visitors form our cruise. There was still plenty of time to enjoy at the resort's beaches and a little shopping before heading back to the ship.

Cruise to The Bahamas: Heading Out

2011-04-24T11:35:00.012-04:00

We took a little two night cruise to The Bahamas on board the Bahamas Celebration out of West Palm Beach, FL.
As we left the port late afternoon on April 17th everyone celebrated the departure from their daily lives and the beginning of their adventures. Some watched the land disappear into the west as we left, taking self portraits to show their excitement at the start of the trip.

Later we watched the sunset into the ocean before heading off for a nice dinner and the evenings entertainment on-board.

Next post: Our Day on the Island

I Should Keep the Window Clean

2011-04-24T10:31:00.005-04:00

And I really should post more often.

Opened the blinds in the living room a couple of days ago to find this guy getting ready for his life's adventures.

We've kept milkweed growing through the winter and have been seeing these guys mating and flitting around our gardens all year.

I shot him at a variety of apertures and shutter settings along with a little flash. These will make some nice examples for the students in my upcoming classes.

For you techno guys, Nikon D300, 55mm Nikon Macro with SB900 for fill flash. That's teh old style, manual focus, manual aperture 55mm macro. Shooting through the window glass gave the color cast.

Running Free

2011-02-04T11:18:00.015-05:00

I recently spent an afternoon working with Amy in the wilds of Florida. What we lack in mountains and waterfalls we make up for with shallow still water and the possibility of alligators.

This Old Outhouse - Number Two

2011-02-01T12:22:00.001-05:00

You can find many culturally significant things on the internet. This is probably not one of the higher ranked ones but an enjoyable compilation of images and the rendition of the song I've found.

IMG_0138.jpg

2011-01-25T23:48:00.002-05:00

IMG_0138.jpg
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

Taken at The Art of the Kiss, Armory Art Center

I was shooting some video of the event on a Canon FX305 video camera and snapped these stills while holding the camera with one hand on my shoulder and using the remote to snap the still. And being a still guy I just had to shoot a vertical. Shot some vertical video too.

Canon XF305 Video

2011-01-17T13:00:00.003-05:00

I have a Canon XF305 video camera on evaluation for a couple of weeks. Last week I shot a few clips at the Chicken Shoot at Tropical World Nursery's farm arranged by Barbara Ellison through the Palm Beach Photographic Center's FOTOfusion event.

I processed this little clip through Sony Vegas software then pumped the colors in Photoshop CS5.

The Apoxee Recreational Trail

2010-12-13T20:56:00.005-05:00

HDR and Panoramas

Sunday afternoon we took advantage of the warm afternoon before the predicted arrival of the cold front by doing a little exploration of a new-to-us park on the outskirts of West Palm Beach.

Apoxee Park is at the south eastern edge of Grassy Waters Preserve and is accessed from Jog Road just north of Okeechobee Road. The terrain is mostly palm and pine woods intermingled with shallow grassy ponds. The trails are well groomed with scattered benches and shelters. There are also many boardwalks over grassy wetlands and shallow ponds.

There are many dead trees in the photos. These are melaleuca trees that are being eradicated. They are an invasive species in Florida, introduced in the early twentieth century by well meaning but terribly misinformed people.

The sideshow features a few images in HDR as well as a panorama of the trails wetlands.

Understanding Gamma Correction

2010-12-02T13:11:00.004-05:00

Understanding Gamma Correction

For several year I have found some very useful although technical information on Sean McHugh's site, Cambridge in Colour

This article, Understanding Gamma Correction is probably the best and most understandable explanation on exactly what Gamma is and how it relates to out digital images and our vision. I highly recommend reading this article as well as the many other articles and tutorials he has posted on his site.

He also has an e-newsletter you may subscribe to.

Recent Submissions for Gallery Exhibitions.

2010-10-30T11:15:00.022-04:00

D'Art for Art at the Lighthouse Gallery in Tequesta, Florida

D'Art for Art is an annual fund raising event. Artists donate their work for the event. Contributors are assigned names of famous artists when they arrive. They are then allowed to peruse the artwork for their favorites. Famous artists names are then called at random and those assigned that name will "D'art" top their favorite piece of artwork and place a marker beside it to claim their "prize"

The funds raised at this event help finance the centers activities for the coming year, from exhibits and classes to children's summer camp and outreach programs.

For this I submitted a print of Iron Hook and Chain from my Rolling Stock body of work featuring images of railroad equipment on display at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, Florida.

To both the Lighthouse Art Center's D'Art for Art event and the Amory Art Center's Judged Staff and Faculty Exhibit, Jackee donated a print of her Sunset on Heron, an artistic image from her recent work since the introduction of NIK Software's HDR Efex Pro.

UPDATE: Jackee's Sunset on Heron has found a new home through the D'Art For Art!

From RandJ Photo Blog

For this exhibit I chose Last Train, also from the Rolling Stock body of work. This is also an HDR image I processed through NIK Software's HDR Pro.

The exhibit will run from Nov. 5th through Dec. 31st at the Armory Art Center.

Armory Art Center Classes Starting, August 30 through September 4

2010-08-23T19:00:00.009-04:00

The First Session of the 2010 Fall classes

at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach.

I'll be teaching my popular one day workshop; Introduction to Digital Photography for those of you that want to learn the basics of digital photography and the functions of your camera. Bring fresh batteries, your camera and any accessories plus all of your questions.
Tuesday, August 31, 9:30 to 4:30 with an hour for lunch.

Wednesday, September 1 from 6 until 9 PM will be the first meeting of the Intermediate Digital Photography class.
The class will meet on Wednesday evenings for four weeks.
This is a basic to intermediate digital photography class for SLR, Super Zooms and advanced compact digital cameras with automatic and manual controls. The class is aimed at those camera owners who want to understand how to control their cameras and capture the image they see through the view finder. Bring your camera, manuals, freshly charged batteries and a memory card. The class will be taught as a relaxed, hands-on interactive group. We will go over the functions of your camera and explain the choices seen in the menus and controls while covering the various automatic programs and manual exposure settings.

Photographing the Human Form

We've been working on some new ideas. Bending over backwards for our class.
Come out and take part in a four week creative, instructional work shop studying the human form through photography.
Thursdays, 6 until 9 pm. Starting September 2nd.

Creating images of people, from powerful portraits to artistic abstracts, we will explore posing, exposure control and lighting to achieve results with impact. With a model, we'll work in the studio and around the Armory grounds in pursuit of our ideas. Simple reflectors, light modifiers, small flash as well as studio flash will be discussed and used.

Equipment: Digital or film camera with manual exposure controls. SLR digital is preferred. Students may bring additional equipment such as external flashes, light meters, studio flash, etc.

Sunrise at Canaveral Seashore

2010-08-12T18:05:00.010-04:00

Sunrise with Jenni and Murray at Canaveral Seashore

The alarm went off at 1:30 AM. A quick breakfast of oatmeal and coffee and I was ready to go by the time Murray arrived at quarter to 3.
A couple of hours later we were in Melbourne at the Steak and Shake picking up Jenni's favorite breakfast drink, a vanilla milkshake with caramel and whipped cream. (We forgot the cherry.)
Another forty five minutes drive and we were on the beach. (After a brief side trip due to a wrong turn getting into the park.)
In the photo above, the sun started climbing over the horizon, We spread the ground cloth and Murray started to set up for the morning shoot. From the samples I've seen he got some pretty nice images of Jenni. All in all it was a beautiful morning on the beach.

Rain Forest Glamor

2010-07-30T22:58:00.016-04:00

Unbelievable Acres, a private rain forest in Palm Beach County.

Under the dense canopy of Gene Joyner's Unbelievable Acres the sunlight came thorough in bright patches where we found a few spots to shoot a little swimsuit glamor.

Carrie was her wonderful self, putting up with bugs and other crawly things as we worked in and around the plants in Gene's little rain forest.

Jackee spent her time shooting a little behind-the-scenes along with images of the unique plants growing there.

For those of you that are interested Gene opens his little forest to the public one day a month with a small fee charged. Other private visits and tours by garden clubs and photographers can be arranged. For a modest fee Gene will provide a quick tour for photographers then leave you to shoot around the gardens. Many photographers love the natural elements while oithers prefer glamor or figure among the plants.

Sunrise on Jupiter Island

2010-07-14T19:24:00.009-04:00

Sunrise Comes Early in the Summer.

And it was an hour's drive to the location where I was to meet up with my buddy Murray and Leah for a little sunrise shoot. Murray shoots a lot for stock and had invited me to join him and Leah. And I was lucky enough to get in a few snapshots while we were there.

You can see more of Leah's work at her ModelMayhem portfolio: http://www.modelmayhem.com/LeahSueMorris

Coming Soon...

2010-06-16T18:08:00.014-04:00

We've got quite a few things happening over the next few weeks.

The Lighthouse Center for the Arts, Tequesta, Florida The exhibit, Multiple Sins, runs June 10 - September 25, 2010

Jackee's mixed media, Bodyscape, was chosen to be included in this exhibit.

From the center's web site:"The vision of this exhibition is to create an atmosphere of the tempting, the tantalizing and the delicious, filling the room with unique works of art depicting some of the "sinful" things we love most in life, including chocolate and desserts, liquors and wine, cigars and even tastefully represented artistic nudes."

There will be a reception on the 3rd Thursday, June 17 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

The exhibit, Vanishing Florida, opens at the Palm Beach State College , Lake Worth Campus and runs June 24, 2010 through August 12, 2010

Join us for the opening reception on June 24th in the Jan and Gary Dario Gallery. Located in the Humanities Building, 4200 Congress Avenue, Lake Worth, FL 33461-4796

More information on this exhibit, the participating artists as well as upcoming exhibition dates and locations may be found on the exhibit's web site:
http://www.vanishingflorida.net/

Final Summer Session at The Armory Art Center
We're getting ready for the final summer session of classes at the Armory Art Center which runs June 21 through August 14. registration is open either by phone at: 561-832-1776
or through the web site: http://www.armoryart.org

Introduction to Digital Photography: A one day How-To introduction to your camera and the world of digital photography.
Intermediate Digital Photography: Over four classes meeting once per week we;ll go from basic digital photography through techniques, flash, printing, editing, etc...
Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: The class will cover how to set up and use Photoshop Lightroom over the four meetings. Will cover Versions 2 and 3
Exploring Corel Painter X: Learn how to create digital renderings using digital photographs as your source.
Photographing People Creatively: Learn to see and control light while creating dramatic images of people from portraits to figure studies.

Sold at Auction!

2010-04-24T00:17:00.008-04:00

My image, Armchair Musing, re3cently sold at the Armory Art Center's Take Home a Nude juried exhibit and fund raising auction. I hope it is enjoyed by it's new owners.

I originally had four images accepted to the exhibit. This was reduced to two as they found it necessary due to the physical size of some of the paintings and other artwork.

The image below, Lounging Muse, was also presented. It is available for purchase to local collectors.

Several things that separate my art work from some others is that I produce all of the prints myself to archival standards.
I choose paper types that are appropriate for each image. Sometimes wasting several sheets until I am satisfied.
Prints are made using archival ink jet printers that I personally own or that I can arrange to operate myself.
Frames and matting materials are chosen and I mount each image myself.

These particular images were printed on Canson Infinity Baryta paper, a non-UV brightener with a surface similar to traditional darkroom papers. They were printed on our Epson R2400 inkjet printer. The prints are then inspected under chromatically correct light sources.

The non-UV brightener is critical for long life of the image. UV light and UV brighteners are causes of image fade. Plus if the image is mounted behind UV protective glass the UV brighteners can't work and renders the image duller than intended.

More information on archival printing can be found on our web site, www.randj-photo.com.

1515 Tower Reduced to Rubble

2010-02-14T13:25:00.004-05:00

Sunday Morning, February 14, The 1515 Tower in West Palm Beach was reduced to rubble by implosion.

Lens Wars

2010-01-25T00:33:00.005-05:00

Bill Antalek, John Isaac, and Jackee compete in the "Long Lens Wars" at Wakodahatchee wetland in Boynton Beach this afternoon.
Stu Freedman was just out of frame when I took this.

FOTOFusion has ended and life returns t normal for those of us left here in Florida. There was a good crowd of photographers there this evening watching several nests of Egrets and Herons mate and nest.

Chicken in the Window

2010-01-22T00:11:00.001-05:00

Chicken in the Window
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

Spent the morning out at Bruce and Micheal's place in Loxtahatxchee with Barbara Ellison and a group from the Photographic Center shooting chickens.... And turkeys, etc...

This was shot on a Canon Mrk IV

A Trip To Mexico, The book is Avaialble!

2009-12-22T13:54:00.003-05:00

My wife Jackee and I had talked about organizing photography trips to the area around Fortin de Flores, located in the mountains of Veracruz, Mexico. Some friends of ours own a nursery operation there and have the facilities to host a couple of dozen people.

The trip came together on extremely short notice the 1st of June, 2009. Two days later I was on a plane to Mexico City for a week exploring and photographing the sights.

I put this book together to provide people with an idea of what was to experienced. And in hopes of enticing them to join us on a future trip. There are many more photographs to be taken there. Many more things to see and experience.

You can check the book and order a copy if you'd like over at Blurb Books.
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1108931

Exhibit Updates

2009-12-11T21:41:00.002-05:00

Just a few notes and updates.

Vanishing Florida Exhibit at the American Orchid Society, Delray Beach
Sunday, December 6, 2009 through Saturday, January 2, 2010

We will host a reception there Sunday, December 20, 2009, from 2-4 PM

Armory Gallery Shop Extravaganza
Opening Reception: Friday, December 4, 2009 at 6-8pm
Exhibition Hours: Monday through Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday 10am-2pm
With special late night shopping on Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 5-8 pm
(Wine will be served.)

The Exhibition Ends: Saturday, December 20, 2009 at 2 pm

The next session of classes start Jan. 4, 2010. The schedule is now posted and registration is open.
www.armoryart.org

Vanishing Florida Exhibit

2009-09-27T11:14:00.008-04:00

As members of the Photo Salon, Jackee and I each have two images in this traveling exhibit. The following is taken from the promotional materials:

Sixteen photographers of Photo Salon exhibit their works depicting our changing state. The exhibition is a tribute to the eroding beaches and failing seawalls, vintage buildings and architecture, endangered wildlife, small towns, and the natives who have long called this state home.

Juried by Charles Stainback, the William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography at the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida

Opening Reception: Friday, October 9 from 6-8pm
Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach Exhibition schedule:

Armory Art Center:
Friday - October 9th, 2009 through Wednesday - October 28th, 2009

Northern Trust Bank in North Palm Beach:
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 through Monday, November 30, 2009

American Orchid Society:
Sunday, December 6, 2009 through Saturday, January 2, 2010

Palm Beach Community College , Lake Worth Campus:
June 30, 2010 through August 30, 2010

South Palm Beach Town Hall:
November 1, 2010 through January 7, 2011

Armory Faculty Exhibition

2009-09-11T09:27:00.007-04:00

Opening September 11, runs through October 3, 2009
Featuring work from Armory Art Center Faculty Members, judged by Cheryl Brutvan, Curator of Contemporary Art, Norton Museum of Art.
Join us for the Opening Reception of all shows FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th from 6-8pm
Free admission for Armory Members and FLAG Members, Non-Members $5

Sunrise With Candice

2009-07-15T23:23:00.006-04:00

There are very few things that I will get out of bed before the crack of dawn. Shooting pretty girls on the beach is one of them.

We met up Candice at Boca Raton's South Beach Park just after 6 AM. The seas were calm. Actually the seas were flat. And the sunrise,... well the sun didn't get the memo about the shoot. But that was OK.

Candice gave me a fair sampling of "pretty girl on the beach" poses in just a short time. She was a wonderful model to work with and hopefully we'll get together again very soon.

You can see more of her work at: http://www.modelmayhem.com/1165547

So for now enjoy this little slide show of Candice:

On The Trail in Mexico

2009-06-23T21:38:00.006-04:00

Beth and Micheal are insignificant among the trees hiking up to the caldra.

Over the week we visited little villages, moderately sized towns, mountain drives and hiking trails. I'm looking forward to taking some trips down there and spending time to study and photograph these places. I hope some of you can join me.

Details coming soon!

~ Robert

A Week in Mexico!

2009-06-12T18:01:00.007-04:00

I'm just back from a week long trip to Mexico. It was great.

I traveled and stayed with Bruce and Micheal of Tropical World Nursery. They have a nursery in Boynton Beach, FL as well as the location in Mexico.

We spent the week exploring areas near their operation outside of Fortin de las Flores in hopes of developing some photo tours to the area. They currently host various groups at their compound with comfortable quarters, group kitchen and meeting space and are experienced with group tours around the world.

Within a short driving distance we visited an extinct volcano, a mountain village, toured several towns and witnessed a wedding.

The large cities in the area offer Walmarts , Burger Kings and other places familiar to American visitors as well as small locally owned shops and restaurants. Nestled in the area are several small towns and villages that offer friendly people and wonderful sights to visit and photograph.

Stay in touch as we'll soon have more details available for upcoming trips to the area.

~ Robert ~

You Simply Should Have Been There.

2009-05-19T23:19:00.006-04:00

Last night was the fourth and final night of my class, Photographing People Creatively, at the Armory Art Center. The creativity was at an even higher level than before. You just simply should have been there.

We set up several cool shots, creating a necklace with loose stones placed across her chest to a steers skull with horns. I can't wait to see the images from those shots.
Towards the end of class we oiled Kelly up and added a little spritz of water for some closeup detail. Throw in a bird of paradise from the garden and...

You can see more of Kelly and inquire about booking her for your own personal projects at: Lady Dragonfly.

Next Tuesday, May 26th, we'll begin a four week session of Figure Photography. These will be creative, working class sessions. Here's your chance to be there.

You can register online or by calling the Armory at: 561-832-1776
Figure Photography Online Registration

Don't forget we'll also have one day, on location, figure workshop on June 6th.
Figure Workshop Online Registration

F un With Fringe

2009-05-13T09:15:00.008-04:00

Last night was the third meeting of my class, Photographing People Creatively, at the Armory Art Center. The students were busy trying different techniques of posing and lighting with Kelly. They're really developing a good model/photographer(s) working relationship .

Lady Dragonfly was playing with this fringed shawl and I just had to get a shot of it to show everyone what is going on in the class.
For those techies out there, we had two Photogenic strobes with umbrellas for a basic 1:2 ratio two light set up. The blue on the back ground was provided by a Nikon SB 800 with a blue gel on a boom over her head.

We have one more meeting of this class. Then we'll begin a four week session of Figure Photography on May 26th.

You can register online or by calling the Armory at: 561-832-1776
Figure Photography Online Registration

Don't forget we'll also have one day, on location, figure workshop on June 6th.
Figure Workshop Online Registration

First Model Class Session

2009-05-06T11:15:00.018-04:00

WOW!
That pretty well sums up working with Kelly, a.k.a. Lady Dragonfly, last night in the 1st of three classes with live models.

I'm teaching the Photographing People Creatively at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, FL. I've got a class of great students who hit the ground running last night. They took immediately to rummaging through the model's clothes, creating ideas, directing the model, (and me).

We spent three hours working with a single light setup, playing with soft boxes, grids and fill reflectors. Being an experienced model our Lady Dragonfly made my job so easy. Being able to concentrate on the students' questions and help them with the technical aspects without worrying about posing the model let us try more things than we would have otherwise.

It was a very great class. I'm looking froward to next week,

Starting May 26th it will continue as a Figure Photography Class. This class will run for four weeks and we will have a model at every class. For those taking the current class, one of my one-day work shops or anyone with moderate camera skills and a desire to learn and experience figure photography are invited to join us.

To register for the four week Figure Photography class: Figure Class Registration
I will also have a one day, on location, figure workshop on June 6th. Figure Workshop Registration

We'll offer these through the summer sessions at the Armory Art Center.

I hope you can join us.

btw, if you'd like to see more of Lady Dragonfly or work with her yourself you can find her on the web at

www.modelmayhem.com/ladydragonfly.  MM#461074
www.onemodelplace.com/ladydragonfly. OMP# 331489

A Little Fashion in the Swamp

2009-04-24T18:19:00.014-04:00

Back on April the 13th, we got together with Carrie and headed down to the Big Cypress Preserve to shoot some fashion in the swamp. After a few little missteps we were on our way to a really beautiful day.

I had reserved a Ford Escape Hybrid from the rental company. When I went to pick up the vehicle in the morning they had brought a Toyota Prius Hybrid. It may be a good car but we needed the space of the SUV. I lost about an hour and a half switching out the Toyota for the Escape. This ate up the extra time I had figured into the morning so I was a bit irritated at this point.

Stopping at home, I was rushing to pack everything into the Escape. I had to switch coolers as the Escape is not quite as wide as my previous SUVs, a 2002 Durango and 1999 Explorer. But everything fit fine once we shuffled it around.

During this period of frantic repacking I had called Carrie and left a message. Well I thought I had. Apparently I had transposed two digits of her phone number. It's not unusual for models not to have recorded a personal message on their cell phones so I though nothing about it when I got a generic message.

However from her end she was confused when someone besides yours truly answered the number I had given her. Yes, I had mistyped my cell number in the e-mail I sent to her!

When we found her house, almost two hours later than I had planned to be there, she had all but given me up for lost. Luckily Carrie is a good sport and flexible. She grabbed her bag of stuff and off we went.

We got to Loop Road about 2 in the afternoon. Going straight to Sweetwater Slough,... There was no water in the swamp! Well a pitiful puddle where once there was a slowly flowing stream. And grass growing where there was black water just a few short months ago.

We shot a few images with Carrie in a business suit for stock. Jackee found some images of otters and other critters while Carrie and I worked on our project. Now we'll see if the stock photography buyers share my vision.

After having some wraps and chips we headed down gator Hook Trail to our location. Like Sweetwater Slough the dwarf cypress stand was dry as a bone. There was grass growing where water had stood two feet deep in the fall. The overall ambiance was bright and cheery due to the light covering of leaves at this time of the year.

I shot available light with a reflector for all of the shots here. My 200mm kept the back ground confusion to a minimum. Well as minimum as it can be in the swamp.

Keeping an eye on the position of the sun we headed to our final location in the grassy prairie to work with the setting sun and the wide expanses there. Jackee's shot from behind the scene at the top of this page was from that setting. This gives you a good idea of the area we were working in.

We shot until it was all but dark. We walked out in the afterglow of the setting sun, the end to a perfect afternoon.

Carrie was a real joy to work with. We're already making plans for our next projects together. Soon I hope!

One Day Figure Workshop, April 25th

2009-04-19T10:51:00.009-04:00

Come join us on Saturday, April 25th as we explore the human figure in a natural setting.

We have reserved a local private garden where the group will have the privacy to work undisturbed for the afternoon. This tropical garden will present us with a variety of organic shapes, textures and colors to situate our subject in.

The model for the workshop is an experienced photographic model, capable of many looks and quite comfortable in front of the camera.

We will meet first at the Armory Art Center for a short discussion of the aspects of photographing the figure in a natural setting as opposed to glamor or portraiture. After covering the types of posing that the class will cover, we'll pass out maps to the site. The class will meet up at the location at 1:30 and shoot until 5:30.

Registration is open through the Armory web site www.armoryart.org

For those wishing to continue with this and other aspects of photographing people, we are offering a four week class, Photographing People Creatively, Tuesday evenings from 6:00 until 9:00, beginning Arpil 28.

March will be a Busy Month for Photography Classes

2009-02-19T23:27:00.009-05:00

It seems like I only get around to updating my blog when I'm promoting our classes. But here we are, just over a week away from the start of inter Session 2 at The Armory Art Center. This session we have several photography classes offered and I'm looking forward to all of them.

The first one will be a two day basic photography class. Introduction to Digital Photography wil be on Friday Feb 27th and Saturday, Feb, 28th from 9:30 to 12:30 each day. This class is especially for those of you that want to understand a little more about your digital camera, how to get a little more control over it and take some nivce pictures. We'll touch on how to get them out of the camera, onto your computer and printed!

Starting the following Friday, March 6 at 9:30 through 12:30 we'll begin a four week Intermediate Photography course. Focusing more on advanced point & shoots, super zooms and SLR digital cameras, we will cover more of the creative controls of your cameras. When you've completed this course you'll understand what each program mode does, when and why to choose the special programs, how to shoot in manual mode and why not to.

Tuesday, March 3 at 6PM we'll begin four weeks of Figure Photography 1. Here's where you'll learn about working with models to interpret the human figure in classic and abstract images. We'll go over lighting and posing techniques involved in working with our model in the studio setting.

On March 31 Figure Photography 2 will continue for four weeks where we leave off in the previous class. We'll get more creative in the lighting and poses while we work towards producing some super images. This class is not just for students from Figure 1. We'll welcome new students with a basic knowledge of photography to our group.

For those that want a taste of figure photography as wellas students of the classes, we're having a two day Figure Photography Workshop. The first day will be in the studio for some basic lighting and posing. Day two we'll go out on location to work with the figure in nature. his should be a really great adventure. I'm certainly looking forward to it.

How will you organize and process all of the images you create in the Figure Photography classes?
Beginning March 4, Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9, Jackee will be teaching Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Lightroom handles your images from importing to printing and web galleries. . You'll learn to process for accurate color and creative effects. Non-destructive editing is the key to Lightroom. No matter how wild you get, the original image is there for you to start all over again.

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Student/Faculty Exhibition at The Armory Art Center

2009-02-05T23:09:00.013-05:00

The Faculty/Student Exhibit is currently running at the Armory Art Center through Feb 11th. Jackee and I have two images each in the show.

My two images from the exhibit shown here, Reclining Nude, and Woman's Back have been well received and I invite you to see them firsthand in the gallery at the Armory.

Farther down in this post are Jackee's images from the exhibit. Zinia on the left and Mexican Sunflower to the right held the attention of small groups during the exhibit.

While there you can also experience the variety of skills and creativity found within the Armory's students and teachers. Armory classes cover a wide range from drawing and painting, ceramics, sculpture, through jewelery making and metal castings.

Registration for Session Four is Open!

Registration is open for the Session Four classes. They have been posted on line and the printed catalog should be arriving in your mailbox at any time. You may register online at www.armoryart.org, or by calling 561-832-1776.

I have two Figure Photography classes and one workshop offered.

First a four week class Tuesday evenings, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM, March 3-24. In this class we will learn about and discuss the aesthetics of figure photography, technical aspects of lighting the figure for effect as well as the social perceptions of figure photography. We will work as we learn with a lively figure model in the final three classes of this session.

This will be followed by a three week class, same day and time, March 31-April 21. This will be a productive continuation of the first class open both to students from Figure Photography I as well as others that wish to join at a more advanced level. All three classes will have a figure model as the subject of our classroom work.

You will leave these figure photography classes with an understanding of figure photography as well as images to use in prints or as reference photos for painting, drawing or sculpture.

There will also be a two day workshop, March 20 and 21 from 1:30 to 4:30. The first day, a Friday afternoon will be held in the studio at the Armory. we'll work on some creative poses and prepare for our outing on Saturday. On Saturday we will go on location to explore the figure in the landscape at a nearby location. This should be a enjoyable and productive addition for those wishing to explore the relation of the human form to the natural setting.

For those just beginning their relationship with their cameras, we are offering two basic photography classes. a two day basic that would cover point and shoot cameras and the very basic usage of digital SLRs and a four week basic through intermediate digital photography class for SLR, Super Zooms and advanced compact digital cameras.

Jackee's Introduction to Photoshop Lightroom Classes and Workshop

Now that you've learned how to use your cameras and perhaps taken that prize winning figure study, how will you sort them all out and process the best ones?

In Session Four, Jackee will be offering her Introduction to Photoshop Lightroom class as well as a two afternoon Introductory to Lightroom workshop.

There you will learn how to create and manage catalogs containing thousands of photos. You'll be able to search for the ones you want, process them for accurate reproduction or creative art works. Take them out to print in a color managed work flow. Or maybe make slide shows and web galleries. All from within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

We have had some really great students in our previous classes. We look forward to continuing the tradition in the upcoming sessions.

These are just the classes we're offering. There are several other choices in photography offered by some of the other instructors at the Armory. Some of our photographer friends have advanced their photgraphy by studying drawing and painting. All at the Armory so I am certain you can find what you want and need at the Armory Art Center.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Robert and Jackee Swinson

Shooting today

2009-01-14T22:49:00.005-05:00

I spent today working with a private photography student and Kristen, who was the model for today's class as well as my upcoming workshops at the Armory Art Center.

We took a few minutes at the end of the day to do a few test promotional test shots for her portfolio and some of my proposals.

Kristen's seen here wearing an India Head Penny necklace. She's a wonderful person to work with and I'm looking forward to our upcoming projects.

Photos From Summer Lighting Class

2008-12-20T11:03:00.028-05:00

I heard from Sheri Shea the other day. She's been busy working on her many projects and has posted some awsome photos from her modeling work on her web site. You should check them out at www.sherishea.com

One of the galleries there contains photos taken by some of the students from last summer's lighting class at the Armory.
Note: The three images on this post were taken by students of the Lighting Workshop last summer at the Armory Art Center.

BTW: The Winter Session at the Armory Art Center will be coming up soon. Registration is open now! Classes start January 5th.

The first class of Figure Photography is on Monday, January 5th at 6PM. I'm looking forward to a great winter and spring, I hope you're able to join me there. To register: FIGURE PHOTOGRAPHY

How will you process and keep track of all of those photos you take" Jackee's Lightroom class starts Wednesday, January 7th. Info and registration. USING ADOBE PHOTOSHOP LIGHTROOM

And we want to wish everyone Happy Holidays!
~~~

Little Green Anole

2008-12-17T17:27:00.005-05:00

Green Anole
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

This guy spent a few of the recent cold nights in a little terrarium inside during the recent cold nights here. We've just released him into the garden after determining he is a native species.

He was very tolerant of having his picture taken until the fourth time I picked hm up when he latched onto my finger.

More images of this little guy are on our www.randj-ptivatestock.com site.

For you gear heads out there, this was taken on a Nikon D300 with a 50mm f1.4 lens and two cloeup diopters, a +4 and a +2

Fashion Images Posted

2008-11-26T19:33:00.007-05:00

This past season we photographed a few sessions for a soon to be announced magazine. A lot of fun with great models, super designers and really sharp makeup artists. Some images from those photo shoots are posted in our online portfolio, www.randj-photogallery.com in the Fashion portfolio.

Seen here: model Jasmine, dress by Adolfo Sanchez, makeup by Christine Iles.

Be Petty Driving School at Homestead Miami Racetrack

2008-11-16T15:16:00.011-05:00

Pace Car. The instructors lead the drivers around the track.
This one has is in the traditional Petty Team colors and the number 43.
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

Billy at 136 MPH on the front straight at Homestead/Miami Speedway.
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

At the end of the week they're getting ready to go home.
These are the cars used in the "Be Petty" Driving school.
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

We spent last weekend at the Homestead Miami Racetrack with our neighbor Billy. One of the parts stores he deals with had given him a day at the "Be Petty" driving school. He was pretty excited to say the least. We went along for the afternoon.

Each "student" would get eight laps following an instructor around hte track at speeds up to 140 MPH if they were doing well. The instructors would set the pace and lead them through the turns.

Billy did pretty good from the start maintaining 2 -3 car lenghts behind the instructor. They reached just over 136 MPH for his top speed. All of his laps were under 45 seconds.

We had the run of the infield as long as we stayed behind the pit wall.

Goddess festival, Octber '08

2008-11-16T14:25:00.003-05:00

DSC_3862
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

The Belly Buddies,
Taken at the Goddess Festival, October 26th in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

We really enjoy working with the dancers at these festivals. The next one will be back at the Lake Worth Playhouse, Lake Worth, Florida. Hopefully we'll see you there.

Flying Catch

2008-10-20T00:15:00.003-04:00

Flying Catch
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

It's that season again. I've been busy with some high school sports shooting these past few weeks.

This shot was taken Friday night at Santalucas High School. Santalucas VS Forest Hill

This reminds me of Michael Jordan's "Jumpman" photo that Nike used as a advertising logo for years.

Luna Performs

2008-10-11T11:43:00.004-04:00

Luna 4
Originally uploaded by RandJ Photo

Luna, Taken at The Goddess Festival, Lake Worth Playhouse, May 2008

We will be shooting at the next Goddess Dance Festival,Night Thrills, Sunday, Oct. 26th, 6:00pm, in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

For the performers and students we offer very inexpensive photo packages at the time of the event.

1st a quick sitting with at least 5 or 6 poses.
2nd we shoot as much of the performances as possible.

We'll deliver a CD of these images along with others we'll take of the performances that evening. The purchaser of these packages may use the images to produce prints for your personal use as well as promoting yourself on the web and in print.
We also will offer print packages that you may purchase at the time of the event or afterwards.

We always enjoy working with the performers at the Goddess events. And we'd love to see you there.

More info at: http://www.freewebs.com/goddessdancefestival/

To contact Luna: http://www.tribalgrrl.com/

Art In Public Places; "Ar(t)chitectural Attitude"

2008-10-08T10:59:00.007-04:00

As you're waiting around the Palm Beach Airport, take a few minutes to look at the artwork displayed on the 2nd level. Jackee and I each have a photo hanging there along with the work of other local artists and friends.

If you're not traveling this season you can see pur images as well as all of the other work on the web at: "Ar(t)chitectural Attitude"

"Side Staurway" is on display at the Palm Beach International Airport, Level 2 in the Main Terminal, across from the Traveler’s Lounge.

Assisting Murray

2008-09-21T11:50:00.018-04:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted here. Well let's see about catching up.

My buddy Murray asked us to help him in a project he had come up with. The idea was to take a model along the Loxahatchee River and pose her along the banks. He shoots a lot of projects like this for stock photos.

We met at the Canoe Outfitters of Florida in River Bend Park, North Palm Beach County, to begin our adventure.

Murray rented a couple of canoes to haul the equipment, Fawna, the model, and us. Jackee went along with Murray in his canoe and I followed along with Fawna in mine.

This section of the river is in a pristine state, twisting and turning under a canopy of trees towards the ocean. The water is relatively flat making for an easy paddle down stream and fortunately for us later, not too difficult of an upstream paddle.

Occasionally Murray would get out and scout a section of the river bank looking for places that suited his idea. We soon found one!

We pulled the canoes up into the cypress knees along the edge of the water and off loaded the cameras and other equipment. About 20 to 30 feet in there was this really nice area of open shade. Fawna was wearing a white peasant skirt and white top. It looked great against the backdrop of tropical forest, cypress knees and black water.
I kept hearing some little creature "plunk" into the water at the far edge of the water. We never saw anything and decided it was a frog or something with no appetite for humans.

At another place there were these plants about 4 foot tall with large leaves. The area was open shade backed up by dense woods. Fawna worked around in the plants peaking through like a wood nymph.

We looked around a few minutes after this but it was getting late in the afternoon and we still had to paddle upstream and turn in the canoes.

Remember I said earlier how the water was nice and flat. Well it was still moving against us. Paddling against it was not so hard. But steering through the turns was tricky.

Jackee and Murray's weight and strength were fairly evenly balanced, closer than Fawna's to mine. Our canoe was heavy in the stern with the bow practically out of the water. This placed the pivot point just in front of me. When we went into one of the many bends in the river any steering I was able to apply was used to counter the bow from swinging wide. We would head straight towards the outer bank. I would back paddle like crazy, turn into the next section and head off again. It was a great workout.

Now off to Location #2

We had planned to shoot some shots at sunset. We headed over to Hobe Sound and checked out a couple of locations. They didn't pan out so we finally decided to look at the beach. The weather had decided not to cooperate with us at this point. It started to rain. Well, actually to pour.

We stopped at Hobe Sound Beach and took a look. I made a note to bring a larger umbrella next time. Everyone was starting to lose enthusiasm for a sunset at the beach.

I convinced everyone to take a ride up to the St Lucie Inlet State Park‎ on the north end of Jupiter Island. It was just a little over a mile. As I had hoped, the rain cleared and the sun started peaking through the clouds.

Fawna changed into an orange/pink dress she had brought for the sunset shots. The rain had actually worked for us by chasing away the crowds and clearing the water and air. A rainbow appeared over the beach after a short time.

We worked along the edge of the surf until the sun finally disappeared over the horizon, soaking Fawna and the dress in the process.

The Team, Robert, Fawna, Murray
and Jackee behind the camera that took all of the photos on this page.

Rats!

2008-09-01T19:20:00.003-04:00

It looks like there are not going to be enough students for the 1st fall session of my "Controlling Light..." class at the Armory. But never fear, I'm slated to teach there in the 2nd fall session as well. We all know that is when it really starts to pick up down here in Florida.

So my Monday evenings are free for the next eight weeks. Stay tuned and see what I manage to fill that time with.....

Deadline to Register for OUr Lighting Class is Approaching Fast!

2008-08-29T16:23:00.003-04:00

Hey guys. The deadline to register for our class Controlling Light in the Studio and in The Wild is fast approaching. We need a couple more to make the cut for this next session. The fall sessions are busier times at the Armory Art Center with more classes offered and the logistics are much tighter than during the summer. Therefore they have to make the go/no-go decision earlier.
PLEASE don't wait to the last minute, contact the Armory by registering on line by clicking on the title above or directly at:

Armory Art Center
1700 Parker Avenue
W.P.B., FL 33401
Tel: 561-832-1776
Fax: 561-832-0191

Thanks, we certainly hope to see you there.

First Model Session in the Lighting Class

2008-08-04T22:24:00.003-04:00

The first model session in our lighting class at the Armory Art Center went well tonight.

Sheri Shea did a great job modeling. Having experience both in front of and behind the camera she not only knew what worked well but was able to explain it to the student photographer as well.

Pictures to come next week.

BTW, registration for the next session will begin soon. Sept. 8th will be the first class of the next session. Our class will be on Monday nights and run for seven weeks. We will have three hours per night to cover a bit more each night.

Stay tuned here or to www.armoryart.org for more information.

Maintaining the Gaillardia, (blanket flower)

2008-07-08T15:10:00.005-04:00

While reading some of the blogs this afternoon, I was reminded of this old method of macro photography. Simply turn the lens around backwards. So out into our garden with my 50mm held backwards in front of my D300. And this is one of the resulting images.

These two little guys are busy working to keep up my flower garden. Doing their bit.

Prime lenses work the best. And don't panic. With just a minimum bit of care you won't get any dust on the sensor.

CONTROL OF LIGHTING IN THE STUDIO AND IN THE WILD

2008-06-30T18:15:00.005-04:00

Our summer photo workshop starts on Monday, July 7.

Control of lighting in the studio and in the Wild will cover the tools and methods of seeing, modifying and control of lighting through simple positioning of the subject, reflectors, supplemental light and exposure control.s. We will teach you about many of the tools of lighting, reflectors, diffusers, beauty dish reflectors, softboxes and more. The final three sessions include a model to work with lighting for portrait and classic artistic poses.

We'd love to have you join us for the Monday evening class. It runs six weeks starting July 7 at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.