Take a look at this "SENIOR 2010 VIDEO" of Kelcie!
Call Whitlock Photography today.......who knows, we
could make a cool video like this of you too!!!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Flash Photography
The FLASH can be a blessing and also the worst item in your camera bag. I read all the time about available light photography, and when done properly available light is great. But most of the time the addition of flash improves the image. For landscapes a flash is normally of no benefit. The use of a flash on a cheap camera at a night time concert doesn't help, you might get your picture but the flash probably didn't help, the same goes for indoor concerts in large arenas. I have photographed groups at both locations and it is unreal how strong the flashes have to be when you are several feet from the stage. By cranking up the ISO on the camera you can get pictures without using flash and also probably not get thrown out by security.
One of the reasons I like Dslr's is that they have a hot shoe that allows one to slide a flash onto the camera. This kind of flash has lots of advantages over the built in flash. As I mentioned in an earlier blog redeye is caused when the flash is too close to the lens on the camera, the slide-in flash puts the flash head a little farther from the lens. Hopefully when buying a flash your budget allows you to look at a quality unit. These are larger, more powerful, and offer features that are very important. Metz makes a flash unit that has a small flash that points at the subject and a larger, more powerful flash that can be bounced of the ceiling or wall that works great. For those that photograph wedding it is important of have someone hold a second flash off to the side when working in dark receptions halls. This is a time when having the camera in hard manuel and spending time practicing to get the required results. I have seen several wedding photographs recently and this is missing in all of them. I learned about this when assisting a international known photographer in a beautiful wedding in Cincinnati at a place known as The Hall of Mirrors. On the job training is a hard way to learn but it proved to be a quick way and it really changed my wedding photography for as long as we photographed weddings. Hanson Fong makes a unit that fits a lot of flashes that improves the output of the single flash.
Most newer cameras allow working in darker locations without a flash, but knowing how and when to use a flash will make your images better that your friend that doesn't use a flash. The best use of a flash is when the photograph looks better and still doesn't look like a flash has been used. The last word of advise is to study and practice, when you wear out the spouse and kids start on the dog, they are loyal and when they crawl under the bed it may be time to take a break.
We are planning a few days in the Smokies and if the weather is good I hope to put my camera where my mouth is and to be able to show what I am talking about. The flash isn't going on this trip. Composition is the area that concerns me the most. I haven't done any landscape photography in a long time. We won't doing any hiking so we'll miss some of the most photographic locations. This will be our vacation and what are we planning to do? PHOTOGRAPY, why, because we love it.
One of the reasons I like Dslr's is that they have a hot shoe that allows one to slide a flash onto the camera. This kind of flash has lots of advantages over the built in flash. As I mentioned in an earlier blog redeye is caused when the flash is too close to the lens on the camera, the slide-in flash puts the flash head a little farther from the lens. Hopefully when buying a flash your budget allows you to look at a quality unit. These are larger, more powerful, and offer features that are very important. Metz makes a flash unit that has a small flash that points at the subject and a larger, more powerful flash that can be bounced of the ceiling or wall that works great. For those that photograph wedding it is important of have someone hold a second flash off to the side when working in dark receptions halls. This is a time when having the camera in hard manuel and spending time practicing to get the required results. I have seen several wedding photographs recently and this is missing in all of them. I learned about this when assisting a international known photographer in a beautiful wedding in Cincinnati at a place known as The Hall of Mirrors. On the job training is a hard way to learn but it proved to be a quick way and it really changed my wedding photography for as long as we photographed weddings. Hanson Fong makes a unit that fits a lot of flashes that improves the output of the single flash.
Most newer cameras allow working in darker locations without a flash, but knowing how and when to use a flash will make your images better that your friend that doesn't use a flash. The best use of a flash is when the photograph looks better and still doesn't look like a flash has been used. The last word of advise is to study and practice, when you wear out the spouse and kids start on the dog, they are loyal and when they crawl under the bed it may be time to take a break.
We are planning a few days in the Smokies and if the weather is good I hope to put my camera where my mouth is and to be able to show what I am talking about. The flash isn't going on this trip. Composition is the area that concerns me the most. I haven't done any landscape photography in a long time. We won't doing any hiking so we'll miss some of the most photographic locations. This will be our vacation and what are we planning to do? PHOTOGRAPY, why, because we love it.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
2009 BCHS Dance Team
Here are the girls you will be watching perform at all of the Boyd County games this year. Aren't they such a beautiful bunch of girls?!?!?!!! I tell you what, I don't think I'm being partial or anything like that but we sure do have some of the best lookin' girls around. I don't know if it's in the food, or the water, or just something they teach these girls at school........ LOL!!!! We have photographed the dance team for years for Penny Armstrong, who is their sponsor. This is the pose that will be used in the BC Football Program and I hope that everyone enjoys this little sneak peek at them before watching them dance at the football games! I know these girls work extremely hard too, and just like the cheerleaders their sport is year around. I know that they compete at all levels, District, Regions and Nationals as well. And they have done quite well in the past and I know that this year won't be any different!! Marina, Jamie, Megan & Shelby have recently achieved an honor or have been chosen to compete at a higher level. I'm sorry forgive me, but I can't remember the name of the award or the exact organization that Penny mentioned. Their photo will be in the football program and so make sure you check it out there. Sometimes things get a little hectic when we are photographing all of the different groups, but we are proud of them and please show them a little support thru out the year! :)
Photography when it's fun
A few days ago I had a request to recommend what type of camera to purchase from a beautiful lady that has a interest in photography. I tried to answer her questions and I hope that my info was helpful.
While it is important to make a wise selection when buying photography gear I feel that it is more important to learn the rules of photography. When you have learned even the most basic rules it makes photography much more fun and rewarding. I was always concerned that my photography wasn't as good as I thought it should be. Photography information is very easy to obtain. It seems that there are as many people wanting to teach photography as there are those that are wanting to be a professional photographer.
There are two elements that makes great images. The first is composition and the second is light. Then having quality equipment to capture the image comes into play. The more you understand the rules of photography the easier to make your selection of equipment. I like Dslr's because you can change lenses. The best Dslrs are weather resistant, have better ISO ranges, faster shutter speeds, larger sensors (both in actual size and pixel count), better focus systems and are built to last a long time. Both Canon and Nikon (the big boys in the business) have excellent cameras in the $600-900 range. These aren't going to compete with the pro series cameras but are still a very good value. Visit a good pro shop and listen to their advise. The info obtained at the big box store may not be the best for your needs. All larger cities have pro shops which are going to be about the same price as the big box stores.
The important rules are: learn what shutter speed does, what aperture is, what white balance is, why setting your camera in hard manuel can be better that auto, learn that "P" doesn't mean professional. Learn when using a tripod is important, learn when different filters should be used, learn what EV 10 means to beautiful photography, learn that the biggest f-stop isn't aways the best, then try to justify to the spouse why you spent the big dollar for a new camera body or lens. The GREAT thing about photography is that you don't have to learn everything at once. Go to a work shop, read a photography book, watch a photography video and then go practice what you have learn and practice until you understand the lesson and then learn something new. This makes learning fun and in a short time you will be amazed at the improvements in you photography.
There are several other things I haven't touched on this time. I'll try to write about using a flash, and also go into some depth on the above subjects. I don't consider myself as the best source of infomation about most areas of photography, but I have enjoyed photography for over 40 years, I have studied from the best in the business in portraiture and weddings. I go to workshops as often as possible and try to hangout with photographers that are better than I am. We no longer photograph weddings but I still go to some wedding workshops because there is always good info at these workshops. I view weddings to be very demanding to do properly. I read photography articles everyday on the internet, we subscribe to video workshops. I am approaching 61 years old and have health issues that limit my activities some, but we plan to keep Whitlock Photography open for a long time, WHY, because we love photography, we love it when a new parent cries when viewing the images of their new born, the parents of a high school senior cries when they see the images of their child and realize their child has grown up and the eyes of a son or daughter when they see the images of their parents that we have been honored to photograph. The image of my father that I captured about five years before he died is hanging on my wall. He still had that little smile that he often had and he looked healthy, he was about 79 at the time.
So my best advice for those that have an interest in photography is to learn, pratice, learn and then practice. More important is learn how to buy your equipment without making the spouse kick you out of the house
While it is important to make a wise selection when buying photography gear I feel that it is more important to learn the rules of photography. When you have learned even the most basic rules it makes photography much more fun and rewarding. I was always concerned that my photography wasn't as good as I thought it should be. Photography information is very easy to obtain. It seems that there are as many people wanting to teach photography as there are those that are wanting to be a professional photographer.
There are two elements that makes great images. The first is composition and the second is light. Then having quality equipment to capture the image comes into play. The more you understand the rules of photography the easier to make your selection of equipment. I like Dslr's because you can change lenses. The best Dslrs are weather resistant, have better ISO ranges, faster shutter speeds, larger sensors (both in actual size and pixel count), better focus systems and are built to last a long time. Both Canon and Nikon (the big boys in the business) have excellent cameras in the $600-900 range. These aren't going to compete with the pro series cameras but are still a very good value. Visit a good pro shop and listen to their advise. The info obtained at the big box store may not be the best for your needs. All larger cities have pro shops which are going to be about the same price as the big box stores.
The important rules are: learn what shutter speed does, what aperture is, what white balance is, why setting your camera in hard manuel can be better that auto, learn that "P" doesn't mean professional. Learn when using a tripod is important, learn when different filters should be used, learn what EV 10 means to beautiful photography, learn that the biggest f-stop isn't aways the best, then try to justify to the spouse why you spent the big dollar for a new camera body or lens. The GREAT thing about photography is that you don't have to learn everything at once. Go to a work shop, read a photography book, watch a photography video and then go practice what you have learn and practice until you understand the lesson and then learn something new. This makes learning fun and in a short time you will be amazed at the improvements in you photography.
There are several other things I haven't touched on this time. I'll try to write about using a flash, and also go into some depth on the above subjects. I don't consider myself as the best source of infomation about most areas of photography, but I have enjoyed photography for over 40 years, I have studied from the best in the business in portraiture and weddings. I go to workshops as often as possible and try to hangout with photographers that are better than I am. We no longer photograph weddings but I still go to some wedding workshops because there is always good info at these workshops. I view weddings to be very demanding to do properly. I read photography articles everyday on the internet, we subscribe to video workshops. I am approaching 61 years old and have health issues that limit my activities some, but we plan to keep Whitlock Photography open for a long time, WHY, because we love photography, we love it when a new parent cries when viewing the images of their new born, the parents of a high school senior cries when they see the images of their child and realize their child has grown up and the eyes of a son or daughter when they see the images of their parents that we have been honored to photograph. The image of my father that I captured about five years before he died is hanging on my wall. He still had that little smile that he often had and he looked healthy, he was about 79 at the time.
So my best advice for those that have an interest in photography is to learn, pratice, learn and then practice. More important is learn how to buy your equipment without making the spouse kick you out of the house
Madison "BCHS" Sr.'10
A week or so ago Madison came to our studio for her senior portrait session. She was so much fun to photograph, I mean look at her........ isn't she AMAZING?!?!!! I think she brought some really nice clothes with her, every single outfit she put on looked great! The styles that the senior girls are bringing in this year for their sessions is so classy and retro. Almost has a little bit of a "Jackie'O" flair to it, and it's so refreshing to see this style becoming popular again. Fashions like these are something that I want to call timeless, and not something that the girls will look back on 10yrs. from now and ask theirself "WHAT WAS I THINKING"?? Lots of other trends really get dated quick but I don't see this one ever going out of style for a long time. Sorry I got off on a run there for a moment, but I just had to mention what a great job Madison did in choosing what to wear for her session!!! I think she would even get the Stacey & Clinton approval! Some of you may watch that show on TLC and know what I'm talkin' about. I think that she also made the infamous "WHITLOCK SQUATTY KNEELY POSE" look better than some others do, and yes she even did it wearing heels!! LOL!!!! Now come on guys, surely if Madison can do this wearing heels it shouldn't be too hard for you guys sportin' your tennis shoes. Well I guess I have rambled on & said a whole lot of nothing, I"ll try to wrap it up so everyone can enjoy this little sneak preview of Madison's session, ENJOY!!! :)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Zack "BC Senior 2010"
We had such a GREAT session with Zack. All I gotta say is he's gonna have lots of girls lining up for wallets, so ya better make sure you have LOTS Zack!!! LOL!! No seriously, I really think that he photographed so well and we were so pleased with how everything went with his session from beginning to end. And as you can see he is definitely very photogenic.......... I really, really loved the one with his bike and motorcross stuff. Zack actually just emailed me a photo of his bike taken in his garage and I kinda' did my thing with it. I really hope that he likes this one and that I got what he was wanting. As usual it was raining during most of Zack's session and we had already decided to reschedule his outside poses. Then lo and behold right as they were getting ready to leave the weather cleared up so we were able to take the ones of him & his truck and some other ones outside. So you never can tell about MOTHER NATURE!!! So if on the day of your senior session the weather looks yukky outside just go ahead and come anyway, chances are it still might work out! Well I better wrap this up so that everyone can enjoy this little sneak preview of Zack's session. :)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
2009 BCHS Varsity Cheerleaders
We just photographed the BC Varsity Cheerleaders one day last week. The first day we were scheduled to do this was right at the very same time a monsoon decided to dump buckets of rain on Boyd Co. So after being forced to reschedule on another day we were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous sunny day for pictures!! So it all worked out perfect.............just a little change in plans thats all. Don't you agree that BCHS has some of the cutest girls around?!?! It is just hard to believe that Hannah M, Kristen, Kayla, Taylor and Hannah D. are all seniors on the squad this year. I can still remember photographing some of you girls on the 5th grade squads back in elementary school, and now you're all grown up! I hope that everyone comes out to all of the Boyd County games this year to watch these girls cheer the teams on. They work extremely hard and are dedicated athletes as their sport is year around with no time off. And if you ever see them out doing a carwash or anything else like that please try and support their efforts. I don't mean to sound like a commercial or anything like that but I do remember when our daughter cheered for BCHS and how much we appreciated all of the support from the community. Best of Luck girls, I hope you all enjoy this little sneak preview of your pix!!! =)
Whitley
Whitley came to our studio a week or 2 ago for some formal kind of poses. They have a baby grand piano and her Momma was wanting a formal portrait of Whitley to hang over the piano. When her Mom scheduled the appointment she told me she really liked Sepia toned images and also Black & Whites. There is several really nice images that should be suitable (especially the close-ups are fabulous), and hopefully one will go just perfectly above the piano!! We also photographed Whitley with her older sister, as a special request from her Mom as well. After we covered the bases with the dressy type outfits she brought along a few casual things too. We ended up doing Whitley's session in 2 parts, some girls really like doing it that way. That allows for different hairstyles, wear your hair curled one day and then straight for the second part of the session. Ask us for all the details if you are interested in having your session done that way. Whitley & her family just moved to Kenova this year from Florida, but just a couple of days after her session she was heading back down there to live. I know that when you move away from all of your friends it can be difficult, so hopefully life is better now........but I'm sure that her Momma is missing her very much!!!! I hope that everyone enjoys the little sneak preview and her DVD should be ready real soon! 
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Tosha
Tosha came in for her senior session last week and her session went so smooth. She is just simply gorgeous, there isn't anything else to say other than WOW!!!! I kept telling her during her session that I thought she looked like Kelli Rippa, and Bill didn't seem to agree with me on that. He thought Tosha was way better lookin' than Kelli! Well I better quit gushing over Tosha too much, I don't want to embarrass her or anything like that. It would be nice to have that clean cover girl complexion like hers now wouldn't it though?!?!!! I was so happy with the way her images turned out, I think the colors just look so vibrant and rich with the clothes she was wearing. I can't hardly wait to get the rest of her images ready for her to see the actual DVD. And her little doggie was the most co-operative animal we have had in the studio in a long time. Tosha's little brother would this noise to get the dogs attention and she would just tilt her little head like she was posing for the camera.....it was just way tooooo funny!!! Well I hope that everyone enjoys the little preview of Tosha's session, and I hope that she is doing well after her surgery. Take Care & get well soon! =)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Halle's First Birthday
Meet a sweet little baby girl named Halle who just recently turned 1 year old. Her Momma brought her to the studio on her actual birthday for her 1 year old session. This is such a HUGE milestone for the little ones as they are growing and changing so rapidly!! We had a lot of fun photographing Halle, especially when Jenny got the cake out for her. They had her birthday party over the weekend previous to her session, so Halle was probably thinking "Wow, I get to do this again"?!?! LOL!! And she seemed to really like eating the cake but then after things started getting real messy she just wanted her Momma to get it off her hands..............I'm not sure which one had the most icing on them. I have a feeling that bathtime was next on the agenda after they left here, LOL!!! She is at the cute, cute, stage where she is able to stand alone but still afraid to take that first step all by herself. I'm sure it won't be long Jenny, if she hasn't already taken off! We photographed Halle's older brother Harrison when he was just a baby and now he is a "BIG BROTHER" to Halle. I bet they have a big time playing together and he will probably be very protective over her as they get older. Thank You Jenny for being patient where I have gotten a little behind lately, I hope you all enjoy this little preview and I should have your DVD ready early next week. :)
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