Week 10 Photo Challenge: Open Challenge

For this week’s final photo challenge with it being left open to us to do anything, I decided that I wanted to make it look as real as possible that I was actually in my direct field. So for the challenge I looked for a photo online of sports photographers on the sidelines doing what they do best of taking photos of the game that is in progress. I set my camera up on my tripod with my high definition telephoto zoom lens on the camera as well so it would match up with the other photographers in the photo as well. I took my Nikon 35mm film camera and put it on me down to my side so it looked as if I had a back-up camera as well and I also put on my press pass to make it look as legit as possible. I then had an assistant capture a photo of me using my Iphone 4 taking multiple photos of me set up in the position of me to be taking photos on the sidelines as if I was really there. After taking enough photos and looking through them to make sure that there is one that was usable, I uploaded the photos into my computer and did some small exposure correction in bridge. After that, I took the touched up image into photo shop and cut myself out of the original background and placed myself into the photo that I found online. I did some resizing of the image of myself to make sure that it fit well into the image and that I fit correctly. After I got myself into the photo I went back into the exposure levels and did a few more adjustments to make sure that it looked all natural.

Week 10 EOC: Mission Statement

The first mission statement that I was able to find that actually is a decent one came from a photography company called Visage Company Photography & Media. When it comes to their mission statement they are being forth and honest about what they do and how they make sure that they achieve what the customer expects and wants. In this particular statement they are not rambling on and on about pointless nonsense that doesn’t get their point out there of what they do and of what is expected of them as professionals. They succeeded in making themselves and their website a little more interesting to continue to look at. Here is their mission statement: Visage Company Photography & Media’s goal is to stay above the photography industry’s standards and provide exceptional, one of a kind photographs to our clients. We create meaningful and beautiful images, while providing a pleasant, patient and understanding attitude towards our clients. We'll honor services and products described and agreed upon with our clients, while maintaining a high quality of service and work with reasonable prices compared to our competitors. Visage Company Photography & Media will abide by and observe laws pertaining to doing business in the industry and never sacrifice quality over quantity. We develop partnerships with clients, so they know that their photography and media needs are being met, and that every job is a success for Visage Company Photography & Media and our clients. We believe that Visage defines your look, your style, or the way you present yourself. Your look. Your style. Your image. REDEFINED. www.visageco.com/mission-statement

The second mission statement that I found is for a company called Latvis Photography. This is again like the first one that I found that basically gets directly to the point of who they are and what it is that they provide. I find it much easier to be able to look more into a company when they are more forward about what it is that they provide to their customers service wise. Here is their mission statement: Latvis Photography, a San Francisco-based commercial photography business, is committed to operating a profitable and growing business by producing higher quality products, at better prices, delivering our goods and services faster than the competition. Since 1978 Latvis Photography has been meeting the diverse photographic needs of Bay Area businesses and individuals. We specialize in executive portraiture, product, event, and architectural photography; providing photographs for use in advertisements, annual reports, brochures, magazines, websites, etc. Latvis Photography works in partnership with free-lance talent, utilizing state-of-the-art technology and exclusively employs only those vendors who exercise an aggressive recycling program. Lats Latvis, Principal of Latvis Photography, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute and an M.B.A. degree from Golden Gate University, School of Business. www.latvisphoto.com/miss.htm

  

Week 9 Photo Challenge: Legendary Photo

For this week’s weekly photo challenge I had to come up with the idea of how to create a legendary photography. I had one idea in mind on how I wanted to accomplish this challenge, but after some serious consideration on how to do it I didn’t feel it would truly fit this assignment to well. So after I had seen another classmate’s photo I got a different idea of how I wanted to create mine. Since I plan to become a famous sports photographer and I plan to someday work for the Dallas Cowboys directly, I went just a little different way. I wanted my photo look and represent as if I was walking on the red carpet for a show or award ceremony. I wanted my background to look like the walls that all the celebrities stand in from of when the paparazzi is trying to get that great photo. So I made sure that I had myself dressed up nicely to look like I was really going to an award ceremony. I took my snuggie that is a Dallas Cowboys blanket and pinned it up over the door in my apartment and then set my camera up on the tripod. I decided to use my smallest lens that I have which is my 50mm lens. I had my ISO set at 100 and the f/stop was at f1.8 with the shutter speed set at 1/125 of a second. I took many different shots to try and get the perfect legendary shot. I did use all the ambient light that I could in my apartment plus I felt that I may have needed that extra bit of light so I also used my 560 off camera flash with a soft box diffuser to help give that softer look to my skin.    

Week 9 EOC: Emotional Photo

When I had to choose a famous photograph to write about for my EOC this week, I decided once again to think a little more outside the box and go with a photo that really touches hoe with me. I wanted to choose a photograph that relates more with the type of work that I plan to be doing myself, instead of being like everyone else and choosing a photo that would just be way too common. I’m a very unique person so I try to make my work stand out that way also. With that being said I decided to choose a photo that I was able to find from this week’s game on Thanksgiving of the Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo trying to throw the ball from inside the pocket. In this photo you can clearly see that he is attempting to look down the field to find an open receiver to catch the ball and make a touchdown. This particular game was played against the Miami Dolphins who actually ended up losing the game in the last few seconds of it by one point, the final score being 20-19. Also in this photo it displays great sportsmanship of the team members of the Cowboys offensive team trying to help keep their quarterback protected to make that play complete. The emotional attachment I have to this particular photo aside from the fact that obviously I’m a die hard Dallas fan but the fact that my main goal I actually have set for myself is to be the main photographer that works for the team in the near future. I want to be that particular photographer that is down on the sidelines of the Dallas stadium capturing this particular photo and have it known by anyone looking at it knowing exactly which game and which specific play it was.  

Week 9 BOC: Cyber Monday

For this week’s BOC I went and searched for the best lens that I have wanted for the longest time and found it listed in the sale for cyber Monday. I have been wanted this lens ever since I read somewhere from another famous sports photographer. He recommends that this is one of the best lenses to shoot sports from a far range. Of course I still need to get the better camera body to go with the lens but first thing is first. The particular lens I have found and am ready to purchase to help me get the better photos that will help me to increase my money making flow is a Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Autofocus Lens. This lens can be found on B & H Photo’s website listed under the holiday specials and gift ideas section. It just happens to be the very first one at the top of the list when you click on the link that will take you into the section of lenses and flashes. The going rated special price for this particular lens is $1,614.00 with an instant savings of  $140.00 bringing the total down to $1,444.00 and the shipping is free within the USA. This particular special offer ends on January 7, 2012. There is also that option to buy it used and save a pretty penny or two, but who knows the real quality of an item that has been used and how many more great shots you can actually get from it. That buying price is listed at $1,299.00. Honestly, I think I’ll take my chance and spend the extra and buy the brand new one at least that way I have a little better of a guarantee and warranty on the newer lens.

Week 8 Photo challenge: Combat Photography

For this week’s photo challenge of a combat photographer, I was a little confused on exactly what was required for this challenge. So I had the opportunity to talk to a couple different people and asked them what their interpretation was of the assignment. I got a couple different answers to my question and decided to take the second answer and go for that approach on this challenge. I decided to capture a photograph of myself having a pillow fight with myself. I set my camera up on my tripod next to my kitchen so I could have enough light without having to use a flash. I was using my 50mm lens and had the f/stop set all the way down to an f/1.8 aperture. I also had the ISO set at 400 due to the minimal amount of light that was available. I had the shutter speed set at 1/125 of a second. I took various shots to try and create the illusion of the idea that there was actually two of me battling each other. I wanted it to look more real than fake so I made sure that I had different shirts on and that my hair was styled differently. With having taken many different shots there actually was only 1 shot from each direction that actually worked well with each other. Once I had gotten the two that worked I took them and uploaded them into bridge first to correct the lighting of them, following up with them in photo shop. After getting the first image lined up I took the second image and used the magnetic lasso tool and cut myself out of the other image and lined myself up in the new photo. After that was done then it lead you to the image you see before you the final product of my version of a combat photograph.

Week 8 EOC: What makes a Photograph Great?

What do I think makes a photograph great? That is actually a harder question to answer than most people would think. When it comes to making and creating a great photograph, there are many things that come into factor with the whole process. With what many will think it is not the printer that makes a great photograph or the camera its self, no it’s the person that is actually looking through the viewfinder at that particular moment in time. Every person that aspires to become the next great photographer thinks they have what it takes to be the best. Well that is true in some sense of the word; every person sees things in a different aspect than the next person. What may look great to one person may not have the same exact effect on the next person. “Every image needs strong underlying compositional order so that it grabs the eye from a hundred feet away.” A great photo has to have something in the image that is going to make the viewer look at it and say something that is going to express the greatness behind your photo that will always be in your mind when you or anyone else ever looks at that photograph. A great photograph is one that will get out there to the right person and will end up being published all around the world. A great photograph will be great to the extreme of a Pulitzer Prize. A photographer knows when they are taking the photograph whether or not that photo is going to be classified as a great photo. A true photographer has the eye to see a great photo as it emerges unlike someone that is just taking photos as a hobby for fun.

Week 7 Photo Challenge: Manet

For this week’s weekly photo challenge I decided to choose a famous painting that was painted by Edouard Manet. It is called the “surprised nymph”. I chose this particular painting because after viewing the film in class this week when they began to gradually great a little more artistic with the small amounts of nudity in the photographs. When the whole time the famous painters had already been painting nudity into their artwork. That is how people would view it as was art not some kind of pornography. This particular painting was actually painted on a canvas with oil paints in the year 1861. The Nymphs are spirits of fields, woods, streams, of nature in general, personifying its fecundity and gracefulness. They were considered secondary deities; nevertheless, they were respected, sometimes feared and prayed to. This painting was created in Paris, France and falls under the style of Realism, and is in the genre of mythological paintings. It to this day resides in the gallery of Museo Nacional de Bellas, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This painting to me looks like she was sitting in the woods alone as if she was thinking about something very important and decided to remove her clothing while she was thinking, and she had gotten startled by someone that snuck up on her and surprised her. Argo, the whole name of the painting “Surprised Nymph.” To fulfill this weekly challenge I took this painting into photo shop and used the text tool to add my personal watermark to it as I do when I make and finish editing all my own photographs.

Week 7 EOC: Adult Content

After watching the film Gentlemen’s Relish, I have come to find that the way things were starting to develop back in those times were being portrayed as so true. It was not something that was taken very lightly in the beginning. The art form of paintings that you would find during that time of nude woman was not uncommon at all. It wasn’t unnatural to see that. Now a day seeing that type of work based in photography no one will turn a strange eye away from it. During that era as it was being introduced in the world of photography people would try to find it a little obscene at first, until they had the opportunity to really view it as beauty in its own form.  In its time it was also a way to start getting it out there as a form of pornography but in a subtle then it is perceived as today. As far as how the photographer got hoaxed into doing the type of nude photography is not that uncommon. There are many different types of people these days that will try and work that same idea into the world of photography today with out it falling more into the porn industry. There is always a middleman that is trying to get out of it everything that he can financially. With that being said, today its even better with all the copyright laws that we have in place it makes it a lot easier for someone’s photos to stay controlled by the actual photographer. Instead of by the middleman who wants to try and squeeze what he can out of it as shown in the film.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage

For this week’s photo challenge, we had to challenge ourselves to come up with a great idea for a collage. After watching the movie in class it shows that you can always change that you are if you truly believe and find the passion that you may have for something. The main idea for that is to really go forward and push you to make that change in life. The idea I came up with for my collage has a lot to do with the career choice and field of photography I want and plan to pursue in my life. I felt that I should truly express my real passion for the sport that one day I plan to work alongside permanently. With my special field choice in the photography world I’m planning on being a sports photographer I had to represent my team in this collage. So I decided to take 5 different photographs that I had taken over a year ago in an earlier class and edited them beautifully. I started out with a blank document in photo shop and sized it up to be a 5x7. I picked and chose the 5 still life shots that I had edited and placed them all around the blank document as I thought they fit well. I also had to resize them so they would all fit accordingly. I followed that by setting up my camera on my tripod in my room to capture a self portrait of me in my jersey and my logoed pillow matched up well with the concept. I used my 50mm lens and had the iso turned up to 800 based on the ambient light I had in my room. I had the f/stop set at the lowest stop of an f/1.8 to get that little depth. I had to turn the shutter speed way down to 1/60 sec just to get the right kind of light. Finally after I captured the right shot that I wanted to use I placed it into photo shop and did a little touch up on it and added a nice vignette to help accentuate the photo. I then added it to the collage in the correct spot for it to get the final look that you see before you.

Week 6 EOC: How Art Changed Me

Deciding to come to this school in particular was a huge decision for me. When I thought about going to school to pursue my dream as a photographer and get my degree in this field, I thought seriously about it and didn’t want to go anywhere else but to The Art Institute of Las Vegas. By choosing to attend this school I have had more hands on experience and by having the opportunity to work with other professional photographers in different areas of photography. Before coming to this school, I looked at photography as more of a small passion/hobby. As I have grown with going to school here, I have become more and more passionate as my love for photography has grown. By attending school here I have learned more than I would have ever known just by trying to figure out this stuff on my own. As far as how art has changed me, I have grown into more of having a stronger passion for the sports area of the field in photography. Being able to attend an art school rather than a regular community college, has way more advantages for me in getting to elaborate on the whole idea of art as a whole. The best part about it is the classes are way smaller and it gives you that opportunity to be a little more one on one with the teachers who generally work in the field of study. I feel that I have more chances to get better feedback and critiques from them on how my work is rather then having the average Joe look at it and say its great just to make me happy with myself. Learning more about how to improve my work and get the skills I need for my degree has made me more open to challenge and improve my art in a way that no one else will be able to duplicate. It really gives me that chance to seriously put myself into my art the best way that I can professionally.  

Weekly Photo Challenge: Editing A Photo

For this particular photo challenge, I chose to set up at the desk in the lobby of my apartment building. I asked special permission to set up and take a photograph in their area. I decided to set up the camera on the tripod from an angle back behind myself so that way the image I was editing could be seen on the screen of my laptop. I decided to use my 50mm lens so that way I could try to have a little more depth of field in the background. I had used the ambient light that was coming from the lights above me.  With the light that was coming from them still wasn’t that bright that I had to actually turn the ISO up to 800. I had the shutter speed set at 1/125sec and then had the f/stop set at f/1.8 the lowest setting on that particular lens. The flash was not fired in this shot at all. I finally after the shot was finally captured the way that I wanted it to look like, I took the photo and placed it into photo shop to do some final editing. With this picture I decided to remain dressed in the same clothes from my interview to help it look as if I was actually sitting in some kind of business atmosphere to help make this photograph fit the challenge even more. The image that I decided to make it look like I was editing it was an image that I took a couple of weeks ago in another class. The male in the photo is actually another one of my instructors and the lady is a model that we were actually using that day for that particular shoot.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Photo Store

This photo was not too much of a challenge for me. I took a self portrait in the local well known photography stores in town, Casey’s Camera. In order to accomplish this I called ahead of time to speak with the manager of the location to get permission to come into their store and set up my camera on top of my tripod and take a picture. I offered the manager to join me in the photo if he pleased, and I also informed him that I would be putting the photo on my blog and would make a tweet about the store to try and give them some more recognition. The next day I arrived at the store and asked for the manager that I had previously spoken to letting him know who I was and then asked him where it was ok for me to set up at? He allowed me to set up anywhere I chose to so I decided to place myself in the frame with the selection of cameras and lenses behind me. I like the fact that in the background of this photo on the very top of the shelves you can see a selection of old fashion film cameras. In this photo I didn’t use any kind of flash I just used the ambient light that was available in the store and the natural light that was coming in from the windows. I changed my white balance to match up with the light from the store so I changed it to florescent. I had my shutter speed set at 1/40 of a second and I had my f/stop at f/4. I was using my 28-105mm lens so I wouldn’t have too much depth in the background so everything behind me from the store could be seen. I also had my iso set at 100. During editing I decided to add the text up to the top right hand corner, the name of the store to help with the recognition for them.

Week 4 EOC: Plans for visiting a Photo Shop

For this weeks photo challenge I plan to go to the photo supply store that is here in town called Casey’s Camera. I will be contacting the store to speak to the manager about coming to set up and take a self-portrait in the store. I may even ask the manager if they would like to be in the photo with me to help promote the store, by telling them I will be tweeting about them on my twitter and give them recognition on my blog as well. This particular location is located at 1550 E Tropicana Ave in Las Vegas, NV 89119 702.736.0890 and are open daily from M-F 9-6 & Sat 9-5 also Sun 10-5.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Incredible Photo

With the very challenging photo challenge that I had to do this week, I decided to go to a place that I haven’t been to in about 15 years. I had actually forgotten just how beautiful this place actually was. In some ways this was surprisingly kind of a fun challenge but a little more difficult at the same time because of the destination that I chose and trying to get up to where I finally captured my photo. The place where I went to is the beautiful Valley of Fire. I climbed up on a boulder cliff rock that was called “the Beehives”. Getting up on top of this one was definitely a little scary but fun at the same time. In order to capture this image I arrived out there a little late in the afternoon, so I could get some amazing shots of the rocks as the sun was beginning to set then the orange on the rocks was so gorgeous. In the image that I found worthy of using, I’m sitting atop the boulder while my camera is set up on my tripod at the other end of the boulder. I used my Canon Rebel T1i and had my 28-105mm f/4-5.6 lens on there. I had the ISO set at 100. I had the f/stop set at an f/5.6 and the shutter speed was set at 1/60 of a second. I used all natural lighting for this image. The shot was captured at 5:30pm when the sun was starting to go down. I finally placed the image into photo shop to do a little bit of touching up before the image was final as you can see before you.  

Week 3 EOC: My Commitment

My commitment that I have chosen for my business in the photography field is a sports photographer. I plan on having my business located in the beautiful city of San Francisco, CA. I am going to be available to my clients to market their needs when it comes to making the best sports photos possible at every different event possible. I will be marketing myself to specialize in events such as high school football and baseball games throughout the area. I also plan on working with the local teams that put on charity sporting events. With that being said I also plan to work my way up to meeting and making those important contacts that will allow me to gain full and complete access into the NFL as well as the MLB. With every given opportunity I plan to market myself and become worldwide known. After that has been accomplished I plan to be able to work with other areas of sporting events in the NBA and NHL, to even Motor Cross events and so forth. When I’m not working on any kind of sporting event I plan to also to be available to every customer in other fields of photography as well. I want to be able to meet every need of each of my customers as possible. I also believe in building and maintaining a strong interpersonal relationship with all my clients and the important people whom I have made contact with in order to get Brandi Kimmett Photography off the ground. I will always be as dependable and reliable to all clients and customers, and while making sure that I am responsible and fulfilling all the obligations that I have to every person that decides to hire me for their events.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Paparazzi

The photo I shot is an image of me posing as paparazzi, I am wearing my press pass in the image that allows me to have access to any sporting event, special event, or any kind of event that will need paparazzi or photographers at to capture every moment of the event. I didn’t choose any kind of special location to take this photograph at. It may have made the background a little more appealing if I would have but the main focus is on me not necessarily on the background. For this photo I set my camera up on a tripod and used my 50mm f/1.8 lens to capture the image. I used my Canon Rebel T1i and had the focus set on manual. I used my wireless remote to capture the image at the right second. I had the f/stop set at f/3.5 and I had the shutter speed set at 1/125 of a second. I used an iso of 100. I didn’t use any kind of flash when I fired this shot I used all natural ambient light. I shot the image at 5:28pm so I only had a little bit of natural light to actually work with. I also took multiple images to finally capture the correct exposure and get the perfect image. I then followed up with the image into photo shop just to make sure that I had all the exposures correct and do just a little bit of skin retouching before I could allow the image to be finalized.

Week 2 EOC: La Dolce Vita

After only watching the little bits and pieces of the film La Dolce Vita, I completely understand where the idea of the paparazzi comes into play. To actually be back in that time frame as a paparazzi photographer then would have definitely been a major challenge. The great lengths that they went to just trying to get the perfect kind of photo and having to fight the crowd of all the other photographers trying to do the exact same thing. I think that now a day we take our camera equipment for granted compared to what they had to deal with then of having much more to work with. They would have to change out their flash bulbs after every picture taken, compared to now that we have much better options available to us in that sense. With that being said not much else has changed very much when it comes to the paparazzi between then and now. They still have to fight around each other as well as they also are still just as vicious as ever to do what ever it may take to provoke who they are trying to photograph.  This movie did seem very interesting to watch and actually see how life was lived in that era and that part of the world. According to Dear Cinema film and films festivals says this about the film "No serious film connoisseur can resist the seduction of La Dolce Vita (meaning, the sweet life). A scandalous box office hit in Italy and internationally as well as a huge critical success, La Dolce Vita remains one of the most influential films of all time, since its release in 1960. The film gave birth to the word paparazzi. Genius filmmaker (and my personal film god) Federico Fellini’s masterpiece is a caustic critique of modern Rome, but is pertinent to all modern society as to all modern society as well.” They also rate the film 5 stars.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Self Portrait

The photo I chose to do for the weekly photo challenge is Ansel Adams “Waterfall” that was taken in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This photo came out of his collection called Wilderness.  Ansel Adams worked mostly in black and white photography but in his later years he also specialized in some color photography as well. The photo that I chose is one of his most beautiful color photos that he ever made. I looked online to find one of Ansel Adams beautiful landscape shots that I could use as my background. That is when I came across this gorgeous image. I took a self portrait of myself using my canon rebel t1i camera and used my 28-105mm lens. I placed my camera atop of my tripod and shot the image outdoors to try and match the coloration of me to the image done by Ansel Adams. I had my aperture set at 1/125 of a sec and I had my f/stop set at 4.0 with my iso at 100. I also used the setting on the camera that I could use my wireless remote to help capture the image perfectly. After I got the image that I wanted to use for this assignment I took the photo of myself and the one I got from Ansel Adams gallery I put them both into photo shop and used a couple of layers and placed the image of myself into the image created by Ansel Adams and made it look like I was originally in the photograph when he actually captured that moment in time.

Week 1 EOC: About Me

I am an aspiring Sports Photographer who holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Digital Photography. Every single day I have an opportunity to grasp that split second of every moment that cannot be duplicated. Since I was a little kid I have been a sports enthusiast. I have always wanted to do something that would give me the chance to be as close to as possible to any kind of professional sports figure. I have many different experiences of shooting all kinds of different photography from portraiture, to landscape, to still life and many others. I love to do any kind of photography, but no matter what my heart will always fall back to and lie with sports photography.

           I always do my best to perform and make sure that my photographs will always meet the expectations of the viewing eyes that look at them. I enjoy the satisfaction that I get from the observing all the expressions on the viewers face after they have seen my photographs. I have always been a huge fan of photography and it was a great feeling for me when I had graduated with my degree and was able to get out into the real world and put it to use and get to the level of accomplishments that I’m at now.  

Week 1 EOC: Stallions not Unicorns

The business that I have started resides in the beautiful city of San Francisco, CA. I decided to move to this town in particularly because of the beauty that resides all around it. I have opened my own Free Lance Sports Photography business, called Brandi Kimmett Photography. There already are a few very well known sports photographers located in the bay area, but to have one more in that area is not a bad idea. The majority of them are all men, so it is a change of pace to actually have a beautiful and talented woman sports photographer in the business. I specialize in sports photography, but I also bring other photography options to the table as well. I love to meet the needs of all the wonderful people in and around the bay area and surrounding areas. I plan to make my business as a sports photographer grow with the needs of all the different sporting events in and around the circulating areas. I will do everything necessary to make sure that my business will succeed so that the word will travel and I will become the next greatest sports photographer in the world. My goal in my business is to become greater and more worldwide known then any of the current sports photographers in San Francisco. I plan to be as accessible to all the everyday needs of all my customers whether it is for a sporting event in town, around the world somewhere, or even if it just happens to be a couple that decided to announce that they are getting married. No matter what the job is that the customer is asking of Brandi Kimmett Photography, there is no job or photography request too big or too small for my company to accomplish and provide the best results for the customer.