Saying Goodbye

As I look back at 2013 and go through the photographs I have taken I think back on how great of a year I had in photography.  I had the pleasure of photographing some really great people from senior portraits to head shots.  I also got to witness a few wedding and capture some amazing moments.  Along with this I went out and photographed the world as I see it, taking photo's of some really amazing landscapes and producing some great images.  As the year past I thought about what it is that truly inspires me to do what I do, I thought of the best way to sum it up was by this quote "I combine fine art and photography to make amazing images".  When I thought of that I realized that is exactly what I am trying to do not just take photographs but be the artist that I am.  Through the years I think I have fought that though in 2013 and I learn to expect it and I couldn't be happier with the direction its taking me.   So all in all it was a great year of photography and I got some great images to go along with it, below is a slideshow of those images.  Leave a comment below and tell me what of one of your favorite parts of 2013.

Please keep in mind that it doesn't work on smartphones though if you click this link http://www.k-ophotography.com/Photography/Best-of-2013 can go directly to the gallery to view the images. 

Dropping The Camera To Live In Moment

On Thursday, November 21st 2013 my wife and I welcomed our new addition into the family.  This day was very special for us. I felt so many emotions from nervousness to frustration to fear and finally joy.  For a photographer, a day like this can be very interesting.  First I had to consider whether to bring my camera, and then whether, if I did, could I just enjoy the moment and not take too many photos. As the time got closer for my son to be born I did something that as a photographer is very hard to do: I dropped the camera and enjoyed the moment with my wife. I also did something else I personally thought I never would do--I got up and watched my son's birth. Seeing my son for the first time with his wide eyes saying hello to the world was by far one of the most amazing experiences in my life. As I look back I get a little frustrated that I couldn't capture this moment in my family's life, but if I had to choose again there is no question I would choose being in the moment. I did get a chance to capture some moments of this special time for my family and below you will see them. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life personally and hey as a photographer too!  I also look forward to documenting the life of my son and right now I can't stop doing that. I hope you enjoyed this post where I shared a little bit of my personal experience and the struggle I had as a photographer.  Please feel free to share a quick story about an experience where you had to set everything down and just enjoy every moment of the day in the comment field below. 

On a side note if you are familiar with my blog you know I usually only post one or two images.  I felt this was a story and to leave out images would make gaps in the story.  So below is a slideshow click play to view the images.

     

Please keep in mind that it doesn't work on smartphones though if you click this link http://www.k-ophotography.com/Photography/Connors-Birth-Photos/i-732N3Nz can go directly to the gallery to view the images. 

Night Photography Tip

In this post I decided to switch things up and give my viewers a few tips about night photography.  I often see people taking pictures of tourist spots like the Golden Gate Bridge at night and doing things like using their on camera flash.  In this situation the flash is not effective because of the distance of the bridge. Here are five simple tips that will help you the next time you find yourself taking pictures at night:

  1. Use a tripod.

  2. Try using the night mode.

  3. Turn off that flash.

  4. Use manual mode if you have it.

  5.  Don't take your photos at the lowest picture resolution. Instead, raise the picture's resolution size to get better images.

Here are some examples of night photography I have done using some of these hints.  Leave a comment and let me know if you found these tips helpful!

In this photo I used all the above mentioned tips.

By using the manual mode on my camera and a longer shutter speed I was able to capture the movement of a car passing by. When shooting the Golden Gate Bridge you can see why using a flash wouldn't matter the object is so far away no flash could reach that far.

49er Faithful

Growing up in the Bay Area, I remember watching the 49ers with legends like Steve Young and Jerry Rice, which made for some magical football moments.  Fast forward a few years later, fans like me and the ones that stick by this team are now called "49er Faithful".  Although I am now more of a baseball fan than a football fan, I still loved what I saw when I started taking pictures for a recent wedding. As I walked into the room I noticed the 49er's red and gold colors, but it wasn't until I started taking pictures that I realized the entire wedding had a 49er theme.  Even the groom's wedding ring had a red stripe in the middle. Now that's a die hard fan!  As a sports fan, I had a really great time photographing this wedding and loved the end results.  Thank you Chris and Veronica for letting me spend this day with you and to capture some great memories!  Any 49er fans out there leave a comment bellow and tell me your thoughts on this 49er themed wedding.

In The Zone

Being "in the zone" is referred to a lot in sports like baseball, football, and basketball, although it is maybe not as common a reference when it comes to photography.  Nevertheless, this is often how I feel about photography.  Below you will see some photos I took one night when I wanted to clear my head and just think about nothing but photography.  It was a very nice night, so I decided to head to Petaluma, California in search of a barn I had been told about by another photographer.  As the "Golden Hour" (the term photographers use for the light 30 minutes after a sunset) was approaching I found myself in a rush to find this barn but wasn't as successful as I wanted.  I finally arrived at the barn, but as I looked at it I had this feeling in my gut that it just wasn't going to turn out how I had planned.  I turned around and saw this old broken down boat and thought maybe that would make for an interesting photograph, especially with the industrial building in the back.  Rushing to set up and start taking some photos, my mind immediately went into photography mode, thinking about nothing but the subject. I was "in the zone".  Photographing from every angle I thought interesting, my mind cleared of every worry I might have had that day.  I think everyone has something that does this for them, whether it is painting a piece of art, knitting a hat, or just going for a hike.  For me photography has always been that thing. No matter what else is on my mind, when I am photographing nothing else matters.  So what is it that puts you "in the zone"?  Leave me a comment below and let me know.  

Iphone Photography

A few months ago I purchased my first Iphone and decided to try out the camera.  I've always been against taking photos with a camera phone, but have recently changed my outlook on it.  I used to think that the image quality was horrible and would destroy people's perception of good photography.  However, now I feel that having a camera on me 24/7 allows me to capture images that I wouldn't have captured in the past.  It is also pushing me to photograph more and keep my creative mind going which I believe is something that every photographer should be striving to do.  There are people who actually have "Iphone photography" galleries and they are good photographs, simply because these photographers know how to use a camera.  So it appears that it doesn't matter what type of camera you have but rather how you use the camera.  Many professional photographers might agree that if you are a good photographer you can really make any camera work for you.  With that thought in mind, here are a few images that I have taken with my Iphone.  As always feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Creating moments

I recently had the pleasure of photographing a close friend and his family.  It's times like these that really make my job enjoyable.  We walked around one of my favorite places (Crane Creek) and I was able to capture some really fun moments for them.  I later thought to myself that, the time I spent with them is what photographing a family should be all about.  It's not always about having the picture-perfect photo every time but rather making photographs which will be lasting memories and truly show them for who they are.  I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed creating them.  Feel free to comment below.