Cell Phone Photographers

I never really minded the camera phone until the other night.

I recently was hired to shoot some photographs for an art performance in Forest Park, The Springfield Spectacle performed by the Double Edge Theatre. It was an amazing performance, the crowd, not so much.

I was asked to not use a flash as it would distract the performers, understandably so. I did not use a flash, it was at night, after the sun went down, very dimly lit with action, not the easiest thing to shoot by far but I made it work.

The crowd was asked not to use a flash as it distracts the performers. I don't think one person heard that announcement.

Many people in the crowd were snapping away with the flash blinding everyone around them. Seeing it was so dark, one could not really see the actors on their cell phone so why not move to within a foot of the actor, that's not distracting, right?

Now I am generally courteous of people taking photos with their cell phones but this got ridiculous. I could not walk 2 feet without stepping in front of a cell phone photographer. So I finally lost my courteous demeanor and stepped where ever I needed to be.

In reality, what is that person going to do with that photo? (it's probably really bad anyway with the extreme low light) They will post it to social media sites and in 2 months will delete it off their phone.

I am not crying or whining. I don't need a whaaaaambulance. I am here to ask you to pay attention. When you see a photographer with credentials, or 2 cameras or looks professional, he or she is there to do a job. They are either getting paid to photograph the event or were sent there by the media. Be courteous of them and listen to instructions.

I actually had a women tell me at a recent wedding "The photographers are always in the way" uhhhh what? We are getting paid to capture that day. You bet I am going to get in your way if it means losing "the shot"!

So please, pay attention and be courteous to us photographers...I will.

Thanks for reading,

E

Kappy's Keepers

Look Around

Recently, I have been wandering around Springfield taking pictures. Did you know there is a Titanic Memorial in Springfield Massachusetts? I didn't.

I started by driving around and really paying attention to what is around. There really are some absolutely beautiful areas in Springfield.

Now I am wandering the main streets and side streets and the parks of Springfield after my drive around town to investigate areas.

It is pretty amazing what you see when you look around. Whether you are in a bustling downtown setting or a suburb or out in the country, look around.

There is some amazing architecture in Springfield, some stunning homes and some gorgeous views. A lot of very nice public art, paintings, sculptures, monuments can be seen all around the City.

Don't be scared, open your eyes and really look at things.

Beauty is everywhere!

Look up, look around pay attention to what is surrounding you and you may just see something you have never noticed before right in front of you!


That's all for this week...thoughts to ponder.

Thanks,

E

Kappy's Keepers

A Day In The Life Of A Photographer

My photography day usually starts the night before the shoot. I charge all my batteries, format my memory cards, and check my equipment such as cameras, flashes, and any other gear. Make sure I have everything I need (run out to Hunt's Photography if I don't) and it is where I put it.

I try to get a good nights rest but usually don't as I am already going over the shoot in my head as I lay down.

The day of, I pack all my gear, and head off early. It helps me relax a little more when I am there way ahead of time. I can walk around a bit and find a place to unpack.

Depending on the type of shoot, I either unpack all my necessary gear or just put what I need together and strap on my camera(s). When the client(s) get there I will than get down to the task at hand of capturing whatever it is that they may want. Pose the subjects, shoot, adjust, pose, shoot, adjust...you get the point.

The time goes by really quick, quicker than I expected. (unless it is an event, than my feet know how long it has been)

Once we are done, anywhere from an hour to twelve hours, I pack up and head back home. This is where the eye blurring work starts.

Depending on when I get home, I usually (almost always, as I am excited to see how the images came out) upload the images to an external hard drive.

I will then start the process of editing the images, anywhere from 100 to 1000 images depending on the length of the shoot. I have shot as many as 2000 photos in one day of shooting. That's not to say I used all 2000 images but that's a lot of images to go through. I will import all the images into the Lightroom photo editing software and take a look at all the images. I flag the images I want to edit and go to work. This is a long process. Again, I have spent as much as 8 hours sitting in front of my computer editing images from one shoot. I will say, that was the 2000 image shoot, the International Festival in West Springfield Massachusetts, which by the way will be back for Memorial Day weekend in 2017 and I will be back there again capturing the fun.

I really enjoy the whole process. I like to capture the beautiful images of any occasion and I do also enjoy the editing process. The little tweaks to make the image shine are something I look forward to.

There was one day I had when I was shooting a wedding as a second shooter in Agawam Massachuetts and a lightning storm kicked up after dark. Of course I wanted to grab some shots of the lightning but my job was to photograph the wedding. Once the wedding ended, around 11:00PM,(I started at the brides house at 2:00PM) I packed up and went out to my truck to find the lightning was still going on. I then changed, set up my tripod and stood at the country club taking photos of the lightning. I finally got home around 2:30AM. Needless to say I did not do any computer work that morning.

The days can be long but they are fun and fulfilling.

Thanks for reading,

E

Kappy's Keepers