ATLANTIS

Immerse in an amazing waterscape.. Find yourself surrounded by beauty and mystery of a lost civilization.. Go deeper and discover the thrills from above and below.. Paradise has been found..
ATLANTIS Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas!!

Deena & Justin's beautiful wedding on the beach. Their first walk together as husband and wife!! Congratulations to the honeymooners, Annie and I are very happy for you both!!

The Dig at Atlantis ~ Yes, these tropical fish do indeed actually glow when the light hits them.. how cool is that. The Lord created some amazing places and creatures!

Behind the Lens

Photography location: Tempe Center for the Arts. For this shoot, I had the opportunity to work with local talent, DJ (actor / model) regarding some portfolio work and head-shots. This was a fun shoot, DJ was easy to work with, the weather was beautiful and everything went smoothly. These are the kind of shoots we all strive for as photographers... the nice and easy ones!

Katie & Robert Souza

Expected End Ministries - The photography location for this shoot was in Maricopa, Arizona, at a spooky old abandoned house (which came with) swarms of bees and dangerous sink holes in the yard. This was a fun shoot and one of my favorites, except for being attached by a killer bee, (which I barley escaped with my life..HA). I really enjoyed the opportunity to work again with my friends; Katie & Robert Souza, Expected End Ministries. I am also shooting an upcoming conference event for them later this year in December. For more information on Expected End Ministries, please visit their website by clicking on the link.

Wedding Photography Workshop

I recently participated in a Wedding Photography workshop sponsored by the Arizona Professional Photographers Association (AzPPA). The workshop was held at the beautiful Villa Siena located in Gilbert AZ, and was presented by three AzPPA Master Wedding Photographers. The workshop was a (mock wedding) which included; three different sets of bride & grooms, outdoor wedding ceremony, reception (with food & cake), and personal guidance and instruction from three of Arizona’s best wedding photographers.
It was a wonderful opportunity and experience to be able to photograph three different and unique styles of bride & grooms all at one beautiful and exclusive location… and of course, having three Master Wedding Photographers by your side giving you instruction and guidance is always a big plus!!

I am posting some of (my personal photos) taken during the wedding photography workshop as examples only because the subjects photographed were not actual clients. Please note my disclaimer – The images taken at Villa Siena are test samples only and are not for public use, sale, publication or marketing material of any kind. **All images are strictly copyrighted**

Aperture Priority

How to use aperture priority, AV (for Canon) or A (for Nikon).
Aperture, (AV or A mode) determines whether part of the image (photograph) is sharp and in focus, or if all of the image is sharp. Photographers can choose to have a sharp foreground and background, or they can blur the background by adjusting the diameter of the aperture (which is measured in f-stops).
The aperture controls the amount of light that reaches a digital camera sensor. An aperture acts much like the pupil of an eye, it opens wider as light decreases to let in more available light into the camera’s sensor and it gets smaller when light increases to reduce the amount of light entering the sensor. Aperture and shutter speed are closely related and will effect the exposure of your image. The faster your shutter speed is, the larger the opening of your lens will be and visa versa.

On SLR digital cameras, aperture is indicated by an (f-stop) f-number value. The diameter of an aperture is measured in f-stops. A lower f-stop number opens the aperture and admits more light onto the camera sensor. Higher f-stop numbers make the camera’s aperture smaller so less light hits the sensor. When an aperture is opened up by one f- stop, the amount of light which reaches the sensor is doubled. F-stops are expressed in three different ways: f/8, f-8, 1:8.

Aperture settings can be used creatively to control your depth of field, how much of an image is clear / sharp in front and back of the focus point (main subject). For example, using a wide aperture (small f-stop number) is a desirable technique for many close-up and portrait shots. This will keep the foreground and focus point (subject) in clear / sharp focus and will blur the background of the image. Important Note - When using aperture priority mode, when you change the aperture (F-stop value) the shutter speed is automatically changed to maintain proper exposure.

Walk for Hope

I am very proud to say that my beautiful wife Annie is a breast cancer SURVIVOR!! Annie and I have registered for the Walk for Hope because we refuse to let this terrible disease affect any more people than it already has, and we need your help. Walk for Hope supports breast cancer research, treatment and education at City of Hope, an amazing place that is saving lives every day.
Please support Annie and City of Hope's work, small donations add up to make a big difference. If you would like to join us in the fight against breast cancer, please visit Annie's (Walk for Hope website) and hit the big "Donate" button and make a tax-deductible donation.

Annie’s employer, FNF Construction Inc. (Tempe AZ) is proud to be an ongoing sponsor of City of Hope’s (Walk for Hope). Walk for Hope is a National Breast Cancer walk supporting breast cancer research, treatment and education at City of Hope, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Walk for Hope event is family oriented and a great way to get involved in the fight against this terrible disease. Did you know, more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year? Meaning, another 200,000 of our mothers, sisters daughters, friends and loved ones will be affected by this terrible disease.

Annie and I want to personally THANK YOU for all your support, and if you would like to join us in the fight against breast cancer, please come and walk with us on Oct. 4th, at the Phoenix Zoo, or your can support us with a tax-deductible donation.
Thank you and God Bless.

You can support City of Hope’s groundbreaking research, education and treatment programs by making a tax-deductible donation online by clicking on the "pink" City of Hope link below, this will redirect you to Annie's donation page.

The Sandbox

I shot this image a couple of years ago in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

I’m not sure what it is or why, but there is something about this old bucket-of-bolts truck that I love. It’s not really a great shot, and there is nothing special about it, but for whatever reason I keep coming back to it. Over the past couple of years, I have reworked this image far too many times to recall, turning it from color, to sepia, to b&w, to canvas, and most recently… what you see now.

I have played with different layers, I have applied different textures, I had added simple effects, but in the end, no matter how I change and photoshop the image, it keeps me coming back like a little boy returning to his sandbox… and that’s the beauty of photography and artwork, it should keep you coming back for more.

Behind the Lens

On assignment and assisting my buddy / mentor, Ken Krehbiel (Imageworks Photography) on a commercial shoot in downtown Phoenix at City Hall. Ken asked me to stand-in on some test shots, above is one of these shots. It was hot and humid that morning with temperatures climbing to 105 degrees. By the end of the photo shoot, both Ken and I were drenched in sweat... I joke about it now, but I swear, I lost 5 lbs that morning and got really dehydrated.

NEVER FORGET

On our nation's 8th anniversary of 9/11 (Patriot Day), it is important that we never forget what happened the morning of September 11, 2001. God bless all the men, women and children who lost their lives that day, and thank you to all the Fire Fighters, Police Officers, Port Authority and every day people who rose to the challenge and became our heroes. God Bless America

Adam’s Philosophy

Artistic Photography is creative, imaginative, inventive, inspired, and is truly art. Anybody can snap a picture of an object, subject (person) or landscape, but basically that is all you have, an ordinary picture of an object, subject or landscape. What makes the picture art is when you can feel and connect to what the artist was trying to convey through their work; i.e. the picture.

This principle holds true in every form of photography. Take Portraiture for example. Portraits are a portrayal, likeness, representation and description of a subject. A portrait should speak to the viewer, again, making us feel and connect to the subject, almost like telling a brief story about them. Without this connection, the portrait is nothing more than just an ordinary picture.

Fast Moving Objects

Talk about a challenge, try capturing fast moving objects like a pro basketball game, a motorcycle racing by you at high speeds, or a NASCAR throwing fire and screaming past at over 150 miles per hour. Exciting? - Yes... Challenging? - Absolutely... and when you capture that perfect picture - Worth Every Penny!! I love Action / Sports photography, any chance I get to shoot these kind of events, I am there... talk about a fun shoot!!

Behind the Lens

The shoot location was a side alley of an industrial business park in Mesa. It was Saturday afternoon and things seemed nice and quiet. I canvassed the area and made sure if I shot there, we would not be in the way of normal business traffic. The set up and prep-work was easy; things were off to a great start. Half way through shooting, a police car slowly approached checking out what we were doing. I gave the officer a wave and he was on his way. About five minutes later the officer drove by again, even slower this time. It looked like he was on his CB radio; I figured he was running my license plate or something, no big deal, I continued shooting. The officer stopped his car for a brief moment, keeping a close eye on the photo shoot, the officer was still talking on the CB. I decided to go over and confirm with the officer that everything was okay. I started walking towards the police car when all of a sudden, tires starting squealing, lights and sirens were turned on, and in a cloud of dust the officer was gone. Looking back on what happened, I figure that the officer was doing nothing more that just watching the photo shoot when he received a dispatch call… funny though, at the time, it seemed like he was going to come over and ask us to leave, like if we were in the wrong for being in the back alley. HA!

Destination ARIZONA

Arizona has some of the most beautiful desert landscapes, national forests and parks, lakes and travel destinations in the Southwest. From the high deserts of Northern AZ, to the Red Rocks of Sedona, from the majestic Superstition Mountains to the Rim Country near Payson, from the White Mountains to Tucson, Arizona’s beauty shines through. To view more of my landscape photography, or to receive information on purchasing one of my prints, please visit Amplified Photography ~ http://www.amplifiedphoto.com/