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.