Casey Cooper Photography

New Blog - Update Your Link

2009-09-13T21:58:00.004-05:00

Hi to All! Just wanted to let you know that I have started a new blog on my photography website. Please update your link!

new link
http://www.caseycooperphotography.com/blog

Baby J.

2009-07-16T23:05:00.000-05:00

So much for staying current with posting from photo sessions. Here are my favorites from a few weeks ago. Baby J was such a cutie with a bright smile and fun colorful hat!

My Baby Girl

2009-07-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby girl at 4 1/2 months

Baby C.

2009-06-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

What an adorable little girl! And, she's nearly exactly the same age as my little one. What a fun photo session!

First Birthday

2009-06-27T21:53:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Baby L! Here's a 10"x20" storyboard I created from his mini-session.

Newborn Session - Baby H.

2009-06-26T14:36:00.002-05:00

Baby H was such a great baby. He slept nearly the entire first 1/2 hr of the session. I love sleeping babies!

Sweet Baby Girl

2009-06-13T01:34:00.003-05:00

After completing two newborn sessions today, I felt like I was cheating on my daughter. So, I pulled out some props and snapped away. It's hard to believe she's already 3 1/2 months old! See, that's why it's important to take photographs at all of the important milestones so you can never forget!

Free Photo Class

2009-06-12T00:20:00.001-05:00

A new free class from Jessica Sprague has open registration starting on June 22nd. She's awesome! I love her work and her tutorials. It's basically how I learned Adobe Photoshop! Check out her post here!

Virtual Tradeshow

2009-06-07T11:26:00.000-05:00

Wow, I have to say that I love virtual tradeshows. All the benefits of attending an actual tradeshow but from the comforts (and freeness) of your home. This was hosted by PDN Photographers and was the first virtual tradeshow that I've ever attended. I found a potential new print house as well as a potential vendor for canvas. Plus, I found a link to preview the Canon 5D Mark II HD video capability (click here). They used Final Cut Pro for Macs to edit the video. It's truly amazing and my dream purchase! Only about 20 more photo shoots to go to pay for it ...

Baby L's Session

2009-06-05T21:36:00.000-05:00

What a cute little guy! He's only 8 months old and this is already his third session. What a little camera lovin' guy too! He has such great big grins. Can't wait to have you back in four months for the big One-O shoot!

Newborn Session

2009-06-04T21:33:00.002-05:00

This photo session was my first at photographing twins, let alone newborn twins! It was quite exciting. I traveled to the couple's home and even got to shoot the entire family of 5. They were precious!

New Lens

2009-05-16T14:24:00.002-05:00

I just ordered my new lens! Excited doesn't even begin to describe it. This guy will replace my other two wide angle lenses that I have been using and is a member of the Canon L-glass series. So, I can't wait to see the awesome pictures this little baby is going to take of my baby (and others, of course)! The only problem, it's on back order until who knows when. It's highly in demand, and from the reviews I can see why.

I ♥ Faces : Laughter

2009-05-11T23:27:00.002-05:00

My sweet baby girl! She has the cutest expressions now, and I captured this one of her right after she started smiling and laughing.

In fact, I love the photo so much that I entered it into the I (heart) Faces Kids contest for photos with laughter. Wish me luck!

Be sure to head on over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/ to check out all of the beautiful face entries this week!

I ♥ Faces :: Hats

2009-05-05T09:51:00.004-05:00

My sweet baby girl! She has the cutest expressions now, and I love this hat that I bought off of Etsy from Charbridge Knits and Gifts (click here). She created a custom hat for me out of the colors that I requested.

In fact, I love the photo so much that I entered it into the I (heart) Faces Kids contest for photos with hats. Wish me luck!

Be sure to head on over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/ to check out all of the beautiful face entries this week!

Tot Session

2009-04-28T21:41:00.003-05:00

I've had the pleasure of photographing this little tot starting two weeks after she was born. It has been fun watching her grow up! This is her 1 year session and was taken around downtown Madison.

Black/White Photos

Color Burst Photos

Dark Cocoa Photos

Vintage Photos

20x10 Storyboard

Magazine Cover

2009-04-27T10:48:00.002-05:00

Back in October, I had the privilege of shooting some models (thanks Amy S. for modeling) for a local sewing magazine, Sew Beautiful (thanks to Sew Beautiful)! Since the issue the photos were used in is now published, I can post the photos they used.

As seen in Sew Beautiful

PhotoFunia

2009-04-19T17:06:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite photogs, Tara Whitney, had posted about this website on her blog ... PhotoFunia. It's a free site that lets you upload a photo and generate really cool effects using their face detection software. You can even save the photo as a standard .jpg or as an avatar. Check it out!

PhotoFunia

The photo above is one generated from a photo of Cherokee, our black lab.

1 Year Old Photo Session

2009-04-11T22:07:00.004-05:00

I had a great time capturing this little man's one year photos. Happy birthday Baby R.!

Shape Collage Freebie

2009-03-31T21:20:00.003-05:00

Jodie at MCP Actions had lots og great things to say about this free program to generate collages. The program is called Shape Collage.

Magazine Cover

2009-03-18T14:47:00.002-05:00

A photo from one of my first photography sessions made a local magazine cover (thanks A.C.)! Quite exciting. It's the Growing Up magazine that is published here locally in Huntsville, Alabama.

MIA

2009-03-03T15:28:00.003-06:00

I will be MIA for a little while as I recover from the birth of our first child - Miss Katherine Lee (Kate). I will be resuming photo sessions in mid-March. Please visit my website's Contact Me page to send an email requesting more information or to schedule a session.

www.caseycooperphotography.com

High Key Tutorial

2009-02-17T17:59:00.001-06:00

I recieve emails from both B&H and Adorama, two of my favorite photography supply stores. Occasionally, they also send links to great tutorials. Here's one on High-Key Lighting.

Lightroom Video - Shortcuts

2009-02-12T22:25:00.002-06:00

Jodi over at MCP Actions is offering a Lightroom tutorial from guest blogger Nathan Holritz (click here). Lightroom 2.0 is a new piece of software that I'm trying to learn to use for my RAW editing.

Visit http://mcpactions.com/ for more actions and tutorials from Jodi. She's quite a talented lady and a great resource for learning post-processing techniques.

February Wallpaper

2009-02-07T22:09:00.001-06:00

As always, better late than never. Here's a complimentary wallpaper featuring a space for your favorite image to be inserted (.PNG file). The wallpaper was designed by my sister and graphic designer, Anna Hatcher. Should you be interested in any design services (includes logo design, web design, blog design, etc), she may be reached through her website or blog.

The wallpaper is designed as a 1024x768 wallpaper which is optimized to fit standard, not widescreen, monitors.

2009-02-07T18:44:00.001-06:00

With the purchase of my ultra cool Wacom Intuos 3 6x8 Tablet, I received 3 free subscriptions to Photoshop User magazine. I was quite thrilled about this little perk but didn't realize it was an online subscription rather than a real magazine. This ... I'm not so crazy about. I hate reading things online because I spend all day on the computer already. But hey, it's free so what can I say.

First, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Wacom tablet. My sister introduced me to them because they are indispensable to a graphic designer. Secondly, a photog friend of mine had just bought one and was raving about it with the type of work we do too. I must admit - the pen is such a blessing when it comes to editing photos. I can't even use a mouse anymore to do some of the edits because the pen is THAT much easier. Plus, I have customized the buttons for shortcuts that makes editing faster too. Love it! Plus I got the 6"x8" refurbished (with full warranty) for basically what the 4"x6" one cost. Score! I got mine through email specials with Adorama but Digital Graphics Resource is another excellent place to look for these on sale.

As for the magazine, the digital subscription is through Zinio. They have free samples of other magazines that you can download to your computer too. You just download their interface software and the issues you've received/purchased. You have the option to print as well. Pretty cool!

Kindred Spirits Photo Challenge

2009-02-05T19:54:00.000-06:00

I guess I'm on a roll with entering into photo challenges/contests. I decided to post for the first time in Photography Schoolhouse's weekly photo challenge. The topic was "Kindred Spirits". I chose this shot from one of the first photo session I ever had.

I ♥ Faces :: In the Eyes

2009-02-04T07:14:00.003-06:00

Isn't Baby L. a dream! He has the cutest expressions, and I love this "pouty" look he was sporting for this shot.

If fact, I liked it so much that I entered it into the I (heart) Faces Kids contest. Wish me luck!

Maternity Photo Shoot

2009-02-01T21:57:00.003-06:00

My New Year's resolution was to get back on track posting photos from my sessions. Here are two of my favorite from a recent maternity session. She's 36 weeks pregnant here!

Wallpaper Freebie

2009-01-03T23:13:00.005-06:00

caseycooper photography wishes you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!! This past year was an exciting time in my life with the establishment of my first business – caseycooper photography. Thank you so much for being a part of that!

In appreciation for all of the tutorials and advice that I've received through forums and fellow photogs, I've posted a complimentary wallpaper featuring a space for your favorite image to be inserted (.PNG file). The wallpaper was designed by my sister and graphic designer, Anna Hatcher. Should you be interested in any design services (includes logo design, web design, blog design, etc), she may be reached through her website or blog.

May you all have a wonderful and blessed 2009!

Sharpening Action Download

2008-12-19T22:23:00.009-06:00

Jodi is back at it again! She has two great sharpening actions available free from her website. Just click here, or visit http://mcpactions.com/ for more actions and tutorials from Jodi. She's quite a talented lady and a great resource for learning post-processing techniques.

Buying Business Cards

2008-12-11T22:44:00.003-06:00

While I'm still procrastinating to upload favorite shots from the last five sessions that I've done over the last two months, I thought I'd post about the websites from which to buy business cards.

I actually bought mine through WHCC and was somewhat pleased. They use digital printers (similar to ink jets), and the solid parts in my graphics didn't appear as continuous as I had hoped. I do like the glossy full color front/back option though and pricing is great at 250 cards for $30.

Another cheap option is from VistaPrint. They offer free business cards using their designs or you can have the Premium Business Cards in full color front/back cards printed with gloss for around $30 for 250 cards (pay for initial image upload and cheaper for reprints).

A friend of mine used 48HourPrint and the cards looked fantastic! Full color back/front and gloss on back/front with pricing at 500 for $55 (price includes Aqueous Gloss Coating which looks great).

My sister, a graphic designer in Atlanta, uses Moo for printing who has fantastic quality. They're based in the UK and offer MiniCards that are really neat! Their pricing is a bit higher than those above but the quality is amazing!

Free Subscriptions

2008-11-25T19:04:00.004-06:00

Based on all of the recent purchases (upgrades) I have made for the company, I'm always interested in something that is free! MCP Actions's post today listed three magazines that offer free subscriptions (click here to read full post). I already receive Rangefinder but readily signed up for the other two she listed. Links can be found to these in the left sidebar.

Rangefinder Magazine
Professional Photographer
After Capture

Belle Annoucements

2008-11-17T21:43:00.003-06:00

A local photog friend was kind enough to connect me with the owner of belle announcements, a local custom card designer. She has a lot of great designs to choose from if you are in the market for custom Christmas cards, party invitations, stationary, etc. Plus, you just might recognize some of the people used as displays ... photos that I've taken!

Check out my byline on the Artists page (click here).

It's Official - caseycooperphotography!

2008-11-10T20:37:00.003-06:00

Last week, I officially became a business :: Casey Cooper Photography. I've had enough photo shoots lately that I'm starting to create marketing pieces, including business cards. After much feedback, I've uploaded the final cut below. Let me know what you think! I'll be ordering these tomorrow night. Many thanks to my talented sister (ah design) for coming up with the logo design and concept!

My Vermont Photo Made MCP's Blog Post Today

2008-10-30T12:22:00.005-05:00

My photo that I submitted to MCP Action's blog for "autumn theme" photos made it to the blog post today. Go over and check it out! I forgot to put my logo on it though, darn it!

CLICK HERE

RAW Digital Workflow for Weddings and Portraits with Canon's DPP

2008-10-29T20:53:00.002-05:00

Two photography tutorials in 1 week. Wow, but I did learn some interesting things tonight. From PhotographySchoolhouse.com, I participated in the "RAW Digital Workflow for Weddings and Portraits with Canon's DPP" free webinar. I learned a shortcut method for copying and pasting recipes (group of settings applied to RAW images) that should save me a lot of time in my workflow (rt-click, copy recipe to clipboard, close file, highlight all thumbnails to which you wish to apply the recipe, rt-click, paste recipe, and VOILA). I also learned about it's efficient and useful renaming tool (Tools, Start Rename Tool).

Canon's free RAW editor isn't as good as Lightroom, but it sure is better than nothing. Lossless recovery of not-so-great photos is such a great thing!

External Flash Tutorial

2008-10-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

Click here to read a great external flash article.

Color Management for Digital Portrait and Wedding Photographers

2008-10-27T19:47:00.003-05:00

I just attended a free webinar by Photography Schoolhouse entitled, "Color Management for Digital Portrait and Wedding Photographers". It was a great discussio on ICC profiles, color spaces, and device calibration. If you're not a member of Photography Schoolhouse, this is a great forum to join just for the informative, and free, webinars that they offer. Click here to see their current offerings.

What did I walk away with?

It's highly recommended to perform monthly monitor calibrations using a monitor calibrator
Kerry Allan has used both the Spyder and the EyeOne and had some difficult with both. He recommends purchasing one in the $250 price range for good quality.
Kerry Allan uses the Samsung 226 CW Syncmaster (22" monitor at 1680x1050 res that sells for around $300) and has been very pleased with the color range it provides. He does note that CRT monitors still can't be beat when it comes to color accuracy and range.
Always install the device drivers with your monitor and printer. They contain the ICC profiles for these devices which are needed to accuracy represent that you think you are seeing on the screen.
Kerry Allan recommends DryCreekPhoto.com for downloading various ICC profiles and for tutorials on Color Space Management.
Make sure you properly set up your Color Settings in Photoshop (for PS7, select Edit >> Color Settings) to save in the color space that your intended printer requires (most print houses will provide recommendations for what color space to use).
You can assign a printer profile in Photoshop to ensure that the correct ICC profile is used (for PS7, select Image >> Mode >> Assign Profile).

Maternity Shoot

2008-10-22T20:46:00.002-05:00

I had a really busy schedule last week. Three photo shoots in three days! No wonder my arm was sore after shooting with my 70-200 three straight days in a row. But, it takes some awesome pictures.

Here's a few images from the maternity shoot. She's due sometime in the next two weeks. She was a great sport through the entire shoot - even laying down on the cold concrete in my garage for the high-key shots!

It's Official...

2008-10-21T21:36:00.002-05:00

We officially found out that we're having a girl! So excited! I've already been scouring the web for newborn photos for inspiration in March. Now to start working on a birth announcement...

A Love of Letters

2008-10-07T11:22:00.003-05:00

A friend and I were talking about a photography project that included creating your name out of letters that you find in the surrounding environment. I thought we were being original until I came across an article in Better Homes and Gardens about a company called Create Sticks and Stones that sells this very thing (for $130). To do this fun "I Spy" project yourself, you can visit their alpha gallery to get some ideas and how to start looking for the letters in your name around you.

This is going to be one of my challenges while I'm at the beach. I'll post the results sometime next week of what I'm able to captures.

Softball

2008-10-06T10:32:00.002-05:00

My husband has played on two city leagues this year, and I finally decided to take my camera with me to one of the games. Since the sun sets shortly after 6pm now, the light changed on me when the field lights were turned on resulting in a color shift. Hopefully, I removed this with Digital Photo Pro (came with Rebel XTi). I used my 70-200mm f/2.8L lens mostly at 2.8 and 200mm from where I had to stand (hubby wouldn't let me on the field while carrying Baby Cooper). Enjoy!

Fresh Look

2008-10-01T21:49:00.004-05:00

If any of you have visited www.caseycooperphotography.com lately, then you will notice a fresh look on the site. I've finished writing the html code for my website, but I still need to select photos and upload them to the pages. Either way, many thanks to my talented sister, and freelance graphic designer, Anna Hatcher. She designed the circling Cs logo and the fresh new look. Feel free to head over to her portfolio or blog for more of her wonderful art.

Sandy Puc

2008-09-29T21:31:00.003-05:00

If you missed her Bellies and Babies seminar, you really missed out on a great learning opportunity from Sandy Puc of Expressions Photography in Colorado. But not to worry, because she's back in 2009 with her Tots 2 Teens seminar in which she'll cover all aspects of shooting (not literally, of course) 18 month olds up to young teens. Registration is only $79. Sandy is a great speaker and a great inspiration for any budding photographer. Read her story here.

Dodge and Burn Tutorial

2008-09-21T21:23:00.002-05:00

Dodge & Burn - nope, it's not a kids playground game but rather a technique used in Photoshop to lighten and add dimension to your photos. Jodi at MCP Actions just posted a video tutorial for a "better way" to dodge and burn using Photoshop. Jodi always does a fantastic job with her blog and video tutorials. So, click here and go check it out!

5D Mark II

2008-09-17T21:05:00.004-05:00

As if announcing that the 50D will be available in October, Canon has now announced that the 5D will have a big brother ... the 5D Mark II. This is an AWESOME camera! I've had my eye on the 5D as a "wish list" item, but this camera rocks. I found the info on MCP Action's blog with the press release from Canon that it will be available at the end of November. And don't worry, it's less than the cost of a used car ($2699)...

You can go to Jodi's post to read the press release, but here's the basics (which is anything but basic).

Key Specifications:

New 21.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with improved EOS Integrated Cleaning System (E.I.C.S.)
New Full HD 1080 resolution movie recording
3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
High performance DIGIC 4 providing superb image quality
Maximum 310 large JPEG images in a single burst with a UDMA card
3.0” VGA (920k dots) Clear View LCD
ISO 100-6400 (expansion from 50 up to 25,600)
9 AF points + 6 Assist AF points

Canon 5D Mark II

How to get natural smiles in children’s portraiture

2008-09-13T19:40:00.001-05:00

This was a great post over at MCP Actions' blog. A guest photographer, Erin Bell, actually made this post. She specializes in children's photography.

**Click here to view post at MCP Actions**

Metering for Ambient Tutorial

2008-09-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

Canon 50D

2008-09-01T19:27:00.003-05:00

Just as I was about to look for the receipt for my XTi to send it in for potential service (just isn't taking the sharpest photos that I think it should), I came across this email from B&H announcing Canon's newest camera body: the Canon 50D. Here's an exert from B&H's summary...

Canon's newest entry into the fall season Olympics is the EOS 50D, which sports an impressive 15.1-megapixel APS-C format CMOS sensor that takes full advantage of Canon's new DIGIC 4 image processor.

The EOS 50D can knock out up to 90 Large/Fine JPEGS or 16 RAW images at burst-rates of up to 6.3 f/p/s. If you often find yourself shooting under low-light conditions, the new camera can be set for ISO ratings up to 12800, which means you can not only photograph people standing in near darkness, you can also photograph what they're thinking about. (Just joking folks… don't get alarmed)

To keep noise under control and maintain optimum image quality at higher ISO ratings the EOS 50D allows you to choose from four levels of noise reduction – Standard, Weak, Strong, and None. The camera's DIGIC 4 image processor also features in-camera peripheral illumination correction, which can automatically smooth-over uneven blue skies and other large areas within an image that can benefit from smoother tonality. This feature, along with other image enhancing tools such as Auto Lighting Optimizer can also be performed post-exposure using Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DDP) software, which is included with every camera.

Image viewing has also been improved via a greatly enhanced 3" LCD that employs 920,000 pixels for breathtaking clarity. Canon also tweaked the Live View function by incorporating a 'Quick Mode AF', 'Live Mode AF', and 'Face Detection Live Mode AF' that can detect up to 35 individual faces within the camera's frame.

Other features of the Canon EOS 50D include an Integrated Cleaning System for preventing dust and other forms of airborne schmutz from gathering on the sensor's low-pass filter and a choice of two smaller RAW formats (sRAW1 and sRAW2) in addition to the 50D's standard RAW mode.

The Canon EOS 50D will be available in October as a body only, or in kit form with a Canon EF 28-135/3.5~5.6 IS USM zoom lens, which covers the field of view of a 44.8-216mm lens on a full-frame 35mm camera.

I checked B&H's website and found that they are listing it at $1,399 for just the body. Sighhhh, so many things I would like to buy.

Pregnancy

2008-08-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

I'm pregnant!

Whew, it feels good to finally get to tell everyone! We wanted to wait for a couple of things. First, the 8 week appointment to make sure the pregnancy test was true and that everything was ok (see the 8-week ultrasound below) which it was. Secondly, we wanted to tell our family first (opportunity occured finally last weekend). And third, I wanted to tell my work first so they didn't hear it second-hand. Now, we're telling all of our friends. We're so excited!

I'm currently starting my 12th week of pregnancy and will have my 12 week check-up on Friday. Almost out of the first trimester! I've been really blessed to not really have any morning sickness other than the stomach cramping caused by the prenatal vitamins. My only real complaint is the severe fatigue and lack of sleep that I've already started getting (or lack there of). I'm just tired all the time. Hence the reason I haven't been blogging much lately. As you can see from the photo, I'm due March 3, 2009.

And you know what this means, lots of fun designing an ultra cool birth annoucement! Good thing I followed through with the Bellies and Babies seminar that I went to a couple of weeks ago in Nashville! I got loads of great ideas that I now get to implement.

Baby L (No. 2)

2008-08-11T22:09:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd share this sweet photo of my nephew that I took this weekend.

Adobe Lightroom 2.0

2008-07-31T18:34:00.001-05:00

It has arrived! Finally! I've been holding off purchasing Lightroom until 2.0 was released. Now, I can finally buy this great piece of software that I've been hearing so much about and try it out! One of the great bonuses about it is that it has an automatic gallery publisher that you can publish to websites with. Now, I can finally push away all of that html code and just use Lightroom. Of course, it has many fantastic things it can do besides this too. You can read more about it on Adobe's website.

Photo Session

2008-07-30T21:22:00.003-05:00

It's been a few weeks since I've taken photos of someone other than my husband and dog, and I thought I'd share a few from the session. Thanks guys for your patience!

f2.8 and beyond

2008-07-29T21:47:00.001-05:00

Did I mention that I received my new lens? My dear hubby agreed to let me buy my dream lens, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. Look like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to you? Well, it looks like, and shoots like, sweetness to me! I had to rush out and try it on my four-legged son as soon as it arrived. Love it, love it!

Bellies and Babies

2008-07-28T20:46:00.002-05:00

What a great seminar! I came away totally inspired and in awe of the wonders of the camera. Sam Puc (pronounced "push") is not only an amazing photographer, but she is also an amazing person. She's the foster parent of 4 (or maybe it was 6) kids and also has 4 kids of her own. AND, she travels around the US for the Bellies and Babies tour to help aspiring photographers like me. The biggest thing that I walked away with was the simplicity of what five variations of five poses could equal after 20 minutes of shooting an infant and parent. And, I loved her lighting set up. Simple and straight-forward yet high impact!

Etch-A-Sketch

2008-07-23T17:47:00.000-05:00

I found a link to this ultra-cool website on MCP Action's blog the other day. Does it bring back memories from the old days? It sure does for me. I loved to sketch on my etch-a-sketch. Click here to start your own artwork.

Photoshop Friday Fun

2008-07-20T17:15:00.003-05:00

Do you receive Jessica Sprague's Photoshop Friday newsletter in your inbox each Friday? You don't?!?! Shame on you! You MUST sign up now! It's my favorite email each week. She's a brilliant graphic designer, scrapbooker, all things artsy!

This weeks post was on fonts and included a posting of Jessica's favorite fonts - 27 total. And the best part, 24 of these are free! She includes a sample pic of each font AND a link to where you can download each. So what are you waiting for, go download some great fonts (click here)!

Digital Preservation

2008-07-11T23:08:00.002-05:00

I'm sure many of you own a scanner of some sort, but this post is for those of you who do not. I read about this service in Southern Living. Shoe Box Reprints (click here) will scan up to 1,000 photos for you for $49.95. The photos will be converted to JPEG format (on a CD-ROM or DVD), and your original prints are returned to you.

Playing with Light

2008-07-06T21:05:00.005-05:00

The Fourth of July is an excellent time to practice those creative exposures. We drove up to a field near where they were having the fireworks display on Friday evening, set up the tripod, and took the following photos. For the fireworks, I used my remote to trigger the shutter, used my 50mm prime lens (sharper of my two lenses), set the ISO to 200, set the aperture to around f/11.0, and set the shutter speed to between 2 seconds and 4 seconds (varied it as I reviewed the photos). The key to these is the tripod and the remote (hands-free means vibration free which means blur free).

After the fireworks, we set up the tripod in the backyard and practiced "writing with light". This involves a tripod, a remote shutter release, and light producing medium. We chose the sparklers we had leftover from the last Fourth of July (red, green, and blue). With the same settings as above (50mm prime lens, ISO to 200, aperture to f/11.0), I then set the shutter speed to Bulb so I could control the exposure and thus the light artwork. You open the shutter right before the artist begins "drawing" and then release (close) the shutter as soon as they finish. We experimented writing fast versus slow to get more "sparks" and brighter areas in the final picture. Enjoy some of artwork!

Printing Houses

2008-07-04T19:25:00.000-05:00

MCP Action's post the other day was regarding color management. This is a topic that I have just started reading up on as of two days ago. The land of calibration hardware for your monitor, color space settings, ICC profiles ... it's enough to make your head spin (and wallet empty). This post featured Color Inc Pro Labs and even offered a 50% off your first order discount code. Head on over and check out MCP's blog to get the discount code.

As for the first issue - monitor calibration - there are many devices available for calibrating your monitor to ensure that the colors you see (and pictures you edit) print the way YOU expect them too. The Eye-one display 2 (X-Rite), recommended by WHCC which retails for $249, or Spyder 2 (ColorVision) which has three options or price levels are two frequently recommended products.

The second issue is regarding the color space that you work in Photoshop when editing and saving the photos. Each printing house recommends sRGB from what I've seen (select IEC61966-2.1 in photoshop). Just make sure you check the box to save the color space imbedded in the image for the print house to determine your color space. WHCC suggests
set your target Whitepoint and Gamma curve to 6500k and Gamma 2.2. These, however, are only recommendations, you may find that your viewing environment has warmer lights, in which case you could experiment with a Whitepoint of 5000k.

The last issue is regarding ICC profiles. I really don't know anything about these and still researching this topic at the moment. For all of you graphic designers pro photogs out there, feel free to clue me in!

Bellies and Babies

2008-07-03T14:52:00.002-05:00

I'm really excited about the upcoming bellies & babies seminar offered by the awesome photographer Sandy Puc. It is being held at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville on Wednesday, July 23rd. The trade show is open from 4pm until 5pm with the actual seminar from 5pm till 10:30pm.

I was introduced to Sandy's work at Ed Pierce's Captivated by the Light seminar that I attended in Nashville back in May. She specializes in babies and maternity and does a phenomenal job! She's the owner of Expressions by Sandy Puc in Littleton, Colorado, and hosts this seminar nationwide. Check out her website and some of her awesome work. Another amazing attribute of this photographer is her charitable work. She founded the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep foundation for terminal babies. It's a network of professional photographers who donate their time (any time of the day/night) to travel to a hospital to provide a free photo session for the family and the infant before it passes away (termed Infant Bereavement Photography). The prints are provided free to the families. I wish I had known about this several months ago as a fellow co-worker was unfortunately in this position.

I'm so excited to only be 1 1/2 hours from one of its locations.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2008-07-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

I ran across this artist on a friend's website and had to google him. It's a beautiful rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo Ole. He's a Hawaiian musician who became famously known outside of Hawaii with the release of this song in 1993 on his album "Facing Future". Israel is nicknamed "The Little Giant". What's even more beautiful about this song is that it's just his singing with the ukulele. Check out this video I found on YouTube.

Print to Print

2008-07-01T16:54:00.000-05:00

Based upon the post from yesterday, I have been conducting my own print-to-print comparison of the most well known print houses. I've been told bad things about the local drug store printers and Wal-Mart printers. Being the engineer that I am, I've decided to conduct my own photograph analysis.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED UPON THE FUNDING AND VIEWS OF THE BLOGGER AND NO ONE ELSE. NO MONEY WAS ACCEPTED IN THIS EVALUATION. (sorry, had to get that out of the way)

It's an ongoing process, but I now have 8x10 prints from three print houses for side-by-side comparisons. The same .jpg was provided (no imbedded ICC profiles at this time) to each print house for printing. I've included variables such as paper type, finish type, my quality rating from color saturation, and pricing (including any min buy plus shipping). The results are as follows:

WHCC Kodak Endura Paper Matte highest quality $2.10 ($12min but free shipping)

Shutterfly Fuji Film Paper Glossy lowest quality $3.99 + shipping

*print was bent when arrived in the mail

Wolf Camera Fuji Film Paper Matte high quality $4.99 (in-store pickup)

Mpix Kodak Endura Paper Matte not yet rated

caseycooperPHOTOGRAPHY.com

2008-06-30T21:31:00.004-05:00

IT IS OFFICIAL!

I now own http://www.caseycooperphotography.com/. I registered the domain last night through GoDaddy.com, which is a great site for registering domains. This is the second time that I used them. I had really wanted to register www.capturinglifecreatively.com, but a search revealed that is was already registered. I emailed the person to see if they would be interested in selling the domain when they informed me that they were not and that Capturing Life Creatively was trademarked and copyrighted. Wow! Not good. So, I have promptly removed anything and everything related to this phrase from my photography data.

Hence, the updated blog name (make sure to update your blog subscription services) and blog header. Stay tuned for my new logo and design! We should be releasing it within the next week.

:: casey ::

Blue Angels

2008-06-29T13:58:00.002-05:00

We were quite fortunate to have the Blue Angels visit Huntsville this past weekend at the Huntsville Airshow. They are truly amazing to watch. It's hard to believe that there are even any space between planes. Unfortunately, I still don't have my dream lens (70mm-200mm) so all I had to shoot with was my little 50mm. I was quite pleased with a few of the pictures though. Enjoy!

Print Special

2008-06-28T13:11:00.003-05:00

Wolf Camera, the on-location version of RitzPix.com, is offering a special for prints by mail. Your 4x6 prints are only $0.09 each when shipped to your address. This offer is good from July 1st through July 10th. Shipping does apply, but for the quality of print you get - it's worth it! Now, get ready to start uploading to RitzPix.com and start printing!

Back it Up and Protect It

2008-06-26T20:46:00.002-05:00

This has more to do with the hardware side of photography. As I previously mentioned, I bought a Seagate external hard drive to begin backing up all of my photos and important documents. I only leave it plugged in when I have downloaded new pictures or images.

Recently, my anti-virus software of choice upgraded to a newer version and didn't offer a "free" version any longer. So I was forced to download AVG 8.0, the full trial version, in the interim. Luckily, AVG has decided to once again offer a free anti-virus program for personal use. Provided you don't use Outlook for email, AVG is an awesome program to serve all of your anti-virus needs. I've used them for over 5 years with little to no problems.

For spyware, I use Spybot and AdAware. Both are excellent (and free) programs. I was reading an article in Publix's Greenwise Market magazine that discussed donating or recycling your old electronics (think hard drives). They advised of a free program called Darik's Boot and Nuke program that supposedly erases hard drives to DoD standards. I don't believe everything that I read, but it's at least worth checking out!

Fear the Kid

2008-06-19T21:06:00.003-05:00

I found this on Simply Splash's blog. It's hilarious (and my fear)!

Local Events

2008-06-10T22:15:00.003-05:00

Today has been a fun week since I've been to attend not one but two photography events here in Huntsville. A local photog friend tipped me off on the Huntsville Photographic Society's meeting at the Main Library (7pm) each month. Monday night was focused on light. Local photographer Muril Robertson gave the presentation. His focus is on landscape and panorama photographs, but he did an excellent job of presenting on the broad topic of lighting. He even uploaded assignments for us to do in order to improve one's photographic skills. Even cooler, he used to teach mathematics at Auburn - my alma mater! War Eagle! He's won many photography award locally, nationally, and globally.

Tonight I attended another photography class at Wolf Camera off Hwy 72. It was supposed to be on 'Lighting in the Home', but the teacher got the presentation mixed up and ended up giving a different lighting class. It didn't matter to me, lighting is one topic that I am still struggling to learn.

Lastly, here's a blog 'must read' tip for you. Jodie Friedman over at MCP Actions has been posting an interview over the last two days she conducted with Christopher Becker, a.k.a. Becker the Photographer. Becker is an awesome photographer, and I've been following his blog and [b] school information. Check out both Jodie's blog and Becker's blog sometime.

Storyboard Time!

2008-05-31T17:08:00.003-05:00

Have I mentioned how much I love making storyboards? This is a 10" x 20" that I just finished. I love this font! It's my new favorite and found the inspiration (including tutorial on how to make this storyboard) on one of my favorite designer's website, Jessica Sprague. Thanks Jessica for the response to my email regarding the font you used!

Foundations Program - Lesson 2 (partial assignment)

2008-05-30T23:02:00.004-05:00

As I previously mentioned, I'm taking an online photography class (partial program) by Vickie Byerley called Foundations (click here for more info). I'm finally moving on to Lesson 2 which focuses on reinforcing the rule of thirds (ROT) previously discussed and also on composition (focusing on the eyes and watching the crops). We have a fairly large assignment of pictures we have to take to demonstrate understanding of the concepts and then posting them to the Foundations Forum (access to Program is only for paying students - but you join the public forum for free). The first post is to demonstrate focusing on the eyes (tack sharp!). I was able to snag a model for an hour today to play with my new gear (including background) that I just purchased. The second photo shows the ROT intersecting lines and middle lines (based upon composition rules, etc.). These are all straight out of the camera (SOOC) with no post-processing in Photoshop (my goal is to strive for minimum touch up in Photoshop).

Back Up ... and Back Up Again

2008-05-29T21:10:00.003-05:00

I've read countless horror stories in the photography forums of those losing gigabytes of data because they didn't have their PC backed up. I've always backed up my critical data to a DVD, however, my frequency of doing this is something to be desired. So, I polled my favorite computer gear geeks, did a little diggin' on the Internet, and found a good solution. The Seagate FreeAgent Pro is a sleek little machine that will hold up to 500GB of data via USB2.0 (option of eSATA, but I don't have an eSATA port right now). Seagate is an awesome company because they offer a 5-year warranty. As an engineer in the electronics industry, you don't offer warranties unless your product can live up to it (otherwise you won't stay in business long). So, I figure from a hardware standpoint - this is a good choice. I've seen a lot of complaints on the major electronics sights where I shop (TigerDirect, NewEgg, CNet), but anything is better than what I have right now (which is nothing, knock on wood). I ended up buying mine on NewEgg.com for $40 cheaper than any other price on the web and free shipping. Can't beat that! I'll come back and post a picture when it arrives on Tuesday!

Stacking the Odds

2008-05-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

I'm going to stick with my saying of "You can't ever win if you don't try!" With that thought, I've decided to enter another photography contest. This one is being hosted by Simply Splash (cool logo). Click here to head over to their blog. The theme is babies and children, and the photo with the cutest face or funniest trick will win! There are three prizes of which I would gladly take any of them! First place is a Tracy Joy camera bag (I so want one of these). Second place is a j. lee album credit (luv albums). And finally, third place is a MCP Action set (great actions from this group).

Wish me luck!

Always Remember

2008-05-26T20:27:00.001-05:00

We should all stop for a moment today to remember those who have died fighting for our freedom. Freedom is something we all take for granted every day! The photo below is of the flag behind Wolf Camera on Hwy 72. On my way to my last photography class there, I was stopped on the way from the parking lot by the beauty of the American Flag. Something so small that represents something much bigger! On a side note: the only post processing of this photo was the use of a Photoshop Action called Glamour Blur. It's meant for portraits to smooth the skin and create a glowing effect, but I really like the "dreamy" look it also gives photos.

A Walk to Remember

2008-05-20T22:04:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love this storyboard from a recent photo shoot. The sheer symbolism of this little girl beginning her walk of life with both parent in hand.

Story Time

2008-05-18T21:28:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love storyboards! They are so much fun to make, and the final product ALWAYS makes me smile. I was working on a storyboard for Baby L. today and thought I would share these with you all. I even found a clever way to simulate a black gallery frame so you could see what they would look like in a 20"x20" frame. Even though the pictures themselves aren't technically perfect (exposure, ROT, background, etc.), it still works.

I have about 5 different configurations that I presented to Baby L.'s mom to review and choose from, but these two were my favorites. Feel free to post a comment and let me know which one is your favorite!

Investment

2008-05-18T14:24:00.000-05:00

Just like many things in life, it usually takes an investment of some sort to get great results. Today I forked over another small amount in some additional hardware. Later this week, I should receive my new portable backdrop system (Impact, 12' system that supports 11' rolls of seamless paper and is 10.5' high), a 9' roll of seamless white background paper (Savage, 12 yards worth), a remote switch for my camera (Canon, reduces camera shake and for long exposures), and a 43" 5-in-1 reflector (TBD, white, black, translucent, gold, and silver). I can't wait to play next weekend!

P.S. I just saw on MCP actions blog that Canon just announced their rebates for some of their fabulous camera bodies and lenses. And guess what, my dream lens is included! The 70mm-200mm/f2.8 has a $125 rebate (that just tells you how EXPENSIVE it actually is).

Camera Bag

2008-05-15T23:13:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for a really cool carry-around camera bag for quite some time. Today's post on MCP's blog is about Tracy Joy's specialty camera bags in awesome fabric patterns. Check them out here at her website! You can even enter to win one of three of Tracy's bags by posting a comment to MCP's blog. I posted, did you?

Captivated by the Light Seminar

2008-05-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

This is a fantastic seminar by photographer Ed Pierce! He hosts Captivated by the Light seminars all over the country, and I was fortunate to ride with some fellow photogs up to Nashville to absorb as much info as I possibly could. Lighting is crucial to creatively capturing great photographers and a subject that I'm not entirely comfortable with at this point in my journey as a photographer. Ed has some amazing tools and tips to help those like me become better at photography. I purchased his digital calibration target and have thoroughly enjoyed playing with it today on my day off (the seminar ended in Nashville at 11pm which put me home after 1:30am). He holds a patent on this device, and I was impressed enough to purchase one (not cheap). I also signed up for a 1 year subscription to PhotoVision, a video magazine that includes six 2-hr DVDs spread over a 12-month period. I can't wait! He's so energetic and passionate about photography that you can't help but get excited too.

Foundations Program - Assignment 1

2008-05-11T17:02:00.001-05:00

I finally started my online photography class by Vicky Byerley, founder of Foundations Photography Forum. You can register for free access at the forum (limited access) or you can join her Full Program (8 assignements with upload and critique from Vicky) or her Partial Program (same as full without direct critique from Vicky). You can visit Vicky's blog to get additional information about the program.

I decided to participate in the Partial since I'm staying really busy at work right now. The first lesson focused on Composition and Rule of Thirds. These were not new topics to me, but the assignment of capturing two "up close" and two "rule of thirds (ROT)" shots proved quite challenging. Today was a bright but awfully windy day. With no one to serve as a model, I resorted to using Cherokee and Pinnochio. I should use critique back within a couple of days.

A Little Nervous

2008-05-05T21:19:00.000-05:00

I just entered my first photo contest. I don't expect to win anything, but you can't win without trying! The contest is sponsored by MCP Actions (click here to visit blog). Voting starts on May 8th on her blog. The winner will be decided by whoever receives the most votes. So if you wanna support the rookie, go here and vote for me! I've posted my entry below. Per the contest entry, " The photo should convey what motherhood means to you. " Thanks L.B. for the inspiration!

Too Precious

2008-05-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Isn't this just precious?!? I saw a similar photo on a photography forum and was so happy to see that Baby L. received some alphabet blocks for her first birthday. We used them as props for Baby L.'s first birthday pictures. I'm post some additional pictures from the photo shoot tomorrow. P.S. Her hat is from Bella Jane Originals.

Baby L.

First Birth Announcement

2008-05-01T21:36:00.000-05:00

I just finished my first birth announcement. Post a comment and let me know what you think! The names have been changed for the sake of the innocent (or client in this case).

Cool Camera

2008-04-30T19:18:00.000-05:00

While browsing a local antique store with my Mom a couple of months ago, I passed by a booth with a really neat old camera - the folding style from the 40s. While killing time in Madison today, I popped back in to see if it was still there. To my surprise, it was! I asked the owners if the booth owner was offering any discounts (only 10%), when the owner of the store pointed out another booth with all items at 30% off. This booth had a Polaroid Land Camera Model 95 for only $20 after discounts. Apparently it was manufactured starting in 1948 and retailed for $90 (with inflation would have been $800 today).

Classic Conversions

2008-04-28T21:41:00.000-05:00

I'm really fixated on black and white photographs. It's amazing at how just the perfect conversion to black and white can really make a good photograph GREAT! I've polled a couple of photographers to see what BW actions in Photoshop they love.

Rebecca Cooper - Little Moments BW Actions

Cindy Shaver - Action Central

Rebecca Cooper's Tips - from her blog
Cindy Shaver's Tips - Devian Art
- Osidian Dawn
- Get Brushes

Here's another picture from this past weekend.

Baby L.

New Photography Class

2008-04-27T17:08:00.000-05:00

I decided after my first newborn photo shoot today that I still have a lot to learn. Someone had recommended that I take Vickie Byerley's Partial Program through Foundations so I finally decided to sign up today. I'm really looking forward to the 8 tutorials and the 8 assignments. You can work at your own pace (a concern of mine with my lack of time these days) and have full access to the forums for feedback and critique (very important). So, I'll be posting on here as well from my assignments. Below is one of my favorite photos from the newborn shoot today. She's such a cutie in her "big girl panties"!

Baby L.

Two Peas Tutorial

2008-04-21T21:15:00.001-05:00

I was reading design Jessica Sprague's blog when I noticed she had a freebie being offered in one of her design forums. Hopping around on the forum revealed that Two Peas In A Bucket was conducting a photography class (click here to download the tutorials). Thought I'd share this with anyone interested in learning more about this great hobby!

Props and more ...

2008-04-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to all of those at the Sweet Spot forum who responded to some of my postings regarding do-it-yourself backgrounds. It's a great online community for learning from working photogs. Thanks to Cindy for pointing me to this photography forum!

I stopped by our local Hobby Lobby to pick up a bolt of black fleece for my black background. I've got two photo shoots coming up this week and really needed to get a black background, which meant no time for ordering online. For fabric choices, everyone recommended vellux, velour, felt, velvet, and fleece. In the spring, it is impossible to find a black fleece or vellux blanket. So, I chose the readily available fleece (with a Hobby Lobby 40% coupon).

The next stop in my prop exploration was at TJ Max to pick up a really cute wicker basket. I can't wait to try it out with the fleece blankets that I picked up yesterday at Ross. The apple green colored blanket is my favorite, in fact, apple green is my favorite colour right now!

Cost of Photography

2008-04-16T21:50:00.000-05:00

I've been challenged this week trying to think of a pricing scheme for photographs. I have two new clients that will need me to give them a price sheet for the upcoming photo session. After much thought and deliberation, I've finally decided what I'll use to start off with. Just email me if you would like to know.

A fellow local photog pointed me to a recently started photography forum, the Sweet Spot Forum, which I've been trying to follow on a fairly regular basis. One posting was a link to an article that explains why professional photographers charge the seemingly high prices (unless you're one of them buying all of the equipment and software, not to mention spending hours learning how to take photos and perform touch-up in the complicated software). I thought I'd share this link since this post is being made on the day that I decided on MY price sheet. Hope you enjoy reading this and walk away with a better appreciation of photographers. I know I did after reading it (and taking up this wonderful, yet expensive, hobby).

Caught on Fire Film Photography

"Why are Professional Photographers so Expensive"

We're Live at Capturing Life Creatively

2008-04-15T20:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally got the blog created and the header designed. Ah, a sign of relief. More construction updates to the side links tomorrow.

Casey
caseycooperPHOTOGRAPHY