Rastafarian Flag

This is an edit for one of my friends and client. He wanted something reminiscent of the Bob Marley posters with the Rastafarian flag. I put off this project for a while because of the editing mostly even though it only took me about Ten minuted to put it together and about 30 to clean it up a bit. But this is the final result.I asked on of my friends in the know the meaning of the colors, and she said:

Red: The Blood that was spilt fighting for freedom.

Green: Our land which many of us have fought and died for.

Yellow: The yellow sun in the Sky. 

I already knew two of the colors because they are in the Kenyan Flag as well as in the flags of most African countries as well as in countries with some-kind of African ancestry and some with out.

All in all I am happy with the final result now the only remaining thing is making it posters. I cannot wait should look cool!!!

How I did it:

The original pic was taken in color, then I later edited it on grey scale on photoshop. That is where this journey starts, I opened the black and white pic and converted it back to RGB color, then I duplicated it three times. I added a new solid color layer under the layers menu, and with each duplicate I made one in yellow, one in red, and the final one in green then I used the quick select tool to select and bring together the layers in one plain, then i played around with the curves and adjustments and one thing led to another... this is the final result. Hope you like it!!!

Family Portraits Remixed!!!

I recently had a shoot with one of my favorite professors from my undergraduate years and his family.

He contacted me and said the words that every creative likes to hear, we want the pics done your way, throw your creativity in the mix; and I did.

I have always been a fan of Gap Ads, and the current ones are my favorite! I love them: love the colors, simplicity, and warmth. They have became my inspiration for this type of family shoot!

I am a naturally commercial photographer, I grew up seeing all kinds of ads everywhere and that is how I try to make my photography. I mean why should'nt family portraits or any type of image look like they belong in a magazine. I am tired of the glamour shot type portraits that we have all grown up with where everyone in the picture looks uncomfortable wishing they were somewhere else.

So with my images, I want them to look effortless, I want my subjects to have a memorable shoot, so that they can come back year after year not because they have to but because they want to! Overall we took well over 1000 pictures around 800 of which were in studio and here are the results I hope you approve!

Strobist info:

For the shoot I had a great studio space, with a basic three light setup. In my corner were two White Lighting X1600s one as the main light camera left with a Large Octabox with the top diffuser removed and second to light the background with a 32 inch white diffuser umberalla; For the fill light, camera right, I used an AB1600 with a medium sized octabox with the top diffuser removed. 

Reading is Fundamental

"Reading is Fundamental" We have being hearing that phrase I guess since grade school, but it is almost as if no one understands it. I am no exception for a while there I always looked for information the easy way or so I thought at the time. The easiest way to gather information is to read it, but in today's fast paced world reading has become defined as a slow annoying process, to which we cannot be bothered. Thus the invention of cliff notes and other such summarizing tools. 

Here is my point READ!!! now since this is a photography blog let relate it back. Alot of people ask me how I make my images so colorful, detailed, clear. And my usual response is I know my camera; thereafter I am followed by the question? how did you get to know about your camera, and I simply reply, I read the manual. 

Yes folks that is it, Read your manual, and not just once, keep reading it over and over again. Your manual is not a novel you do not have to read it in order. Use the table of contents find the information you want, camera in one hand manual in the other, and read; and as you read test what you have read with your camera, take test shots explore your camera, so that you can use it better. I always pick up my manual every once in a while and relearn some old settings and try out new ones, this is fun to me. Before I use any new equipment, I like to sit down with the manual and just teach myself, check out tutorials etc...  

So all who seek to better themselves and find information, you have heard it once, and you will continue to hear it "Reading is Fundamental" so read.

Strobist World

The world of the strobist is one that I am not new to, but I am still exploring. We have all been there, an outdoor shoot but you do not feel like lagging around all your outdoor equipment, so you just bring your camera and a flash. 

The Image to the right I took at Piedmont park. For the flash I only used the attached camera camera flash on my 30D and bumped up my ISO to 1200. The lens was a 50mm Macro lens.

For the image on the left, I used my canon 30D with my attached speedlite 430EX.  I took this image around Mid-Day with the hot afternoon early summer sun. Where the model shaded under a row of trees, and the Sun was great to illuminate the background and lend to the overall feel of the image.

The location for this image is Bicentennial Park, in Atlanta, Georgia... before the world of Coke and Georgia Aquarium were built. If I was to retake the picture today the world of Coke would be behind the Olympic Tower in the background.

Website, Still Need One???

I was thinking about the role of websites for todays photographer. With websites like facebook, myspace, twitter, and yes this one is there a real reason for a photographer to have a website. That is an easy one yes, because a website is part of your visibility and good website can bring you new clients while a bad one may lose you potential clients. However as a result of these social networking websites, you can now bring more traffic to your website. 

Currently I am in the process of having a website built, it is not a fun process but it is necessary. my social networking connections however have kept me going until its complete. Almost everybody is on atleast one SN site, majority of my clients I have met through Facebook and other such sites.  As the world continues to become smaller due to technology, I wonder what the future holds in its wake.

A list of my other social networking profiles are listed under links to the right of the page.

The image is a screen shoot of some of my old work on Modelmayhem.

Shooting With Animals

Now here is a fun topic for today's blog! Shooting with animals! for todays example I will be using as my example the most used animal mostly because it is so ready available, Dogs. We start with picking your model Canine depending on your shoot, you will select the breed, but in the breed of dog select make sure it is a stable one.  The last thing you want is a dog snapping at you or your model. 

After you choose your dog, think about your lighting equipment; Hot lights or strobe. Dogs overheat easily and strobes seem to be the obvious choice, but the flash from the strobes could scare the dog and take personality from its face. 

The images used for this blog were taken with three 1600 watt hotlights on 32' softboxes, with two settings, medium and full blast.  These images are about 4 years old and I cannot remember the brand of the hotlights. 

I used hotlights because that was all I had available to me at the time. The Dog named Cuervo is a very stable one. one of the disadvantages of the hot lights was that we could only shoot for a short periods at a time. The lights were too hot and Cuervo kept walking of the set too cool down. However the hot lights gave very vibrant color. If I had to redo this shoot I would again use hotlights. 

Thinking...

I woke up today in a thinking mood today... Really do not know what to think of, I mean going down the list it would be relationships, Finding something in marketing, my future, getting into Grad school, stuff like that. After a while of thinking, did some house cleaning, then sat down at my desk and started looking at my old pics. The pictures that I took with my Canon AE-1, which I still have, and some friends. Back before everything was so complicated. Back then all I cared about was taking a good picture, there was no politics, nobody beating down my door to get a pic, just fun. I remember I used to charge $70 plus the price of the film and developing. I did not have to worry about a make up artist, Hair stylist, stylist... it was just fun.

But the more I think about it, the more I realize how fun I am having now, sure back in the beginning it was simple and great, but I have grown from that, it is more, now as I continue to grow I can express myself better, I can do way more than I used to in tons of different ways; and I love that. I woke up this morning feeling like I had the weight of the world on me, which lead me to feeling nostalgic, but the thing about nostalgia is that when you look back things always seemed better back then than they were.

So like many other recent college graduates in this economy I look forward and see and uncertain future. I do not know what tomorrow or the next holds. What ever it is though, I am def ready...

Which brings me to the two pictures I posted on this blog. The one above to the left, I took it in an airport in Barcelona, as I waited for my plane to Zurich. The man in it seems so deep in thought, he looks like I felt this morning. As I look at it, I wonder what he was thinking about, if anything. The top picture on the right was my first paid photoshoot, back in The University of West Georgia. The final picture is special to me because it was from my first ever photoshoot, it was not paid, but got me started in the right direction. It also represents were I am in my life, starting a new journey...

Saul Williams: Afro Punk Concert, Nikon Coolpix Camera Test

Pictures taken at:
The Loft
1374 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta , GA 30309
Phone: (404)885-1365
Event: Afro Punk Tour





Last night I attended my first Saul Williams concert on the Afro Punk Tour. For this I did not want to bring my Bulky DSLR so I settled for my brothers Nikon Coolpix, which has nine megapixels, VR ISO of 3200 and a 3.0 inch LCD. and I have to say, it was much more fun than if I had brought my 30D. With the little Nikon I did not have to worry about people bumping into me dropping it, or getting a drink spilt on it, I actually had a great time.

I know the pictures would have turned out a million times better with my DSLR but then, I could have gone into camera mode and not really enjoyed myself and just been in the moment, it would have all become about getting the perfect shots.

For the images I set the Nikon's white balance to incandescent lighting, the shooting style to continuous, ISO sensitivity to 800, (which I later discovered I could go higher, >(.... a well maybe next time); the color option to Vivid Color, and finally the Auto focus to automatic. I am pretty happy with the pics, the down sided is I had to hold the cool pix up high and try to stand still in a crowd of dancing rockers but I think I got some good ones.




One feature that I have always enjoyed and now seems to come standard on almost all dslr's is the video feature. For the CoolPix this was a feature I enjoyed the most. Video took up most of my memory card space but it was well worth it. The video has great lighting and the sound was not bad.

The Coolpix retails for around $299.99 which is about average for the point and shoot market. For its portability,quality, and usability I give the Nikon Coolpix two thumbs up!!!

The concert it self was a blast, The four acts had great energy and the crowd more than returned it. All in all it was a great time, Thanks BG!

Strobes

What kind of strobes do you use? Now this is a question that I get alot!!! And I am always happy to answer. I use a pair 1600 white lighting strobes from Paul C Buff, I also have a AB1600 and AB800.

To me Paul C Buff products are great for the money especially when you add the cost of accessories. Now I would Love to use Profoto or Elinchrom; for myself I prefer Profoto, but the question of what is best between the two will always be a subject of debate, among photographers. There are other brands such as Bowens out there also, but I do not have experience with these products so I can offer my advice about them.

For strobes all I can say is do your research, check out online forums but at the end of the day its your money, make your decision, but make sure you can afford more than just the lights you will need a accessories... :-) Viel-glueck!

Hair

This past weekend, I did a hair shoot for Miss Briana Hickman. The shoot was relatively simple just you basic glam our shots focusing on hair. I decided to shoot with a black background because I thought it would bring out the hair better especially if there was color in the hair and I would like to think that I was right, you be the judge.

I used a to light set up with my WL x1600s and I had my AB's for back up just in case something went wrong with my white-lighting. For my main light I used a beauty dish with the diffuser sock, and for my hair light i just used a white diffuser umbrella. I had my Trusty canon 30d, My work horse, with a 17-85mm lens.

Now for the hair, I was very impressed, Briana did a great job, The hair photographed excellently and had an excellent shine to it. I do not know much about hair, but I do know about what looks good and her stuff works of art were great!

As a photographer in my images and hopefully in yours as well, or what ever your craft is, the key word is 'details' in alot of my images especially my commercial projects every detail is looked at twice. Everything has a meaning every letter, every syllable, every color, even the placing I love going over details in ads, and appreciate it more when I meet someone who shows the same detail in their work. And Briana showed the highest detail in their work and I appreciated that from them and enjoyed the full 4 hour shoot. If you are interested in having your hair styled by Briana Hickman, or for your next shoot you can email Briana at bxquisit@yahoo.com

Briana Hickman is pictured on the right in the middle. bxquisit@yahoo.com

Weddings

Everyone always asks me if I shoot weddings, so I made this blog to answer that question. And the answer is... yes I do... I love weddings, love shooting them and making the client happy. I offer 4 distinct packages that are sure to carter to any wallet size. My Goal when I shoot a wedding is to have the pictures tell a story...

With the story my images will tell you will be able to relive every minute of your special day, even the ones that you were not present for...

The featured pictures are from a wedding I shot a while back. These images are some of my favorite because they capture the emotion of the moment. The one above was taken as bride was getting ready, love the smile on her face. To the left were the brides maids goofing around, the beautiful blonde was playing for the camera and I did not mind she photographs well!







I know that your special day can sometimes be one of your most stressful. My job as your photographer is to ease that stress, at-least in one aspect. So take ease with PMK Photography at the helm your special day is sure to be one that you will always remember each time you open your wedding book!





Schedule your special day, Today!!!

Fashion...

The cold time for Fashion but what to wear what to wear, since I will be spending Christmas in London, I want to get a Peacoat. I already have an army of converse and converse like shoes but I do not know what is in right now?

I know I like scarfs, different types my favorite are fringe scarfs, just saying its the holidays if you want to get me a present, a fringe scarf. but what ever your style is love life, I wear what i feel comfortable in and it works for me.

The picture is from a shoot three years back, the stylist did a great job, and I used an 85mm with my 30D, i just love the colors!

AJC Car Show 09

I have always been a petrol head, my dad is a mechanic and I guess its in my blood. I went to the car show it was fun... for the most part. I mean it did not have any of the super cars and concept cars that you find at sema, or the LA and NY ones but it was cool... there are some cars that did stand out though.

The first is the Audi super car, the R8. The R8 is Audi's version of the 911 a super car that you can use everyday. well not for grocery runs unless you are just getting one thing, but then again if you can afford an R8 you will not be doing your own grocery shopping :-) This is the 09 model the new 2010 R8 has a sleeker look with a better looking back end. The car no longer sports dual exhausts in the back just a single on which in my opinion looks sooo much better!!!

The Next car is the classic, the New Dodge Challenger Hemi powered awesomeness. Now even though it is very heavy and not as good looking or sporty as the Mustang of SS Camaro it is still a beautiful car! I remember when I first saw the classic version in Vanishing point I was in love, then when it was brought back in Death Proof, I was hooked. So in essence, this is not the fastest car on the block but if you were ever to cross the country in style, get a white one, I know I would and I usually hate white cars ;-)





Now the the Fantasy cars, and to start with we have every import car persons Asian wet dream the New Nissan GTR. This car turns so well that if you sprain your neck, and some have. Back in 04 I had the pleasure to drive in a 1993 Nissan GTR up graded to the max. This was in Japan and it was my brothers car, after an illegal street race on the way back we jumped on the famed Aqualine and hit speeds well over 190km, loved the sound of the engine and boy was that thing fast. With this new model i would like to got back to Japan and check it out again. I know that it is now available here in the states but its just not that smart to test the cars limits here. I have to say at this time that I do not condone speeding, and as most of my friends and family know, I am not the fastest driver on earth, maybe the slowest but hey " you can break the law and go to jail and get anally raped if you want to but not I" (Boondocks). Either way though I would not mind taking this car up and down the dragons back, and if you do not know what the dragons back is kill your self, or just google it ;-) As for the car its self it is an everyday super car with enough trunk space to go shopping and actually buy things without having to worry about seating them in the passenger seat. Also for those with friends the car has enough seating for 4 even though your friends who end up in the back seat will hate you. Lets face it seating in the back seat of a super car is as low as you can get... there is no way you can look cool back there. but in the front two seats it is heaven, and you actually stand a chance of getting layed, and isn't that the point!!!


Last but not least it is the Corvette ZR1, man this thing is fast! and handles great. Corvette have always been a favorite of mine though i do find myself wishing that chevy would go back to the 1963-67 body type. To me that was the Vette was at its best, and looked the best as well. I mean it can just be a special edition similar to what Merc is doing with the SLS AMG which is sure to be an instant classic. But the ZR1 is amazing I love seeing American cars realize there potential! Now the great thing about all corvettes and the ZR1 is not different is the truck space, this is one of the few super cars that is well usable to some extent. good job GM now lets go back to the 63 body style :-)

A Homeless Face...

A while back I was in Canada I went to with a group of friends, we visited 5 cities in one week, two of which stuck out the most to me were Montreal, or as I call it the Amsterdam of the west and Toronto, which reminded me of a larger more spread out new york, less friendly though, seriously some of the people I met in this city were pricks! There are a few things that stuck to me the most in this two cities, in montreal was that there seemed to be a strip club at ever corner and they were open 24/7. In Toronto was the beauty in some areas, but most apparent was the number of homeless in this city. I mean I have seen most of the world and not just the first worlds, and I have to say this city has the largest number of homeless I have ever seen. At times I felt guilty enjoying my sights because they were everywhere out in the cold, and it was very cold.

Which brings me to this picture, my group had stopped to stretch out legs and take a couple of pictures and that is when I met this gentleman. I kinda feel sad that I did not give him any money but Looking at this picture I kinda wonder what his story is. He seems to be at the very bottom with his luck but he has such a kind face and his eyes are very warm. I wonder how he ended up homeless, I wish could find out, see how his life is on a daily basis.

I know how we are all trained in regards to the homeless. And you who read this and think I can never do that are just in denial. We all know what we say when we see a homeless person infront us when we are walking down the street...

"ignore,
Just keep walking...
Look straight, do not make eye contact...
if you do not acknowledge him,
then he is not there..."

sound familiar?? I am in no way trying to be high and mighty, I do the same thing at times. Not every homeless person is a good person down on there luck, but still... Hopefully we can find a better way that a one way ticket so that we do not have to look at them.

The picture to the right I also took in Toronto, the person walking past is probably thinking what I stated above, this does not make them a bad person, he represents us all, but I also found it funny that he/she sleeps infront of of HnR Block lol...

Shooting in the Late Fall and Winter Months

I love shooting this time of year the natural light from the sun is usually perfect. The morning and sunset sun brings colors that are a dream to capture, and the best part is that it is cold and neither you nor the subject need to worry about sweating. The make up stays on everything is usually perfect shoot wise. Now the downfall is battery on your camera or pack is sometimes cut in half but that is why you plan ahead and bring spares.

The picture to my left is one that I took in the late fall with my Canon AE-1 with Kodak HD film in the early morning. The colors in this pictures almost bring a tear to my eye I love the colors, this whole set had brilliant colors. This Christmas and new years I will hopefully be spending in London and I cannot wait to do a couple of shoots there, if there is enough time I hope to jump on a train to Paris, even if it is just for one day ;-)

Summer Days...

Now that it is getting cold, it reminds me of slow summer days. I love the days that time stood still when the humidity was not 100 and you did not have to do anything but just sit and watch the clouds pass by. As we grow older we have less and less days like these. we have become so accustomed to working that we even work on vacations, life is funny...

I do not know what life holds for me, but I will do my best everyday to live, i mean truly live. I want to fall in love, I want to have my heart broken, I want to travel with someone I love. Money would be great in today's world money is important, it helps us live well and comfortable. Currently I love my life, it is not perfect not by a long shot but I love it.

Which brings us to this picture. In it is a very beautiful friend and model of mine, in this image she captures what I see in summer days the passion in her eyes, sun bouncing off her skin, I love this picture. She did a great job!

Studio Set-Up

Here is my studio set, this was taken at my old apartment, I miss the space; currently I am looking for a new studio space, it is a pain but I do believe I will find the right place wish me luck!

In the picture is a very good friend of mine, sorry gentlemen she is already in a relationship with one of my friends.

My equipment, 2 WL x1600s, AB800, AB1600. and a $70 bottle of wine lol!!!

Music Industry

I have alot of friends in the music industry... man i though my business was cut throat that industry is on another level, like fighting for life boats on a sinking ship.

But here are two upcoming artists that i know off there both very talented and I hope they make it on one of the life boats!

Get Tested!!!

Recently I shot for Aids awareness, and it really got me thinking and I did get tested!!! Happy to say i a 100% disease free and want to keep it that way, hope you do as well get tested!!!

Cool pics

These are some of my favorite images that i have take to date!

If you like these wait until you see the new ones!

Art and Life

I like surrounding myself with positive people. This pictures are from a past Ad campaign by Art&life clothing company. there clothes are great and love the designs. Check out there website and buy from them!!!!

artandlifeclothingcompany.com

Euro Trip

I love traveling its the best!!!! Hate the process though but you do meet and see the most interesting people.... Here are some pictures of people i have taken while traveling around.

I took these one a couple of summers back in Cannes. The guy in the picture reminds me of the stereotypical spook. who knows maybe he is lol!











The other thing i love about traveling is different architecture, I especially love old world french architecture, makes you want to fall in love... I have to go to Paris, then back to Cannes ;-)