Under the Stars
A few weeks back I traveled North at 1 a.m. to see a Meteor shower. My brother had called and told me that a lighting cloud was also present to the West, this is what truly got my shoes on and in the car that early in the morning. I headed out North to get away from the city lights and I found a great spot that was showed the sky and the lighting cloud that was soon to be arriving in an hour. I took out my tripod in the middle of a gravel road with no cars in sight and set up shop for the first 20 minutes. I set my camera to a 30 second shutter speed and had another camera looking a different way going for 15 seconds. I went back and forth oohing and awing at the images that showed up. I took a few other shots at different locations but really enjoyed the following images.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4945376787/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4945961486/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4945376979/
It really makes me wonder what kind of images I miss when I sleep, or when I’m at the office working in front of photo shop. I wonder what kind of images I’m missing by doing other stuff besides being out there and photographing. But I also realize I’d tire myself out if I was always out there, I have to come to the idea of when I’m out there and I have a camera that I should shoot until I feel the need to be elsewhere. And if I’m sleeping and I awake…thinking I just have to be out there and shoot, go do it. other than that, it’s out of your hands on what you do miss and what you do capture.
-Dan
No commentsA few websites to visit if you’re a fan of photography
7.23.2010
Here’s a few sites that I follow, and I think you would enjoy them too.
Wedding: http://greenweddingshoes.com/
A good laugh: http://whattheduck.net/
HDR: http://www.stuckincustoms.com/
Off camera Flash: http://strobist.blogspot.com/
Photography tips, advice, news and information: http://dpexperience.com/
And saving one of the best for last:
Photography/Photoshop Top News (every day he posts something): http://www.scottkelby.com/
Look up some of those sites and study this weekend!
Have a great weekend!
No commentsMy mini road trip out east.
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”–William Shedd
“Back roads are the best!”
Last week I headed for the open road. I once again left without bringing a map or a GPS unit. What I did bring was a PB & J sandwich, water, tripod, camera bag, two camera bodies, and about 5 different lenses. I ended up heading down Eastbound Highway 10 towards Detroit Lakes. I haven’t been to DL to just visit in some time. Probably around 15 years, and yet it’s under an hour away. I went there a few times for Cross Country in high school to run up some hills since Fargo has none. I remember going to Zorbaz once or twice and hitting the water slide when I was younger as well.
I drove 15 miles before turning off the highway and finding some open farmland. This is where your photographs come to life. 90 percent of the images I took were off the highway and not visible from the highway. this is where I find the goodies (Yes, I actually make a folder after I’ve archived and put my best ones in it and call it: goodies.) Anything that screams: Take my picture, I’m unique, or take my picture I’m almost falling down. I stopped on a gravel road and found some telephone poles that were leaning just right for me to just stop and pull over, grab the tripod, set my settings and took a couple of shots before putting it all back into my car and drive off. Next I found a tire swing just hanging from a tree right next to a fence. How could a photographer just keep driving? I grabbed the shot and moved on to rocks on the side of the road, and a barn that was slowly falling down with cows in the foreground. “Back roads are the best!”
I finally left the back road and went towards Highway 10 again until DL. I stopped by the lake and walked onto an open dock. I took out a book and started to read for a few minutes. Just to relax and listen to the lake. After I headed back to my car, I saw some kids playing on a dock. I took out my zoom lens and framed the shot with the trees above and waiting for some action. I took a few of the three kids playing on the dock, but I wanted just one. Two eventually left and one kid remained, I took a few more and finally found one I enjoyed very much. (photograph below)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4809310756
Also a Boat Plane landed in the lake right in front of me. That was very cool to see and also glad I had the right lens on.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4819031747/
After taking the shot I wanted, I headed out East for a few more miles. I almost made it to Wadena where some tornadoes had gone through a month earlier. But I decided that I probably shouldn’t, so I turned around to get some sunset images on my way home. I got back to Fargo later that night to upload all the files on my computer, I took all the images for HDR and sorted them out in importance. I think I did a better job than ever before on it. I’ve never been a fan of 60% of the “Flickr HDR” People tend to go overboard with it and make it more of an iffy picture. I use HDR, to get the look that I see from my eyes into the camera. I used ND filters to get the sky a bit darker, but HDR for landscape is such a great tool if done right. I think I’m right in the middle of not going to far and not going far enough. Anyways, Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4809311038/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4809310630
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4809310504
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4809310376
No commentsTeaching photography for a college once more.
7.21.2010
I’ve been asked back to teach Photography at a local college this fall. I taught two 3 credit courses back in the fall of 08, and now I’ll be back teaching those credits, and also an additional 9 credits.
The college decided to add a photography certificate to their courses. So, I’ll be teaching three intro to photography classes (two of them are through the Graphic Design program.) and Also I’ll be teaching I’ll also be teaching an “Intro to Image Manipulation” class and “Advance manipulation class.”
I’ll be teaching along side another photographer this fall and I can’t wait. I dusted off my red assignment/lesson plan book and reworked it for this fall. This along with two art shows, and not to forget…becoming a daddy in the next two months; I’m pretty much booked until December.
The certificate is also in the spring, so hopefully everything will work out, and people sign up for the class, if they do, I’ll be sure to teach starting up in January too. This was good news this summer when I was asked back. I enjoy doing this, and it helps me give back and help people see the way of taking and seeing good photography.
More updates later!
- Dan
No commentsArt Show in August
7.20.2010
A month from today, I’ll be hosting an art show at the Spirit Room which is located downtown Fargo. I’ll be displaying around 15 prints of my work from the “Fargo: Past and Present” portfolio. Here are a few from that collection:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4813234433/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfrancisphotography/4813857610/
And as stated in yesterday’s post, I’ll also be displaying some at our local mall for the month of November and December.
In other news this week, I’ll be heading to St. Olaf College to photograph an engagement. The photographs that I’ve seen I’m in for a real nice location photo shoot. I can’t wait. should be a great time and I’ll have plenty of time to try new things. I’ll be sure to post a few next week on the blog.
Until tomorrow…
-Dan
No commentsArt prints displayed at my local mall.
Last week I talked to the CEO of West Acres (our local Mall in Fargo) and his family about displaying some of my “Fargo: Past and Present” photographs. I met with them for 45 minutes and discussed which two images they liked the best to display. And now, I’m happy to mention for the first time, that I’ll have two prints up on display in the Macy Square section. I already have the two prints ordered and I’ll be taking them in to get matted and framed for display. In addition, they liked the images that I displayed to them so much that they decided to give me in additional space all to myself: (the Herberger’s square). So around, November I’ll be displaying 6-10 prints for the November and December months! I can’t wait to see them up there. So, if you’re walking around West Acres stop by the Macy Square and look for my two images. And in the Months of November and December, more will be displayed in the Herberger’s Square.
No commentsSomething everyday this week.
I need to catch up on this blog, I’ve had some uploading problems with images, so I’ve had to add them to flickr to get them on here.
In order to catch up. I’m going to try and post something everyday this week on the blog. I have wedding images, street fair images, landscape images, business, award information, and some photo information as well. So, be sure to check back here everyday around 4 to see what I’ve been up to this summer.
After this week I’ll try and stay on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule again.
-dan
No commentsRooftop Wedding
Here are a few images from a wedding I photographed earlier this month. The weather was absolutely in our favor for these images. It had rained earlier in the day before we started, the weather forecast was going to be sunny with spotted showers. Usually not a problem, however, this was going to be on top of a rooftop in Downtown, Fargo. and the only option if it was going to be raining was inside the hotel. So, as photographers we really wanted it to be on the rooftop. The sky was blue with nice white clouds for the beginning ceremony, towards the end, there was some darker clouds coming towards us, but the ceremony was in the 70’s with a mild breeze. After the ceremony was done they had a champagne toast with all that were present, the main photographer got some nice formal shots of family and friends before we went in due to rain, no problem, i went downstairs and grabbed a few detail shots as the bride and groom went into the basement where there was a bar and a wine rack.
While we were doing this the streets became flooded and the rain looked like it was never going to end. However, once they came up from the basement the rain had stopped and blue was in the sky again; so we headed out and found a neat alley and then walked north on Broadway for some coffee shop shots. I couldn’t believe how fortunate we were with the weather! First wedding in rainy June and it turned out great! Here are a few images that I took on that special day for James and Jessica:
No commentsWeekly stuff
6-4-2010
This week a fellow photography partner and I unvailed: Clique: Unique and unforgettable senior portrait and video experience. click link here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Fargo-ND/Clique-A-Senior-Portrait-Experience/115166398526239?ajaxpipe=1&__a=38
We offer video and photography in one package for upcoming seniors. It was time for a change in the senior market, and we’ll see how this does. With facebook, photograph slideshows can be too slow for this generation, they need excitement and constant change. I’ll keep you updated on how well it goes!
Tomorrow, I’ll be shooting a wedding on the roof of a very fancy hotel and restaurants, that is located downtown Fargo. I can’t wait to see how well the photographs look. It should be a fun experience.
Have a great weekend and I’ll be back next tuesday to share what I know.
No commentsReason for lateness
5.27.2010
Sorry about not being on schedule these past few weeks. I’m working on a new project that I can’t wait to share with you, however, I have to keep it low key for now. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to share it.
I Just got back from a day trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It was a nice 72 degree day with low clouds. Very, very nice to try some HDR and polarizing filter shots. Here are a few of my favorites! Have a great weekend everybody!
Photos:
No comments