Taking baby portraits is always a fun job, but when it is your own baby it is extra special. I’ve got my mobile studio setup ready for travel to new parents’ homes. Getting infant photos in the first 10 days works best as the babies tend to be the sleepiest and the most pose-able.
Today I spent some time testing out some new studio gear: a black backdrop and stand. Since I didn’t have a willing subject to test with, I had to improvise with Simon the sock monkey. This shot was with one remote flash on camera-left pointing near parallel to the background. I need to spend a bit more time working on the lighting for various situations but not bad for the first session.
Last night, the Petaluma Speedway hosted their final event of the 2009 racing season, a 200 lap enduro. As the 39 entrants lined up on the track before the start, nearly half of the 3/8 mile track was covered with cars. The field was made up of a wide variety of cars including a Volvo, a Lincoln Towncar, 2 Ford Falcons, a Toyota Corolla, lots of Chevy Monte Carlos, and a bunch of others. Rules of the enduro were simple. No yellow flags. If a car died, it was left on the track for the rest of the race right where it died and the driver and co-driver remained inside.
Congrats to Danny Marsh (shown above) for his first race in his 1964 Ford Falcon.
Check out the full gallery of photos.
The goal for yesterday was to get some shots of the J24 National Championships that could be used for the J-Boats calendar. The sun was out after a week of fog, but the wind never materialized. What to do instead – baby photos. Congrats Meredith and Blair!
I’ve seen lots of Where’s George stamps and other messages written on dollar bills but this is a new one for me…
I have shot photos before at the charity fun run supporting the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands, but until yesterday, I had never been to the center. It’s a new facility that gives visitors a close-up view of the animals receiving care.
After request from several friends, I’m starting to organize a photo walk in San Francisco. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Here’s the idea…
Everyone brings their camera gear and we go on a group hike (safari) in a neighborhood of San Francisco. The walk will take us past several San Francisco vistas and along the way we’ll get to experience the atmosphere of the particular neighborhood. By walking, we’ll get to see things that we would normally just cruise right by.
Everyone should have a general understanding of how their camera and equipment operates but I will provide some coaching and tips as we go. We can also trade gear within the group so people can try new lenses, etc.
At the end of the safari, we’ll take a look at everyones’ photos and do a group critique.
A couple other variations I’m considering:
Please let me know if this sounds like something you would be interested in. Also, suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I’m very excited that my new camera, a Nikon D300, has arrived and is ready for action.
After adding on a few extra components (extra grip, extra battery, battery hatch, battery charger), I’ve boosted it up to 8 frames per second, faster than my old D200′s 5 frames per second. This combined with improvements in the camera’s image processing should help me capture some awesome action photos. It’s only one frame per second than the Nikon D3 and has the APS size sensor instead of the full frame so it gets me 1.5 times closer to the action too.
I’m getting rid of my Nikon D70 if anyone is interested, let me know. It’s a great camera and will serve someone well. Here’s the review of the D70 by DPReview.com.
As I was on the way home last night, I looked over and saw a cruise ship heading out to see. I hurried over to Fort Point and got a shot as it sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. It certainly was a beautiful night to be on a cruise.
I just recently started using Twitter as a way to update people about my photography. If you’re interested in seeing my latest surfing, windsurfing, sailing, and other photos go to twitter.com/shawnrdavis and “follow” me. Also, if you are headed somewhere that you think might be cool for photos, send me a message via Twitter and let me know. I may just meet you there…
