Halloween is today and the start of November is tomorrow.  In 2007 I did a 30 days project in November where every day I took an image and posted it on the blog. Based to the feedback I received last year once again I will do a 30 days project.  Be sure to check back every day in November for an image and let me know what you think as I progress through the month.

The month of October was a busy one for traveling with a week spent out west and then a recent trip to New York City as talked about on this blog in the past couple of days.  While I was in Northern California, I had the opportunity to have a tilt/shift lens with me.  In basic terms, tilt/shift lens allows you to position the lens in a different plane to your camera.  With the shift movement parallel lines are kept straight giving you a natural result on a building as you look up instead of converging lines.  With the tilt adjustment you adjust the plane of lens and get a result of everything on a similar focal plane.  This allows you to use larger f-stops in landscape photography which is quite useful with wildflowers as with a small f-stop a longer shutter speed results.  As some movement may occur with the flowers especially with a slight breeze you start to get motion unless you are able to use a quicker shutter speed.

One other effect which is possible is making everyday objects look like minatures with the adjustment of the tilt.  This effect is what I was using while in San Francisco and later in Napa Valley on some images I took during the trip.

Cable Car – San Francisco

Napa Valley (you can see a little smoke on the horizon from a wild fire which broke out that day north of Napa)

As I mentioned in my blog post yesterday, last week and into the weekend I was at PhotoPlus in New York City.  On Sunday I decided to take the subway to Times Square with my point and shoot camera and take some images.  With the Canon G9 (now replaced by the G10) you do get some controls and for these images I decided to shoot in Aperture Priority mode allowing me to control the depth of field.  Adjust the aperture as well as the ISO I was able to get some slow enough shutter speeds so when I moved the camera I would get a blur in the scene.  Some of this involved tricking the meter, which leads to the blown out highlights especially in the image of the flags in Rockefeller Plaza.

Times Square has always hinted towards action with a quick pace and the neon in the evening.  Also on Broadway and 7th Avenue you will constantly see the movement of yellow cabs, but that is also true througout Manhattan.

As I headed across 50th Street towards Rockefeller Plaza I noticed a good stream of people heading that way, and as I ate a pretzel on the corner of 50th and Avenue of the Americas I also noted the neon on Radio City Music Hall.  At first I was trying to get the people crossing the avenue but the frame just wasn’t working and as I continued down 50th noticed the NBC Studios sign which I figured could work in the frame.  The below image was also captured with a slow shutter speed and is not cropped since I thought the position of the closest two people was perfect in this frame and didn’t want to lose that at all.

Once I got to Rockefeller Plaza I was looking down at the people skating on the rink and just couldn’t get anything I liked and focused my attention on the flags of all the countries throughout the plaza.  With part of the plaza in shadow and the top of 30 Rock in sun I knew it would be tricky to meter so I decided to meter on just the shade and let the sky blow out in highlights.

Almost all of the images I took on this day were a little different and tried to stretch the camera abilities to the limits than the normal scenes in New York City.

After getting back from PhotoPlus and catching up on things I can now write about the trip to New York City.  For those of you not aware of PhotoPlus this is the largest photo conference and expo in North America which occurs at the end of October each year. When you attend the event, you also have the choice of going to just the expo or attending one of the many seminars offered during the three day event. My feeling is if you are heading in from outside the tri-state area it makes sense to take advantage of the time while you are there and hit some of the seminars as well as anything for free which you may be able to take advantage of from the professional organizations you are a member.  My schedule consisted of eight seminars as well as the hour long sessions provided by the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP).

I will just mention the seminars I attended which consisted of using small flash for lighting, marketing, stock photography, technical elements of small flash, and travel and lifestyle photography.  I could probably talk about each one for quite a while, so I don’t want to go on too much.  Through ASMP, I also had the opportunity to sit down with Detroit Photographer Blake Discher to talk about search engine optimization on my website and get some helpful pointers of the next steps to be taken for my websites.

In addition to the expo and seminars it is also about networking, and visiting New York allowed me to catch up with some friends who live there.  First off was photographer Caryn Posnansky who I met in Missoula and actually I have spent more time talking with after the intensive programs of RMSP.  Caryn was nice enough to let me crash at her place saving a good amount of money during the trip.  Additionally I met up with Ahron Foster and his wife who I met at the AMSP SB2 seminars this past April in Chicago.  Ahron’s photographic focus is musicians and after dinner on Friday night in the village we went to see the Chris Bergson Band, a group he has photographed in the past, at the Rodeo Bar.  The sound of the band was quite good with a blues influence you can get a feel for the style of music at Amazon or iTunes.

In addition to the NYC people, I came across Liz and Page from the Rocky Mountain School of Photography and had a chance to chat with them briefly at their booth in the expo hall.  I also ran into Becker who operates The [b] School doing some video in the hall as well.

On my final day in New York City I decided to take the subway to Times Square and just walk around eventually making it back to the upper east side via Rockefeller Center and 5th Avenue where I was staying and catch a cab to the airport.  Look for another post for some images I took on the streets of New York.

The trip to NYC and PhotoPlus was a good where were I came across some interesting products, learned a lot of new information and enjoyed the city.  But I think all the oxygen was getting to me so it was nice to head back to the mile high city and the thinner air.

As this past weekend marked the 11th anniversary of the 1997 Colorado Blizzard it is only appropriate that the linking the week site is the Mini Motel for this week.  Most people who were in the Denver area during the blizzard remember the many feet of snow which fell, but more so the four thousand passengers stranded at Denver International Airport .  As Pena Boulevard was closed by the time my flight landed, I was one of those four thousand people.  I even woke up on the B Concourse Saturday morning about ten feet away from Johnnie Cochran .  Anyways that is a whole different story but the Mini Motel is something which could have been useful during the blizzard weekend for the many folks stranded at the airport.

The Mini Motel is a product which was recently developed by an entrepreneur, inventor and business traveler after noticing the problems of being stuck at the airport especially in recent years with overbooked flights, airport hotels filled to capacity and the hard airport benches or floor being the main option for rest.  Weighing in at under five pounds the motel is a kit which you carry in a laptop bag or other piece of carry on luggage and it can quickly turn into a personal tent where you can get some rest at the airport.  Included in the Mini Motel package is an air mattress, pillow, bed sheet, alarm clock, reading light, ear plugs and eye shades.  On the website are the assembly instructions of the motel, which make it appear easy but of course everyone knows how that could work once it comes time to use the product.  You are probably wondering how much this would cost but it comes in at a reasonable price of $49.95 USD, cheaper than a hotel and less of a hassle since all you need to do is find some floor at the airport.

Now I am wondering how practical is this idea, and if anyone has seen one in use at of yet.  Let me know in the comments what you think of this and if you have walked through an airport and spotted a Mini Motel.

This month for the f/22 profile we head west to the Bay Area and talk to Annie Florin a child and baby photographer in San Francisco.  I have known Annie for over a year now and have watched from a distance as her business has grown.  A couple of weeks ago when I was in San Francisco I met with her on afternoon and caught up, and this past weekend asked if she would be the f/22 profile for this month.  I would like to thank Annie for taking time from her busy schedule and being the f/22 profile photographer this month.

What was it which got you interested in photography?
I’d have to say that overall my strongest influence was my father.  From as early as I can remember he was using SLRs and taking photographs of anything and everything.  Photographs, his and others’, were always on the walls. I can remember dozens of trips to the photo lab and being so excited to look at the black and white proof sheets he got back. Of course, it was also a running joke in our family that if we were out and about and didn’t know where our Dad was, it was safe to assume he got held up photographing something. Through him I was introduced to the idea of how powerful a photograph of a child can be for a parent. My parents divorced when I was very young and every summer my older sister and I would spend a month with my Dad in Chicago. Throughout this whole month he would take hundreds of portraits of my sister and me. As a kid I was annoyed at having to hold still for so long. As a photographer and now a parent, I understand he was trying to capture the moments as best he could so he’d have those images to sustain him during the periods we were apart.

Switching from a hobby of photography to a career is a tough decision since photography is a competitive field, what drove you to make this decision.
Honestly, I didn’t feel I had much choice. Throughout college and my years of teaching, I struggled to find a career that really felt like a good fit. I loved teaching but knew it wasn’t my “forever career”. You know that scene in “Office Space” when Peter ponders the question “what would you do if you had a million dollars?”. Well my answer to that was always an easy one: photography.  I wasn’t sure what my focus would be except I knew that it needed to really matter to me.  So it was sort of a blind leap of faith (rather than a solidly laid plan) that I left my teaching position and began my own education by attending the Rocky Mountain School of Photography, and merging my love of children with my passion for photography just unfolded naturally.

Living in San Francisco and being a photographer using natural light for the images, do you find it difficult on those days which produce blue skies?
Actually the sunny days don’t throw me too much. They’re challenging, sure, but I’ve become adept at working around the harsh sunlight. A summer in Montana will do that for you!  I know how to seek out shade and lately I’ve started experimenting with techniques which use sun flare and backlighting.

The real challenge for me in San Francisco is the persistent grey, foggy days. While they’re  ideal for outdoor shoots (soft-box in the sky!), they make indoor shooting tough. I like for my sessions to include some time in client’s home because I think it gives a context to the images, an intimacy that the outdoor lacks. But it often means that I’m shooting at higher than ideal ISOs which is what recently led me to upgrade to the Canon 5D.

Your primary focus is baby and child photography and as you were a teacher prior to the career change, how do you feel it shows during your shoots as well as with your work?
Well, I taught special education working with young children with severe emotional and behavioral problems so my experience in knowing how to shape behavior for a desired result comes in pretty handy! Also knowing what kinds of behaviors and attitudes are developmentally appropriate makes me more sensitive and flexible during shoots and more aware of what expressions are essential to capture for certain ages.
I think it can also reassure parents that I’m comfortable with their kids and don’t have any expectations of “perfectly behaved kids”.

In terms of the images that I capture, I think having taught the kids I did has influenced the type of expressions I’m drawn to photographing. I tend to bring out more curious, thoughtful and intimate expressions as opposed to the goofy or smiley ones. It’s something that I have to remind myself to work on during shoots so that I’m getting a good balance of images, some of the classically smiling little one and some of the contemplative child.

Earlier this year your husband and yourself welcomed your son into the world, how has this changed your business?
Oh boy has he changed things! Like all major life changes, there’s the good and the “challenges”.  The amazing part of becoming a mother is a new appreciation for the value of photographs.  The moments of babyhood are so fleeting and the littlest look, the slightest curl of hair or the way a baby holds his pinkie, are so important to have captured.

Being a mother has also opened a lot of doors for me in that it’s introduced me to “The Mommy World”. Moms talk. A lot. To each other, to kids, to teachers, to friends, to family, to me!  Meeting people first as a mother, then as a photographer really helps clients feel they can relate to me and trust me.

As for the challenges the basic issue is just a shortage of uninterrupted time to devote to my work. There are days it’s overwhelming to juggle and balance the two roles but having to do so has definitely taught me to be more productive with the little bursts of time I do get.

The last few months of the year are probably quite busy for you, are there any items you have available for your clients this year to make it a special holiday season?
I’m really excited for the holidays this year because I’ve teamed up with Minted.com to offer a fantastic selection of holiday cards. They have such fresh and modern designs and the quality of the printing and paper is unmatched by any other company I’ve worked with. Not to mention they are also a San Francisco-based company!

This year I’ve put together a variety of holiday card sessions and packages, giving my clients several options. One exclusive offering is mini-sessions. Ordinarily I don’t do this but at this time of year, people are busy and goal-oriented about their holiday tasks. They want to get their photos and their cards and be done. They don’t necessarily want a 2 hour session or to sort through hundreds of possible holiday
card designs. So I’ve simplified the process for them by bundling mini-sessions and packages of holiday cards.

Outside of the baby and child photography which you concentrate on for your business, are there any other areas you enjoy exploring with your camera for personal projects or do you find that it focuses on your son?
I can tell by your question that you’ve been checking my Flickr page! What? 50 pictures in a row of the same baby isn’t riveting artwork? Ha! It’s true that I take a lot of pictures of Jack. Partly that’s because he’s a great little subject and just as cute as can be (right? RIGHT?!) but also because my days are pretty much consumed with caring for him minute by minute. My photography often reflects what is present and valued in my life at any given time. Before becoming a mother, it was often my dog or San Francisco. During pregnancy, it was chocolate cake. No kidding. Now it’s Jack.

I do miss having the free time to go out shooting as a way of exploring the city. I find that when I have my camera in my hands, I’m braver, more confident and more open to the world. It gives me the opportunity
to capture the essence of the urban environment – the beautifully ugly and the grandiose. I’m hoping that as we settle in more as a family, I’ll find a way to do more of this again.

It has been quite an exciting twelve months for you with the quickly growing business as well as everything else.  Is there anything in particular you learned during this timeframe which you would like to share with the readers?
It’s definitely been a life-changing year in many ways but professionally speaking the thing I’ve really come to learn this year is about creating and maintaining a community of peers. The fellow photographers
I met during my training at Rocky Mountain School of Photography have come to be not just my friends but my colleagues. Through them I get inspiration, learn about business practices and continue to stay in the loop on technology and workflow. Doing freelance work and being self-employed can be somewhat isolating so you have to really seek out a professional community and fortunately our profession is so compatible with creating internet communities.

Copyright Annie Florin

Copyright Annie Florin

You may see more of Annie’s work at the following sites:
Annie Florin Photography – San Francisco Baby and Child Photographer
Flashes of Life Blog – Annie Florin
Annie Florin Flickr

Look for another f/22 profile in November.

Earlier this month I rented a tilt shift lens and shot with it for a couple of weeks which included a trip out to California where I used it primarily in San Francisco.  Look for some of those images to be posted in the next few days, but until then take a look at the type of effects the tilt shift lens can produce.

Tilt-shift Video

Today marks two weeks to the 2008 general election here in the United States.  It is also the day I sent my ballot in the mail stating my preferences in the national, state and local election.  Here in Colorado the ballot is quite long with 16 choices for President which includes some parties I have never even heard off prior to looking at the ballot this year.  In addition to the presidential choice there is the US senator and representative, state senator and representative, as well as other local offices. There are also 13 amendments on the ballot, 5 referendums, and 1 referred issue.  Lastly throw in the 23 judges across four levels to determine if they should be retained and you have quite a long ballot.

I normally request a mail in ballot as it became habit when on the road, but with the length of the ballot this year it just makes sense.  Now with my choices made for the 2008 election, I just wish there was a way to turn off the radio and television advertisements, phone calls and direct mail pieces which will continue to find their way into my life for 14 more days.

The 2008 PDN PhotoPlus Conference + Expo is coming up this week at the Javits Center in New York City.  With hundreds of exhibitors and around 100 seminars in the conference portion PhotoPlus is one of the leading shows in the industry and this weeks Linking the Week site.

I will be attending PhotoPlus this year for my first time and am looking forward to the conference, expo as well as meeting up with people who I have meet in the past.  If you will be attending let me know and we can try to meet up during the length of the expo.  See you in NYC.

Last month I posted two images taken during a flight over the summer, and asked you to guess the location.. besides being in an airplane.  Anyways, if you didn’t get a chance to guess you may find the images by visiting the following post:

http://www.neilcormanimages.com/blog/2008/09/14/where-was-i/

Now that you have guessed… here are the answers…

1. Carson City, Nevada.  You can see the new 395 bypass being built around the town as well Washoe Lake north of Carson City.

2. The east side of Lake Tahoe, with Hwy 28 seen snaking through the trees.