Something a little different

A week ago I was trying to think what I could do differently for the last St. Louis Rams home game of the season. Do I attempt a remote somewhere, do I spend the game using just a certain lens, what can I do a little out of the norm? I decided to use a Nikon V2 mirrorless camera with a 10mm f2.8 lens, which on this camera is equivalent to a 27mm lens in 35mm format. I also decided to shoot entirely in black and white mode. Now the thing about this self imposed project is that I still have to do my job, shooting pre-game images for the Rams Marketing department, Group Sales, Media Relations, and shoot and transmit action for a wire service. I spent a little more time shooting the players during their pre-game warm up, so I could get a feel for what I was looking for. I was able to capture my normal assortment of images documenting the game and then transmitting 40 images afterwards. Later in the evening I started reviewing my black and white images to create a small gallery of my favorites. It was while I was editing the images that I decided to use the post-processing software Silver Efex Pro2, this allowed me to add more clarity and contrast and give the photos more impact. Although I ended up with some images I liked, I really didn't end up with one amazing shot that really stuck out. I was just pleased with the fact that I could do my job, but still come away with a different gallery of photos from the game. Here is a link to the gallery: http://scottrovak.zenfolio.com/ramsb_w

An Open Letter to New Photographers

          Some things can’t be bought. Some things only come with time. Some things have to be earned. Some things take a lifetime to achieve. The latest camera or lens won’t get you the success you seek. The best workshop or photo conference won’t make you an overnight rock star. Following all the cool kids on Google+ or Twitter won’t make you a camera craftsman. Simply feeling like you’re entitled to recognition won’t bring it. Spoofing polls, pestering your friends for “likes” or begging for fans doesn’t cut it.

          Time – that’s the one thing you can’t cheat. To become a true master of photography you need to put in the time. No matter how much you want it. No matter how much you think you deserve it. Success in photography comes only with time – mixed in with a liberal dose of practice, passion, patience and perseverance.

By Scott Bourne, check out his blog at http://photofocus.com/

Back again

Well, I thought I would give it a go again and attempt to blog. My last post was in 2009, so a lot has happened since then. There has been another Cardinals World Series Championship, new camera gear, and more. I am also teaching photography classes for Creve Coeur Camera when my schedule allows. I really enjoy teaching and with their 10 stores, Creve Coeur has a great customer base. Usually I teach Portrait, Landscape, Flash-Lighting, and of course Sports. But recently I started teaching a class based on the business of photography , and I am going to bring a few of those discussions here to my blog along with my normal updates of what & where I have been shooting. On a side note, the St. Louis Sports Magazine which I was involved with, is no longer being published. So I thought this is a good place to show images and discuss how they were achieved. Now, in case anyone is reading this....Welcome back!