I am used to dark theatres and low light, being able to shoot ISO 100 and still get 1/2000 second shutter speeds took some getting used to, but it's awesome!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Giant Step Back(up)wards
Ok, so last week while processing images from the #BeingLovedIs circus charity event I shot on 18 Jan 2013 I ran out of space on my hard drive. I knew this was inevitable, I just didn't realize it would happen so soon... damn plug in editors that create a second master file in aperture just to remove noise... anyway, I spent the weekend designing my future storage and backup systems in theory, and ordering the external hard drives and software to make it possible.
This afternoon the last of it arrived. So, I just split up my collection in to a personal and professional library and now have a working external drive for professional projects, and both my personal and professional libraries are backed up in multiple locations.
Despite having all the data backed up in at least two places that would not be effected by anything I did wrong in this process, deleting 150gb of images off my primary hard drive generated quite a bit of fear and trepidation overcome with a heaping dose of Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Stout. Initial testing appears good, I am fully functional, ready to rock, and have plenty of room for growth and upcoming shoots!
Guess I will also try to tie this to some valuable life lesson or philosophy, so here it goes. Over the past few years I have learned that in order to grow and move into a bigger, better space, whether it's computer storage, love, or life, you have to be willing to take risks, face your fears, and maybe get rid of some of the old baggage that's tying you into your present situation.
This afternoon the last of it arrived. So, I just split up my collection in to a personal and professional library and now have a working external drive for professional projects, and both my personal and professional libraries are backed up in multiple locations.
Despite having all the data backed up in at least two places that would not be effected by anything I did wrong in this process, deleting 150gb of images off my primary hard drive generated quite a bit of fear and trepidation overcome with a heaping dose of Ballast Point Victory at Sea Imperial Stout. Initial testing appears good, I am fully functional, ready to rock, and have plenty of room for growth and upcoming shoots!
Guess I will also try to tie this to some valuable life lesson or philosophy, so here it goes. Over the past few years I have learned that in order to grow and move into a bigger, better space, whether it's computer storage, love, or life, you have to be willing to take risks, face your fears, and maybe get rid of some of the old baggage that's tying you into your present situation.
Monday, January 28, 2013
What's in a name?
So, why Happy Dragon Photography? There are many reasons that all sort of converged on it. I had/have my aerial performance, rigging and instruction company Aerial Monster Entertainment but that name came out of an inside joke from my failed marriage. As 2012 was closing and I was seriously thinking about putting my photography out there, I realized that the aerialmonster name was a link; however weak, to the past I was trying to get away from and I needed to rebrand to move forward. So I started trying to come up with a good name.
Flash back to a year ago as I started getting ready for this past festival season, I was looking for a way to make it easy for friends (and pregnant GF who would be coming late to join me at a few) to find my camp. So I got a flagpole and started looking for flags. The two I liked best were a Smily Face flag and a Dragon shaped wind sock, so in medieval tradition I told people to look for me under the sign of the Happy Dragon.
Then there is my son. Born in the Year of the Dragon, we decided to give him the middle name Draegon since he is our little dragon. As mentioned before, he was also the impetus behind this new foray in to photography.
So, when I was getting ready to set up the web site and going through images I had taken trying to find a logo and come up with branding, I came across a picture of him with a dragon hat on and a cute smile and the branding hit me like a freight train.
There you have it, that's how Happy Dragon Photography got the name. I am in the process of incorporating it and once that is done phasing out AerialMonster over the next year.
Flash back to a year ago as I started getting ready for this past festival season, I was looking for a way to make it easy for friends (and pregnant GF who would be coming late to join me at a few) to find my camp. So I got a flagpole and started looking for flags. The two I liked best were a Smily Face flag and a Dragon shaped wind sock, so in medieval tradition I told people to look for me under the sign of the Happy Dragon.
Then there is my son. Born in the Year of the Dragon, we decided to give him the middle name Draegon since he is our little dragon. As mentioned before, he was also the impetus behind this new foray in to photography.
So, when I was getting ready to set up the web site and going through images I had taken trying to find a logo and come up with branding, I came across a picture of him with a dragon hat on and a cute smile and the branding hit me like a freight train.
There you have it, that's how Happy Dragon Photography got the name. I am in the process of incorporating it and once that is done phasing out AerialMonster over the next year.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
First Shots....
Hello and welcome. About eight months into my third journey into serious photgraphy, figured I would start to blog about the whole thing so maybe someone else can learn from my mistakes and my successes. (ok- and maybe it will help my SEO a bit as well, but that's just full disclosure and bonus points, right?)
Attempt one was in high school. I read a lot of books on photography and thought it would be neat. My parents, who have always been supportive of my crazy tendencies, saved up and got me a nice SLR for christmas, a Cannon AE-1P. Film camera in those days. My high school had film and television classes, and had a darkroom, so I actually was able to learn how to do my own black & white darkroom work. Never had the resources for color so never did learn that. I was really interested in sports photography, since I also played a few, so my dad, who was a Sergeant on the New Orleans Police Department, used some connections and got me onto the sidelines for a few college games Super Dome. I even got to shoot one Sugar Bowl. (can't remember which one, and Katrina destroyed all the prints and negatives which stayed home when I left) Alas, the experiment was cut short when our house was robbed and the camera gear was stolen.
Attempt two was in college. I saved up for a while and bought myself a Nikon 6006. Still film, this was the mid 1990s and digital was still a novelty. Took some travel pics as I was sent around the world for summer training. Alas, before too much time had passed, my apartment was robbed and once again, the camera gear was stolen. I was a dumb college student, hadn't heard of useful concepts like "renter's insurance." At that point, I sort of decided the universe was giving me the subtle hint that maybe photography wasn't really what I was meant to do with my life.
Fast forward a decade. Many times in the intervening years I thought about giving photography another serious run, never lost my love for it, but also never really had the spare change to drop on a decent camera. Then I found out my girlfriend was pregnant. I was going to be a dad. I still didn't have the money to drop on a serious camera, but I decided if I ever was going to get another one, I would kick my own butt if I didn't do it in time for my son's birth. So I did with a little help from the grandparents (you don't live close, so you're going to want lots of pictures of your first grandson aren't you mom....?) So, new DLSR- this time with insurance, and away I went!
No pictures of the actual birth, sorry, I was a bit pre-occupied at the time, but plenty since, I have a very photogenic son (and girlfriend for that matter) which you will see from time to time. But I don't want to be one of those people who just takes pictures of their kid, and it's hard to shine out from the crowd now that anyone with a digital camera (even me) can call themselves a photographer. So I decided I should focus on something I knew well and loved. Enter my other passion- circus. The past several years I have become a circus artist. Flying trapeze, fabrics, partner acrobatics, fire dancing, stilt walking, all sorts of new things. (actually, I learned to juggle and eat fire back in high school as well, so I guess the past is really catching up to me from multiple angles.) Even met the previously mentioned girlfriend and baby-mama on the flying trapeze. So, instead of posed studio shoots, I am concentrating on performances. Done several shows and festivals so far around San Diego, and lucked into being able to shoot at the San Francisco Burning Man Decompression Party this past year. Learning a bit more each time and getting better. Upgraded to some serious glass, and learning my way around post processing in the digital darkroom.
I enlisted in the Navy right after high school, after a couple of years I got picked up for a NROTC scholarship and have been a Naval Officer ever since college. The past few years have seen some dramatic changes in my life. Found circus, got a long and difficult divorce, found a new girlfriend, became a father, and realized my Naval career was coming to a close. Leading to the question of- what next? I have a few years left before I retire, but it's time to start looking and moving forward. I am hoping photography can be a large part of the answer to the question.
So. Have camera, will travel. You can keep up with my adventures here, and see the results at the new site I put up mostly to mark my commitment to the art-Happy Dragon Photography take a look and tell me what you thing. And take a trip with me- don't worry, I'll bring the camera, and you only have to look at the vacation slide show if you want to click on it. If I do my job right, you will.
Attempt one was in high school. I read a lot of books on photography and thought it would be neat. My parents, who have always been supportive of my crazy tendencies, saved up and got me a nice SLR for christmas, a Cannon AE-1P. Film camera in those days. My high school had film and television classes, and had a darkroom, so I actually was able to learn how to do my own black & white darkroom work. Never had the resources for color so never did learn that. I was really interested in sports photography, since I also played a few, so my dad, who was a Sergeant on the New Orleans Police Department, used some connections and got me onto the sidelines for a few college games Super Dome. I even got to shoot one Sugar Bowl. (can't remember which one, and Katrina destroyed all the prints and negatives which stayed home when I left) Alas, the experiment was cut short when our house was robbed and the camera gear was stolen.
Attempt two was in college. I saved up for a while and bought myself a Nikon 6006. Still film, this was the mid 1990s and digital was still a novelty. Took some travel pics as I was sent around the world for summer training. Alas, before too much time had passed, my apartment was robbed and once again, the camera gear was stolen. I was a dumb college student, hadn't heard of useful concepts like "renter's insurance." At that point, I sort of decided the universe was giving me the subtle hint that maybe photography wasn't really what I was meant to do with my life.
Fast forward a decade. Many times in the intervening years I thought about giving photography another serious run, never lost my love for it, but also never really had the spare change to drop on a decent camera. Then I found out my girlfriend was pregnant. I was going to be a dad. I still didn't have the money to drop on a serious camera, but I decided if I ever was going to get another one, I would kick my own butt if I didn't do it in time for my son's birth. So I did with a little help from the grandparents (you don't live close, so you're going to want lots of pictures of your first grandson aren't you mom....?) So, new DLSR- this time with insurance, and away I went!
No pictures of the actual birth, sorry, I was a bit pre-occupied at the time, but plenty since, I have a very photogenic son (and girlfriend for that matter) which you will see from time to time. But I don't want to be one of those people who just takes pictures of their kid, and it's hard to shine out from the crowd now that anyone with a digital camera (even me) can call themselves a photographer. So I decided I should focus on something I knew well and loved. Enter my other passion- circus. The past several years I have become a circus artist. Flying trapeze, fabrics, partner acrobatics, fire dancing, stilt walking, all sorts of new things. (actually, I learned to juggle and eat fire back in high school as well, so I guess the past is really catching up to me from multiple angles.) Even met the previously mentioned girlfriend and baby-mama on the flying trapeze. So, instead of posed studio shoots, I am concentrating on performances. Done several shows and festivals so far around San Diego, and lucked into being able to shoot at the San Francisco Burning Man Decompression Party this past year. Learning a bit more each time and getting better. Upgraded to some serious glass, and learning my way around post processing in the digital darkroom.
I enlisted in the Navy right after high school, after a couple of years I got picked up for a NROTC scholarship and have been a Naval Officer ever since college. The past few years have seen some dramatic changes in my life. Found circus, got a long and difficult divorce, found a new girlfriend, became a father, and realized my Naval career was coming to a close. Leading to the question of- what next? I have a few years left before I retire, but it's time to start looking and moving forward. I am hoping photography can be a large part of the answer to the question.
So. Have camera, will travel. You can keep up with my adventures here, and see the results at the new site I put up mostly to mark my commitment to the art-Happy Dragon Photography take a look and tell me what you thing. And take a trip with me- don't worry, I'll bring the camera, and you only have to look at the vacation slide show if you want to click on it. If I do my job right, you will.
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