Self

I haven't done a self portrait in some time. Not one worth looking at anyway. Not one that was any different from all the other iSight pictures everybody posts on Facebook.

Yesterday though, I took the opportunity to do just that.

Inspired by the shower sequence in the movie "I, Robot" where Will Smith can be seen in a similar position, except you get to see a bit *ahem* more of him than you see of me. I'm fine with that, and I'm guessing you are too.

Fairly simple setup. My bare SB600 is on a tripod close the the ceiling in the back of the shower (away from the water) bouncing light in my general direction. I would have preferred to do this with a set of AB800 strobes, but I've got to wait a few weeks before I amass enough cash to purchase them. I expect I'll have a simple set by the middle of July.

When was the last time you did a self portrait that was even a little out of the ordinary? Give it a try! I expect you'll like the results.

June Background!

You've seen both these pictures before - but now they have been formatted to fit your screen!

After last month's simple black and white background, I've opted for options that are much more alive and colorful.

Enjoy!

Also, I updated www.mattbeaty.net with photos from May. The vast majority of these photos have been on the blog already, but I included a few bonus shots as well.

I updated Flickr as well - If you haven't been over recently, check it out! 

Old School Challenge: results!

Scott Kelby of NAPP challenged the photo world to shoot 24 or 36 frames old-school style; no chimping on the LCD.

I accepted *part* of his challenge - I shot my 24 frames just like I would have if I was shooting film. Manual focus, manual exposure, no chimping. I did not, however, have a print made from Mpix - they're not cheap and I have better uses for my limited funds. Don't get me wrong, I've had orders for clients done by Mpix and they rock.

Anyway, here are my picks.

Bertie

Sean

Front yard

Sparklers

Overall I very much enjoyed the challenge! 

With any luck I'll have a self-portrait up sometime this week. Not sure when - I have to wait for my muse to strike. Sometime before Sunday though.

Unless something terribly interesting comes along, I probably will not be posting regularly during the week. I hope you had a great Memorial Day!

Old School Challenge

Scott Kelby put up a challenge today - shoot 24 or 36 frames without looking at your LCD. I'm gonna do it.

LINK to his original post!

His challenge also includes the opportunity to donate $$$ to an orphanage in Kenya.

Openness

I was out shooting yesterday evening for a project that will remain un-named for now. This project required several things to come together *just* right, so I was focused rather intently on the factors that were going to change and make this picture super awesome.

As such, it took me a solid 10 minutes to realize I was surrounded by other potential pictures, each of them as good or better than the one that was in my head at the time.

While I waited for the sun to set, I shot the following:

Then as the light approached I got the pictures I wanted (sort of). I then ran from the approaching rain.

The moral of the story: look around and keep your mind open to the world around you. You are almost always surrounded by photos just waiting to be taken!

Car ride back to Boulder

During my long road trips I keep my D300 + 18-55mm kit lens at hand.

Got some decent shots, considering I was rocking 75+ mph on the highway...

Both look a little HDR-ish, but they aren't. They each have just a few adjustments in post processing.

Whenever I establish a driving buddy, as in the case of this Ford Fusion, I make sure to photograph them. I enjoyed about an hour with an older Porsche 911 as well, unfortunatelyAlbuquerque from the highway doesn't exactly make for an inspiring background and I couldn't get a decent angle on the Porsche.

I finished off my first day of a real job today - 8 hours of paperwork, orientation and stuffing envelopes (I am the intern, after all).

More pictures to come *sometime* in the next few days... I just don't know when.

Yesterday...

I spent yesterday hiking to and around downtown Flagstaff. I brought my camera along and took pictures of anything and everything that caught my fancy - a few of them are good enough to show off here. I shot with my 28mm f/2.8 all day, most of the time wide open with high shutter speeds. 

I spent today cleaning and packing; tomorrow I'll be driving back to Boulder, CO to start a summer internship and to (hopefully) get back into my groove shooting families, portraits, and a gorgeous car once in a while... We'll likely experience some continuing Blog Lite around here whilst I get settled in Boulder. Have a great couple days!