Travelin' About

Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment. – Ansel Adams While I constantly feel compelled to capture a scene,  I have a difficult time looking through my images, many of which are really quite lovely, to find one or two that I'd like to submit to competition. I have participated in competitions for years. They are, in a word, brutal. Judges tell you why the image would have been better if it had been taken at a different time of day, from a different perspective, if it were only darker, or lighter, or had fewer distractions. Spectacular images are presented to the judges. The audience pauses, not daring to breathe, and then the judges proceed to say that the image is good, BUT.... And once again, after having spent hours trying to decide which were best and which I should submit to the ridicule, I carry my images home feeling depressed that, once again, I have not "scored." Somehow this process does educate...

'Tis the season to recognize others and the impact they have on your world. I am very grateful to the people who have put their trust in me and allowed me to photograph their events and be part of the special moments in their lives. I am also grateful to those of you who read my blog.  I don't get a lot of feedback (feel free to respond in any way!) but every now and then someone tells me they've been reading and it makes it all worth my while!  Hopefully, in 2011, I'll do more "behind the scenes" articles where I'll show you what the set up looked like and what challenges we met. I was blessed this past week with being asked to take portraits of some very beautiful young women of varying ages, all who made great subjects. They make photography easy and a pleasure to edit. Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, a holiday filled with love and laughter and a year to come complete with many, many wonderful, photographic moments. Happy Holida...

Been busy this week with a nice variety of tasks. Shot a young boy who is contemplating modeling and had fun with his younger brother as well who looks like he'll make a great director/manager for his sibling. I hope to go back and take some outdoor shots as well. I think the texture of the rocks in his backyard and a barn down the street will make some great backgrounds. I also shot a dance company's recital. It was full of energy and capturing the young women was quite a challenge.  The one above is my favorite. I shot a one year old's birthday party. She is part Korean and they dressed her in her mother's traditional garb to see how she would choose her destiny. As you can see, she'll be a scholar since she immediately went for the book. On Monday night I shot a nonprofit event at Locust Grove, Samuel Morse's Estate, that provided Women in Transition with spa treatments.  It was a lovely event and I actually got to do some much needed networking as we...

So bring on the red! As you can see, not everyone got the memo (or paid attention to it) but my point is, pay attention to what you chose to wear for a photo shoot (or advise your client). Solid colors with no logos work best. As you can see, my family is very cooperative about posing for the group shot. I am always surprised at having to tell clients how to line up, since my family is so accommodating. We usually even fall into "age order." But most people haven't spent their life being photographed by their nutty oldest sister, so they do need some direction. Looking for triangles within the heads is a good technique (unfortunately not seen in the haphazard photo above.) This was a fun client that I shot the "whole" family - 20 members and then shot each of the 3 daughter's individual families. Each of the daughter's selected a different version of blue for their t-shirts so the large family shot looked like this: I'm looking forward to a 13 y...

I am so blessed to have a big, healthy, happy family: My mom who is an inspiration to us all, four sisters, three brothers, a great husband, three daughters, numerous nieces and nephews, one who is in Marine boot camp right now getting ready to defend our country. God has blessed me with so many gifts, people, experiences and great times to enjoy with all.   I am thankful for all of this and more. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember the great things in your life.  Happy Thanksgiving! Love, Chris

I took the train to NYC to enjoy Indian food and a Broadway play with my youngest daughter and got the opportunity to read some photo magazines and re-read through all the notes I’ve been taking this past month. I cart around an old-fashioned spiral notebook with me everywhere I go and take notes but I hadn’t taken time to review those musings until now. These are some of the things I’ve learned recently:             • Light is the key to a great photograph. A perfect subject is nothing without light and the QUALITY of that light is the most important factor. ( Robert Rodriguez, Jr. )             • Google calender something I need to investigate further. ( John Ianelli )             • My next purchase needs to be two additional hard drives and I need to organize them better. I also need to research off-site storage pla...

I've been writing this blog to share photography tips and great places I've discovered to photograph for close to two years now. Sometimes I get a little off the beaten track but for the most part I'm hoping that there are a few folks who take the time to read what I have to say and maybe even look forward to the next installment. A week ago I heard a speaker talk about the importance of "Building a Community" and getting more people to follow your blog. So, aspiring photographer friends, please let me know what you'd like me to focus on (get it?) and how can I make this a better blog? I made my first "tweet." Not sure where it went or if anybody noticed but I am trying to decipher the world of Twitter. I also posted a few images on Flickr. Again, it seems like a black hole to me at the moment but perhaps I'll get discovered there.... One can hope. On a more productive note, I shot the American Society of Fundraising Professionals Award lunch...

What a great day! My head is bursting with information. I went to a TEP - that is Hudson Valley Professional Photographic Society of NY's ( HVPPSNY ) Talent Exchange Program - an all day learning experience for Photographers in Newburgh. I highly recommend making sure you get in on any advanced education opportunities that are available. The morning speakers was Lindsay Adler who spoke about lighting for fashion photography. Her basic message was break the rules and you can make anything work. She showed examples of a variety of lighting techniques and then gave a live demonstration with a model. Adler seemed to be a a font of knowledge as she confidently turned the subject matter to new media social networking (she's got a book on the subject, "A Linked Photographers' Guide to Online Marketing and Social Media"). Her enthusiasm and comfort with a large variety of networking programs made me excited about exploring more thoroughly the world of social networking. ...

As much fun as it is to TAKE pictures, there's a job behind that called "managing your photos" (Photo management). My task has become a bit more complicated lately since I am now working with Lightroom (I was working exclusively in Photoshop).  I USED to save everything in folders by year and then by month. Lightroom seems to have a design for me that I haven't quite figured out....thus I have managed to duplicate things and even seem to be missing one complete photo shoot.   The lesson I have learned here is that it is important to LEARN the program thoroughly and stay on top of all new innovations. I went with a friend to Photo Expo in NYC last Thursday and was reminded that there are CONSTANT innovations in photography. The nice part was that some of the vendors were willing to explain things or tell us where to find additional help.  It was fun watching experts demonstrate how to use the Wacom tablet and to see how the pros utilize the newest HDR techniques. I ...

"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."                                                                                     –  Ralph Waldo Emerson I've come to a quiet place in my new career. I left the newspaper industry in July to spread my wings as a freelance photographer. I was fortunate to have several assignments and plans in the ensuing weeks. I've shot a few weddings, worked with a team of school photographers, done a few head shots a few advertising shots and now... life has gotten quiet. Time to take a look a...

Share your knowledge.   It is a way to achieve immortality.                          Dalai Lama "Less is more"                        Originally by poet, Robert Browning;                         more currently by photographer Robert Rodriguez, Jr. I am still reeling from a five day landscape photography workshop led by one of my favorite photographers, Robert Rodriguez, Jr. I’ve yearned to capture just one image as spectacular as his ever since I saw him speak at my camera club two years ago. His images just speak to me…they make me feel all kinds of emotions and totally captivate me. So, when I saw that he was leading a workshop in t...

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans      – John Lennon The PLAN was to travel and photograph and write about the experience (and sell it to a magazine). We DID travel and I DID take an enormous amount of photos (why did I shoot every one of Elvis' rooms in Graceland?) but while we DID get to see some great places, the joy of the trip was in the PEOPLE we visited with. The photos I took tell the story of our days, ad I'm glad to have them but they are not artistic gems that would be coveted by national magazines. On our way to Texas (to visit daughter #1) we stopped off in Gettysburg, Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky, Elvis' Memphis home, Graceland (even stayed at the Heartbreak Hotel) and Hot Springs, Arkansas. We climbed up this tower   To get an outrageous view of Hot Springs, where they are know for having springs that are 140 degrees. Over the years, people have flocked there for the healing power of baths in these unus...

Had lunch with a dear photography buddy yesterday and her enthusiasm for my new lifestyle was contagious. "You are doing everything you set out to do!" she beamed, "you are living your dream."  Yes, I am. Shot a wedding last week and have another one coming up. I'm studying Lightroom and HDR every free moment I can find (isn't that what everyone's reading about in local doctor waiting rooms?).  I've got my website www.chriscina.net set up so that you can purchase images there and a profit check will be sent to me (eventually).  I am working with someone to build an even more professional site.  The only thing I haven't mastered is writing the travel stories (complete with photos) and hawking them to publications. But wait... we've got a neat road trip coming up followed by a whole NY wintertime which should be a perfect time for doing just that. Did a portrait shoot for a friend last week and posted it on Facebook – and then got two more...