Tag: Photography Technique

How’d You Get That Shot with Ramon Purcell

 

A Spotlight Series About The Technique Of Photographic Imagery by Photographers For Photography!

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NAME:

Ramon C Purcell
Ramon behind the Scenes
Facebook with RCP Photo
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Be LinkedIn with Ramon

WHAT IS YOUR SPECIALTY:

I am a multi-faceted photographer, my specialty is being adaptive to the client’s needs and utilizing a variety of specialties to create advertising imagery.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS:

Unexpectedly through the Surf industry from a friend of mine who was a professional surfer.

FAVORITE TOOLS FOR YOUR TRADE:

iPhone!!!  It saves the day with all the apps that support the business.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE “ON THE GO” CAMERA TO SHOOT WITH AND WHY:
I love the iPhone, I don’t have the weight of different gear, and it is great for capturing an intimate moment without interrupting.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE PHOTOGRAPHIC REVALATION GOING ON OUT THERE WHERE EVERYONE HAS A CAMERA?

We are at a crossroads of creativity and technology that has never been seen before, it is the most fantastic moment in history and I encourage everyone to photograph with any camera they have at their fingertips.

WHAT EXPECTATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHY INDUSTRY  IN 2013:

I am excited to see the development of the touch screen interface cameras.  It is the next evolution in photography and I can’t wait to see the amazing changes it makes in creativity.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR CLIENTS THAT GET TO BENEFIT FROM YOUR CREATIVE EXPERTISE AND PASSION:

A variety of hospitality client’s benefit from my cross pollination of photography.  Having several areas of specialization allows me to approach every project with a broad knowledge base to help accomplish the goals for the client.

TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE IMAGE YOU ARE CHOOSING:

Creek side Relaxation at L’Auberge de Sedona.

The concept of the shot is to escape from your everyday and enjoy being pampered, in their tranquil setting.   The image evokes a sense of luxurious serenity.  To create this image, I utilized a variety of equipment, a mixture of natural light, minimal strobes, reflectors and diffusers.  The use of iTechnology was extremely beneficial for the client, photographing Wi-Fi tethered with an iPad.  This allowed the client to see instantly the images being created and find the “Hero” image that would achieve the goals of the campaign.  The shot had a very narrow window of light to achieve the concept, the preparation started six months prior.  The actual time to create the image on the day of the shoot took about 4 hours, with correct placement of the model and props.  Approximately a 100 frames were taken to create the image, utilizing iTechnology allowed the client the ability to select the final image on the spot.

FREE SHOUT OUT:

I am very thankful for my creative team that assists me in exceeding the client’s goals.  I want to thank several clients for having me involved in creative projects, L’Auberge de Sedona for a new branding campaign after their renovation.  Island Hospitality for updating their marketing strategy.  Finally Blaine Warren for the USAF Reserve recruiting campaign.

 

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To check out ALL of Ramon’s work 
please go to his website! If you are
a professional photographer or know
of one that should be in this series
please email us today.

How’d You Get That Shot with Michelle Kawka

 

A Spotlight Series About The Technique Of Photographic Imagery by Photographers For Photography!

 

 MichelleK_Shot

 

NAME:

Michelle Kawka, photographer
Find Michelle on Facebook
Tweet with Michelle
Get Professional on LinkedIn with her
Add her on Google+
See her videos on YouTube

WHAT IS YOUR SPECIALTY ?

Portraits, Corporate, Events and Weddings. I shoot landscapes for my soul.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS:

I studied in Italy while in college & started taking pictures.  After college, I worked for awhile in a bunch of office jobs, but I still took pictures.   My friends all got married around the same time and kept telling me that they liked my pictures better than their own photographers’.  Finally, I decided to pursue my passion and I went to photography school.  I never looked back.

FAVORITE TOOLS FOR YOUR TRADE:

My Gary Fong Lightsphere.  Lightroom 4, and my Canon camera.  

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE “ON THE GO” CAMERA TO SHOOT WITH AND WHY:
My Droid Bionic because I love Instagram.  I don’t really like to carry around a separate camera, I carry enough stuff around with me in my pocketbook !

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE PHOTOGRAPHIC REVALATION GOING ON OUT THERE WHERE EVERYONE HAS A CAMERA?

I don’t think that it really impacts my business much.  I feel it’s the same way Turbo Tax impacted the accounting field.  Some people are going to do it themselves, and some people are going to understand what a professional brings to the table.  We do so much more that click a button.  We have to plan the shoot, organize it and direct a crew while under time constraints.  Those aren’t skills that an amateur with an iPhone can necessarily do and get great results.

WHAT EXPECTATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHY INDUSTRY AS WE APPROACH IN 2013 ?

I would love to see the industry come up with creative solutions to the issues that photographers face today instead of complaining how much the industry has changed and how they wish how things used to be.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR CLIENTS THAT GET TO BENEFIT FROM YOUR CREATIVE EXPERTISE AND PASSION: 
I have photographed jobs for Wella Hair Color, the United States Marine Corps and Microsoft as well as for many private individuals.

TELL EVERYONE ABOUT THE IMAGE YOU ARE CHOOSING:

The techniques I used to get this shot were fairly simple.  I went to the beach as the sun began to set.  The beach itself faces North so it gets a lovely cool north light at sunset.  I shot all available light, ISO 800 at 125 at f/8 with the 17-40 mm Canon L lens set at 17mm.  I did a color balance and auto tone in Lightroom 4, then used presets to bring in the contrast and color as well as used vignetting to give a spotlight type lighting.  I shot 5 angles of the building , all hand held and decided I liked the one the best.  I also cropped in it Lightroom to make it more of a panoramic shoot.   I stood on the beach for approximately 15 minutes before I decided it was too cold and I was done shooting.
The image I have chosen is called Beauty in Devastation, which is a series of photos that I created in the 2 weeks after Hurricane Sandy.

Growing up in New York City, the beach has always been a place of relaxation and spiritual renewal for me. When Hurricane Sandy came through and wreaked her havoc along the coast on Long Island, it was a heart breaking experience to see so much devastation. However, in the cold November autumn air, in spite of the destruction, there was something eminently beautiful about how our human made structures were bent and reshaped by the force of Nature. This body of work, taken in the Rockaways, Long Beach and Hampton Bays, are a meditation on how very fragile we are.

The photo is of the Beach Hut, which is a lively restaurant on Meschutt Beach on Peconic Bay.  It is a beach I frequent often because of it’s shallow, warm water perfect for swimming or sitting in an inflatable tube with a cheap novel.

FREE SHOUT OUT:
I love taking photos and directing video.  I have a really great team and shoots are pretty chill and a lot of fun.  

MichelleK_Profile
To check out ALL of Michelle’s work 
please go to her website! If you are
a professional photographer or know
of one that should be in this series
please email us today.

 

How'd-You-Get-That-Shot-Blog

How’d You Get That Shot: The Technique Of Photographing by Photographers

How’d You Get That Shot?

How'd-You-Get-That-Shot-Blog

A Spotlight Series About The Technique Of Photographic Imagery by Photographers For Photography! 

The digital era helps some of the finest industries expand and witness growth in techniques that can only come from science and the creation of new technology. This series is prepared to take you back to the knowledge, creativity, and personal techniques of real Photographers. By real I mean the people that have a sole purpose of photographing for a living. The Photographers that don’t rely on photoshop for visual remedies. Photographers that know the difference between an image shot on an iPhone and one from a full format camera. Photographers that remember the cost of developing a bad image instead of just deleting it. Photographers that makes the Whopper look like the most delicious sandwich around or the one that drives Moms everywhere to stores for Huggies! The Photographer that can capture the raw emotion of a sorrowful smile and make us feel compassion in one instant. 

Today the creativity and hard work that goes into taking one single image is so easily replaced with “Hey, that’s a great shot!” without the knowledge of where it even comes from. The endless uploaded media we share that really does not do the subject justice hurts the true craft behind what Photographers really do. As Lawyers will argue that they argue the best cases and Doctors will confirm they know the best remedy for your ailment, Photographers are no different… they are the true expert behind the lens! Their job is their passion! They have studied and perfected technique. Some are still studying to stay abreast of todays vastly changing technologies. When a Photographer looks at a group of people they do not see a group of people they see the balance of light, the contrast of colors, the mere depth of perception that alters the image to make it memorable for a lifetime. And that’s what this series is about!

Together lets bring the art of photography back into that special light where it belongs. Let’s get back to what really goes into making a single image! While the world is full of creative people I believe I have gathered some of the finest professional photographers to tell us about their stories. In the next several weeks they will share their visuals, their explanations of techniques, and their depth of what goes on while exposing how they got that shot. I hope you enjoy all of them, I know I will!

If you are a professional photographer or know of one that should be in this series please email us today at: hello@iheartmrktg.com