Sunday, September 26, 2010

long overdue

When my wife and I went to Florida for a family vacation, naturally I packaged some camera equipment to go with me. However, I didn't do much photography while I was there. See, where I live pretty much all year round, with the exception of Winter you can go in and out without prepping your camera equipment. However, in Florida, when you're in an air conditioned condo with like no humidity, then you walk outside to the Florida air, with humidity and higher temperature you get condensation...bad condensation.

There were times it took a full 20 minutes before I could shoot. So I just chose to not take that many pictures. There are work arounds to it, but I was more on vacation than I was on a photo-vacation.

I wanted to photograph a sunset, and a sunrise. Figures...clouds every day at those times. Skies could be as clear as could be, but sunrise, sunset time...clouds every where. However I did make a few photographs of what I could. Now there's several ways to photograph sunsets and sunrises without burning your retinas out of your head. I am too lazy to do them. My main areas of photography are people and I don't photograph landscapes much.

One involves neutral density filters and blah blah blah. I don't care enough to do it, so I probably shouldn't even type it. Or you can do it like I did...the ol' college try. Only have the sun in the frame while you shoot the shot and just "guess" the metering. Like you can meter the sky beside and figure out where you need to be from there.

That's the approach I took and I got some interesting photographs of it. The other thing I like doing is making round objects look like stars. I did this to the Sun for fun!

I also shot a photograph of my wife and I at the beach (yep...I shot it and was in it). I broke the rules for this, as it wasn't mean to be an award winning portrait photograph. It was meant to be a documentation of my wife and I at the beach. I shot with the sun to our faces (a no-no in portraiture). I did it because, well the beach was behind us and the sun was in front of us. During the day on the beach in Florida it is difficult to find a place that the Sun isn't beating right at you, either high above or in front of you. Now if the Sun was behind us, we would have been in shadow and the sky exposed properly, or we properly and the sky blown out. I wasn't using fill flash, so I just made the best of it.

I photographed a sea turtle too. You know how people say turtles are slow? This thing bolted when it had enough of my crap, and it moved faster that I probably could. I bet if it wanted to beat me up, it could have.

Also, Florida has tons of these little lizards. I mean they are freaking everywhere. You know how in PA, we have ant's and flies? They have lizards.

Alright, so I'm out in the yard the other night (this is after we're home from Florida), and the sky looks wicked. There's this circle around the moon and I'm thinking that I should go get a camera, right? So I get a full-frame camera (photographers will know what I mean) and a 16-35mm lens. I figure, I'll get this thing figured out. I also think I'm photographing some rare phenomenon that never occurs and that I'll be onto something big...

Guess what, a lunar halo is a common celestial occurance, and nothing to get worked up over. However, I still photographed it...yeah, I'm that big of a rebel.

I've rambled entirely too much, so I'll post some pictures, and we'll go from there. There's a mindset in the professional photography business that you shouldn't let anything than your best out there. However, I feel that just some snapshots on vacation, or the back yard aren't a big deal. Besides, it's something to look at for awhile, while your I-pod is loading :)

Oh, and I took a photograph of my cat with an ultra wide angle lens, at minimum focusing distance to emphasize the distortion this lens can bring on when used on a subject close up (this is normal and inherent of the focal length, and not a problem with the equipment). So my cat looks like the Taco Bell dog. So Yo Quero Gato! (spelling is off, but what can you do).










Tuesday, September 14, 2010

VFL+LITC, links and photo heavy episode

This weekend I photographed 2 big MMA events in PA. One was the event Locked In The Cage in Lancaster PA. I photographed this as a staff at Mid Atlantic Combat Sports. I'll post the link to the full gallery on their site, once the FTP transfer is finished. Until then, you can check out my web galleries for a full fight gallery. On their website, here's a quick "photo highlights" gallery. These are just 8 of the evening's shots.
http://uscombatsports.com/midatlantic/mid-atlantic-combat-sports/mid-atlantic/event-photo-highlights/fight-night-in-the-cage-1-photo-highlights.html

It featured a packaged card, full of action. It also had a UFC veteran on there. Most of you won't know the name Razak Al Hassan, but you'll know that Steve Cantwell broke someone's arm at UFC Fight for the troops. Hassan is that someone. I have no idea how someone can pack so much muscle into a frame at that weight. The guy is huge in person. It's crazy. He fought Rob Wince, and battered him. It was a completely one sided fight. Hassan had him in the clinch and it was knees from there. At some point Rob Wince dislocated his shoulder, and if I had to guess fractured his collar bone as well. I have been on the receiving end of many sports injuries and been around when others have received them. A lump on the collar bone, after we know the shoulder is back in socket is typically a fractured collar bone, or the little tendon/ligament (not sure what it is technically, btu I know it's there) is torn. Needless to say, it's a painfull injury. Rob Wince, to his credit fought for at least a minute after receiving it, and tried his best. It was only after he couldn't continue that the ref stopped it.

Both men have huge hearts, because I watched Al Hassan have his arm broken on live TV. Then I watched Wince receive a terrible injury in person. I'll tell you what, both men are as tough as nails.

Here's the write up on the fight card of the evening,
http://uscombatsports.com/midatlantic/mid-atlantic-combat-sports/mid-atlantic/event-results/fight-night-in-the-cage-1-quick-results-updated-live.html

Like I said, I'll link the gallery on their website once there's a permanent home for it. Until then, you can view the photos here,
http://roblynn.smugmug.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts/Locked-In-the-Cage-91010/13725032_Yasqv



I photographed Valley Fight League River Valley Rumble as a contract photographer for the promoter. I'm their official photographer, so I do I'd say nearly 95% of their shows. Sometimes I have a date that doesn't work out, or is just too far away.

This gallery is uploaded, and available for purchase on my website.
http://roblynn.smugmug.com/Mixed-Martial-Arts/VFL-MMA-RVR-9112010/13751108_gJ3jp


Here is a write up I did for mid atlantic on the event. The editor cuts them down a bit, so if your fight didn't make it, I am sorry. I did write about you, but Due to space constraints the editor likes to keep them around 1000 words.
http://uscombatsports.com/midatlantic/mid-atlantic-combat-sports/mid-atlantic/event-results/vfl-27-river-valley-rumble-bout-highlights.html

Schedule your senior portraits soon folks! I'm booking up fast!

Talk to you soon!












Saturday, September 11, 2010

Just got back in from Locked in a Cage MMA, gearing up for VFL MMA

I just wanted to take a minute to say, we should all remember and honor those who lost their lives in the Sept 11 attacks. We should also honor and remember any and every soldier who has fought, lived and died for this country. Thank a vet, it's the least we can do.

I just got back in the door from Locked in the Cage (not sure if it's locked in A or in THE cage, but it's locked in something lol). I shot this as a joint assignment for a fast growing MMA website, and also as a freelancer. I'll have links to the photographs on my site, on the MMA site along with links to the review shortly.

My main capacity with Matcombatsports.com is as a photographer, but I've also done articles and gym profiles for them. This evening, as I'm photographing mma/boxing event River Valley Rumble, I'll be functioning as a quick results writer, and photographer.

Anyway, I've got a lot of work to do...the downside of being freelance, is that you've got to process your own images. I don't have the luxury of a photo editor :)...well I do...Me! I'll get these processed hopefully before I'm out of the door for tonights event.

Alright, here's a few quick samples.








Sunday, September 5, 2010

Aon, fall sessions, Justin Filer/Genesis MMA

I'm a procrastinator when it comes to this blog. I'll get busy doing work in the house, or on photographs and I'll tell myself "I'll type the blog tonight". Then tomorrow comes. So then I'll get an e-mail, "when are you posting a new blog?". Well...haha, here it is! Sorry for the delay, and I'm going to do my best to not take so long.

Fall senior session season is FAST closing in! Reserve your spot today! I'll be attending cage fights on quite a few nights (as a photographer). Sept 10th, Sept 11th, Oct 23rd, Nov 13. Fight dates are filling up fast too! If you're thinking of booking a photographer for your wedding, do it soon! Dates are reserved on a first come, first serve basis.

I stopped into the newest MMA school in town (and as far as I know, the ONLY one in the are with a cage...the next closest is...their school in Richland!) Genesis MMA/Go Time Sports Performance. Grabbed a few photographs with one of their many instructors, Justin Filer.

I also photographed another AON wrestling event last evening. I'll have the photographs on the site before too long. Here's a few samples to get ya going.

I'll be doing another gym profile for Matcombatsports.com here soon in the next few weeks, so look for that too.


A cool photo of Justin goofin' off :)