This is a summer thunderstorm rolling through the neighborhood on a muggy, humid summer evening. My wife caught multiple bolts of lightning in this clip. In the background you can hear our stressed out beagle dog panting and walking around the room. I was trying to catch some still shots of the lightning on my Canon 40D at the same time. The best display of lightning is around 00:38 of this clip if you want to fast forward to the best part Enjoy

Out of any other area of the US, New England probably sensationalizes the weather and forecast the most.  A few days prior to this we had a rash of tornados that popped up around the area, causing multiple downed trees.  Driving through a local town we spotted sights like this:

Not cool.

Below are some screen grabs from the video, as well as a few I crappily captured hand held with my DSLR.  To do lightning right, you need to have excellent timing, a slow enough shutter, and a sturdy tripod.

We made it to the park to bring the dogs for a walk on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  The daffodils were out in full bloom.  There are tons of them over at Hubbard Park in Meriden, Connecticut right now.  What a great location for Spring Photoshoots, especially for those “shorter subjects” (kids and pets).  Just thought I’d share a few of our snapshots.  Here is the before and after of our Yorkie Beagle mix – we didn’t like how the leash looked, so a little bit of Photoshop took care of that.

You have to love the clone and patch tools… they are a life saver.  Click here for a video tutorial on how I did it.

“What is a TFCD Shoot?”

Models that are new to the business often ask me what TFCD means.  TFCD is an acronym for “Time for CD”.  Basically it means an even trade.  My time, a free photoshoot for you worth $200/hr or more, plus all of the edited images on CD in exchange for your modeling.  TFCD sessions are beneficial to myself, the photographer, as well as to the model. I take the photographs, post-process and mail out to you a DVD with your final edited jpegs (high resolution copies that are un-watermarked) so you can make prints or post them in your portfolios online. Often I send the model some of the best shots from the shoot (low res) so they can immediate start posting them on their blog, Facebook, Myspace, or other social networking profiles.

The model signs a model release for me to use the photos for commercial purposes (the release tells the agency that you give us permission to use your photographs).  If I’m fortunate I might make a few bucks off the images we produce in the coming months.  Sometimes the images sell on the sites I upload them to, other times they don’t. It all depends on the model, the theme, the situation, etc. If in fact I do find any of the images of any of my models in use, I immediately forward the finds along to them.  What a great way to get modeling practice, exposure in the industry and to add to your tear sheets! I’m a very busy guy, but I like to do at least few new location shoots per month, if I can.  My schedule is pretty flexible. Contact me for rates.  I am shooting TFCD selectively at the moment; as long as the majority of the shoot is a stock photo concept or commercial lifestyle theme that I can market as stock imagery.

Portraiture is only about 25% of what I produce, as graphics, vector art and other miscellaneous images make up the rest of my portfolio.  I don’t have a need for professionals, although I have worked with many.  Stock photography works great with “real life” non-models, as well.  I have had great success even using family and friends to model for me, so don’t think you need to be a runway model to qualify.  If you live in the New England area of the US (preferably from New York, Connecticut, Massachussets, & Rhode Island) and are just starting out or looking to build your portfolio with some stock themes; by all means, contact me.  I will review your current head shots and let you know if I can be of assistance!  I also can offer huge discounts to my shooting rates when model releases are signed – this includes engagement sessions, senior portraits, family portraits, and more.

Most importantly, a photoshoot should be fun!  I will help you make the most of your time by getting you the most variety of angles, lighting, and themes that we can during the session.  For the most recent samples of our work click here.