Sunday, October 24, 2010

Another solid background shoot... on the beach 10/17/2010. John Cameron

On the weekend, I had a photo shoot with my Aunt and Uncle, and a close family friend. My Aunt and Uncle are about to have their tenth wedding anniversary, and they wanted some photos taken on the beach. They wanted to compare the photos to their engagement photos from 10 years ago. I also had a close family friend, Carly, join in on the shoot.
I just wanted to make sure the lighting was around sunset time, and also having the benefit of a beach landscape as a background. I tried different positions, and the shoot provided me with some lessons in the job of photography.
I only used one flash on the shoot, and I kept the f/stop down really low to give the background a less important role in the photographs.




Friday, July 30, 2010

07/30/10 - spear-fishing trip - John Cameron

So I went spear-fishing with some of my buddies. I took the camera along and I got some great shots. We left around 7:30am, so that gave me the opportunity to get some good shots with the sun rising. I did some silhouettes with the sun behind the subject. I'm really starting to get into that. I think it looks awesome.






Monday, July 26, 2010

Cell Phone Picture taking? July 26, 2010

Rudee Rocket 5:30pm ride. The sun dropping gets blocked by a small cloud darkening the ocean, lighting up hotels in Virginia Beach
A thunderstorm rolls through down a few miles south, and the sun pokes out to brighten up the U.S. flag on our stern
The Cape Henry Lighthouses at Cape Henry, Virginia Beach
So it is the summer time here on the east coast of the United States. I've been working on the Rudee Rocket, in which I have worked on every summer since 2004. I haven't had any "pro" photo shoots for a while, and I have realized that I should take my nice D-SLR to work more often (we just get wet a lot on the boat). The ocean can be so awesome with the crazy weather that rolls in. I have tried to capture some of this "awesomness" from my horrible 2 megapixel cell phone camera. It's a tough task, but it is better than nothing right?

Monday, June 21, 2010

Family shoot at the beach. 06/21/10. John Cameron

Today I did a photo shoot for my girlfriend's mother. Her parents are about to have their 50th wedding Anniversary, so she wanted a family photo of herself and her three daughters. I took them down to the beach, and we had a lot of fun during the shoot. I wanted to do the shoot around 7:30pm, so I had that nice pinkish/orange sky. But they showed up early, so I had shoot them just at different locations to use up some time.
I had the f stop at 5.6, so the background was a little out of focus, and the shutter speed was at 400. The ISO was at 200, and I used one flash located behind me. I used it on the manual setting, and it was at about an 1/8 of a stop.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

John Cameron. 05/04/2010. Competition Entry

For my second Competition entry, I entered the 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest. I entered three images from this semester. Last semester I entered the same competition, and I made it to the top 100, out of 13,000 entries. Hopefully I can do that again.




Wednesday, April 21, 2010

John Cameron. 04/21/10. Visiting Artist Paola Antonelli

Today I went to the Paola Antonelli's lecture at the Grace Street Theatre. Paola Antonelli is the Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design of The Museum of Modern Art. It was interesting to hear her talk. She was a very good speaker, and I learned a lot by how she went through the lecture. She had a basic powerpoint type lecture, and she spoke about each thing she did individually. Antonelli was very confident in telling us about how she makes her art successful. I think she spoke confidently for over an hour, and she backed it up with beautiful designs of art shows she created. Antonelli was very keen on the conceptual side to pieces of art. She mentioned how important it was to her, and how she thinks it makes pieces of art so much better.
Fernando and Humberto Campana. Vermela Armchair. 1993. Stainless Steel and Cotton Rope.
31 1/3" x 31 1/3" x 23 1/2"

This was made out of stainless steel and Cotton rope. There were other versions made out of silver and gold (as pictures only I think) and she talked about how that the silver and gold cotton would not work conceptually. Gold just doesn't mix with cotton. As she said, "No".

I did take in a lot of her quotes in relation to art and life. She talked about how important it is to stick to your own story and to have your own presence in the world. This way you can stick out from the crowd and maybe get that job you've been looking for. She also mentioned how anger can work as a creative tool. Sometimes if you get angry about your work, it is common sense to get better from it. When I heard this quote, it reminded me of something I always say to myself, "Don't get bitter, get better". Everyone gets angry, but it's what you do to make the situation better that counts.

Monday, April 19, 2010

John Cameron. 04/19/10. Artist Noel Vasquez

This week, I have found Noel Vasquez. Like previous weeks, I have been looking for artists who are at popular sporting events. This week, the NBA playoffs started, and the I looked at the Los Angeles Lakers at www.gettyimages.com. The first artist I found was Noel Vasquez. The unique thing about his images on Getty (from the Lakers game), was that every image was of famous people in the crowd. Something a little different for me, so that is why I chose him.
Jack Nicholson - Photograph - April 2010 - by Noel Vasquez
Teri Hatcher cheers at LA Lakers game - Photograph - April 2010 - by Noel Vasquez
Over the past few weeks, I have been shooting high school baseball games, and some of my fellow students have said that I should shoot some of the parents watching to game. to show emotion. With the image below, it is a great mix of the action and the people in the crowd cheering on.
Zachary Levi taunts Oklahoma City Thunder player - Photograph - April 2010 - by Noel Vasquez
Noel Vasquez has a nice website, www.noelvasquez.com . He is another artist that shows different photographic techniques in his work (blur, panning, etc). This is something that I want to show in my work also.


Wednesday, April 14, 2010

John Cameron. 04/14/10. Idea/Concept Blog

So I finally got in the dugout with the high school Baseball team that I have been photographing. I am become close to the Head coach of Benedictine High's baseball team, and I am proud with what I have done. My teacher Paul said he wanted me to get in the dugout, to prove to him that I can get the access, and I have now done that. It was not easy, but I kept telling myself that "I have to get in the dugout" to get the access. This pleased me, and I hope Paul appreciates it also.
Silhouetted Thoughts - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron
Batter Up - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron
Cadets - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron
"Good Eye, Good Eye" - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron
Empty Steps - Digital Photograph, April 2010. By John Cameron
I like these images above, and I am pretty sure that I will use some in my final portfolio. But Paul and I knew that I needed more. We have talked about showing details (with bats, cuts, etc) and I need to get into that area too. I have another game to shoot on Monday, and I will work on some new stuff then. This was my first time in the dugout once again. So I did not want to get in anyone's face, and I was lost for ideas. But now, since I have done it, I have some experience and know what I can capture.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

John Cameron. 04/12/10. Artist Robert Beck

This week, I have found the artist Robert Beck. It is actually a cool new find for me, because I have seen his work in Sport magazines before, but I never really looked into his work. With the Masters being on the past week (golf), I wanted to find a photographer who was covering it. I looked on the masters website, and most of the images on the site were from Getty Images. So I then went to Getty, and the first name I saw was Robert Beck. I then went to his website, and looked through his beautiful style of photography.
Tigers Woods in Practice - Digital Photograph. 2009, by Robert Beck
This is the image that I have seen before in magazines, and when I saw it, it was cool to know that I am now researching the specific artist. The main thing that I appreciate about Beck's work is that he uses all sorts of styles in his photography. Whether it be silhouettes, long exposers, and looking for the unique times in sports (like the image above). For him tobe constantly looking for things like this is a true talent.
Cyclists - Digital Photograph - By Robert Beck
Digital Photograph - By Robert Beck
So the main thing I learned from Robert Beck, was to try to use different styles of photography to be different. Instead of doing the basic shots, look for the silhouettes, and longer exposures with blur. I'm going to shoot a baseball game today, and I'm going to experiment with blur, and silhouettes.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

John Cameron. 04/07/10. Idea/Concept Blog

Tomorrow I will be shooting another baseball game. However, tomorrow's game will have a new twist to my previous High School Baseball games. I emailed the coach of the team that I have been photographing, and I asked if I could get in his dugout. I really want to get in close, and get some good shots from this view. The coach/manager replied back very quickly and he was very positive about letting me come and photograph in his dugout. I'm really excited about getting in there, and I want to focus on the close up shots that I will have access to. I will do this by making it feel as though the viewer of the photograph, feels as though they are in the dugout as well.
Safe or out? - Digital photograph, March 2010 - By John Cameron
Check this out - Digital photograph, March 2010 - By John Cameron
Cadets - Digital photograph, March 2010 - By John Cameron
With the images above, I have cropped in on some images to show a different look from the obvious. Sometimes a face is not needed in a photograph, and it gives the image a small twist. I took these images last week, and I was not really trying to focus on cropping in on a unique area. But I just looked through some images, that I thought would be cool to crop in and edit. So I'll have some images up next week from the dugout!

Monday, April 5, 2010

John Cameron. Anderson Gallery Student Exhibition. 04/05/2010

This semester, our class is required to enter three competitions (like last semester). My first competition was a required one by my teachers Tom and Paul. It was at the Anderson Gallery here at our college. It is the Undergraduate Juried Design, Kinetic Imaging and Fine Arts Exhibitions from April 1 - April 18. At 907 1/2 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23284. I entered two pieces from last semester. One piece got selected to be in the show. So that was a cool reward.
Experienced. Digital Photograph - 2009 - By John Cameron
Energy - Digital Photograph - 2009 - By John Cameron
This was when I entered my pieces. I took it off my cell phone. So I apologize.

This is the piece that got selected to be in the show.

John Cameron. 04-05-10 Artist Dale Zanine

So this week, I wanted to focus on a photographer that can get close to the action. After meeting with my teacher today, he recommended that I get in closer to the players to show that my work is unique. So I found the artist Dale Zanine, and I have a few of his images that show how close he is to the actual athletes. Sure, you can make it look like you're close to players with large lenses. But actually walking up to the player and getting close to them can be shown in a photograph. With the image below, I have the feeling that Zanine is on the court, and close to the basketball player. He may be on the other side of the court, crouching down really low. But he has convinced me that he is right there in front of the athlete.
Maryland Basketball players celebrate - Digital Photograph. By Dale Zanine
Tim Tebow interview - Digital Photograph. By Dale Zanine
Ole Miss Women's Basketball - Digital Photograph. By Dale Zanine
With the image of Tim Tebow (the interview pic) you can tell that Zanine is once again right there in front of the athlete. But you still have that second thought in your head, that he could be far away, crouching down and shooting up to the subject. Also with the basketball image down at the bottom. It may be a camera mounted, and then fired by a remote source. But you still get the feeling that you are actually sitting right there underneath the hoop. This is what I want to try out. It is a cool and unique approach that I have never really thought about.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

John Cameron 03-31-10. Idea/Concept blog.

So last Thursday, I went and shot a baseball game for the local high school here in my college town. I chose a school that I have been following over the past few weeks, and I'm going to stick with them for the rest of the semester. They have a game tomorrow, that I can catch, so I will have more to show next week as well. But I am trying to get in closer still. But I have to find the right time to do it. I think it is going to be around April 14th. So last week, I focused on all kinds of things. My teacher advised me to have a list to go by. Such as getting the field, subjects in different areas of the photograph, shooting in different areas etc.
"Double Play" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron
"Dugout laughs" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron
"Safe Slide" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron
"Decision Time" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron
"Hyman Field" - Digital Photograph - March 2010, By John Cameron
I liked what I got, but in order for me to really impress my teacher. I have to get on a bus with the team or in the dugout. This will prove to him that I can get access, if I need it for something important. When I get out of college, I may get similar situations like this. Where I need to ask to get into places where people should not be (like a photographer in a dugout). There is a game tomorrow once again, and I'm going to try and shoot that, to capture emotion, and also different environments. The team I follow is playing away tomorrow, and I look forward to the new environment that I will face. Maybe I can get in a little closure to the dugout. We will wait and see.

Monday, March 29, 2010

John Cameron. 03/28/10. Artist Cameron Spencer

Once again this week, I have found a photographer from Getty Images. I have been looking at a lot of Australian photographers, to see what sports they cover. This week I have found Cameron Spencer. He photographed my favorite Rugby League Football team the Wests Tigers last friday night, and I wanted to look more into his work. I could not find his website, but he has a lot of his images online with getty images. He has won awards with Getty images, and I'll show some of those images.
U.S.A swimmers celebrate Gold Medal win - Digital Photograph - 2008 - Cameron Spencer
Australian Soccer players - Digital Photograph - By Cameron Spencer
Table Tennis player - Digital Photograph. By Cameron Spencer
He has a wide range of sporting events. Such as tennis, the Olympics, Rugby, basketball, sailing, wake-boarding, cricket, swimming and many more. This is something, I dream of doing one day. I love all kinds of sports, and capturing the unique and exciting moments is what I'm really into. Spencer really shows a diverse range of angles of capturing these moments. He is either up high, looking down on the action, or down low, looking up. He also has a conceptual side to his work, where he will find the moments that look different and capture them. Like the image with the ping pong ball being in the position of a man's eye.
I have just started my own website, and I have been trying to decide what images I should put on it. I told myself that I want to show different angles, to show diversity. This is something Spencer does, and I think it helps his success.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

John Cameron. 03/24/10. Idea/Concept Blog

So Spring Break came at a bad time for me, as it may have for everyone else. So I was a little bit worried about my plan to capture a season long story with a high school baseball team. But my teacher gave me some good advice as always, and advised me that I did not need to be around for the whole season to capture a story. He still wants me to get closer to the team. Like getting access to the dugout, or a bus ride to an away game for example. I am going to try and do this, but first, I am going to shoot a few of high school baseball games of one high school. I can show the coach and players my images, and hopefully they will let me in from this.
"Deep Thoughts" - Digital Photograph. March 2010 - By John Cameron
"Dugout Laughs" - Digital Photograph. March 2010 - By John Cameron
"Good Catch" - Digital Photograph. March 2010 - By John Cameron
So I went home for Spring Break and I shot a few high school baseball games. I did it to get some experience. It was fun, and I learned a lot. But my teacher wants me to get in closer. To prove to him that I was able to get access, and to get the up close and personal shots. I'm looking at getting a press pass, so I can get in the dugout, or on the bus ride and hopefully this will let me get some good shots. My teacher also mentioned that I should show everything if I can get this access. If a player cuts his leg from diving to a base, then I should capture that in a photograph and then relate it to emotion.