behind the lens

The Oedipus Cycle | Theater

Sheila — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I had the honor of photographing a drama production this week presented by an elite group of thespians at Eaglecrest High School called “Harlequin Players”. The drama is titled “The Oedipus Cycle”, and it’s presented in a very non-linear way including interpretive dance and dramatic lighting and sound. I applaud not only their performance, but the ability to grasp this Greek tragedy.

Here are a few images from the final dress rehearsal, which had a special audience of AP students…

~ Click photos to view slightly larger ~

April 30, 2012 update: There are two albums on Facebook. One is of the final dress rehearsal, and the other is all staged shots after the show.

Wordless Wednesday | Georgetown, CO

Sheila — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:28:40 +0000

Ryan & Richelle | Engagement

Sheila — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:49:57 +0000

Seriously, I thought they met in high school. They did go to the same high school, but Ryan graduated two years before Richelle. They met on Facebook! A June 15, 2013 wedding is planned. Here are some of my faves…

See more in this album.

Silent Sunday | “The Shoe”

Sheila — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:36:04 +0000

Alison | Portraits

Sheila — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:08:45 +0000

Not a prepared shoot at all. Ali was getting ready to leave the house for rehearsal, and I grabbed her as a test monkey.

Canon 50D
70-200mm
430EX II flash in 24″ softbox

I love Rembrandt Lighting!

Fashion Fun | Self Assignments

Sheila — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:17:24 +0000

I tossed the weekly self assignments goal out the window long ago. It was just too hard to ~~find~~ make the time shoot let alone come up with assignments due to my schedule the past two months. So I made some time this week for a fun self assignment that I call Fashion Fun. Dressing up and acting a little silly is always fun! It also gave me a chance to brush up on some Photoshop skills. I knew a couple of skin smoothing techniques already, but I just learned another that maintains texture and doesn’t make people look like they’re made of plastic (don’t get me started). Here are my favorites…

Grease | Theater

Sheila — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:10:11 +0000

I’ve been procrastinating, but here they are … photos from Thunder Ridge Middle School’s production of the musical, Grease. I think they normally just do staged shots after their matinee performance for the elementary schools, but I was able to get almost everything needed and way more by shooting the entire musical. All I really needed to get staged was the orchestra, tech crew, directors, and a few other teachers.

Here are just a few “unstaged” favorites:

Settings varied, but I tried to shoot at 1/125th whenever possible to avoid blur. I used nothing but my 70-200mm lens through the performance.

See more in this Facebook album.

Moon Through Wildfire Smoke

Sheila — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:29:58 +0000

Sadly, there are wildfires burning in Colorado tonight, and the strong winds today caused them to spread super fast. While I was out today, I wanted to kick myself for not having my camera with me to capture how red the sun looked through the smoke. My cell cam just didn’t cut it. However, tonight I caught a glimpse of the moon through the smoke when I went to close a window because the smell was getting to be too much. So I ran downstairs and grabbed my camera. This is what I got holding the camera with 70-200mm by hand and quickly choosing f/8 at ISO 3200. The first shot is at 1/125th and the second is at 1/100th.

Street Performers

Sheila — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 01:59:30 +0000

It’s my birthday! We ended up going to Pearl Street Mall in Boulder today. We’ve lived in the southeast Denver metro area for 12 years and have never been to Pearl Street! We didn’t even go into any stores (I’ll go back for that another time) because we were more entertained by the people outside. Especially the street performers.

Have you ever heard of the Zip Code Man?

The most entertaining performance by far was this guy!

One lens only today: 24-70mm – Perfect for street photography. Although, I’m not perfect for street photography quiet yet. I still sneak a few shots “from the hip” to avoid being obvious or making people nervous.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Sheila — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:06:03 +0000

Like stores, photographers should come in all sizes (and price points). I hear popular photographers talk about charging what you’re worth and not undercutting the business all the time, and that always gets my stomach in a knot. You know how it gets uncomfortable when the pastor starts talking about the importance of tithing and you squirm in your seat a little? Same thing! I think it’s great for the photographers who make their living solely from photography to target the Neiman Marcus customer. They should! Way to go! The customers I hope to attract might enjoy some retail resort browsing, but they mainly shop at Target and Walmart. One size does not fit all.

This is my “about” info on my Facebook Page:

“Are you looking for special photos but suffering sticker shock from your search? Well, look no further! I’m here to help. I don’t believe that anyone should go without treasured photographs simply because they can’t afford a popular or well-known photographer. I can work within your budget to provide you with family or individual portraits to cherish forever.”

Other photographers shouldn’t feel like I’m undercutting the business. I do have a full-time job outside of photography, but I still realize that my time is worth more than $1.25/hour. I understand that people have no idea how much time goes into getting to those final images. For example, teachers and parents probably don’t realize that the 2 hours (not including prep & travel time) I spend taking photos of final dress rehearsals for school productions isn’t all it takes. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I spend at least another eight hours culling and enhancing those images for the “ooo … ahhh” factor that you just can’t get from over-the-counter camera snapshots. I do this voluntarily for the kids, though. It’s a value of about $250-$400.

Target isn’t undercutting the retail business. They don’t steal customers from Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Nordstroms. Likewise, I don’t believe I’m currently stealing business from the higher-priced photographers. I’m providing a service to those with tighter budgets.