Visual Impact vs. Perfection

I read and interesting article this morning over at Chase Jarvis' Blog, focusing on Stock Photography. It got me thinking about pictures, in general.

What do you like about a picture? Is it the content, composition, shadows, highlights, emotion, perfection, noise (or lack of), the "effect", etc... ??

Think about it.

For me, sometimes it is the Imperfections that make it more pleasing and create a better visual impact.

Here is an example of one of my favorite photographs, I have made. I have a 20x30 canvas in my studio of this photograph. There are imperfections about this image (ie, the baby's head is cut off, LOL!), but I wouldn't change it for the world.

(Image captured in black and white, contrast and noise added in Post Production)

Any Google Apps/Apple Mail Experts out there?

I love Google Apps and use quite a few features of it. The biggest feature I use is the Email. All of our domain emails go through Google Apps so we can get all of the benefits of Gmail. We also use Apple's Mail client via IMAP to send and receive our emails. This has been working flawlessly for about 1 year.

Two days ago, I noticed that we had some new messages and an hour later they were gone, when using Apple Mail. I assumed that our accounts were hacked. I went into the Google Apps control and found the emails. They were moved from the "Inbox" to God knows where. I did an advanced search and set to "within 1 week from today". There were the missing emails. So I moved them back to the inbox. Fired up Apple Mail again, and they were not there! Go back to Google Apps mail and find them again. Move to inbox. Repeat. Same thing. Apple mail seems to move them somewhere when it connects via IMAP.

I have deleted the accounts on Apple Mail and recreated only to see the same issue happening. Works fine from the iPhone.

If anyone has any ideas please email me at davidburkephoto@gmail.com to make sure that I get it :-)

Thanks in advance!

Champions for the SIXTH Time!

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers! We are all excited here in Pittsburgh. Winning aside, that was a fantastic Superbowl! Santonio Holmes' catch in the endzone was amazing! Big Ben is a winner and plays his best football when he is under the gun. Way to go Ben!

Here are links to download pdf versions of today's front pages (click on the pics):
Tribune-Review:


Post-Gazette:



Also a special shoutout to LaMarr Woodley for forcing Kurt Warner to fumble at the end of the game! That was the icing on the cake.

Bray in the snow.

Bridget and Bryleigh left for Florida this morning to visit Bridget's father. After we dropped them off at the airport, Brayden and I played in the snow for a bit and snapped a few shots. It was snowing so hard, that we had to go into the woods a bit, to get a good portrait of him. He is such a ham.

I shot all of these except the last image with off camera flash. I handheld my SB-800 (with diffuser attached) to high camera left.



My fav = This is Bray




I used High Speed FP Flash Sync (iso 200, f2.8, 1/640) on this one, to get a shallow depth of field. I also desaturated this in post production and added a slight blur around the edge.




Off to an exciting weekend with the boys. We are going to have some fun! Have a great weekend!

btw - Happy Birthday JLB (1/29/98)... We love and miss you!

Snow.

I am not one for the cold weather, however I live in Pittsburgh, so I do not have a choice. When it snows, I make the choice to love it. There is something so beautiful, peaceful and perfect about snow. We have had some wild weather the past few days. This winter has been relatively mild, as have the past few. We are making up for it now. I have been working from my home office this week and am enjoying the view.

I took a lunch break and grabbed this shot from the back window. Not sure if the picture really does it justice. I think when the boys get up from their nap, we will go play in it. Then the pictures will be full of life!

Shoot N Learn - Recap (plus baby burke's first pic!)

Last night was another successful Shoot n Learn gathering. Our main topic for the evening was "Connecting with your Subject". We watched a few short video clips and then traded tips, tricks, etc.. It was an excellent discussion. I truly enjoy having everyone in for these. It has been such a great way to connect, share, learn and teach. We are all winners at the end of the night.

Our attendance is both professional, aspiring amateurs and just folks that want to make better photos! I applaud all of you for wanting to mingle and step up your game. I learn something every time we get together.

There is no such thing as a "dumb" or "naive" question. I was a beginner too and remember being intimidated by professionals. Mainly because the professionals were "grumpies" and not "love cats". I strive to be a "love cat". I still have questions and love to share. The only way to learn is to ask, study and take action. Making mistakes is a great way to learn ;-)

Since a few questions were asked last night, I wanted to share here because I know more of you out there have the same questions:
Question: What ISO do you use?

This depends on the situation and can be a very detailed response. ISO dictates how sensitive your digital sensor is to light. The HIGHER the number, the more sensitive it is to light. Also, the HIGHER the number means the colors, contrast, saturation, etc.. may become compromised. With the latest and greatest sensors, that decline in quality is less noticeable.
So my short answer to this question is: I use the LOWEST ISO Possible for the given situation. If I am outside on a Sunny Day, I am going to shoot at my camera's lowest ISO setting of 200. If I am at a reception I am typically between 800 and 1600 ISO.

Question: How do you change your exposure on your camera?

A digital exposure has 4 ingredients: ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, White Balance. A Digital SLR camera gives you the freedom to change each of these settings. This is what makes an SLR so special. You can control your exposure to achieve YOUR desired results. The key is understanding the relationship between these components and knowing how to change them on your camera. Shooting in MANUAL mode is the best way to learn, but it takes time and practice. I will have more on this at a later date for you.

Question: What is a Pocket Wizard?

A Pocket Wizard is a remote trigger for firing off camera flash or cameras. They are very cool and extremely useful. Their website can explain a lot better than I can. I use Plus II.

Hope this is useful to somebody out there ;-)

I can't post without a picture, so I will leave you with our first glimpse of Baby Burke:
Isn't He/She Lovely ;-) ?

Are you a left or right brain person?

I have seen this before, but thought it was worth posting here, in case YOU haven't seen it.

Look at the rotating image... Is it spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise? (Creativity comes from the Right side of the brain)


*If you look hard enough, apparently you can see it spin the other direction. No matter how hard I try, I can only see one way!*

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

Getting to know me - Mini-Interview

My friend Elizabeth over at Craig Photography recently sent me some interview questions for some posts she will be putting on her blog. Firstly, I love being a part of this community! More and more people come out of the woodwork that are open, friendly and giving. That is what it is all about! Back in the day, most photographers I met were kind of snooty and tight lipped. I am glad to see this NEW trend taking over. Life is too short to be a grumpy!

Secondly, by answering these questions, I was able to relive some things and get all happy inside! Can't go wrong with that! I am going to keep this text around so when I get discouraged and down on myself, I can just read and remember why I do what I do. I hope you enjoy!

- How did you get into photography in general?

I had a camera in my hands since I was about 10 yrs old. It was a Kodak 110 to start with. I always enjoyed looking at photographs and taking pictures. I still go back to some of those pictures from way back when and remember what I was thinking and doing at those points in my life. Once I got older and understood life a little better, I thought, "What a great way to document time." I was then hooked. Growing up I loved Life Magazine photos and National Geographic. In my heart I think I always wanted to be a photographer, just never thought it would materialize. I am so happy do be doing what I love!

- Photographing Weddings?

This came about pretty naturally as well. I would get asked to take pictures of families and children and then one day I mentioned that I would like to photograph a wedding sometime. A DJ friend of mind called me one January evening and said, "My couple this weekend had their photographer bail on them. They asked me if I knew one and said, yes I will have him here for you." How could I say no to that? I DID!! Vehmently. I was like "Are you CRAZY? Photograph someone's wedding? I don't know what I am doing!!!!" Eventually he calmed me down and talked me into it. I did it, shooting with 35mm Film Cameras and Fuji NPH 400 Color Film ( which is now Fuji Pro 400H). Nervous? You better believe it! Scared? Heck ya! I was a nervous wreck until the proofs came back from the lab. Turned out they weren't too bad and the clients loved them. I then said... "NEVER AGAIN." The suspense was too stressful.

Fast Forward one year. My passion for photography grows and I get a Digital SLR - Nikon D100. I am asked again to photograph a wedding. I say, "Sure! (Did I just say that outloud??)" This time I shoot 50% Film and 50% Digital. I am now in love. I started on a journey working with a fellow photographer and quickly learned that I did not like to be the "Planner and Guide" for the day. I wanted to observe and document. I mean, formal shots are great and important but only a slice of the day. I want to document them, but not spend all day telling people where to go and what to do.

At this point, my wife, Bridget, said, "You need to do your own thing. Start your own business and shoot them the way you want." It was at that moment she encouraged me and gave me permission to pursue my dream of becoming a photographer. So one Sunday afternoon I cooked up a website, made cards and started telling everyone that I was a photographer. I would shoot anything for anyone. Over time, lots of mistakes and learning, I have focused more on weddings because that is what I truly love. There is so much going on, so much to be told, observed and documented. It is truly an honor to be the selected Historian for this day.

-What is your favorite piece of equipment and why?

Well I have two. My Nikon D3 and my Nikon 85 1.4 lens. One without the other doesn't work very well :-)

I love my D3 because it is a workhorse, built to last and is easy to use. it is so comfortable in my hands and the FX Sensor is amazing (even at ISO 6400). I never really need to go into a menu to make setting changes. Everything is right there on the body at my finger tips.

I love my 85 1.4 because it is razor sharp wide open, has amazing contrast, colors and saturation right out of the camera. This is my favorite portrait lens, first dance lens and candid lens. (I also love the 35 f2 and 50 1.4 :-) ) I am really cheating here!

-Do you have any other artistic outlets besides photography?

I love to SING. I play guitar, but only rhythms. I never had the patience to get fancy. I also feel better singing when I have a guitar. The guitar acts like a shield and keeps me from being so... um... naked. LOL. I have loved to sing since I was a kid. My wife is always telling me to "keep it down" because the kids are napping/sleeping all the time. Secretly though, she loves my singing. That is how she fell in love with me :-)

-Which photographers have influenced your work?

This is a great question. The list is long so I will focus on the biggest impacts. In our industry I would say Mike Colon, Denis Reggie & Joe Buissink first and foremost. Their influence of being a "story teller" instead of a "director" gave me the validation that it is a great way to photograph a wedding. Mike Colon's openness about his Faith had a big influence on me as well. I have learned a lot from him and am happy to call him a friend.

Outside of wedding photography would be Annie Leibovitz (especially her early journalism work) Henry Cartier Bresson, Richard Avedon, & Mario Testino.

-What advice would you give to a couple looking for a wedding photographer?

Make sure you like the photographer as a person. His/Her character and attitudes should be in touch with your own. Relationships are number one in this industry. If you do not feel comfortable with the person that will be with you for the majority of your wedding day, then look elsewhere. Whether he/she is an observer or a director, his/her vibe will be there all day. You will be able to tell in the images if you were comfortable or not.

Daughters

I am a John Mayer fan. One song in particular, (Live Version) Daughters on the "Where the Light is" album, gets me every time. If you haven't heard it you can get it here on the iTunes store. Everything about the song is beautiful. Being a father to a daughter really makes it special.

Having a daughter is also a great reminder of the business I am in. I see fathers give their daughters away all the time. It is such a great moment. Bitter sweet. (yes, I am a softy and proud of it!) When I really dig in and think about this, the importance of my job is greatly enhanced. To be selected as the "Historian" of your day, is such a privilege. I am humbled and I thank you.

Amazing what music can do :-)

In spirit here is one of my favorite giving away moments (just captured).


And here are a few of my daughter! She makes me a better man for sure! (Of course my wife and sons do too!! LOL)

Merry Christmas!

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas from the Burke Family! We are so thankful for so many things and grateful to all of you that have supported us through the years. Our Families, Friends and Clients are the heartbeat of what we do. We look forward to 2009 being another incredible year and ultimately welcoming our newest addition to the family! Bridget is due in June, so we have a few more months of anticipation. We are doing our best to keep the sex of the baby a suprise. Who knows if we will be able to refrain from finding out.

Enjoy this Christmas and Holiday season. Love and Hug often!

See you in the new year!

Love,
The Burke Family

Christmas with Weezer.

There really is a Santa Claus
I just came across this Gem on Amazon.com (under $5). Merry Christmas.

(I love Weezer)

Christmas With Weezer
*Update* Includes 'O Holy Night' - my all time favorite Christmas song.

A few new books for Inspiration

I love photography books! Recently I added a few to my collection, for inspiration. 2 are filled with images and one is more of an explanation of the process by shoot.

1. Annie Leibovitz at Work

Annie is a living legend, :-) She is one of my all time favorite photographers. Both her portrait setups and photojournalism are fantastic. This book explains how she thinks when shooting and takes you through the process of creating the image. So far, I love it.

2. Mario Testino: Let Me In!

Another highly sought after photographer is Mario Testino. Mario has such a raw style of shooting that I can't help but be drawn to it. His imagery is powerful, simple, fun. I think a lot of the impact (even with Leibovitz) has to do with who is in the photograph. (I would love to hear comments about this.) I sometimes think that if I were to take shots like this of the average Joe, they would not be as powerful, simple and fun. At any rate, I still love the images in this book.

3. Vanity Fair: The Portraits

I have always been drawn to the imagery in Vanity Fair. I guess it is no suprise since Leibovitz and Testino both have had many images throughout the magazine. Actually Annie has a long term contract with Vanity Fair, so her imagery is always in there. This book has portraits from the past 100 years. The book is huge and heavy. This equals Huge, Beautiful Portraits to view. I love this as well.

Please leave some comments to what Photography books inspire you. I like to get 1 or 2 every few months. I have also started cutting images from my favorite magazines and putting them on my office wall, so that I can always see them and be inspired before I go out and shoot. It is a great way to keep pushing your abilities.

Have a great weekend!

Chatting with Bryleigh

We have really been working with Bryleigh's words. Here are a few: (My favorite is "Happy". She scoots around and says Happy all day long.)

One Image

Every once in a while I make an image and just love it. This is one of those images.I won't ramble on here with words, I hope you like it too!

Shoot N Learn - December - POSTPONED!

I hate to postpone the Shoot N Learn at the last minute, however due to my workload and priorities, I have no choice. I will reschedule and post soon for after the New Year. We can start Fresh and catch up! I have been thinking a lot about future SNL's and have a lot of ideas to share. I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season!

In the meantime, here is an objective for you. Commit to shooting with a different camera a few times over the Holidays. A point n shoot digital, Film camera, Polaroid, Holga, etc... Try it. It is so much fun and can reignite creativity and ideas. I have been using my little Nikon Coolpix L18 that I picked up for $100 at Target (over the summer). I am also going to pick up some polaroid film before it is all gone and take some with my polaroid as well. I have been shooting with my iPhone camera too. It really pushes you to get a good exposure!

Here is one of my recent favs with my point n shoot.


And one from the iPhone


I want to see pics too. Upload them to my Facebook group David Burke Photographers and share.

MediaStorm

While browsing, recent tweets, I came across this incredible website. Mediastorm. I have watched a few of the stories that are a mix of video, stills and voice overs. A. These are extremely inspiring from an artist standpoint, but more so the stories themselves are so interesting. These videos are put together so well. The photojournalism is exquisite. You become a part of each story just by viewing and listening.

Thanks to Jeremy Cowart for sharing this gem.

Off to bed now ;-)

Catching up...

...is hard to do!

The past few months have been a whirlwind due to travel, weddings, shoots, business planning and lots of family stuff!. All of the excitement has taken a toll on my blogging abilities. I am so far behind blogging the many wonderful shoots I have had over the past few months. I am taking some heat from some folks, because they have not appeared on the blog yet (I will not name you... you know who you are! LOL!!!) Stay tuned, as I promise to get you all on here!

In all seriousness this year has been unbelievable for us. We have met so many wonderful people and have made so many friends. The work continues to come and we feel nothing short of blessed and honored to be a part in all of your lives. Thank you all! We have been smiling and groaning as we feel growing pains throughout our systems. We are working "on" these systems as much as we are "in" them, so going into next year we will continue to polish and improve. Thank you for being patient with us as we continue to work and improve everyday.

In the meantime look at this lovely image. I want to feel like this every day, don't you???

Bryleigh - 1 Year

Well Bryleigh will officially be one year old on November 21, 2008, so I am a bit premature with this post... Since I will be out of town for her actual birthday I wanted to post now.

To say it was a great year would be an understatement. We have been blessed with the sweetest little girl. She is so calm and happy. There may have been 1 or 2 days throughout the whole year where she wasn't her typical smiling self. Even when she had a 105 degree fever (due to a UTI), she was smiling. We all love her sooooo much :-)!

Having a daughter has definitely changed me, for the better of course... Having boys has been a wonderful experience, but having a daughter has been extra special. Firstly, we found the name Brylee, but decided to change 'lee' to 'leigh' to honor the memory of my first daughter, Jourdan Leigh. Secondly, having a daughter has made me want to be a better man. It want to be an example of the man I would like her to be with someday. It is so easy to sit back and be worried/concerned for her future, but I am choosing to be a better example instead. Easier said than done somedays!! I know I am not perfect and have my shortcomings but I sure am making the best of it.

With that being said, I just want to wish Bryleigh Teresa Burke a Happy 1st Birthday!! Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives. Thank you to Bridget (Mommy) and her 3 big brothers, Damon, Christian and Brayden. We all love you so much! Just think, next year at this time YOU will be a big sister too!! We love you baby girl!!!

Bryleigh at birth...


Bryleigh at 1 year....


**About the 1 year picture - I made this portrait yesterday 11/16/08 and decided to mess with Photoshop a bit. This image is way out of my comfort zone, but I am liking it. It is very rare that I extensively edit an image, but I think it is important to try new things and grow. Not sure if I will do any more like this soon, but it sure was fun! Hope you like it!**

Shoot N Learn - December & Miscellaneous

Hey all! So we are mid November and I realize that I am not going to be able to have a SNL this month :( The good news is that we have been extremely busy/productive here and things are going great. I have also scheduled the next Shoot N Learn for Tuesday December 9, 2008, 6PM @ my studio. We will be SHOOTING this time! We will work in the studio, shoot, learn & have fun. Sound good? I hope to see you all there!!

In other news we have been shooting like crazy, editing, doing albums etc... Please bear with us if you are on our list.. We are getting to you soon ;-) We have experienced some growth lately and have been granted some incredible opportunities. Life is Good! I am headed to Cabo next week to shoot a wedding and am bringing along my good friend/photographer, Kenny Kim. Good Times for sure!

Home has been fun! Bryleigh will be 1 next week! I cannot believe it. She is so stinking cute! She smiles, 24/7. She is so smart and tries so hard to have a conversation. She will sit with me and just hang out for hours. She really loves her 3 older brothers too (and of course Mommy!). Each time one of us walk in a room, she lights up like a Christmas tree with Joy. She reminds me of how WE need to be. Much like the behavior of a dog that is unconditionally happy to see his owner, always! Please keep Bridget in your thoughts and prayers as she has not been feeling very well this first trimester. Hopefully she will be out of the sick days soon and be her happy self again. We love her no matter what! She is my hero for being able to maintain a household, keep the kids in line, keep ME in line all the while being sick constantly. I am the luckiest man around!

The more I think about having 5 children, the more excited I get. Each day I learn what is "Really" important and things that "Really aren't" important. Lots of fun.

OK, sorry for the tangent there. I need to blog more. I need about 24 extra hours a day. Thanks for letting me chat for a minute!

Can't post without a picture. Here is one from a recent family session.

Shooting Lots

I have been shooting a lot lately and enjoying it tremendously. I have been working with such wonderful people. I am sooo far behind on blogging these shoots, but I wanted to drop a few recent images (that are a little different than what I normally shoot) and say Hello... So... 'Hello World!' Please tell me what you think!

Pics: