Christmas Present

Anita and the kids went in and bought me a backdrop support system with background cloth. It is from Cowboy Studios. It came with both a black and white background. I also got requests to go to the kids homes to take pictures of the grand kids. Guess I know what I will be doing next week.
I am really getting close to getting everything I need. A couple of flash units with umbrellas and stands will really help. I would also like to get the wireless flash remotes. It will be a bit before I can get that but those will be nice to have. I will need to get a hand truck to haul all of this around at the rate it is growing.
I am excited though as this is something I really want to do.

Photowalking Utah at Temple Square

It was a cold night but very rewarding. We started off at the Salt Lake Main Library where we learned about taking night photography. We then caught TRAX and rode the train to Temple Square. There was a group photo and then we took off to take pictures. I invited a neighbor Steve Leetham and a couple of people from work Laurel Ryan and Cindy Beebe. It was fun having them there and helping. I did get a few pretty good shots. Here are a few I liked and the rest can be seen on www.flickr.com/johnfreeman.

Trevan doing some Hip Hop

My grandson Trevan has been learning Hip Hop and his group put on a performance tonight. Here are a few photos I liked. You can find the others on my Facebook account.

Infant Photography

Well I did my first portrait photography session. It was of my new grandson Luca Freeman. He slept through most of it so most of them were of him sleeping. I need more practice but for the most part it went pretty well. Here are a couple of the pictures. There are more posted on my website.

Turkey Shoot

On Thanksgiving night the Photowalking Utah group did a walk around Salt Lake City. It was a lot of fun. It was cold but fun. I did get a few cool shots. I posted several of them on my flickr site. Here are a couple of my favorites.

New Equipment

Well I finally got the last few pieces of photography equipment that I had on my list of must haves.  There will be other items that I will get as my business grows.

They are a:
  70-200mm f/2.8
  24-70mm f/2.8
  18-200mm f/3.5-5.6

I am pretty excited about getting these lenses.  It was a large investment but they should last me for many years to come.

Ryan's Birthday

Justin and Elena came over to Schow's so Anita could be there to celebrate Ryan's Birthday. They are going to have a more formal one on Sunday. Here are a few pictures from his party with us.

Taking Photos of Kids

I have been searching several different blogs and websites trying to get ideas on how to take better photos.  I ran across this posting on Photography Bay. It is titled "16 Essential Tips for Capturing Great Photos of Kids". It has a lot of great ideas that I will refer to often.  You can go to the article here http://bit.ly/4nLgwt.

Scott Bourne talks about Pre-Visualization

I had the opportunity of going to Pictureline last night to hear the great Scott Bourne speak. He talked about Pre-Visualization.  Here is a link to a blog that talks about what was discussed http://bit.ly/27Wcwb.  Michael is a local photographer that has a lot of good information.  He is one to follow.  Also you can check out Scott Bourne's site at http://bit.ly/24M8ST.  It is good to associate with all these pros.  It makes me want to do better so that I can officially rub shoulders with the best.

Trevan's Birthday

I went out to Trevan's birthday party tonight. I tried using some of the techniques I have learned to take some photos during the party. Here are a few.

Jarvie Housewarming Party

Scott Jarvie moved into a new home a few months ago.  He had a party tonight where we had some good food and good company.  He also had an XBox with The Beatles Rock Band Game.  There were several that got involved in that.  He also had Pool and Ping Pong.  Lots of the regular photographers and several new ones.

Photowalk with Lensbaby

Had a great time doing a Photowalk yesterday using a Lensbaby (www.lensbaby.com).  It was a different experience using a lens that purposely takes part of the image out of focus.  The group was fortunate to have the Lensbaby company send in 50 units for us to try. Here are a couple of the photos.  I have posted several others on my Flickr site.

After the shoot several of us went to Charlie Chow's for an early dinner.  It was fun setting around the table talking about cameras and photography.  They are a great group of people.

Groups and Websites

There is a great photography group that I was introduced to a little over a year ago. The group is located at www.photowalkingutah.com.  They have a monthly activity where we meet at a location in North Utah and take pictures.  After the photowalk those that were on the walk can post pictures to the groups Flickr account: www.flickr.com/groups/photowalkslc/.  They also have mini clinics at the SL Main Library every other month or so.
Now here are a few places where I can be found:
www.flickr.com/johnfreeman - this is where some of my initial photos are stored.  I will still be posting here too so check this site.

I have a couple of social networking sites that you are welcome to check out and follow. 

www.facebook.com/jjfreeman - this is where I keep in contact with family and friends.

www.twitter.com/jjfreeman - this is where I connect with several photographers.  It seems that this is the preferred media for them to keep in touch with each other.

Initial Steps

On Oct 8th I spent the afternoon and evening helping Scott Jarvie do his yearly Charity Shoot.  I helped with the lighting and it was good to rub elbows with a great photographer.  I recently just signed up with the New York Institute of Photography.  I am starting through their Professional Photography course.

So not only do I need to work through the different course lessons but I also need to dedicate 2-3 times per week to dig my camera out and take pictures.  I am working on getting a copy of Adobe Lightroom.  I will also be buying two new lens to go with my new Nikon D300S camera.

In the Beginning

Well I finally decided to make my photography business legit. I created this blog to give detail into what I am doing in the area of photography. I have also signed up with an account under SmugMug where I will be posting all my pictures. You can see that by going to www.shortyshots.com. I hope to eventually do not only landscapes but portraits and someday even look into wedding photography.