In Print! | Forsyth Photographer |

It's always a thrill to see something you did in print - whether it's writing, drawing, or in my case - photography.  Here's the lastest issue of My Forsyth Magazine, with the cover photo by yours truly.

Pick up your free copy of this monthly magazine in Publix stores and other locations around Forsyth County.

Forsyth Central High - Senior Photos Promo

Forsyth Central Class of 2013 and 2014 - want to earn some money for your school's Drama Club?  Here's a deal for you:

Yup, that's right - we're donating $50 to the Forsyth Central High School Drama Club for every Senior photo shoot that is booked with us.  These flyers are at your school now - grab one and bring it with you to your session!

Photo Shoot | Duluth GA Headshot Photographer |

Looking for corporate headshots?  You've come to the right place!  And you have the option of coming to us or letting us bring the studio to you.  Call to schedule your appointment - our goal is to make headshots as painless as possible.

SKP PhotoTips - Shutter Speed

In one of the SKP PhotoTips posts I talked about Aperture and how it affects the Depth of Field in your photo.  Today we're going to explore Shutter Speed.

Contrary to what many people believe, shutter speed is not how quickly the shutter moves when it opens and closes; rather it determines how long the shutter is held open before it closes.  And there are two things that happens when the shutter is held open: 1) more light gets in and 2) the risk of / opportunity for movement blur increases.

Wait - 'opportunity' for blur?  Yes - when done well, blur can create wonderful photos.  Think of images you've seen of recent Olympic track cycling events.  The best ones will show the cyclists 'tack sharp' - as a clear, frozen image - with the background streaked.  In this case, the more blurred the better as it gives a strong feeling of movement.

So how do you achieve this?  By dialling down the shutter speed so that the sensors have more time to capture the image and 'panning' with the subject.  This is also how photographers capture the silky effect on waterfalls (except for the panning part.  That's a topic for another day).  The problem with a lower shutter speed is that you run the risk of unwanted blur.  There's not much point in a nice, streaky background if the cyclists are blurry due to camera shake.

The further you lower the shutter speed, the more you need to stabilise the camera and the most common way is to use a tripod.  But you don't always have that option - some well-visited tourist attractions won't permit tripods, or you might not have one handy.  When faced with this situation, find somewhere stable to place the camera, such as a tree stump or your car roof.  Or, you could steady yourself: pressing the lens against the corner of a wall can stop movement just enough to deal with a slower than normal shutter speed.

Of course, there comes a point when it's simply too slow for hand-holding a camera.  A safe rule of thumb is not to use a shutter speed that's lower than the length of your lens.  Which means that if you're using, say, a 70-200 lens and you have it fully zoomed out to 200, you should set your shutter speed to a minimum of 1/200sec.  Play with this to see what works for you - I've successfully taken photos at 1/15sec and then others that were blurry at 1/100sec.  It depends on the situation - are you nervous about taking the photo or did you just run to catch the perfect spot?  Then you're more likely to have shaky hands.

In addition to bracing yourself, there are other ways of keeping it steady.  Shooting at 1/15sec is about where your heartbeat starts to cause camera shake.  So the one thing you don't want to do (and which you should not do in any photography situation) is hold your breath.  Because holding your breath causes your heart to pound and your hands move ever-so-slightly when your heart beats strongly.

So here's a tip you should use every time you take a photograph:  breathe normally and calmly, then while breathing out, slowly and gently press the shutter.  Continue pressing the shutter until after you hear both the open and close clicks, and continue to breathe out until after you release the shutter button.  Practice doing this and you'll find you're doing it without thinking about it.

What are your thoughts?  What methods do you use to prevent camera shake at slow shutter speeds?

Blitz | Cumming GA Pet Photographer |

When I first met Blitz, I thought he was a very pale Golden Labrador.  (Okay, in my defence, it was a couple of months before the photo shoot and he's grown in a crazy way since then!)  But young Blitz is most definitely a white German Shepherd - which is very clear as soon as he lets out a bark.  There is nothing Labrador-ish about that!  It's a full-throated WOOF that commands attention.

Blitz didn't like me much at first, but when his mum and I spoke about doing a photo shoot, he decided I was the Best Thing Ever and was all sorts of lovey-dovey.  And that was before the doggie treats came out.

Blitz had a huge amount of fun running around the park; so much so that he needed a water-break.  And Blitz loves water.  I mean loooooves water - total, all-out infatuation with the stuff.  None of this standing to drink; he gets right down on the ground and savours every drop.  Just look at that look of bliss on his furry face!

Now that we're in our happy place with water in our tummy, we're ready for the last part of the photo shoot.

What can I say?  Blitz is living in clover.  Okay so it was a bad pun, but you know it had to be said.  Isn't he a great looking pup?