The Top Ten things to Know about Fujifilm Instax Film

5/26/2017 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA   A few months ago, my brother came to visit. It was a special time because I had not seen him in so long. He was also brought his three boys. Adding my two “little men” and myself to the party, our total soon grew to seven. Boy, were we rolling deep!

Humor aside, I wanted something special to document the occasion. Going out on a limb, I chose to photograph most his trip on the Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 as well as Instax Mini film. I had to buy the system since I didn’t own the camera or the film. Thank goodness for price matching. I did not know how capable the film and camera would turn out to be. After over 800 images, and a lot of research, here are the TOP Ten things I have learned:

Top 5 Pro Tips for Choosing A Wedding Photographer

5/15/2017  VIRGINIA BEACH, VA  This “top 5” is going to consist of what I would look for from a photographer photographing my wedding. This is an insider perspective, and the tips themselves will be quite revealing because they place a focus on the story of a wedding, not just the event itself.

X100f: Leaf Shutter, ND Filter WIde Aperture; Check!

5/7/2017 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA   The X100 series camera packs a huge punch. It includes in the triple threat of a Leaf shutter, built in Neutral Density Filter, and a superb 23mm f2 lens. If it were to be judged alone, these features would be more than enough to place it at the top of many pros list. That is if they knew about it. I want to remedy this and discuss why and how the X100 series camera is one of the best cameras on the planet. I will also talk about my experiences with the 50mm converter, the TCLX100. Note that the x100, X100s, X100t, X100f, all share the features discussed in this article.

XPro-1 On Location at the Park 

5/1/17 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA   Photography is a labor best experienced through the lens. Conducted properly, it lends the onlooker the eyes of the photographer. Practiced poorly, however, memories are lost in time. The sobering truth is that the masterful few who tell stories with their images are not photographers at all, instead they bear the burden of an historian, always balancing the scale of honesty and vagueness, to help us understand and appreciate our past.

For Better Photography, Shoot Film.

4/25/17 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA   Please stop shooting thousands of images in one day, picking the very best few, and calling yourself a professional photographer. Instead, put a roll of Portra in your camera, head out to your paid gig, and perform to the standard you claim to hold. Once you brave that fire and succeed, you may then call yourself a professional.

What My Photographer Should Know.

4/19/17 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA   Photography is the science of writing with light. Isaac Newton wrote a book on optics to better understand light transmittance through glass and discovered that white light was all colors of the rainbows. He split the white light of the sun into the three primary colors, determined how aspherical elements focus light and engineered lenses for telescopes.

How important is a photographers’ equipment?

4/12/17 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA   Cellular phones such as the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 have on-board camera systems which produce beautiful consumer grade images. I am very happy with my S7. Most people are happy with the camera on their phone as well. However, I’ll bet that you wouldn’t hire a wedding photographer that used an iPhone to photograph your wedding. I wouldn’t either.

A beautiful Camera, the Fuji X100s .

4/07/17 NEW YORK CITY, NY    When I look through my images, I notice a pattern- I have developed an eye for a wide perspective. That’s not to say that I don’t fancy a closer or zoomed in point-of-view. To the contrary, as a wedding photographer, I must be handy with all focal lengths required to produce beautiful images. However, if I were to look at the tens of thousands of images I have taken over the past five years, one thing would be apparent: the 23mm focal length on APSC sensor cameras (35mm focal length on full frame cameras) is my absolute sweet spot. When I look at my photography, by focal lengths, I find a 2:1 ratio of 23mm to any other focal length.

For the Love of Film.

4/01/17 CHINKATINK, VA   Film photography is very different from digital photography, both have advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it is difficult to almost impossible to tell the difference between the two when looking at a printed image. So, what is all the fuss about?

Is Your Wedding Photographer an Expert?

3/28/17 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA   Many people think it is the camera that takes a beautiful image. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I would like to share with you how to evaluate photographic images. This is designed to be a basic overview for a novice bride or groom. The singular intent is to help you view and appreciate a photographers’ work more intimately, thus allowing you to discern your own tastes and ultimately help you pick the best wedding photographer.