Natural Light

I have been taking a ton of pictures of my children latley.  (1) becuase the coblers child never has shoes, and (2) becuase it is a great way to work on new techniques in camera and in photoshop.  Read the images desciptions for more insights.

If I were to name this picture, I would name it.......... "moobs" :)

What would you name it?

Spring Event 2012

Our spring event was amazing this year.  It was a perfect day with perfect light photographing perfect families.  I wanted to post a few of my favorite shots of the event.

Stay tuned  for more events where you can get amazing shots and free stuff!

Children, Working out, and Photography

I love my boys, I love photography, and I love to work out.  So, I decided I would try to intermingle all three in this project!

Stratus Clouds and No Flash!

The more I study photography the more I realize how important lighting is.  Actually, light is one of the most important things in photography.  Too much of it and your photographs will be blown out, too little and you will lose detail.

Executive Headshots

Ok, the above picture was one of my test shots while getting everything set up.  It is hardly "executive", but I like to think I could at least look the role.
Executive headshots are always fun because you get to work with business men and women who have a "get it done" mentality.

It's Nice When People Know How To Pose.

The Lintz family are talented actors and actress' who know how to pose.  It was so amazingly easy to take pictures of this family and their individual shots.  I literally had to give minimal instruction because after each "CLICK" of my camera they knew they could and should change positions.  I love this family!  Here are a few family and individuals of that shoot.  Comment and "pin" if you like!

A Tractor Trailer and A Storm

Photography takes me many different places.  I have taken photos on the open plains of Wyoming as well as cities, parks, and abandoned homes.  The above photo was taken at a location that I have never shot before.  Actually, not only have I never shot here, I have never even contemplated shooting here.  Can you guess where it was taken?

Ready to Pop: HOW TO.

You can spend tens of thousands of dollars to be able to get "studio" results in your photographs.  Backdrops, stands, lighting equipment, umbrellas, soft boxes,  and renting a studio really add up!  This "How To" article will help you get those studio results at a reasonable price.

Get your workflow flowing

If you ever have had to sift through and edit 1000+ images from a wedding or a day of shooting, you know that it is crucial to have a good workflow. The key to a good workflow is having efficient software. There are many software’s out there, but the one I use and like is Adobe Lightroom. Below is a quick rundown on how I sift through and edit photos.

Paper backdrop and a cute kid

I wanted to share (well, brag a little) about how cute my son is and how easy it is to get shots of your children. This is my second born, Maddox. My wife had gone shopping on a Saturday and instead of going outside and finding bugs, I convinced my two year old to put on a tuxedo and do a little photo shoot for me.

Why I love this photo.

There are many reasons why I love this photo! The first four reasons are obvious, my two boys and two sweet nieces. Their faces and expressions are priceless and show their individual personalities. The other reasons are not so obvious.

Why this Photo "Works": Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is perhaps the most well known principle in photography. It is a princple that every photographer must learn - but it is also the first rule you will want to break in order to create creative photographs. But you must know and understand the rules and principles of photography before you can break them.

THE SPRING EVENT.

Like it or not, Spring is here! That means great weather, blooming flowers, and Valencia Photography's Spring event! Sign up ASAP to reserve your spot!

April 28 • $75 per session • At the newly renovated downtown Duluth (near Pure Taqueria)

Click here for more details

Sports Photography in 35 seconds

I have recently been photographing a lot of hockey team and individual's for "The Ice". Here is a little insight on sports photography.

Tutorial: My kid learned to fly!

Have you ever see those Photoshopped images in advertisement or on other blogs and thought “how did they do that?” Well, other day I blogged “My kid learned to fly!” and today I am going to show you step by step how to make this happen. Its simple!

My kid learned to fly!

My kid learned to fly! Ok, so maybe he didn't. But at least it looks cool!
Comment, Tweet, Like, share, and Pin this if you want me to post a "How to" on how to make flying photo like this!

It's a new day.

It's a new day, It's a new year, and It's time for change. I had an "duh" moment a few months ago when dealing with clients, orders, and thinking about the 2012 year that was coming up.

The Wind is free - Senior Session

I wanted to take a moment an talk about the wind. The wind can be a wonderful asset while photographing people. It can add details, movement, and playfulness. It can also can make for a terrible session. This session the wind was in my favor.

Soccer Individual Pictures

I took some team and individual Soccer pictures the other day at Northview High School and decided I would tell you a little about my set up. As you can see by the first photo - I had four lights. You might be thinking, "Four lights?! I only see three!" In photography, always assume your number one light is the SUN. I was standing/shooting at the bottom left corner of the image above. The two lights facing the chalk lines making "X" were my fill flashes. the light in the back was my rim light. The fill flashes were at 1/4 power and the rim light was at full power. Here is a test shot I took of myself before I started taking shots of the players. you can see the rim light was used to put light on my back and make me "pop" out of the image by "rimming" me out.

Place mats as a background

This is going to be a quick note. I just wanted every to see how I took this picture of Lincoln today. I wanted to get a close up of his face in natural light. He has some huge and cute eyes!

I didnt want to use a generic black or white backdrop, so I took our dining table's place mats and placed them on the ground next to our sliding glass door in the kitchen.

Content is Key

I recently attended a wedding in Birmingham for a friend that has been in our lives (myself and my wife) for a very long time. We have had wonderful memories with Adam and his wonderful family! It is always refreshing to (1) see friends get married and (2) not have to worry about photographing the entire wedding.

What if you saw a cow doing a backflip?

The title of this note is only a portion of what I want to talk about. It is one of MANY questions we ask our boys (& clients) in order to get their attention. Asking weird and intriguing questions to your subjects is one of the best ways to (1) get their attention and (2) get a real reaction and expression. They are caught off guard and will give real results.

"What if you saw a monkey on your swing outside?" "What if backhoe knocked on your bedroom door and asked you to play?" "What if a trash truck said, "ooooooooooooh yeah!!! ?" "I think YOU smell like a trash truck!"
Here are a few results.

Baby Photography: Minimal Materials, Large Results

I have a new born baby, actually he is already three months (!), and today I decided I really need to get some images of him before he gets all chunked up like my other children did (if you know my other children, you know what I mean)

Lincoln is the perfect subject - always smiling!

Product Photography: Strawberries and Martini's

This photo was taken at F4.5 and 1/200 for the shutter.. I was bored one day and decided I wanted to shoot strawberries in a martini glass. I simply placed a