Tim Broyer Photography

Molting

2008-09-03T03:57:00.000-05:00

The blog posts have been sporadic lately due to some good family fun. I took the family camping over the Labor Day weekend up in the central Peidmont of Virginia. What a beautiful spot.

This cicada was on our cooler one morning when we awoke. He spent the night shedding his old skin and replacing it with new. I kind of like that idea.

Exciting things happening for TB Photo but I will save that for later. More food posts this week.

Head Shots

2008-08-27T16:07:00.001-05:00

Some head shots for News 14 Carolina.
Nikon D300 and three lights fired via pocket wizards. Not your average set up but it works nicely.

I spilled my wine

2008-08-25T15:34:00.004-05:00

Does your website need creative photography? Does your food look flat on the screen?
Does your food smile?

peach outtakes

2008-08-24T06:22:00.004-05:00

A peach that I used as a subject while getting my shooting table and lights together for a recent commercial shoot. The client was running a few minutes late and I had some time to work on the lighting. It's important to use test subjects while setting up and not your hero subject. The lighting and set up should be as close as possible when you bring in the hero.

Technical notes: AB800 in huge softbox, hanging from a boom, to camera left. One SB-800 in softlighter umbrella to camera right for a smudge of fill light. I used a D300 with a Nikon 105 VR macro lens and very little processing in Lightroom 2.0. I'll have more from this shoot soon.

Raleigh Skyline has a new look

2008-08-23T07:02:00.004-05:00

The recently completed RBC Tower with it's glowing pyramid.
Early morning exposure.

Mr. Plug longs for some Hot-N-Fresh...Now

2008-08-19T15:59:00.003-05:00

7th Edition of ASMP's Professional Business Practices in Photography

2008-08-16T07:30:00.004-05:00

I've been waiting for this book to hit the shelves for a couple years now. I almost bought the 6th edition when I first started out almost three years ago, but opted not to since it's last edition was in 2000. Many things have changed in commercial photography in the last seven years. Like Digital cameras? and Photoshop version 100 it seems. In retrospect, I probably should have bought the book anyway. It's literally the bible for photography business and I've started to dig into it.

One of the biggest challenges for commercial photography is pricing. Prices are all over the place and not everyone values a photograph the same. This book has detailed chapters on pricing and negotiating that alone make the price of the book insignificant. Every photographer selling images should have this book at their side. I hate to think my pricing structure is polluting the commercial photography waters with out of bounds pricing or keeping me from being competitive. There are many photographers out there virtually giving their work away. Work they made using $5000 worth of camera, computer and software. It costs a fair amount of money to produce an accurate, sharp and conceptualized photo.

As 2008 slides into fall, I am focusing my photography education on the business side of things. This book will pretty much be the text book for this chapter of Tim Broyer Photography, LLC.

Props To Logan's Nursery in downtown Raleigh. I had a wonderful Pistachio Chicken Salad sandwich while enjoying my new book.

Frederick Augustus Olds

2008-08-14T16:28:00.000-05:00

D300 35 f2 and Lightroom 2.0

Daisy

2008-08-10T11:42:00.002-05:00

A shot from a recent wedding.

I've gotten several questions about my blog and the recent lack of post & photos. I'm very back logged with post processing of some large weddings and I'm spending my time trying to catch up and put these orders out. Once I'm complete I plan to do a portfolio review and update the main website. Thanks for the concern everyone!

Dillon and the bullfrog

2008-08-04T05:59:00.002-05:00

Took some time off with family in Vermont. This is Dillon who is very good at catching frogs.

Bland Landscaping

2008-07-29T17:51:00.003-05:00

For an upcoming issue of Lawn & Landscape magazine.

Here is a link to the Gallery

Software News: Adobe updated Lightroom to 2.0 yesterday. I've downloaded it and started using it. It's a whopper of a change and significantly reduces my need to get into Photoshop proper. But is it a hog on system resources? I'm starting to think so.

Wedding Cake

2008-07-29T11:05:00.001-05:00

Pickled Jalapenos

2008-07-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

105 VR Macro in natural light.

Stephen

2008-07-23T18:22:00.001-05:00

an experiment in post processing. I like the increased contrast and slightly desaturated look. Your thoughts?

goodbye to weddings

2008-07-23T04:27:00.004-05:00

I have closed my wedding website and will no longer be photographing weddings. I have my last wedding this weekend. My commercial and portrait photography business is getting busier and that is where my heart really lies. All the weddings I have shot have been special in many ways and I leave the wedding photography business with my head held high and satisfied customers. I have learned so much.

I'm not going to say I will never shoot another wedding again because I might if the circumstances are right. Weddings are fun and the photography is challenging. I'm just not going to advertise or solicit wedding clients. I've always photographed kids well. So who knows...

Why? Too many reasons to write about here. One reason is artistic control. Photographing one subject in a manner that I build and set up is a great artistic rush for me. I don't always get that with weddings. And Saturdays are for family.

Thank you to all the wonderful brides and families who took a chance on me. Thank you to the family who supported me through them. I'm looking forward to more commercial (food) work and creating unique portraits of people.

Breakfast at the Banner Elk Inn.

couple more from Cameron

2008-07-21T05:06:00.004-05:00

Here is a gallery containing more from Cameron.

What a cute little bugger this guy is. I just had to post a couple more. He could be the Gerber baby!

Hula hooping on Big Leaf Loop

2008-07-20T08:30:00.001-05:00

Hannah mastered the hula hoop this past week.
I created a custom develop preset for this photo. I upped the contrast and exposure and also desaturated it for an older look.

Kurt Bland

2008-07-19T07:08:00.004-05:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Kurt Bland, General Manager for Bland Landscaping. Bland Landscaping is a leader in the landscaping industry when it comes to environmental concerns and energy awareness. Kurt was a pleasure to work with.

We had a great portrait session with some very cooperative warm sunlight.
I'm sure GIE Media will be pleased.

minding my own business

2008-07-18T14:49:00.001-05:00

1/320 @3.5 ISO 160
Nikon 105 VR Macro D300

hair and make up

2008-07-15T16:16:00.001-05:00

hair and make up.

hair spray

through the viewfinder portrait

2008-07-15T05:15:00.005-05:00

Continuing my portrait project with Sandra Dubose, she asked me to do a through the viewfinder shot. Part experiment for me and a twist for Sandra, we set up the shot at Apex's chamber of commerce. Pretty neat and unique. I think it will work nicely for Sandra's overall design.

A few previous ttv shots.

steak experiment

2008-07-14T14:47:00.007-05:00

Teamed up with Chef Michael for a practice run on food photography. He has never been exposed to the level of preperation and detail needed to pull off a food photograph. So this exercise was a way of helping us both break the ice for his food and my photography. A cook book is possibly in the works although the grand scale of Michael's book might be pulled in a bit based on what he saw.

Mise en place. This was not a planned image but I really liked the idea when Michael requested a Mise En Place shot. It's like posting the shots of my lighting set ups.

Tech: One Alien Bee 800 in a large softbox to the rear of the subject. A snooted SB-800 skimmed across the steak to give the highlights. Various white and black cards to fill shadows accordingly.

Sorry for the big copyright notice. I host my blog photos on Flickr. It's a great way for me to have easy hosting, easy access and additional viewership, but it's also the preferred source for stealing images on the internet.

Cameron rules the roost

2008-07-13T06:16:00.008-05:00

Cameron, just shy of one year. He was a pleasure to work with.

Regular readers of this blog might recognize some of the folks here. I particularly like this shot because Cameron is looking at the camera while everyone else is not. It's usually the other way around when working with babies. The black and white enhances the look as well. I had a great time shooting Cameron and his family. Cameron runs things in the household, he just doesn't know it yet.

Good stuff!

Banner House

2008-07-11T11:54:00.001-05:00

Sandra Dubose Portrait session, round 1

2008-07-10T05:08:00.009-05:00

I had the pleasure of working with Sandra Dubose yesterday evening. Sandra is a rising actress, film maker and entrepreneur who recently relocated from NYC. We planned to head downtown for some environmental shots but a very powerful thunder storm rolled in and put a kibosh on that. We had a relaxed shoot in her home and I also got my butt kicked in Wii Tennis by her daughter.

I am impressed with Sandra's drive and determination to market herself and put herself in a place she want's to be. I can totally relate to that. We rescheduled our outside shoot for this weekend.

I also took a cue from Joe McNally's book and shot the hands. Good tip!