Steve Bowman Photography

I'm not even going to justify the absence...

2011-04-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm not even going to try and justify my absence from staying on top of the blog. I'm so embarrassed that I'm not even going to post the entry to Facebook any more.

Things have been awesomely busy however. With my wedding season now underway, this weekend I'll be enjoying my final wedding-free weekend until November. I'll be celebrating by doing two engagement shoots.

So who knew this was going to happen, eh? The reality of owning a flourishing business has only recently dawned upon me, and while I'm humbled by the success, I'm also nervous for the upcoming year.

I know I was going to try and keep this blog semi-informational and not just a dumb diary of sorts, but I think baby steps. Trying to find my log-in information was a challenge, and actually typing it in, well, I'm exhausted. However, I guarantee I'll be back.. heck, I even have a topic picked out: Fish Eyes and Why We Love Them.

In the meantime, I'll just leave you with some pretty; behold, the latest video slideshow...

Kristin & Will. A Wedding! from Steve Bowman on Vimeo.

December Resolutions...

2010-11-27T14:27:00.000-08:00

Oh hey blog! I know. I'm sorry I didn't write you. I've been busy... trust me, it's me not you.

No awkward explanations... just a busy summer and fall. However, if I'm going to have a blog, I better stay on top of it. Rather than updates and the ever-yawn-worthy 'whats happenin'?', better to use this blog to explain what this is all about. You know.. like I said it was in the beginning. Le Sigh.

So where better to start than talking about why I chose to shoot the way I do. That weird stuff.

Ultimately there is one critical aspect to this: The key is how to use the elements to make the image interesting.

What is 'interest' though? People tend to have expectations based on experience. They're used to seeing photographs that are a certain way; a smiling face, center of the frame, eyes looking at the camera etc etc. It could be the most beautiful person in the world, technically perfect exposure and focus, yet because that's what the viewer expected to see, it's not very 'interesting'.

The answer to making an interesting image is to break those expectations. Present the viewer with a visual puzzle. This can be done in a multitude of different ways...

In the above shot, there are lots of repeating vertical lines, and the subjects are lined up uniformly, but because the thing the viewer wants to see most, the heads, are missing, it will make the viewer pause a second and look at other elements.

This image embraces something I'm fond of using (or not using that is) and that's focus. The shot is obviously out of focus. The intention here, to grab the viewer for that extra second, is to make them look for something that's in focus. People like clear objects. They expect them to be easy to see. Take that away and you grab those extra few seconds and make them ask "what's that smudge? a person? a cotton ball?" This image also characterizes another trick...

The previous sample you can see the subjects, or smudges, are positioned to the far left and right of the frame. In this next sample, you can see the subjects are small compared to the image and placed in the far bottom right corner. Photography follows a few rules, and the important one in this case is the Rule of Thirds. How does this fit with expectations? Well, the eye expects to find the subject in the center. If it's not, again, something is weird and it has to search and move. In the case of the last image, we're also seeing a lot of dead-space or negative-space. That is, there's an area with nothing there.. makes a person ask "why did he make them so small and hide them in a corner?"...

This last example uses a couple of the past techniques. The subjects are placed at the outside fo the respective frames. Important parts are missing and cropped out, and we also see some out-of-focus. So what's left to see here? We can see Lisa's eyes, and know she's looking at Adam, but we can't see him. Really all you can take from this is possibly the most important part of an image: conveying a feeling or an emotion. The viewer is forced to only look at her eyes, and forced to understand what she's feeling, because here's nothing else to see.

These are only a handful of considerations (psht, like I'd let you in on all of my secrets) when directing a viewer. It's not, or shouldn't be, about making a pretty picture. It's about controlling what the viewer sees and guiding them to understand what you're showing them, and what you saw when you created it.

Photographers often talk about "capturing special moments" (I think I just threw up in my mouth a little..) but really the skill isn't just in delivering technically sound shots, with today's cameras any monkey can give that good go... it's about the ability to go beyond that, and put some impact and weight behind it. The real challenge is in creating an atmosphere for the viewer when you can only access one of their 5 senses.

Making an image 'interesting' doesn't make it good. All it does is give you a few more seconds of the viewer's attention to get across your message. So using these tricks can confuse them enough to keep their brain engaged in the shot while you say what you have to say...

Hung Ceilings and Techno.

2010-06-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

cut scene: Ohio, 1958. Camera slowly zooms on a man bubbling with fury, sitting in a chair in the dark..."These are the worst photographs ever taken. I feel like such a fool! Revenge will be mine. Not just on Photographer McSuck, but on photographers everywhere, for all time!" diabolical laughter echoes around the room...

The above is the only scenario I can consider when thinking of a Mr Don Brown, inventor of the dropped ceiling, simply because there is no other conceivable reason it exists. Let me explain.

Covered a job this weekend at a dance studio. Let me be clear, this studio was beautiful. It was, as most new commercial construction is, afflicted with a suspended ceiling. You know the kind: tiles, frame bars, sprinkler heads, recessed lights, fluorescent strips, air vents, exit signs. None of which are photogenic when trying to create artistic dance photography.

Thankfully, Kim wanted low-key shots which made the post-processing much less of a job than it could have been. Below is a comparative shot of the shot SOOC vs the one that was worked over. My heart will break a little every time I have to shoot around hung ceilings, and Don Brown will doubtless continue to haunt location photographers everywhere for some time to come.

Thankfully the shoot was a resounding success (in no small part to Kim who was patient and fun over 3 hours of shooting, and the wonderful She who held booms, reflectors and did round-offs while she thought no one was looking), and I was extremely happy with how things went. Technically the wireless system was flawless, and having that much room and flexibility to work with the strobes was cool. All of the concept ideas came through, and post-processing was a blast. If you haven't seen the slideshow yet, here you go...

Studio VIA from Steve Bowman on Vimeo.

As always I'll close with some music. I've had a few people ask about the track I used for the movie. It's definitely a departure from the last two blog entries of folky stuff. It's a remix of an Imogen Heap track, "Hide & Seek" done by Tiesto, (apparently featured on "In Search of Sunrise 6").

What can I say? I'm from europe. dance music is in my blood. Just like Wisconsinites have Polka in theirs...

Up next: Two shoots this weekend. Having looked around, a lot of photographers like to post thoughts and tips on how to help their readers make their own shots better. I would never be that presumptuous. Though I might have a couple of suggestions...

Twisted knees, toys, and lights in trees...

2010-05-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Woah, 2 posts in a week, he must be serious about the blogging thing! That's right folks, strap yourself in for a thrill-ride bettered only by watching televised poker...

Lets get real though. Photography is a dangerous business. It all started with getting new lighting equipment, and ended up with me gimping back home. In between I might have learned not to walk around with the camera glued to my face. Just because your entire body turns left, doesn't mean your foot will follow. Just sayin'.

The new toys are great though! Enough wireless equipment to light a small stadium. In all honesty, off camera lighting (and particularly 'strobist' work) is a whole sub-genre in portrait photography. Though addicting, it has it's place. In my case, there are situations where it's just impossible to create the kind of dramatic effect I need aside from doing this. I'll offer up a rather charming quotation from a fellow forum member, Raoul Isidro...

"But after a while of producing flat photography, you would be tempted to acquire a more powerful speedlight to attach to it. Then, after much confidence and creativity using the speedlight, you will drool and lust after powerful strobes and flashes with complimentary umbrellas and parasols that are propped up by handsome looking stilts and structures. You would then want more control and freedom and add wireless transceivers, more slaves and more servants. After countless blinding flashes that burn your retinas prematurely, at a silent lonely moment... you will discover... the beauty and pure joy... of available light photography"

Given a preference, I'll always be a natural light photographer at heart.

So what else is new? Well, new glass for a start! I finally managed to get a copy of the legendary 21mm Ltd prime I've lusted after for so long. If I could eat it I would. The lens cap is lined with velvet for cryin' out loud! So here's a quick snap from a walk around doing a lens test...

So what's coming up? Well, June is super busy, and it starts in May (?). This weekend, I'm working on an awesome project for a business, Studio VIA in Brookfield WI, which I'm preeetty excited for. You know me, I'm all about dance. Look for update on that once it's all done and dusted early next week!

Like any good party, we'll end this with a song. New-to-Me artist I just fell for this week, hailing from Oxfordshire in the UK by the name of Stornoway. Remind me of B&S and moreso The Stone Roses. Either way they're kick a$$...here's their Myspace and for those needing gratification requiring less than 2 mouse clicks, here's a video to inspire that second click...

take care folks!

blog-possession-amnesia

2010-05-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Partly busy, partly just not really getting that blogs don't write themselves, but after a sputtering start, I'm back on top of this thing. It doesn't help that i'm the king of procrastination. Posting a Craigslist ad lead me onto a couple of hours looking for a new Corvette. Photography is an expensive venture, let me tell you.

As desired however, things have picked up nicely for the summer. Since we last talked dear blog, many great shoots and many new toys arrived. With weddings to start soon and multiple other shoots between, I'm looking forward to a great summer.

Of course preparing for shoots involves many many things, the most important of which is thinking about and finding new music to use when compiling the slide-shows. Priorities right? I'm always open to suggestions, but I always end up sliding back towards indie/rock/folk a la Belle & Sebastian and my favourite Band de Jour, Camera Obscura who I've featured heavily in my work so far.

Pretty sure I can track down a sweater like that at Goodwill, the beard may take some work though..

Well, now I've got the login details for this bad boy all figured out and tattooed on my hand, I should be able to update more often. Yep, be excited.

As I continue my quest...

2010-01-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

...to be the worst blogger ever, another tardy update!

No, everyone was busy over the holidays, me being no exception. Though my definition of 'busy' involves anything that requires me to leave the comfort of my couch...erm, office.

Know anyone that could do with a good shootin'? Send them my way and I can hook them up for the spring and summer. Word of mouth and Facebook are my best friends, do do a guy a good 'un and spread the love...!

Had some really nice shoots over the break though, and last weekend was especially good. Starting up on saturday morning at the butt-crack of the day I finally got to do the engagement session with Lisa and Adam, with her bff, Adam's sister Kelly acting as my assistant and shoot manager.

It was so cold. The car (in it's warm smugness) told me that it was 1 degree outside. However for the next 2 hours while I toiled away in many layers of clothing, L&A bravely modeled their hearts out and did an awesome job! I decided against the run-of-the-mill engagement pictures and went with a candid, fun style. After all, I wasn't documenting an engagement event, simply two people.

Thankfully it worked, and they loved the pictures and I look forward to their wedding this July to do it all again. Without the long underwear however.

Lisa + Adam's Engagement Shoot from Steve Bowman on Vimeo.

The second shoot that weekend was perhaps the most powerful one I've done. It was of a dog. Not just any dog, but one that belongs to a friend of mine. He's been having some trouble recently, and well, Erin may have to make a difficult decision. Hopefully not, but just in case, I offered to do this. Glad I did.

I didnt really get emotional during the shoot, nor while working on the images, not even when I was picking out music. However, when I put the two together for the slideshow, woah, my eyes almost started leaking. They never do that. Point being this was one of the first times I've personally been affected by my work, so I thought that was worth mentioning. I can only imagine how powerful it was for Erin.

Aside from that, booking are coming in which is great! A quiet few weeks while we wait out the bad weather, so I'll have to stay occupied in the meantime. You may have to suffer some of my favourite pictures of dead fauna soon though.

Updated the copy on the website too. I guess I just felt that what was up there was too...well, not me. So hopefully it's less along the lines of what every other freakin' photographer writes and more reflective of what I offer, which is, well, nothing like what others are doing in this field.

Anything else? Oh yeah, because I'm such a great person I'll be volunteering work for one of the local humane societies. Doin' it for da goggies. I dont know man, I see those ASPCA commercials with Sarah MacLachlan and I get a little verklempt...

So that's the update for early January. Stay warm and I look forward to sharing some stuff with you soon!

Almost there. Time to take some time off.

2009-12-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

Forgiveness is asked for the lack of blog updates, but the last month has been a busy one!

As many of you now know, my website is now up and active, and my Facebook page gets the lion's share of attention and updating, and after spending the morning with the delightful State of Wisconsin's Business Registration system, I'm bordering on being completely and utterly official!

I'm so happy with the website, thanks to all those who gave me great feedback on putting it together. I still need to piece some things and polish them, but it up...it was like an Amish Barn-raising. It may not be the hearts and flowers that other photographer's websites are with bouncy country music, but it is what I was shooting for..simple, sophisticated and elegant.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me through this process. I can now sit back and relax a little bit! The beauty of starting this business is that it can chug along on it's own, and I feel no pressure whatsoever now. I want to let it evolve in it's own time, and can hopefully avoid the stress of relying on it to let me live my life; with that approach, I can concentrate solely on it being what it is meant to be: about the photography & the images.

Amongst all of the terribly dull aspects of the launch, I have had time for more shoots. I find myself finding that shot every time I run a session now. That Shot is the one that makes me think I want to print it...like 5ft by 4ft and frame it over my bed I love it so much! It's a good feeling to have that so often. My recent one was this delicious shot:

Most of the streamlining for presenting the work is done now. After a fight with Facebook over the movie slideshows, I moved to hosting with Vimeo, who have been great. One of my favourite features of my product is putting those slideshows together. Here's the latest one from a shoot with a co-worker Angie:

Snow Shoot, December 2009 from Steve Bowman on Vimeo.

OK, thanks for reading. I'm looking forward to a nice weekend getting ready for Christmas, and I'll talk to you all sooner than you'd probably hope!

Stress Test...

2009-11-24T18:49:00.000-08:00

...not quite so stressful as it turns out.

So after the FB campaign launched, I was inundated with requests. It was a nice feeling, and I was really happy to try and accommodate all of the people looking to help me out. I could have spaced them out evenly, but I knew with the Holidays approaching, I would need to work quickly if the shoots were to be of use.

With that in mind, I decided to see exactly what I could handle in terms of scheduling shoots as well as managing my workflow for processing. Last weekend I was hit up for four sessions, and managed to complete all of the post-work by Sunday night, and still feel like I'd produced results.

I really had a blast spending a weekend doing it, and the fatigue is just setting in today after the 5th shoot. Hence resurrecting the blog, (as I forbade myself from editing this evening), and so waste my time rolling my eyes at the Biggest Loser. As I said though, I had a great time and really enjoyed the rash of work. The suspiciously warm weather was a great help and the families I worked with were especially wondeful.

I enjoyed it so much, I'm extending my stress test to this weekend, with another four shoots. A year from now I'll likely be blogging from a hospital bed babbling about a 12-month stress test, but thats neither here nor there as I continue to surf a wave of enjoyment...

So, if you havent seen the new work from this past weekend, hit up the FB fanpage, as photos and the awesome new video-slideshows are up and done. Video-slideshows you say? Why yes, Video-slideshows. You see, as I edit pictures, rather than get hung up on small details, I work in drafts, and revisit a slideshow after the initial edits. I noticed that if I do this to music, the pictures are much more emotive. As I pondered over how best to use this, I worked on producing short movies featuring highlights of a shoot set to music, and thats the first thing a client will see from the session, as a way of accentuating the impact of their pictures. I feel it was one of my better decisions.

So what else is on the cards for this happy little venture of mine? Well, upcoming sessions include not only family sessions, but some commercial work also, which will be interesting. As we hit December, I'm also launching on the FB page my 'A for Advent Project'.

Projects are common tools for photographers. You generally decide on a theme, be it a 365 (taking one picture a day for a year), drainpipes (admittedly probably not a common theme) etc, and commit yourself to following through on the assignment. The purpose is to force yourself to be creative and force yourself to shoot with a purpose each and every day.

So, with Christmas just around the corner, and 26 letters in the alphabet, I've plumped for an Advent calendar style done in alphabetical order. Will it be as dull as it sounds? Hopefully not. I intend to have some fun with it, and produce some solid shots. It could be dull however. You were forewarned.

Anything else? Well, the business side is pretty much wrapped up now. I know what I want to offer, and have it all designed. Its all boring. However, administration seems to creep into everything as I'm sure you all know. I'll endeavor not to let it creep into the blog...

Though one idea I do have and want to get it in print early is the concept of Legacy Pricing.

As I stated in my previous blog entries, I want to become a family's "go-to guy" for their photography. Legacy Pricing is one of my commitments to that goal. In a nutshell what it means is that the first time you deal with me, well, that's the price you'll pay for the rest of our relationship. I'm sure that the cost of doing business, and also my prices will rise, but if you were in with me from the start, that's what you'll pay regardless. The cost of those Senior Portraits for your child at age 18 will be the same price they were when I did their baby pictures...

OK, Biggest Loser is done and Leno is on. Time to accelerate the eye-rolling. Or I could just watch the local news and see how many people were shot in Milwaukee today. Either way, check out the new stuff, and let me know if you need anything..

The Socialist Photographer

2009-11-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

I thought that the second post would be easier than the first to start. I was sadly mistaken, however, If I put my head down and write, something should fall out of my mouth. So in true Joe Biden style, here I go!

I suppose I wanted to touch on the 'why' behind my decision to do this; After all, I'm sure it came as a bit of a surprise to people who know me. Kind of like when your dad sits down at the dinner table and announces between the main course and dessert that that weekend the family will be moving to New Zealand. Again, it never happened, but I secretly hoped it would.

Admittedly Exercise Physiologist to Photographer as a career move is right up there with exotic dancer to 3rd grade teacher (if not quite so salacious), but the bottom line it's serving to fill a void for me. While I enjoy what I do and have seen great success, there's a creative element that just isn't fulfilled with coaching and training. The greatest moments of my life have been in helping people to reach their own goals and succeed, but aside form the training process I've missed creating something amazing just for its own sake. I've found that photography can do that for me.

We all see things in life that captivate us, even if it is just for a second, for truly those moments usually are fleeting. However, being able to capture that setting, mood, vision is a truly priceless ability. Though not everyone will always find beauty, peace or untold emotions in the same image, its the variance that attracts me. Then again not many over here in the US agree with me when I say Baked Beans on Toast is truly an amazing culinary combination. I don't hold that against them. I feel that what I can create is something worth sharing with others however.

So why the title of 'socialist photographer'? Well, it's a nod to one of my clients, who in a very tongue in cheek way used it to describe one of my soap box tirades. As I investigated and researched professional photographers, I was outwardly stunned by the cost associated with it. While much more reading and researching has educated me on why the industry prices itself so, and I can see their point of view, I still find myself thinking that especially in times such as these, something as precious as photography, especially when it comes to family and loved ones, should not be out of reach in a way I imagine it is for so many.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no social crusader and am not given to philanthropy, but I do know the value of my dollar, and that is what is guiding me. I believe there's a niche not for cheap photography (there are plenty of Walmart's for that), but for a service that provides excellent and professional quality in a value package. Something does not need to be cheap to be of value.

Having extensively researched the business, I believe I can provide not only a high quality but also the extras such as included print packages and CD/DVD copies of the images to clients at the same time. No hidden or extra costs for prints or digital files. I will not be holding images you pay me to capture hostage until you foot the bill for my next vacation.

Therefore, if I can meet my creative needs, be rewarded for my time and provide a service to other people that they can enjoy for the rest of their lives, well, who can really wonder why I'm making the choice to make this move?

If you made it through to the end of this post, well congratulations! You earned a cookie. That doesn't apply to my training clients btw. You need to go run another 5 miles and lift heavy things.

Have a great day everyone!

Steve

The virgin post...

2009-11-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

Seemingly a 'blog' is where it's at, so now I have one. Unlike most spur of the moment acquisitions however, I hope not to get bored of the new shiny and will keep this regularly updated.

As I'm sure some my training clients will attest to, the launching of the Fan Page on Facebook was a strangely difficult thing for me to do. I'm not sure why, and though I reveled in the psychological introspection that ensued, I went ahead and did it, and was quite amazed at the support and response from everyone. It was the kind of pleasant surprise you get when you find $10 in your jeans pocket, or suddenly find ninja skills as you react to the guy trying to rob the gas station. OK, so the latter hasn't happened, but I always secretly hope it will.

However, I digress, and as Shakespeare wrote, "Brevity is the Soul of Wit", so I'll get the point. This blog will serve to not only as shameless self-promotion, but also to engage my friends and supporters as I develop the business. I'll use it to display work, but also to garner advice and opinions on decisions I have to make as I go along; how I build the website..templates, music etc, ideas for promotion and offers, as well as give an insight into how my life, and this specific aspect is progressing.

OMG, I think I'm developing People Person skillz!