Merry Christmas to you and yours

Well, it's Christmas Eve. A very special time, and this year is one of the best I've ever had. My children are all here (some are asleep now); my parents are coming in tomorrow; I'm warming my feet by a nice space heater as I write this.

There's a fierce game of Monopoly going on upstairs (which bankrupted me first); we had a wonderful time of reading the Christmas story of the three magi (or wise men) in Matthew 2, followed by some extended carol singing.

Hot chocolate with marshmallows, some "puppy chow," and some Harry and David pears were consumed (rather greedily, I might add).

All this is because of the blessings of our Savior. Every gift we give is a shadow of the greatest gift of all, given some 2,000 years ago. The gifts of the magi were to foreshadow His role as Prophet, Priest, and King.

As we reflect on the gift that is offered, His assurance of eternal life, I want to wish you and your family warmest wishes for a wonderful celebration of Christ's birth. May you and yours be happy and fulfilled this season. This has been one of our best Christmases ever; may it be so for you.

-Richard

Study in Light

One day, I was playing with light. I wanted to get a look that vaguely resembled the old European masters in terms of their lighting. Thinking of ...what, a Vermeer?

It was a simple composition: a basket of vegetables. I wanted to show the color, the texture, and the interplay of all of them. This is what I came up with:



To do this, I decided to use a single lighting source (in this case, a single strobe with a colored gel), using barn doors and a honeycomb to give the light a directional feel.

It's an image that brings me pleasure. It's has just the feel I was looking for: the shapes play well off one another; the handle of the basket draws the composition together, and even the shadow of the handle falling across the vegetables adds a little depth. Putting a yellow gel on the strobe gave it a more timeless feel.

I'm going to have to play with this type of composition some more.

To this day, this is one of my favorite photos.

Walking down a trail

Sometimes to decompress, I'll take my lunch hour and go to a local trail and take a walk with my camera. This relaxes me, refines my vision, meets my own need to create images.

While walking down a trail the other day, I found this wonderful log covered with fungus. It's nothing particularly special for anyone else, but I just love this shot.

The LOOK

Usually, the best shots are the spontaneous ones. When doing a portrait of my kids for Christmas, I was trying to set up a nice shot with Christmas lights for the cards we create and send to loved ones. While shooting, I had the bright idea of having my son and daughter wrapped up in Christmas lights. I thought the colors and effect would be terrific.

While it was nice, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. My son got a little antsy, and since my daughter was essentially tied to him, she gave him, the look.

I did think about making a Christmas card:

(The card reads, "Dear Santa, I really* would like: 1) A new bike; 2) More toys. * I know where you live.")

Then I thought, "Nahh, probably not."

Special Moment

I've had a personal philosophy as a photographer for quite some time: every face tells a story. This Thanksgiving we had a wonderful time together. During the day, my daughter and her grandpa (my dad) spent some time together. When I looked over, I saw this sight:



She had fallen asleep in "Papa's" arms! I think these two faces tell it all.

Comments Fixed

I was told today that it wasn't possible for most folks to post comments to the blog; my apologies. I've found the problem, and while the comments won't show until I OK it (to avoid spam), you can now easily leave your thoughts here.

More coming!

What do YOU think?

For a long time, I've done photo restoration for my own use and the use of my family. I would often take a torn, scratched, or folded photo, and by the time I was done, I can make it look pretty pristine. For example:



After working on it:




There was a lot of damage to this nearly-50-year-old photo: Obviously it had lost most of its color tone; there was a lot of lost of surface on the photo, which became very apparent after I corrected and enhanced the colors; I was able to sharpen it up.

Other photos have been far more damaged, although I don't have examples of that right now.

So my question: would YOU be interested in such a service? I'm not asking someone to make a commitment; I'm just testing the waters.

Comments?

Christmas Portraits

Time is getting very short if you'd like a portrait for Christmas. Especially if you'd like to use a portrait for your Christmas cards, please contact me as soon as possible so we can get it done in time for you to mail out.

New Facility in Town

A good friend of mine, Art Smith, has just opened a rental studio in town. Art is a commercial photographer in town, doing product and commercial shooting. A very gifted photographer. His rental studio opens up new possibilities, since it includes sets, special lighting, backgrounds of every type, and large open studio space for shoots. It's probably one of the nicest of its kind in Missouri. His studio is located in downtown Columbia.

I'm excited about this new venue. Previously, the largest indoor studio work I have been able to do is about 20 people at a time, which isn't bad. Nonetheless, I've had some shoots where having a studio like Su Casa would have been a real help.

I wish Art the best, he's a good guy and a good photographer. His new studio will be of real service.

Website name change

Please note the new address for the photography website: http://www.RichardBerryPhotography.com - it's a lot clearer than our old address.

Please feel free to leave comments on this blog, as well as the website itself.

-Richard

Missouri Youth Orchestra

The Missouri Youth Orchestra is a terrific ensemble of young musicians from the mid-Missouri area, playing some pretty impressive pieces. Their conductor, Carrie Turner, is a lady of remarkable energy and drive. Her enthusiasm for her kids just bubbles over, as you can see from the performance.

Last week, they had their first concert of the 2008-2009 season. I was impressed with the scope and challenge of the music they performed. They did a terrific job.

Before the concert, we did some portraits as a fundraiser for the MYO. Everybody looked terrific, and we were privileged to get some images of it. It was so much fun to work with these kids, and they were all willing to try something other than the standard portrait look. I only had a couple of minutes with each one, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with these kids. It's easy to see where Carrie gets her enthusiasm!

Elvis has left the building!

Okay, maybe it wasn't Elvis, and maybe it wasn't a building.

In fact, it was a member of the Black Daggers parachute team, and it was a C130 Hercules Aircraft. We were at about 10,000 feet, and the Black Daggers were jumping over the 2008 Salute to Veterans Airshow.

Still, if you look at the photo, you'll notice that you can't see his feet. What happened? Our friend came to attention, snapped a salute, then took one step back. You can see the results. Yes, he was no longer part of our flight.




The jump was incredibly fun; you can see more from the jump here, as well as photos from the complete Memorial Day Weekend Celebration.

Bruce and Claire

Had a really wonderful portrait shoot with Bruce and Claire. Bruce is just back from Marine Corps basic training, and is returning to complete his training. We decided to get a shoot in while he was in town.

Claire is Bruce's girlfriend, and it was just a hoot with them enjoying themselves and comfortable in front of the camera.

I wanted to play with the light, so I went for several different looks. The dramatic:



The fun:



And the playful:



We did a lot more as well, as you can see here.

Bruce and Claire have been extended family for awhile; we did Bruce's senior photos about a year ago. It's so much fun to work with folks like this. They enjoy it, which comes through clearly in the photos.

Jamie and Linda

I'll be honest: I was a little nervous about this wedding. When your client is also a friend, you feel it even deeper: you want your images to have real impact ("blown away" comes to mind).

Jamie and Linda were married in Boonville on October 11th. This wedding had all the makings of a perfect wedding from a photographic standpoint: the groom is a photographer himself , so he appreciates photography; the couple is extremely nice and laid-back; the wedding was not a Hollywood production, and the sanctuary was light and airy and very well-lit. The Pastor was very kind and had very few restrictions, which were respected.

The wedding and the couple didn't disappoint. We had a terrific time! Both Jamie and Linda were very supportive of what I was trying to do (which was, in fact, trying to support them); they were very patient, even when uncomfortable in the beautiful-yet-stultifying clothes we all wear in weddings; and their families know how to welcome people.

Amy was my second shooter, and did an excellent job of capturing expressions, gestures, and all those little things that make it special.

Below are a few images from the wedding; You can also view the full gallery.

Thousand-Yard Stare

It's 1943, and he's flying a B-25 over the Pacific. As on every patrol, his life, and that of his crew, depends on their vigilance. Each day they fly another mission. Each day they beat odds that no Vegas gambler would accept.

Flash-forward 65 years later. I'm standing on the tarmac at the Salute to Veterans airshow as the photographer for the event. A wonderful friend is the son of that pilot, who now is in his 90's and needs a walker to get around. He moves with the slow, deliberate gait of one who must watch his balance and his movements.

It's been arranged for this hero -- and the word is correct -- to visit planes similar to the ones that brought him home each time. We have two B-25's on display, and he looks at them closely. It fills him with memories; some good, some bittersweet.

As we were chatting with the owners of the aircraft we looked away from him for a moment. Looking back, we see our pilot put aside his walker to climb the vertical ladder into the B-25. A glance at the owner confirms that it's OK for him to go in, and with an assist from his son, he gets up and into the cockpit.

The smile on his face was priceless! He could remember every switch, every control, every nuance of the aircraft. I believe he could have safely flown it off the ground at that very moment. It was that much a part of him.

As he looked back, he noticed I was taking pictures, and gave me a big grin, then took off his hat to make it easier. Then the magic happened.

For a couple of moments, just a second or two, he forgot me. He forgot everyone around him. I believe in that moment he was back in the Pacific with his comrades, fighting the good fight, reliving the experience, mourning those that fell. I was honored to witness it.

I was even more honored to get a shot of that moment. This is truly one image I'll treasure for a long, long time.



I'm proud to be a part of the Salute to Veterans. To find out more about them and the wonderful work they do, please visit their website.

Roots'n'Blues was a blast!

The Roots'n'Blues'n'BBQ festival was held this weekend in Columbia, and it was terrific. Bands like the Del McCoury Band, Buddy Guy, Music Revue Relief Effort, and many more came to perform, and the music was excellent.

My daughter Amy also did some shooting, as she trains to be a second shooter at events. She did a terrific job. You can see her best stuff under the Special Events link on the website. She did a bunch of terrific shots, but here's my personal favorite:



Shooting many stage events can be challenging: the light is variable, highly directional, and sometimes very low. To get a good picture regularly (it's too optimistic to say "consistently") takes a lot of work and some experience. You have to learn a few tricks to make it work.

My favorite photo from the shoot was this one:



What a terrific time! And we do love event shooting!

New Camera!

Well, I'm stoked. I just got the new camera we've been waiting for. A Canon 50D is now in my grubby little hands, and I'm itching to seriously start using it.

When I looked at one of my memory cards I was putting into the camera, I found some images from my old camera, and it came back to me again: it's not the camera, but the photographer. My previous camera, while getting a few years on it, was still capable of putting out some outstanding images (virtually all the images on the website are from that camera). Whether a photo was a winner or not still was up to me.

Still, I'm going out tonight to a concert by the Del McCoury band, and I'll try the new camera. I'll know more when I get done.

UPDATE: Well, I had a good shoot, and learned a lot. I've created a Panorama that was shot at extremely high sensitivity (for those who care, ISO 6400). Very neat stuff. After my previous camera, which was nice, this is a major jump. Shooting with this camera is just a joy.

The photos are on photos.RichardBerry.org, under special events. Take a look!

UPDATE #2: My daughter, who is training as a second shooter, and I went back out to the festival tonight to shoot. Again, I'm so impressed with this camera! Very well sorted, nice balance, quick performance. It will be a pleasure to use this one! I'll soon have more photos of the festival up on the website.

The power of prints

Recently I had an offer from a vendor to try their photobook service for free. It's not a service I usually consider, since it's more of a low-end consumer vendor - they compete on primarily on price and volume. Still, it was a free photobook, so I thought I'd create a photo portfolio using this book.

When the book arrived, it came to me anew how powerful the printed image is. The printed image has the least dynamic range, or range from total white to total dark, of most display methods. Yet it retains some of the most powerful impact on us.

When I first started shooting, I almost never printed my images-- until I shot my first airshow. I shot about 800 images, and we printed almost all of them. It was a revelation! The reality of the image, the impact of subject matter, all of it-- it became much more intense, much more visceral, than simply seeing on a monitor, even though a monitor has more capabilities in some ways.

A high-quality print draws us into the picture; it drives a point home. It has the longevity to become a touchstone through the years; it becomes part of our environment, it represents our history and our future at the same time. It can represent beauty, emotion, and truth -- sometimes uncomfortably.

So what about the book I ordered? It was OK. It still had an impact to everyone I showed it to, as prints do. It was a nice book, but not one I would use for my clients. The vendor is low-cost for a reason.

We have some excellent quality vendors and we'll stick with them. It's just too important.

Making it right

I had a terrific thing happen this week: A client complained about the quality of her prints! I'm thrilled! I'm serious: I'm really stoked!

This may sound odd, or you may think that it's a trick, but it's not: the prints simply weren't good enough. So why am I so pleased?

A little background: when I first got into professional photography, someone asked me, "So you're a photographer: are you cheap?" That's not my first priority. I'm not going to compete on price (although my prices are reasonable, I can't beat Wal-Mart): I am going to compete on quality. I want everything -- everything -- that comes from me to breathe quality.

Every image gets reviewed and enhanced before I release it. We've picked labs that put out top-quality prints. Our albums come from different vendors, all leaders in their field. The slideshows we create are meant to be top-notch.

I know that sounds cliche, but my passion is creating incredible images. Some of them are family heirlooms and treasured memories; I don't take that lightly.

So when my customer called me to complain, it proved to me that she gets it! She knows that I'm not happy until those photos are superb. As it turns out in her case, a bad color setting in the order threw off the colors and exposure of her prints; a replacement order was immediately sent to her.

I'm a happy camper.

Family Reunions

I've had a lot families come to me to shoot their family reunions; it's an unexpected area of interest to a lot of people. As I've thought about it, I've realized that it's a terrific time to get some nice photos: people are much more relaxed than at that other big photo event, a wedding. Styles differ widely, from formal to picnics. Still, people consistently enjoy their reunions, and it shows in the images.

We've found an approach that works pretty well for a lot of folks: some formal portraits, along with some event photos. That way, people still get that terrific shot of their immediate family and also the extended family, but they also get souvenirs of the event.

Additionally, because the photos are on the web, everyone can get what they want with a minimum of fuss; there's no need for one person to have to distribute multiple photos to multiple people.

Also, families enjoy using a photographer, because folks can then just enjoy one another. No one has to be concerned with making sure everything is recorded.

The families that I've done came as clients, and left as friends. I'm pleased to know that these photos are already considered family heirlooms.

Refining your voice

As mentioned before, I love people, and creating images of people. As I continue, I'm refining my "voice" in my images.

I've come to notice that there are two components to images with two different focii: the form and the color. It seems to me that the form conveys information primarily and emotion secondarily. Black and white photos create their own emotion because of the fact that they're black-and-white; however, their message can be altered dramatically by the addition or alteration of color.

While form focuses on information, color focuses on emotion. It conveys information, yes, but it seems to me that it's primary impact on the viewer is emotion.

That's one reason we all tend to like sunset/sunrise pictures: the warm colors lend us a happy feeling. We respond in a personal way to that image. In the same fashion, dark or cold colors can create a completely different response.

With that understanding, I've started to experiment with color in my portraiture. I'm finding that sometimes, less is more. I don't eliminate color, but a find that sometimes just a hint of color creates a stronger emotional response, possibly because it departs from the normal image.

Most images are either saturated or black-and-white. This "hint-of-color" elicits a closer look; it draws in the viewer, and as the viewer is drawn in, the emotions are involved, often more than through the untouched image.

Obviously, this can be overdone; still, I think that I'll continue to explore this avenue.

Engagement Pictures

I'm getting ready to do an engagement shoot in the next week or so; it made me think of my favorite engagement shot (so far). This was taken at Stevens Lake. We all had a great time, and believe it or not, this shot was not posed. They were just playing around, and I got this shot. I usually enjoy people just interacting and almost forgetting I'm there. That's when the magic happens.

Senior Photos

I just noticed that the deadline for Senior Photos is November 1 for Columbia Schools. It made me think of one of my favorite shoots: Bruce.

This terrific young man and his family have been long-time friends. They asked me to shoot his senior photos. Because I knew him, I wanted to give his portraits a bit of an urban feel. His family independently had the same thought, so I knew we were on the right track.

The hour-long shoot was a true blast. He was a little uncomfortable at first, as teen males often are, but as we shot for awhile, he loosened up, and we got some terrific images (to see the whole shoot, click here):

Hello!

This is my new photography blog. I thought I might show a few of my shoots as they occur, and maybe give a few thoughts. If this blog interests y'all, I'll keep it up.

Early on, when I began to shoot seriously, I was consciously looking for my photographic "voice." I shot a lot of different things, mainly landscapes and the like (primarily because I could do it during lunch hour, and it was relaxing). It was during these times that I learned the basics of composition and lighting. I cringe a bit when I look at those photos. Still, here's one I liked:

The cricket is what really made this a favorite.

As I develop this blog, I'll start to post examples from other shoots. I already have some ideas for future posts.

Stay tuned!