Saturday, October 13, 2007

Alright!

Here are a few things I have been working on lately. As a photog I enjoy looking at other photographers work and analyze the methods used. So here are a couple of photographer in which I am attempting to imitate or pay some sort of tribute to. You can be the judge as to wether I am successful. Since you have been vocal concerning my lack of posting, I certainly hope you give some feed back on this post.

Jeremy Cowart ~ Nashville, TN


Kyle Plattner ~ Eureka, IL


Here are a few of my attempts... are they successful? Thanks!


Components



Result

Components


Result




D.Price

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A couple of days ago...

... I picked up a couple of strobe for a particular job I was going to shooting. Since then I have been experimenting with them. Attempting to extract every possible use for them I have set up a couple of group to get together and just have fun in front of the lights. Here are a couple of samples from one of these events.




Refocusing

If you have been reading my blog for a while you have probably noticed a decrease in postings. I am hoping to change that, but in changing I thought I would take this opportunity to change the focus of the the blog yet again. I plan to use this billboard to share with the world what I am currently working on as a photographer. As many know, I own a photographic studio (Black Olive Photographic) that offers a wide range of photo related services to private and corporate entities nationwide. I hope to keep you informed on what I am working on and up-to-date on recent jobs I've completed. So stick around for the ride.

D.Price

Monday, July 30, 2007

MovingTruth 2.0

MovingTruth, a ministry work initially started by myself and brother-in-law to bring together likeminded Christian artists in a central cyber location, has undergone some design and backend updates. It is our hope that you will find this new site more pleasing to the eyes and more responsive on your computer. Membership is free therefore there is really not good reason to not join. TJ and I are always looking for question to answer and problem to solve. Also for the more knowledgeable people out there, we are always looking for articles contributors as well (wink* wink*)

Hope to see you there.

MovingTruth.com

Thursday, June 07, 2007

New toys!... uhem! I mean tools!

I'm back! and yet so soon. There is a very good reason for this, but I am going to see if you can guess why from the following photos... Anyone?





In Christ,
D.Price

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Tree63 Concert


Hey everyone! I am back from the dead. I have posted a new gallery (too many photos to post here) on my studio site. This gallery is related to my recent excursion to a Tree63 concert. I have to say that the concert was different then what I was expecting. This isn't a surprise to anybody who knows me since I associate "concert" with the Peoria symphony orchestra, coffee shop jazz, and recitals put on by our local university music majors. The casual nature of the artist along with the vocal responsiveness of the crowd was astounding. This was very much a new experience for me.

However I took advantage of this, and brought my camera along capturing numerous images for your viewing pleasure!

click here

I hope you enjoy them and please let me know what you think.

In Christ,
David Price

Monday, April 09, 2007

Been a while.

Sorry, it has been a while. I will try and get someting thought provoking up ASAP. In the meantime, if you are unaware I do have some more recent post on my other blog at: www.davidpricejr.blogspot.com.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

University Life

Hello all,

This is not my typical post. This is a news flash. As many already know I have transfered to Illinois State University (ISU) I am work towards a Graphic Communications degree, but to be broader I am working toward a B.S. Degree. :P Anyway I am currently writing this post from ISU eagerly awaiting my next class (Color Managment).

On a more serious note, I am planning on working my way through school, I am hopeing and praying that I will not have to take out a loan and as of right now, I have not done the dreaded deed. Please keep me in your prayers concerning this as I spend a great deal of time this semester working to pay for my current and future college expenses. Thanks!

In Him,
D.Price

Monday, January 08, 2007

A New Year calls for a new image


Hello folks! Sorry for my extended absence. I was not aware of your lack of ability to function without my posting. Anyway, I digress. For the new year I have decided to start off with updating my blog avatar. You can see this new addition above or in place at right. (if your not seeing it try refreshing your browser). Anyway, I would like to know you thoughts about my new self image. Does it portray me?

So below, share your thoughts.


In Him,
D.Price

Friday, December 01, 2006

I'm advertising people!

Just thought I would pass along the exciting news of my new billboard. It has actually been around for a while so let me know if you saw it! I'm not going to say where it is, so if you haven't seen it you will have to find it. I would offer a reward for the first person to tell me where it is, but I am too poor. Happy hunting!



dp

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Starting Young!

Here is a series of photos in which I decided to place one of my cameras at risk. Tell me if you think it was worth the danger.





In Him,
D.Price

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Audience Participation "Round 5"

Alrighty folks! sorry for the long wait. I don't have time to write a full post, so I thought I would add this quick audience participation. This is portraite I took for my MM 142 class. Let me know what you think, considering most people who read my blog know who the person (model) is, I would suggest keeping comments related to the composition, lighting, and mood of the photograph. Thanks, and enjoy!

Nikon D50
1/125
f3.3
50mm
ISO 200




In Him,
D.Price

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

moving truth...


This is a recent effort my brother-in-law and I are making toward building up of the Christian community with a passion toward the creative arts of Photography and Cinemaphotgraphy. We are hoping to attract the whole gamut of Christian artists in these fields and hope to provide information and articles which help strengthen their love and honor for the Lord along with their interested in these Arts.

Being finally completed with the site, TJ and I are really interested in seeing some activity and interaction fire up. So for all you out there that have questions, techniques, experience, visit our forum and start posting. we have a few introductory topics, but more can be added as interest grows. Below is a list of various features which can be found on the site.

Features:

... Event calender
... Forums
... Articles
... Links to external resourses
... a chance to meet other likemind artist with the same interest and goals
... plus more to come!

Just a little about the founders:

TJ Daper is my brother-in-law among other things. He is currently in the profession of Film and editing. He currently works with Franklin Films along with its sister company Franklin Springs Family Media. I have worked with him directly on conference taping and DVD production. He is proficient in Final Cut Pro, along with DVD Studio Pro and in general the Apple platform. He also has had extensive experience in the audio production and recording for film production.

I myself have a deep interest in Photography. I am currently working towards my bachelors in Graphic Arts, and hope to be finished sometime in 2008. Through this education I have developed my passion for photography. Begining of this year I have been working on starting a studio specializing in the photographic arts. Including the digitizing of older photos and slides along with the traditional photography services. I am proficient in Adobe Photoshop along with the general Apple platform.

In Him,
D.Price

Friday, October 06, 2006

Audience Participation "Round 4"

Hello again, I realize I am on a roll, but I am just getting cought up. This following photos was taken from the back of our house. The camera settings where as follows.

1/500sec
f11
18mm
ISO 200


In Him,
David Price

MM 142 - Post.07

In this assignment, we were instructed to create a photorealistic montage. Our final masterpiece could push the bounds of reality, but there should be nothing in the photo that would suggest this. Everything needed to be taken into consideration. From the lighting to perspective. I ended up creating two different montages. I did two because as I was working on the first I wasn't sure how it would turn out so I came up with a backup idea. Below are my two compositions. I would be interested to know which you think I finally submitted, also share which one you like best.

Addiction



Speed Trap




In Him
David Price

MM 142 - Post.06

Sorry it has been a while since I posted. During this time I have completed two assignments the first covered the art of portraiture. We are told to get two portraits. One needed to be of a fellow student and the other needed to be of a (stranger) or someone I didn't know too well. They didn't defined "too well" too well so I decided that my boss would do the trick. I was already schedule to take some portraits of him so it work out perfectly.

Student:




Stranger

Saturday, September 23, 2006

MM 142 - Post.05

Hello again! This past Thursday I turned in an assignment and today I'm here to share it with you. The objective of the assignment was to find either a quote, verse, song lyric, bathroom graffiti, or anything that was verbal or written inspiration. Then, gather photos and compile them into a final image that represents the theme conveyed in the passage. After a weekend of thinking and pondering various sources I came up with "Not all who wonder are lost". You may be familiar with this quote, it is taken from J.R.R. Tolkiens book trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. I took this quote and derived the image below. Let me know if you can decipher the meaning of the quote in it. Also share any other comments you might have as well... "David, you're insane" is also a plausible comment assuming you feel it applies.




In Him,
d.price

Thursday, September 14, 2006

MM 142 - Post.04

Well I managed the presentation of my last assignment. Thanks for the all the contribution and comments, it really help me feel prepared and confident.

The next assignment asked for a photo utilizing unique lighting usage. I chose to go downtown and shoot some long exposure photos of various cityscapes. The following are the semi-finalist from all my photos and from these I chose the winning photo to be handed in. Pick the photo, which in your opinion, best accomplished the assignment topic.

1:


2:


3:


4:


5:


6:


7:


8:



In Him,
d.price

Thursday, September 07, 2006

MM 142 - Post.03

Next assignment - I have to say it was kinda a mystery to me. I was confused conserning what the instructed wanted. A normal person would have asked clarifying question, but not me. I go ahead and shoot 40 or so photos of a fire hydrant compile them together during class and then ask (after the fact) if this is what he was looking for. In retrospect this could have been a disaster if the teacher hadn't said "yeah, looks good".

Anyway, Below is the turned in assignment. I would tell you what the assignment was, but frankly I am still uncertain. So from the perspective of (does this look good?) what do you think? I am interested in your opinion...




...I have to present this to the class for a critique next Tuesday.

dp

p.s. I do know that our instructor did want us to use various filters and such in this assignment.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Audience Participation "Round 3"

Here is a photo I shot back on July 1st, 2006. Share your thoughts as to WHY or WHY NOT it is a good photograph. Also if you spot anything in the photo that is intriguing to you please share.



If you find yourself speechless then please just leave a ( * ) to ( ***** ) rating.

In Him,
d.price

MM 142 - Post.02

Assignment 1:

Capture 5 photos depicting the words below.

Square


Circle


Triangle


Waves


Star


Please share you comments on whether you think I fullfilled the assignment. Let me know which one you think best describes its word.

In Him,
d.price

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Off Camera Flash

The following photo was taken at a welcome party for our pastor's family who just moved up here from TX.

For this photo I used a Slow Sync technique along with the off camera flash, I had a friend manually discharge my SB-600 Speedlight from the right of my subject. Because he was shooting through a decorative latus it caused a interesting set of shadows across the photo. Also, due to the slow shutter speed of my camera, the photos blurry quality creates more interest and mystery to the picture.

Camera Settings:
shutter - 2"
ISO - 400
f/stop - 3.5
focal distance - 18mm




The next two photos utilized the same "off camera flash" technique just from different angle.





If you don't have an external flash unit, but have two "point and shoot" cameras you can achieve the same results by turning off the flash assist on your primary camera and slowing your shutter and using your secondary camera's flash for your key lighting

In Him,
d.price

Friday, August 25, 2006

MM 142 - Post.01

I have completed my first week of classes at the local community college and one of the classes I am taking is MM (multimedia) 142. This class is a digital photography class. It will be the first and possibly the only photography class I take in my life. I thought that over the course of the semester I would share my assignments with you and display my projects (photos) as they become available. As I post my projects, feel free to contribute comments concerning any thoughts you might have.

This sequence should inspire me to post more often. Hopefully my assignments won't be a complete bore

In Him,
d.price

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Pitch Black + .45 ACP + 2" exposure =



Okay, it wasn't actually pitch black, but it would have worked better if it had been. In acquiring this photo I was able to use my new Nikon 80-200 F2.8D AF lens. It wasn't a must, but it allowed me to not have to stand too close.

dp

Monday, June 26, 2006

Black Olive

Black Olive Photographic is a studio I am apart of. We have just launched our web site and I have a public portfolio of my work. To view it you can either navigate to it via the link in my links menu or click on the link below to go directly.

My Portfolio

dp

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

SB-600

I know it has been a long time but I am here to tell you about a new "tool" I have picked up and started using with my camera. A few days back I picked up my first external flash unit. Nikon has dubbed it the "SB-600 Speedlight". Since my puchase I have enjoyed several key features included.

#1: Power!

#2: 270 degree swival head

#3: Power!

#4: and again Power!

Now there is a lot included within the word "Power" that I am not specifying. With the "power" of the flash I'm am able to do short burst whereas with my on camera flash I am crippled to one shot at a time. The other aspects of Power is the range of the flash. It is capable os being effective up to 98 ft. Power also comes into play for the use of the swival head. with that feature I am able to use flash everywhere indoors and bounce the light off of walls, ceilings, and even floors if need be.

Here is a picture of my dog taken with my new flash unit. the light is bounced of an adjacent door (right). with this lighting, pleasing shadow detail is created on the left side of her face




dp

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

a slow approach to lightning

A couple of nights past I had the opportunity to sit on my deck and enjoy several hours of magnificent lightning. I had my camera ready of course. That night it recieved quite a work out as I kept it clicking away constantly. However, because of the quick nature of lightning it is virtually impossible to predict and therefore created problems for photographing.

My own personal solution included a way for me to enjoy the lightning as a person while also taking pictures of it. Usually I am faced with the problem of disassociating myself with my subject and therefore never fully enjoy the actual moment. With this lightning store it was a different case. I shot from the hip that night. I also used very slow shutter speeds. By using long exposures I could point my camera toward the activity and during the 10 seconds I could sit back and enjoy the lightning. By using this method I was able to capture the photo below along with others.


Nikon D50
10 sec (shutter)
50mm MF
ISO 200
f6


dp

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Panarama

This is a compilation of 9 photos I shot of a sunset after a storm. This is the view from the back of our house.



I owe getting this picture to my sister who heckled me to come and look at this sunset. Thinking I had seen about every sunset out there I wasn't too enthusiastic when she told me to I should get a picture of this one. I took one look, grabbed my camera and came back and took the 9 pictures which make up this wonderful scene.

dp

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Audience Participation "Round 2"

here is the second photo in the series.



If you find yourself speechless then please just leave a ( * ) to ( ***** ) rating.

dp

Monday, March 20, 2006

A Turning Point

Someone asked me a while back, why I started watermarking my photos. I have a clear answer to give, ownership. I have met many people who refuse to acknowledge the rights belonging to a person to own a work they have created, or in my case captured. Many people justify, their actions of appropriating photos for personal or commercial use by saying “I could have done this”. Well if this is true I would recommend to them that they do just that. If photography or other forms of art were simple or easy to replicate, it wouldn’t be rare, it wouldn’t be sought after, and people would never pay for it.

As a photographer I spend a lot of time behind the camera taking pictures of various people and their daily expressions. I often get weird looks and crazy stares but it is what I enjoy doing. However this dedication to the art of photography allows me to capture distinct facial expressions, even as it disassociates me from congenial interaction. The benefits received by me staying glued to the back of the camera are; un-posed, purely original, and truly keepsake photographs. I prefer to take candids for this very reason but often people assume that I am merely doing it for my own entertainment and that I am willing to shoot anything because of this enjoyment.

As a photographer striving to start a studio, I am faced with the challenge of promoting myself professionally and often times come across as protective and snobbish. This is not the case, I am very eager and happy to provide photos to people who ask, but appreciate people who realize the cost of time and money, past and present, I have spent in the ability to provide memorable photos.

To end this note, I would like to thank all those of you, who have acknowledged and appreciate what I have been and am doing.

dp

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Audience Participation "Round 1"

I am starting a regular posting that will include a strange or not so strange photo that everyone can share opinions about. Please speak your mind. This will only be interesting if people participate.

here is the first photo in the series.


dp

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Macro photography with any lens

well folks, it was a mystery to me a couple of weeks ago, however when thinking about it for a moment I could see how it would work. By simply holding a lens backwards in front of a SLR camera a photographer can achieve stunning macro capability with any lens. The two photos below were taken with ordinary lenses held backwards to my DSLR.

Taken with Vivitar 85-205mm f3.8 MF (backwards)


Taken with a Nikkor 50mm f1.8 MF (backwards)



DP