In 2015 Tony Reynes and I teamed up in the photo educational world co-hosting photo walks and classes in the photo conference arena. Originally Tony took on the role of "Bird dog" or the guy who found and pointed out the shots, I took on the technical role, or how to set up your camera and other gear to record and maximize the shot that He or I poi...
In that last few months, I have had several opportunities to photograph products for a very prestigious international manufacturer of technology with a facility in Schaumburg Illinois. As is typical with any new client I schedule a sit down first and hear about the company as a whole and listen to how they want to use their new product photog...
Recently, I shared a conversation with a potential new client referencing family portraiture. The conversation was a pleasant one about the rise and fall of professional family photography. Without prodding the client began sharing her opinion in what she saw as a serious decline in the quality of family portraiture. It was boring, plain, technical...
Setting Camera Sensitivity How does one use it to their advantage? What is ISO relative to? Why should I care about ISO. How do I measure ISO? Do any of these questions sound familiar? Well as an individual that teaches a lot of beginners, I get the ISO question a lot. Above are only a few examples of the way the question comes up so let me t...
Get some criticism Nobody likes to be told that they haven't done a great job or that they could do a little better. However, while it can be painful it's also a huge part of growing as a photographer. A photographer I knew when starting his career took his portfolio to the local newspaper to try and land a job as a staff photographer. He handed hi...
Photography workshops keep you up to date Since its original inception in the 18th century, through to the early 2000's, photography didn't really change a great deal. Yes there were innovations, but on the whole the principles were the same. Then, when digital photography came to the forefront, it seemed that tastes, styles and possibilitie...
Make photography fun again Photography workshops are fun. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a keen amateur, there will come a point in your photography when it becomes a little, well, not to put it too bluntly; boring. Unless you have the means or ability to travel, a lot, there are only so many sunsets you can photograph, or weddings...
Curious about taking photography workshops ? "There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying, and never stop learning." ― Roy Bennett Do you know what the Scheimpflug principle is? Do you know why reciprocity failure matters in photograp...
Winter photography involves shooting in the cold weather which is usually a fascinating experience. Winter transforms different locations and landscapes into dream-like scenes which become somehow different from any other time of the year. The challenge of winter photography is the cold temperatures which makes most photographers shy away from leav...
I finally was able to dedicate some time to shooting my new Lumix G9. Now I haven't had to learn a new camera since 2004. I'm not making excuses for the Lumix G9, or me but when your muscle memory has barely been challenged for that long there is a serious learning curve. Even in my days at the camera store, where I was demonstrating 4 or 5 differe...
Invoking personal changes. Every once in a while it is good to step out of your comfort zone and test your mettle. That's my opinion anyway, as long as it doesn't affect my business. Well I took a bit of a leap this past weekend and went on a photo shoot with out my camera gear. Yep!!! That's right, I left my full frame DSLR(s) and my bag fu...
If you are big on equine photography and barn photography then join me for an awesome 24 hours of photography bliss in the Quad city area August 11 and 12th and at the same time provide much needed assistance to an organization dedicated to helping military veterans and families, Operation Horses and Heroes. You will have unlimited premium access t...
Being in the retail store allowed me to see the full circle of the photo industry. I had novice customers, I had professional customers, and a whole slew of "tweeners". I was expected to become the expert in all the equipment and accessories on the market , and needed to know the good gear from the junk. I needed to help people take better photos w...
The arrival of summer brings the airshow circuit back to life in the Upper Midwest. For many the sights and sounds of high performance jets and vintage war bird aircraft is enough to bring chills up and down their back. For others like me the chills are only half the thrill, nailing a few sharp close ups of these aircraft in flight is the payout of...
17° below zero was not your normal shooting environment. In fact most people might think going outside to take pictures under 32° might be a little insane. As for me, getting accused of being a little crazy is not unusual. I enjoy taking pictures in places many people won't go to or at the time of day where people will not venture out and if that i...
When the 1925 Chicago-Evanston Landmark Hilton-Orrington Hotel upgraded it's guest rooms last last year, they called upon the services of Keith French Photography to showcase their remodel. In house Sales Associate and Graphic Designer Tyler Drendel commented "Keith was a pleasure to work with. He embodies all the essential characteristics t...
When the president of a custom building contractor wanted to show off his prized accomplishments to potential clients it was easy to just pull out the ole cell phone a snap a few shots. But the stark realization was the clients couldn't see the extreme attention to detail and the over all mood that the end result helped to create be...
"From a Grateful Nation." The words of a Marine Honor Guard spoken on behalf of the Corps and the Country are delivered to the family of a fallen hero. This hero did not pay the ultimate sacrifice in battle, however, 227 of his fellow Marines did. In reality, over 6,800 Marines and Sailors were killed during one of the bloodi...
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that may develop after a person is exposed to traumatic events. Symptoms include but are not limited to flashbacks, avoiding similar situations that set up the traumatic event, hyper anxiety, anger outbursts, nightmares and many other unpleasant behaviors. I am not an expert, in rea...