So, below are a collection of recent scenery shots from around Cleveland and Lakewood. Some of you may even recognize the locations. When I saw the alliteration between the images, I knew I had to post them.

Above is the Cleveland Jazz and Rib fest held each Memorial Day weekend.

I have always wanted to photograph Blackbird’s red door against the green summer ivy.

Most of you will probably recognize the Nautica Queen parked on the Cuyahoga River is downtown Cleveland. I just love how the film was able to handle the bright white while also opening the shadows. It really does amaze me sometimes. So, that’s a bird, a boat, a bike and a bridge. For those that get into the techie stuff, all of the above is Kodak Extra shot on a mix of Mamiya and Hasselblad.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

Having the right idea is the most important part of a tattoo. A close second is finding the right artist. Neither Brooke nor I are big into tattoos so we thought searching for the right artist would be difficult. Turns out, finding Cole was really easy. Fast even.

Cole was recommended by some friends and he has a great portfolio. Brooke wanted a realistic honey bee…behind her ear! It was clear Cole could really make the tattoo shine. Meeting Cole for the first time was awesome. He truly is a great and very funny guy. Not to mention, he is in Lakewood as well. Cole is also part of the team behind Classic Tattoo Cleveland located on Lorain near Westlake and North Olmsted.

Needless to say, Brooke is very happy with the results. Something tells me this will be the first of a few tattoos for her. Personally, I love the tattoo. It is very fitting for her.

I really enjoyed coming along to watch and photograph the experience for her. Then again, I had no choice. If someone is sticking your wife with a needle, you need to be there. The pictures may seem like a departure from my normal wedding photography work, but taking portraits of various subject matters helps to keep me engaged.

P.S. – I am next on deck for a tattoo

P.P.S. – It will be a chicken and strangely, it has meaning

See y'all soon,
Hunter

Click image for a larger preview, if you dare!

We’re having a BBQ Y’all!

We may live in the north, but I am from a southern family. We hold to certain traditions, including summer BBQ. This ain’t “grillin’ out”. This is an honest-to-goodness BBQ featuring pulled pork, corn pudding, mac ‘n cheese, beans and greens, and beer, beer, beer. Do you know us personally? Do you follow me on Facebook or Twitter? Are you a wedding client? Then y’all are invited. Complete details after the jump…

When?

Saturday July 31st starting at 2:00 PM. Dinner will be served at 3:00 PM

Who?

Personal friends, work acquaintances, people who follow me on Twitter or Facebook, and certainly current or past wedding clients of Hunter Photographic.

Tell me more?

OK, that wasn’t a question, but I know what you meant. Here’s more -

• We’re smoking enough pork shoulder to feed an army. We’re also making corn pudding, greens, beans, mac ‘n cheese and more
• Families with kids are welcome
• We will have a photo booth to capture all the crazy pictures
• Are you local to Cleveland? Do you have  a Weber grill? We need loaners!
• Do you have a cooler? We need those too!
• Chances are someone will embarrass themselves, starting with me.

What do I need to do?

Now that was a question. It’s simple -

• RSVP is sincerely requested – use the Facebook Event page, call 216-526-1675 or email Hunter [at] hunterphotographic.com
  
• BYOB. If you need beer, there is a great mini mart around the corner
• Can you bring a side dish? Great!

Seriously, that’s all?

Again, not technically a question but we’ll let it slide. Yup, that’s all. We would love you to join us. After all, look how much work we put into the flier! I nearly lost my eyebrows

See y'all soon,
Hunter

Screen shot credit Professional Photographer Magazine, article by Allen Murabayashi

The package waiting for me at home could have been a surprise, but PhotoShelter kept me informed throughout the process. In the end, I was expecting the two glossy copies of Professional Photographer Magazine nestled inside the padded package. Nonetheless, I am thrilled to be published in this month’s issue.

Read or download the complete article

PhotoShelter had contact me to see if I use Google Analytics and SEO. After a short discussion, I was invited to participate in an article about how photographers successfully market themselves online. One short interview later and I was published. I have certainly worked very hard marketing my business online, which is like having a second job. In just a year, traffic on my site has tripled and my business has doubled.

Still though, it is not all about marketing. My two central pillars remain exceptional service and excellent photography. Marketing is just a necessary chore.

Take some time to learn more about Professional Photography Magazine, or the article’s author, Allen Murabayashi. By the way, Allen is also the head honcho over at PhotoShelter.

P.S. – Allen has the looooongest bio I have ever seen, but it is humorous at least. I dare you to read it all.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

Where are the photos?

The photos from the competition are here. The photos are being hosted by Royal Arts Fencing. From the site, you can view all 800+ photos, order prints and share images to social networks.

How do I find specific photos?

I know, there is a lot to sort through. To help make the hunt easier, I did my best to keyword each photo with the names of competitors. Here is a quick way to find photos -

1. From the Royal Arts Photo site, locate the “Search” link in the upper left and give it a click
2. Enter the name of the competitor and search
3. If you competitor was recognized and keywords added, you will get results

However, the keyword search is not perfect. If your competitor did not have a name on their lame or pants, then keywords were likely not added. Try browsing the photos and looking for something familiar – like the color of shoes, gloves or a patch on the lame.

But I still have questions!

Then just contact me anytime. I am happy to help!

Next for me is a more in-depth blog article regarding the competition. Check back soon for my favorite photos and a re-cap of the fencing weekend. You will get to see the photos again in a whole new light. I promise!

See y'all soon,
Hunter

Not too long ago, I was contacted by Tim Mills from the Royal Arts Fencing Academy in Columbus, Ohio. They are planning the world’s largest fencing event and wanted to know if I would like to be a part of the action. My little brother is a fencer, so I jumped at the opportunity. I just finished editing some photographs and have a little to share.

Tim and company will be running the fencing competition as part of the Arnold Sports Classic in March. Today, I got a chance to meet Tim and the team at the academy for a little practice. Both their practice and my own. Getting great shots of fencing is very difficult. Funny enough, it is like photographing a wedding. You are in a dark room, cannot use a flash, and you have people dressed all in white.

Needless to say, I am really looking forward to the action in March. It is a great chance to grab some great action shots, portraits, and maybe even a photo or two of Arnold. Yes, the Govenator will be there.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

This is not going to be a post that will give you a photography formula. Photography is not and never will be a science. Sure, a camera is a scientific instrument designed to measure and map light, but creativity is king. To start, you must have vision.

Your vision does not need to be ground breaking, but it should be unique to you. The subject matter does not need to be something fresh either. Heck, I am a portrait and wedding photographer. There is nothing new about that. Surprise, I photograph people! However, I try hard each day to approach my work with my vision. To create worthwhile photographs, for you, start with your vision.

Breakin’ the law!

Look around you will find many people providing “rules of photography”. I have read so many articles like “20 rules to improve your photographs” or “the 10 things you have to photograph before you die”. Aside from a little morbidity, these articles do have their place. There are certain deep-rooted, visual concepts that should be learned.

Then break them! I constantly consider standard visual concepts when working, and then break the rules elegantly to create a vision true to myself. For example, many photographer’s would say “use lighting in a way that does not draw attention to itself”. My vision says “use lighting, even if obvious, to draw great attention to your subject.” That’s just me.

Just some basic rules

As mentioned above, there are some basic rules to portrait photography that can help you create a better photograph. Just yesterday I spent some time with a friend and my wife teaching these rules. They wanted to learn more about photography and I had some spare time. So, we did a little informal class. We covered the following:

1. There can be only one – subject. If your photo has more than one subject, you have too many. That being said, a group of people can be considered one subject.
2. The eyes have it – our brains are hard-wired to look for other human eyes. If there are eyes in your photo, they should be tack sharp and in focus.
3. Let there be light – similar to the draw of the human eye, our brains are also drawn to brightness. To emphasis your subject make it the brightest part of the photograph.
4. There is no clutter in Nirvanna – Painters have it easy. They can create a clean background by not including clutter. Photography works through exclusion. To keep focus on your subject, pay attention to your background and change your perspective to eliminate undesirable clutter.
5. As easy as 1, 2, THREE – I am not going to explain the “rule of thirds” in depth. Instead, I will just say that it is good to have your subject off center in the frame to the left or right. For a deeper understand tt is worth googling “rule of thirds.” I promise you will find a worthwhile read.

So there you have it, five simple that should be easy to remember. You could practice the above and probably create a better photograph, but don’t get lost in these rules.

Apply your vision and break the rules as needed. If you always rely on the rule of thirds, do something different. Cut off the head of your subject and see it if works for you. Knock your subject out of focus and see how it affects the feel. Vision, experiment, review! Those are the real rules to apply.

Review for results

With digital photography, it is too easy to shoot like crazy and ask questions later. I used to do just that, and sometimes I still do. The better approach is to apply your vision, shoot, review and adjust. Earlier I mentioned the short photography lesson I gave yesterday. I asked my wife to start by taking a picture of me. Upon immediate review, this was the result:

A first try, by Brooke Harrison

We then walked through some of the basic rules: brightness, sharpness, the rule of thirds. I then asked her to “take the picture she wants of me”. This is what she captured just two minutes later:

A second try with big improvement - by Brooke Harrison

My eyes are nearly at the thirds position and are sharp. She used soft lighting from the side to give my face some dimension. She made me the subject and brighter than my immediate background. She got rid of distracting lines intersection my head. Thank goodness too because those bars in my head looked painful!

Review as you work. The greatest part of modern digital cameras is the immediate available feedback. Don’t just use the LCD to review exposure. Study the composition. Are the photographs representative of your vision? If not, then adjust. If you just keep pulling the trigger you will end up with terabytes of data, maybe a good picture or two, and you won’t be able to adjust because the opportunity has past.

Inspiration

Clearly, even this blog post is nothing really new. Anyone reading this with some experience will recognize the basic concepts. I did put my spin on the topic though. For a deeper exploration of vision and how to develop it, consider reading David DuChemin and Chris Orwig. They both have inexpensive books that are worthwhile to read.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

Brooke and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. We are weathering the economic recession (panic/collapse/catastrophe) pretty well, we are still deeply in love, have our health, the dog is doing great, and my wedding photography business is doing great. We are certainly lucky to have our good fortunes and we wish everyone bountiful blessings.

As for our dog Moxie, she never did get into the Thanksgiving stuffing. We are lucky that she only sniffs at the counter. She never takes anything (amazing, I know). Regarding the 1975 Chateau Giscours Margaux, it is my birthday wine and was made in my birth year. I am lucky enough to have a bottle every year (just assume someone made a wise purchase many, many years ago). Unfortunately, this year’s bottle was skunked. At least there is always next year.

Have a great turkey day everyone!

See y'all soon,
Hunter

(credit: DVIDSHUB via Flickr / license: CC 2.0)

I am starting a new personal project. In fact it is one I have been thinking about for a long time, but never took any steps forward. Given my recent schedule that should be of no surprise

I am starting today, and I need your help!

The concept:

Produce a short series of portraits featuring the families of active-duty military members. The portrait series is intended to focus on the family, not solely the member of the military. Many photographers have produced various series on soldiers and sailors. This project is about the family.

How you can help:

Are you, or do you know any nice family in the Cleveland or Northeast Ohio area with a family member on active duty? Would they be willing to spend a morning or afternoon with a photographer in exchange for printed family portraits? If so, please get in touch with me.

What you get in return:

First, a large (16×20″) mounted print of your choice. Also, a few 5×7″ prints of your choice. The large print is for you. The small prints are for your son,  daughter, husband or wife  serving overseas. All I ask for in return is for your time and allowing me to use the images in my portfolio. That’s it.

Since the holidays are essentially here, I thought now would be a great time to launch this project. After all, who wouldn’t want a good portrait of their family at the holidays. Plus, winters are a slower time for wedding photographers

Again, if you would like to participate or know anyone who would, please get in touch using the contact form.

See y'all soon,
Hunter

These were shot on a valley wall between two highways that cross the park.

See y'all soon,
Hunter