Help me out
Dear visitors, I want to hear from you. I'm trying to find out what you think of the blog service I use. I've heard from a few of you that you often try to leave comments on the blog but hit roadblocks. I'm assuming Posterous wants visitors to create an account before they leave a comment. Or maybe you just have to use an alternate ID, like your Facebook or Twitter account. Whatever the case, the red tape has stopped more than a few of you from leaving comments, which stinks because comments are really lacking on my blog. I'd love to hear from more people to know if you think I'm moving in the right direction or if I should sell my camera gear and start a worm farm.
Either way, I'd like to hear from you. I'm considering using a different blog service and your feedback will help me weigh my decision. Send me an email at adam@ziglarphoto.com. Thanks!
Daniel Chang
My friend Daniel just recently wrapped up recording his first album. Daniel's an amazingly talented guy. I met him a few semesters ago when he was still a student at Duke. He played cello for the Summit West Club band, where I played drums. Several months ago, he asked if I would play drums on his album. I gladly said yes and he was gracious enough to let me even get involved in some of the creative work that went on before the songs were recorded. For instance, when I ageed to play drums I had no idea I'd also play the glass harp, glockenspiel, some synths and other percussive instruments. He didn't ask me to sing, so there's actually some hope for his album.
Anyway, back to the photos. The album has been mastered and should be available to buy soon. I took some photos to go along with the album artwork. For most of these, I pulled out the seamless paper and used a Nikon flash in my new 60-inch Photek Softlighter II.
I'll give an update on Daniel's album release date.
Kent and Brynne at Trali in Raleigh
Brynne and Kent did things a little differently than most engaged couples. But I know them pretty well, so I wouldn't have expected it any other way. To celebrate their engagement, we went to one of their favorite eateries, Trali Irish Pub and Restaurant in Raleigh and took some portraits in the restaurant before it opened. The people at Trali were so nice to let us use their space. Thanks, Trali! Sláinte! Congratulations, Kent and Brynne!
Thompsons, a family photo shoot in Durham
I recently took photos of the Thompsons in Durham. We made these shots at their house. They'll soon move to another home and they wanted to get some photos of the family before leaving.
More of Matt Papa
Here are a couple more outtakes from my recent shoot with Matt Papa. He just recently posted a video promoting his upcoming album. Follow this link to see the video.
Matt Papa
Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot some portraits for Matt Papa. For those of you who haven't had the privilege of knowing who he is, check him out here. Matt is one of the worship leaders at The Summit Church in Durham, as well as a touring musician, worship leader and songwriter. You can follow Matt at a number of social media locations including Facebook, Twitter and his website and blog.
Photo packages and po' boys
For those interested, I'm offering photo packages starting at $100 a session. These include up to two hours of on-location shooting plus a DVD of high-quality, edited images. Think about it: unique photos of you and/or your family/friends/dogs/parakeet/etc. for just a hundred bucks. Sure, you could spend less at Wal-Mart or some other big box where the camera department lacks the soul and attention to detail. But don't do that; your memories are worth more, don't you think? If you're interested, send me an email to adam@ziglarphoto.com.
No blog post would be complete without a photograph, so here goes. The photo below is my lunch I made today. It's a shrimp po' boy on wheat bread. Just hard, direct light, I used two Nikon flashes on either side of the meal, plus a Orbis ring flash to provide some fill. I'm not entirely pleased with lighting, but the only thing worse than a so-so photograph is a cold shrimp po' boy. Cheers!
I've been gardening
I've obviously been less than frequent in posts this month. The reason is I've been busy gardening in the backyard. I'm trying to grow as much food for my little family as I can. Problem is, I'm trying to relearn the way to garden. What I mean is I'm trying to learn to do it the right way. In the past, I've simply planted seeds, watered, crossed my fingers and gnashed my teeth when things didn't seem to work out how I envisioned.
I'm learning as I go and hopefully we'll save some money while I deepen my knowledge and skills as a self-sufficient gardener. I plan to get back to a regular blogging schedule soon. Who knows, maybe I'll incorporate my spring/summer garden as a feature on my blog.
Photo info: Lens: 25mm; Light: the main light was an SB-28 fired (camera right) with a PW Plus II and modified with a grid. A fill light was an SB-80dx fired camera left into a white umbrella a few inches from the lettuce. The lettuce (red and Romaine) was grown in the back yard.
