Chuck Vosburgh

New Resource for Photographers

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:37:00 +0000

I'm moving to PhotographyIsEasy.com. Please stop by and check it out :)

Women in the Outdoors

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:06:00 +0000

I just returned from the Women in the Outdoors event in the Ocala National Forest where I did Landscape Photography classes for the participants.

I didn't know what to expect when I arrived Friday but it turned out to be a very well organized event with lots of very nice people who love the outdoors. I was especially impressed with the number of Mothers and Daughters who came to spend the weekend together. The event lasts three days and as classes in archery, handguns, shotguns, canoeing, kayaking, outdoor cooking, fitness, fishing and many others and of course my landscape photography class.

The activities for after dinner Friday night included making duct tape purses, which actually turned out to be a lot of fun. I made a duct tape memory card holder since I have little use for a purse :) I never knew duct tape came in so many colors.

Saturday, I did four classes in a nice open air classroom and had time to get out and do some photography myself between classes.

This was very well organized, friendly and family oriented event and I'll definitely go back next time if they invite me. You can check out their programs by clicking here.

4 Things to ask yourself every day

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:03:00 +0000

If you're a freelancer your life depends on being successful at your chosen profession. If you have a "regular job" these four questions apply to you also.

It seems that all the great truths in life are simple. I've always believed that if I get up every morning and go to work, be diligent and do what I'm supposed to do I'll always be okay. True enough, but there's more to it to be successful and not just okay. After 21 years of being self employed, it comes down to four simple questions.

Here's what you need to ask yourself every day:

1) What did I do to earn money today?
2) What did I do to get more business today?
3) What did I do to improve myself today?
4) What did I do to build goodwill and friendships today?

That's it, simple. If you can give a good answer to these four questions every day you'll not only be okay, you'll prosper.

This has to be done every day except weekends and you must make yourself accountable. I recommend putting it in writing. There's something about writing that makes things more real because it makes things measurable. It's even better if you have someone else who can hold you accountable. Here are mine for today:

1) What did I do to earn money today? I got caught up on my billing.
2) What did I do to get more business today? I went on a sales call.
3) What did I do to improve myself today? I read some blogs that pertain to my industry.
4) What did I do to build goodwill and friendships today? I called some of my best evangelists just to touch base and see how they're doing.

Sure, I don't have answers for all four every day, but I try to. I know the better and more often I can answer these the better off I'll be.

The answers to these four questions = food, shelter, clothes, etc.

I wish you well in your career!

Chuck Vosburgh

How are you making sure you stay on track? Tell us in the comments below:

Photoraphy is not a crime, dumbass!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:41:00 +0000

Friday night I was out shooting at the St Petersburg Shuffleboard Club with some of my closest friends and as usual, I couldn't go more than a couple hours without being hassled. It seems to be happening more frequently. Here how it went:

Some dude: "Hey, are you in charge of all these photographers?"
Me: "Um, Yeah I guess. Why do you ask?"
Some dude: Well isn't it kinda strange that there are a bunch of people around here taking pictures that I may be in and no one asked my permission?"
Me: "This is a public place and we have the permission of the management."
Some dude: "Well I don't want to be in any pictures without my permission."
Me (in my mind, not out loud): "Go home then and you won't be in any photos dumbass."
Me: "Hey we're just a bunch of photography students having a good time, alright?"
Some dude: Walks away muttering something...

It seems like people are getting more and more weird about cameras. I don't know if it's a change in our culture or if there are just more narcissistic idiots out there. This brings up the question "who can I shoot?" Here's a great resource for you on photographers rights written by a lawyer. Click here to get it.

First skateboards, now cameras. Gah!

Have you had anyone hassle you? Tell us about it in the comments:

Shooting handlebar to handlebar racing action

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:33:00 +0000

Saturday night, I went to see my nephew race at the local BMX track and of course, I took some photos. I'm not accustomed to shooting sports, much less sports at night, so it was a great chance to experiment and learn.

Here's what I found worked best:
I had a flash on a monopod and had my assistant (sister) hold it over the fence as close to the track as possible. The flash was set at 1/2 power and I adjusted the exposure by having her move closer or further to the spot where I wanted to shoot he riders. I know, pretty low-tech, but it works and it's easy. The camera was at ISO400, f2.8 for 1/125 sec. at 200mm. That's it, easy. Try it out and write how it works in the comments below.

What's your exit strategy?

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:08:00 +0000

I ask that question to people who ask me for advice on starting their creative business. It's a trick question. The response I really want is no answer at all. Here's why:

It's no secret that starting a business is hard. I've been self employed for a long time and I can tell you it stays hard, but the rewards are great. So what happens if your business falls on tough times, or worse yet, fails? How will you know when it's time to quit and go get a "real job"? Do you have a failure plan? It all boils down to guts and commitment. Here's a story to illustrate:

The story goes that when George Washington crossed the Potomac River, he ordered his men to burn the boats. He said "we're not going back". Washington knew that an easy way out undermines commitment when the going gets tough. Washington and his men were committed to win. It was the only way. Their only options were victory or death. I don't know if this is true or if it's just legend, but the point is important. Commitment takes guts.

Being self employed takes guts. It's your guts and commitment that will get you through when the going gets tough. No matter how tough it gets, you'll be tougher. Give it some thought. Are you 100% committed to your business? If you are, you are much more likely to succeed. If you aren't recommit yourself now.

You may think this sounds foolish. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying not to plan. Planning is vital to your success. Just make sure you are not spending your time on plans for failure. Put all of your effort into plans to succeed.

Make your plan, then burn the boats!

What kind of role has guts and commitment had in your business? Please share it with us in the comments.

Be right back...

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:11:00 +0000

I've been busy helping one of my family members who has been under the weather. I'll be back to writing in a couple of days. In the mean time, I have a lot of new images on Flickr from the Photo Walk, Lighting Class and some new digital drawings. See you shortly :)

Photo Walk
Studio Lighting
Digital Drawing

Also, new classes start next week at The Arts Center, some are full but you can check 'em out here

Chainsaw Chuck

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:25:00 +0000

My buddy Chainsaw Chuck stopped by my Studio Lighting Class at The Arts Center Thursday night for a few portraits. Chuck is a very talented illustrator and photographer and was more than happy to try anything we could think of.

For this image, I wanted to have a 30's kind of look and give him the look of great stature. So, in the spirit of old school lighting, I used a single bare bulb with a snoot on it. That's it.

Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:43:00 +0000

Congratulations to Joan Miller winner of the St Petersburg photo walk. After deliberating over 274 images, this beautiful image was chosen as the winner.

Click here to see all 274 of them.

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk had over 8,000 photographers in nearly 300 cities around the world. There were about 70 here in St. Petersburg. Click here to see the Photo Walk site.

Scott Kelby on Being a Good Student

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:14:00 +0000

Scott wrote a great article about being a good student in his blog today. Check it out...

Lindsey the Substitute Model

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:57:00 +0000

In this week's studio lighting class our scheduled model had to cancel on short notice and Lindsey was kind enough to fill in and as usual, she was perfect. If you've followed this blog or attended any of my lighting classes, you've seen Lindsey.

This was a great opportunity to get more in depth with a basic, works-every-time lighting configuration and a little scrounging around the studio produced some nice props for us all to use.

Thanks to Lindsey and all the students for a great class!

Walk around downtown St Petersburg

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:51:00 +0000

Tonight I took my digital photo class for a little walk around downtown St. Petersburg and these are my three favorites. I always enjoy getting out to just shoot for fun with no expectations. I usually see some interesting things and tonight was no exception.

It's not unusual for someone to question what we're shooting, why and who we are and tonight was no exception. Usually it's a overzealous security guard, bu this time was a first for me. A homeless person wanted to know what we were shooting and even demanded proof that we weren't photographing him! I sent him on his way without allowing him to review my images as politely as possible as he threatened to call the police.

Of course all I could think of were smart-ass comments, but I kept them to myself. Everyone in my group had fun and got a good story!

More of Wendy

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Here are some more images of Wendy. The settings and lighting are the same.

Color or Black and White?

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:38:00 +0000

Color or black and white? I say yes. Thanks to the Black and White Adjustment Layer in Photoshop CS3, you can have it both ways. The Black and White Adjustment Layer also has presets for common filters used in traditional black and white photography. In this case I used the red filter. The model is Wendy Sommers and this image was taken in my Studio Lighting class at The Arts Center in St Petersburg Florida.

So tell me what you think, color or black and white?

Why photographers should try drawing

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:35:00 +0000

"I thought you were a photographer". I hear that a lot when people find out I also enjoy drawing and painting. They're a more related than you may think, in fact they're complimentary skills. If you're thinking this doesn't apply to you because you can't draw, keep reading...

Here's how drawing helps you become a better photographer: It makes you really look at things and examine them carefully. It helps you find the hidden beauty that's all around us. It stimulates creativity to work outside your comfort zone and causes you to grow as an artist. It helps you to understand how light works. It's fun, and you'll meet some nice people. Also, being a photographer makes you better at drawing for the same reasons.

I know what you're thinking... Try it anyway. It's not about the finished drawing, it's about artistic growth and honing your powers of observation. The Arts Center has a lot of great classes to help you get started, and every Saturday from 9:30 to Noon they have open drawing studio on the third floor. It's just five bucks if you're a member, and six if you're not.

The two drawings above came from this morning at open studio. One is drawn in Photoshop and the other was drawn in Adobe Illustrator. I used a Wacom tablet for both. There's no rule that says you have to draw on paper :)

Tell us what you think in the comments.

Floral photography

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:57:00 +0000

Photographing florals is lots of fun and if you haven't tried it I suggest you do. I did this image during the weekend as a fun project. The key is to get a perfect specimen. I went to my friend Jeff at Seminole Florist and he let me go in the cooler and find the perfect ones. Most florists won't let you do that. If you go to Seminole Florist just tell them you're a photographer and they'll take good care of you.

For this shot, I used a large soft box behind and slightly above the subject. I controlled the shadows on the front with two white reflectors. Simple and effective. Controlling the shadows for a nice soft light is vital to an image like this.

Have you done any florals? Let us know about it in the comments!

another simple lighting setup

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:49:00 +0000

This week, Jennifer from my Photoshop class was kind enough to model for us in lighting class. Everyone loved her! Thanks to Jennifer for a great job.

In this image, strobes were used set at 100 w.sec each and 1 reflector. It's a very simple configuration to set up and doesn't require much equipment at all. One of the big advantages to using studio strobes instead of flashes is that they're much faster, which allows you and your subject to be more spontaneous.

I really like to help

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:30:00 +0000

If you've been to one of my classes or presentations, you probably know I really enjoy teaching. I get a lot out of it, and my favorite is seeing people grow as artists. I got this note yesterday from a good friend and talented colleague and it made my day!

Hi Chuck,

I've been waiting since last year to try your tips that you emailed on how to take good photos of fireworks. Thanks to you I was able to take photos of fireworks! Here's a sample of the results.

Thanks for your your expertise and for your willingness to share with others! :-)

Danette

Danette is a very talented photographer, check out her work here.

I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for some talented people teaching me and I'm glad to be part of the process. Thanks to: Mike Klatka, Bob Kitten, Mike O'Berry, Bill Castleman, Scott Kelby and Russ Hargett just to name a few.

Fill Flash Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:40:00 +0000

A couple nights ago, I had my buddy Scott stop by so some of my students and I could photograph him using fill flash. The trick to using fill flash is to use manual mode, expose for the background and bring in just enough fill flash (set on manual) to illuminate the subject. Just be careful not to blow out your highlights. The best thing about using a fill flash is that you can control the exposure of the background and the subject separately. Give it a try!

What creative ways do you use your flash?

Photographing fireworks

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0000

I was going to write a nice article on how to photograph fireworks, but my colleague Scott Kelby wrote one and I couldn't have done it any better, so here's the link to his excellent article click here

While you're there, take a look around, it's a great blog. His is one of the few blogs I read every day.

I hope you have a great holiday!

20 ways to promote your website

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:02:00 +0000

I just posted a new article on WebSitesThatKickButt.com and thought I'd share it with you:

20 Ways to Promote Your Web Site

1. Comment on other people’s blogs
2. Add your own blog
3. Write articles for industry blogs and forums
4. Participate in forums
5. Add your own forum
6. Add a photo album
7. Add surveys
8. Create a monthly newsletter or e-magazine
9. Creative use of auto-responders
10. Add a FAQ section
11. Ask for reciprocal links to related sites
12. Win some awards and honors
13. Send out press releases
14. Announce your e-grand opening
15. Analyze your logs
16. Banner ads
17. Printable coupons
18. Start an affiliate program
19. Create contests
20. Shameless plugs on your blog... Call Chuck Vosburgh at 727 319-2800

There are lots of ways to get more traffic to your site. Do you have any you'd like to share?

Two flashes can go a long way

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:52:00 +0000

You can get good studio lighting results with one or two flashes and a remote. Here's a simple setup that uses two flashes set at the same power and triggered by a transmitter on the camera.

These are from our flash lighting lesson in last night's Creative Lighting Class at The Arts Center. If I had to pick one thing that most people have difficulty with, it's using a flash. The easiest way to master using your flash is to get lots of hands on experience with it.

Got any good flash tips? Write them in the comments below...

Rain rain go away

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:51:00 +0000

Yesterday evening was photo field trip night for my Intro to Digital Photo Class at The Arts Center and the weather was a little inclement to say the least. We all waited in our cars until it let up, but it really didn't completely stop. I'm glad that everyone stayed and made the best of it. In fact, I saw some amazing shots! It just goes to show, no matter where you are and what the conditions are, there are good shots to be had if you keep your eyes and mind open.

So, next time it rains, grab your camera!

Also, I'm going to try something new. Whenever I can, I'll add the specs of the images I post. Here are the specs for this one:

Have you ever shot in bad weather? Tell us about it in the comments below...

The easiest lighting set up of them all

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:56:00 +0000

This is from our creative lighting class last night at The Arts Center in St. Petersburg. It's a simple window light and a single reflector. I'm a big fan of buying lots and lots of equipment, but this just goes to show that you can get good results with a very simple set up once you know how. A big thank you to our model Lacey!

Adding a copyright symbol to your photos

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Vosburgh) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:05:00 +0000

Embossed Copyright Symbol on a Photo -

Here's an easy way to add a big 'ol embossed copyright symbol to your image to keep people from using it without your permission.