Food Photography

Food is certainly a bit harder than I ever thought.  My first experience was with beer in Art Direction and it was certainly the hardest thing I ever had to do.  This shoot was easier than beer by long a shot and a quick tip from a business instructor about how to make a bowl look full really helped.  Canon 50D, Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 at 1/50 of a second in natural light.

Paparazzi shoot

I had a slightly different concept in line with this shoot.  It is typically the rich and the powerful getting hounded by photographers at every turn but what about the paparazzi themselves?  This image depicts a "paparazzi" getting ready for his day and inadvertently being caught on camera himself.  Canon 50D with Canon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens at f/8 and 1/80th of a second shutter.  ISO set at 100, captured March 12th 2011

Seeing Myself through another's eye

This photo was taken during midday in Lake Havasu City Arizona with my subject partially in the shade and the photographer (me) in full sunlight.  Shot using a Canon 50D with a Canon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 is lens at f/5.6 and 1/125th of a second shutter.  My ISO setting was at 100.  This project was interesting as I am currently going through a "Where do I belong in this industry" stage and the concept of a self portrait through someone's eye makes you wonder just how they see you.

Painting with light

Painting with light often requires very long shutter speeds and an excess of darkness.  Being somewhat limited in the first part of that requirement, I took this image with a Canon 50D and an 18-200mm lens at 18mm.  I wanted nothing but the painted portion of my photo showing and with my camera at the best settings possible I was only able to release the shutter for 13 seconds before it started letting in distracting background images.  My aperture was set at f/22 and ISO at 100.  Initially I wanted to write the name of the company (Off Balance Photography) but with only 13 seconds and trying to write backwards I could not get the name done in time.  I decided in the end to simplify my image and came up with the picture above.

Wedding Day

Bride to Be in the pre-wedding room

This happy bride to be is waiting patiently in the bridal room for her ceremony to start with her and her fiance's two children.  I thought that this picture showed off her character perfectly as when she initially booked the wedding she was wearing blue jeans, a trucker hat, and a ratty t-shirt. Once the wedding began, she looked nothing more than the perfect idea of what a bride should look like at her wedding.

Action Sports

Las Vegas Wranglers

Las Vegas Wranglers hockey team taking to the ice at the beginning of one of their games to the roar of an appreciative group of fans.

Crime Scene

 

 

 

Crime Scene

In doing research for crime scene photos I noticed that there really is not much on the internet in regards to true crime scene photography.  The typical photo was more in line with over conceptualizing the image and making more of a fashion photo than an accurate record.  My attempt does not fit the true form of crime photography but is only hampered by my available tools.  This scene was setup in a parking lot, close to sunset using caution tape generally used in construction sites.  The out of focus scene in the background shows a chalk outline of what was a body and a pool of blood. To the upper right of the picture is a bloody knife and each object, blood, body, and knife are marked with numbers.  I took more of a photo journalistic approach by shooting at a big enough aperture to put the entire background out of focus.

Who I am

Patric

This self portrait was born on the concept of the real me.  Most people I know probably would not guess that this picture accurately expresses who I am but when talking to my wife about the idea she also said that this would fit me perfect.  This is a long exposure shot in a pitch black room with only a small flash light to add the smallest amount of light to my face.  I could tell you what it is that my wife and I were both thinking when I decided to go with this shot but I do not want my point of view distorting  your perspective.

What is Haute Couture?

If you have any ties to fashion or photography, you have no doubt heard about Haute Couture.  It's original meaning has become blurred due to ready-to-wear companies using the term to describe their apparel throughout the world.  The original term is actually very specific and has legal protection in its country of origin, France.  The true meaning of Haute Couture is loosely translated into custom made to order for a specific client. Those companies in France that can legally describe themselves as Haute Couture design houses must first be approved by something resembling an American Chamber of Commerce.  There are a number of specific requirements that must be met each year for a firm to retain its status as a Haute Couture company.  As made to order clothing is less profitable than ready-to-wear clothing, a number of the once Haute Couture companies have abandoned the practice and no longer have that status.  The term Haute Couture has been diluted so far as to have loose meanings in art work itself now instead of just clothing, although legally, at least in France, the term is still reserved solely for made-to-order clothing.