I will be there, but not driving this Chevy
EHW Photography will be at Caffeine and Octane tomorrow morning from 7A-11AM at 12600 Deerfield Parkway, Alpharetta, Georgia. I'll be selling photos, and hopefully capturing a few new ones to share! Over 600 people and their autos usually attend. So if you want to see classics, hotrods, and modern special editions come on down!
-ehw
Imagine this as a 16x20 metal!
EHW Photography took home 3rd place in the 2D art category at the Roswell Art Festival! There were over ninety vendors total, and over twenty outstanding 2D vendors. So I am thrilled to receive this recognition for the hard work of my little crew.
It was a good weekend meeting great people. Our next show I hope will be with the ROMEOS on the first Sunday in October in East Cobb, and then Octane on Caffine on the third Sunday of October. I will also be setting up personal car shoots with many people I met this weekend. I hope to show you that working the coming months!
Much more later...but for now I'm still excited and recovering from the long weekend.
-ehw
A fast start....
The Roswell Art Festival is on Saturday and Sunday! Come on down and enjoy over 100 vendors selling just about everything from lemonade, paintings, metal works and pictures like mine! I'm also a little nervous since it is a festival with a set of judges looking for best of show. Don't know how I'll fair there.
Take at look at the homepage and you'll see my Fall Portfolio. If there is a gift you need for Christmas...you just might find it! Check my online store and you'll find everything you need!
Something not in the portfolio? Is it in the archives? Well call me and I'll make it for you! You want your own car, family or event photographed? Give me a call! It would be darn fun to make something for you!
-ehw
Here starts a new leg of the great jounrey!
Welcome to the new home of EHW Photography!
This new website is the result of several months of discernment on where this photographic and life journey is taking my misson, artistic interests, and business opportunities. So please let me take the opportunity to explain what you see before you!
Last year when I started this business I had big dreams of what I could do with it. I wanted to understand how the real world works for dinner, pay for my photography habit, give my children a workplace example they could participate in as part of homeschooling, and also express my joy in capturing God's Glory in our daily lives! As you could expect the real job interfered here, general life requirements interfered there, and pretty soon I realized how hard it would be to do anything I dreamed of a few months earlier!
On the really good side I learned people liked my work more than disliked. I just needed to give them a product they could either visualize on their home or use right away. My children did a wonderful job of introducing themselves to potential clients, and helping me with various jobs at the market. One even froze his fingers to the bone helping me get some of this year's selections! This taught me volumes, volumes I'd never learn standing on the sidelines.. For what it is worth, everything I learned merely made me realize how much more I need to learn in all areas of my craft!
I also learned a lot about the technology and services available to business today. Unfortunately for this part time owner, some the of really great solutions didn't fit my model. So after a mountain of research and fiddling I came up with a combination of Squarespace, Smugmug, Square Market, and Shootproof to make my work come to life. That is why I will slowly move away from my Wordpress site to this new one for all my work.
So EHW Photography is ready and willing to help you. I can help you decorate, learn a few lessons about camera operations, composition, editing photos, and even photograph your car if you'd like! Most of all though I want to help you Capture His Glory in Life!
God Bless You!
-ehw
My little girl Kellie her was reading like her big sister bookworm, and I just had to capture the smile...so I did.
Now in this little photo I found myself able to teach myself the value of a feature, and to remember an RC (as in Raphael Conception) rule.
I knew the had a high contrast scene, and to use the zone metering would make everything 18% grey (aka blah). So for this photo I slipped into spot metering (my spot metering is aligned with my focus point). This means my focus point will be exposed properly, and everything else will be exposed relative to that value. As a result you get all the blown highlights above my daughter, but I accepted that since I wanted it to be light and airy. Had I used zone metering the camera would attempt to meter different segments of the photo to have as much properly exposed as possible. Normally that is great, but it would take the pop out of this photo and make it flat. So my desired light and airy feel would be gone.
The other rule, RC's rule for kids, is in full force here. I had to take three photos with Mr Fuji to get the combination of smile, head tilt and light I wanted in the final product. RC is right that you can get good photos of kids...you just need to take lots of photos to get the one worth keeping. I can say for sure this is not luck, it is perseverance. (RC is often on the video blog Photography Tips and Ticks, Kelby One and his website www.aboutrc.com)
Just one point here about how lucky I've been so far in my short photography career. Even though I'm just a little guy, sold only a few photos, have so much to learn...I've had the opportunity to meet some of the nicest people in the business. I've met and briefly worked with big industry names like Skip Cohen, Michele Celentano, Bob Coates, Scott Bourne, RC, Bill Fortney, Jim Begley and they all gave me the time of day deep respect as a person. I've also met great photographers I count as friends like Adrian Ciolacu, Fran Ruchalski, Bret Watkins and many others who inspire me and helped me with things like finding a good print shop. I actually I hope I don't insult anyone who I run out of space to mention....
I think the thing that makes them so special is that they know how to approach a crowd with multi zone metering...and when given the chance to meet you one on one switch to spot metering. As a result they speak to you, treat you well and make you want to take care of them as they do to you.
So look them up, and enjoy their work. I'll try to get a link in to each over the next few weeks so you can see the wide range of talents that inspire me...and maybe you too!
-ehw
Out at Old Car City not all is lost in terms of color! I wanted to combine the chrome and color for a few shots, and this was my favorite if the bunch. This is one of the few I set up that was not HDR. The image just came out better is way. Lesson for the day is that sometimes less is more!
I think that was an important part for me to digest last night at the movie. God really does give us what we need for anything he expects of us. While we may always want more skills, riches, or luck....he equipped us with just what we need. So just work with it and trust in him!
Ok I'll admit I'm working on the last part myself! That is my cross to bear.
-ehw
While at Old Car City a two weeks ago I had some fun with hubcaps! Yes those fancy things on your wheels! As with all chrome and HDR I found the hardest two challenges to be removing the HDR blues and keeping myself out of the reflections. I have a lot to learn in both areas, as with everything else experience and review will help me get better in the future.
Now many of you are proficient in Photoshop so removing this blue tint from chrome is not too hard if you know the six mask, layer, etc tricks available in that venerable program.
I on the other hand do not "know" photoshop. I can still get the blue out pretty easily though using two other tools I have on hand OnOne Perfect Effects or Nik ColorEfex.
To get rid of the tint Perfect Effects simply go to the color masks and select Purify Highlights, and then on a second layer select Purify Shadows. Move the sliders left and right to get the effect you want. Don't want it on the whole photo? Select brush in and apply like you would in Photoshop.
In Nik ColorEfex simply select the White Neutralizer, go into the additional modes and select wedding dress. Move the sliders to suite. Done....
I use these not as stand alone options, but as round trips to and from Aperture. You can do the same thing in Lightroom.
Ok that is the tip of the day.
-ehw
A fun part of Old Car City is hearing people point at a car and say, "That is my first car!" I also hear people say, " That car took my family everywhere when I was a child." Since I did not find any International Scouts, Volkswagen Vanagons, or Japanese market mini-vans (the only forgiegn cars are a few Volkswagen Beetles) I had to laugh at the first car that made me think of one from my youth.
When I was five or six I was being a brat while visiting my Babcha and DjaDja (Polish for Grandmother and Grandfather). In particular I was not eating my vegetables. So my DjaDja said, "That's it. Eric Come with me." My Dad's other eight brothers and sisters with the other first wave of grandchildren (My Dad was the second oldest) all said in various ways, " Your in trouble! Going with the Dja to get fixed!"
Well to that level of doom I marched all the way to the attic behind DjaDja. Once in the attic he said something to the effect of "Where did I put those ..." After a few minutes of rummaging he exclaimed that he found them and came over to me holding two plastic cars. One was a red version of the car in the photo. He said that if I behaved and ate my vegetables one of them could come down. Not wanting to pick one, I of course wanted both. I gallantly offered to eat everything on my plate all weekend if I could bring both down. He accepted my offer. DjaDja explained to me that I had to look very dour when I came downstairs so his mean reputation would remain in effect.
So down we went, hiding the cars around the corner from the dining room where they could not be seen by the room full of family. I ate my food all weekend, and raced cars up and down the house to my heart's delight.
Oh well, such are the adventures of Old Car City as you stroll through memory lane.
-ehw
P.S. X-E1 with 60mm Macro. Processed in HDR EfexPro 2
I received a blessing from God today...I went out to fellowship and take photos with the His Light Workshop Crew.
If you have a few minutes I suggest you take a look at the work of Bill Fortney ( http://billfortney.com/) and Jim Begley (http://www.wowphotoshdr.com/).
What you will find are stunning images of life. You will not find subjects created for shock value or pure sex appeal. You find written word and art which lifts you upwards...toward an appreciation for God and all his wonders. Bill is fond of saying he loves texture in his photos. I also think he is very good at helping you appreciate the textures God adds to your life. Jim makes High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos which knock your socks off in content, technical excellence and message. When you talk to him, you can see feel his love of God coming out in the same manner of an HDR photograph where something we think is too dark for perception reveals itself and the composition makes sense so the message takes root in your heart and mind in equal parts. How do these men do this? By actively listening to you, and letting God work through them in a very humble manner.
See if you come to a His Light Workshop, you better be ready for God to speak through its many members. You need to understand that when you join the crew, they will care about you more as a person than as a photographer. The funny thing is when they do this, they offer more of themselves to you as teachers than most others ever will if they did the reverse.
I saw many examples today of agape love in HDR. People freely giving of themselves to care for others, offering a prayer for others in need, and providing an environment for people to engage in the sharing at a level their personalities and life texture permits. It is not loud, it is not outlandish...it is quiet and subtle..it is the sound of the Holy Spirit working his way through people bringing Christ where needed for their sustainment.
So why the title? Well we all have many choices in life for everything we do. In choosing friends and services I think we also have a choice...we can chose Premium or Regular friends. A regular friend will be with us as we travel through life, but when a challenge arrives they'll just walk on their own trying to help you with a man's knowledge. A premium friend with walk with you, and when the time comes not be afraid to invoke God in the discussion of how you shall overcome life's challenges using his revealed laws of nature and scripture.
The men and women of His Light...they are Premium.
-ehw
PS X-E1 with the 35mm Prime
This car just looks plain powerful, like it would knock your socks off just turning it on. It does not have some of the pretties of the other cars, but it does evoke thoughts of straight ahead speed.
At Old Car City one of the hardest things to do is to isolate your subject. Just a foot off on either side there were cars. I tried very hard to isolate my subject so I could focus my concentration on making just one object look good. By isolating the cars I also tried to let each car be special, and a treasured find. I often found myself not taking shots when I found no way to achieve my desired isolation of subjects. Just personal preference, but I wanted one car at a time on this trip whenever possible.
-ehw
PS Fujifilm, 14mm @ f/14 HDR seven shot jpeg bracket. Emphasis texture in honor of my buddies Bill Fortney and Jim Begley.
Up in Old Car City I enjoyed a trip down memory lane, and I found myself wanting to shoot photos of my grandfather's cars. One grandfather (my DjaDja) had a Cadillac. My other grandfather (my Pappap) like Plymouths. After previously finding the Caddies, I went searching for a few Plymouths.
This hood ornament was on a Plymouth, and it is one I never remember seeing in the 1970's. It was long gone before I could remember them. I thought the ornament was stunning, and it gave the appearance of crystal inside the chrome still perfectly smooth to the naked eye. This Puritan soldier from Plymouth still looks fierce and ready lead people to the new world!
When I took my class with Bill Fortney, Jim Begley and RC Conception both discussed ways to purify the HDR Chrome in Photoshop. For whatever reason, HDR turns a lot of chrome blue. So the way you deal with it is to brush away the blue and doing a mask operation. Now first I don't own photoshop, and if I did I've never been able to understand the language of Photoshop. So I turned to my OnOne Perfect Suite 8 and its filters. I found with a quick application of Purify Highlights, either by brush in or whole photo, I got pretty much the same effect as six actions in Photoshop.
Cheating? Yep. At least to the Photoshop experts out there. Perfect? Probably not. Can I live with it? You betcha! In the end it just goes to show you there are a lot of good tools out there, just find the one you can understand and exploit the best!
-ehw
P.S. Fujifilm X-E1 with 60mm macro.
This Long Haired Lady still looks elegant up in Old Car City. I really wish I could see this car in its glory. I love the long lines, the grace it would have sliding through the air, and the roar of the engine. Even today you can clearly see the blue of the sky reflecting in the chrome at this partly bright sunny day in North Georgia.
Working in the cold weather my camera did just fine, and the battery did not crash. What I did find a bit harder was staying comfortable with all the layers of warm clothes I had one...and realizing I forgot my most vital accessory for serious rolling around...my knee pads.
About 16 years ago I fell down a Georgia mountain in the cold of winter while in the Army. I smashed up both of my knees, and they got good infections. Today I still feel the soreness, especially on cold winter days like this one. So forgetting my knee pads really hurt my movement up and down with the tripod.
In order to really work a scene well, a great photographer once told me to get high-low-middle-near-far-get front-back-rear and anything else. You have to experiment. It does not mean you have to click the shutter at each spot, but it does mean you have to observe each spot and think through the opportunities it can offer. As with any skill, experience and creativity will drive the end result far more than the equipment available.
So the moral of the story is, I think I captured a good composition. I still wonder however how much more I could have done if I remembered the knee pads and worked this scene even harder.
-ehw
P.S. Fujifilm X-E1 with 14mm, F/18 on a seven shot jpeg EV Comp setting processed through Nik HDR efex Pro2 and touched off in Aperture
My son and I braved the cold to visit Old Car City yesterday. The temperatures started at 24 F and moved up to 41 F over the course of the day. The owner greeted us and said, he could not understand anyone coming up to shoot on such a cold day! We started the day with great winter light, and then had clouds come in to add one more challenge to the self-assignment. Despite these challenges, the two of us had a great day together talking and walking several miles through the 4100 cars on the 600 acre lot. Having my son along was part of his education, and the only way I can show him how I work with others...my day job just does not allow that. It was my first return visit since last March when I toured the grounds with Bill Fortney and the His Light Crew.
This scene shows you the entrance to Old Car City. The owner and his crew made a number of changes to the front part of the City, and it was nice to see the growth of the yard to keep it fresh. I like this photo a lot better than the bicycle shot I captured last year. I think it has a little more charm, and tells a better story of the environment of Old Car City.
For this adventure I went in only with my Fujifilm X-E1, my shoulder bag, and my heavy tripod. I also made the test decision to take everything in jpeg, since I was going to make HDR photos with my captures. The data in an HDR is massive just because of how they get processed, and I think it ended up working for me.
Over the next few days I hope to show you some of the work I did...and yes I already have them ready to order and grace your walls!
-ehw
P.S. X-E1 with the 18-55 Kit lens...the only shot in the series from the kit lens. I switched over to primes for all but one other series for the rest of the day.