I think every photographer whether he expects to be a painter or not should read James Gurney's book Color and Light.  It is written with the painter in mind but the photographer could learn a lot about shadows, and lighting, I would make it required reading.  Fantastic book.

Last night at Aldea open house I had the chance to meet some wonderful brides and grooms more importantly had an opportunity to actually have a conversation not something that normally happens at the very large bridal shows where they are simply overwhelmed.

It was delightful to speak with knowledgeable couples that actually cared about composition, lighting, and the importance of their involvement in the process.  I always say it takes three the photographer and the bride and groom.  It is wonderful when I'm not the only one excited about the photos.  Pure heaven.

In the mood for a little color this morning, she is such a pretty model I thought why not..

Just loved her style, confidence, and she takes a beautiful photo.

Beautiful Bride, window light and she did the rest.

This is one elegant bride, quiet reflect moments prior to the wedding.

Looking for a more moody retro look, Sammy lends herself to so many poses.

Another photo of Sammy, a great model I enjoyed photographing, I think I'll do a YouTube of the entire shoot.

Free August Photo Shoot

We need models!

Be photographed in the month of August and receive a beautiful retouched digital image to use in your own portfolio, website, or social media.  In exchange for your model release we give you ours.

These will be at least 2 hour shoots in a couple different outfits, studio and  location.

You can contact us directly or leave your information on the from below.
Hope you can be part of the adventure, it is going to be fun.
Bill Dooling Photography
623-937-4077
www.billdooling@cox.net

Getting ready for the August models, instead of taking off on an extended vacation this August we are going to use this slow month as a model month, a chance to refresh our samples and try new things you would not try with a paying customer.

If you know a model please let them know it will be exciting for all of us, I have a couple movie themes I have been always wanting to do but could never find the time.

Hot Az afternoon warm light, beautiful model, moody pose, moody light.

There are so many new ways of becoming distracted, so many new products and forms of education bidding for your time.  In Photography all you have to do is look at the plethora of YouTube tutorials to easily lose yourself for days or weeks.  Than there is the pay training, the DVDs, forums, Internet classes, seminars, workshops, covering every niche of this industry.

How many different ways to retouch a face, an eye, a mouth.  Painting a photograph in Photoshop or Painter, lighting, posing, composition, business, marketing, one could easily spend a lifetime with the choices available right now.

New products, better, cheaper, making your existing equipment obsolete in months and not years.

Thousands of con-artists coming out of the closet telling you they are making big dollars on some new promotion, concept, idea, scheme. Everyone searching for your dollar, giving false promises in return.

When I think of breaking chains these are the chains I think of breaking.

When the dust settles very little has changed, photography is still between a photographer and their customer all the rest is just noise.  Expensive noise in both time and money.

I know exactly the style of photography I wish to pursue, I know exactly which mentors I wish to pursue, I know exactly the direction and route, now if I can somehow turn off the noise.  :)

model shoot

She no longer searched her soul to be a great stage actress, she was now a commercial success and did only the work of the writers who were the fashion of the moment. 

That more or less a point that Proust made and I more or less framed it into the above sentence.  The salient point for me is am I guilty of this transgression?  

What is more important the craft or what sells?  What are you willing to give up for the craft? 

Idle questions for fill a Tuesday morning. :)

Hallways, arches, pillars that seemingly go on forever always have a sense of time about them, like the ocean it has a poetry when you stare out at the ocean and watch wave after wave like nature is putting on a private showing just for me.

Many of my photography friends will tell me "why don't you charge more so you can work less."

I'm thinking why would that be a good thing?  I love my work if anything I want to do more of each day and not less.

One of Lindsay by a pond.

I have a lot of favorite writers, but for one who is instructional I have to choose Juliette Aristides and all three of her books on art.  It should be required reading for all photographers even if you have no intention of being an artist it will make you a better photographer.

Each paragraph is so beautifully written and so intelligent, she never glosses over a subject and at the same time you are fully informed, her chapter on composition was the best I had ever read.  I love this writer and her books.

Soft black and white, just adds to a mood.

For a photographer customers are like wind in your sails, without them you are stranded in the ocean and not going anywhere fast.

Craftsmanship and customers is the lifeblood of the photography business when you put it down to the simplest form.  I love my customers, thank you very much.

I saw this photo on Travis home page and he had so many rave reviews.  This is one nice guy, super easy to photograph.

I love black and white and she looks equally good in color.

Love the this model, she is super cool being able to wear tennis shoes and sunglasses to pull off trashing of the red dress.  Add to this she is also a nurse, when one of the other models was covered with ticks she ran to help it was like watching an episode of China Beach, you have to love nurses.  Who knew a couple of puffs of smoke from a cigarette and the ticks fell right off. 

Natural light coming through an arch with just a sliver of light prefect for a black and white profile image, and she has such a beautiful profile.

What a nice couple, a simple pose with their best friend, jeans, boots, Thunderbird Park, relaxed pose, it just all seem to come together for this couple.  It is the pose I think of when I think about them.

Canon 5D Mark ll in low light is a true blessing.  We were rushing to Gainey Ranch to hopefully still have some light left after the ceremony at the church.  We arrived and my heart sank as the sun was gone at it literally appeared like night to the eye.

I rushed while my assistant was running behind with the tripod this first shot is before the assistant arrived, 6400 ISO and lens wide open hand held.  I was very pleased with the results and had to remove some noise later in post production but what a marvelous tool to have under dire circumstances.

Two photos taken just minutes apart to show how dark it really was.  The fountain one was of course on a tripod.

Sedona is joy photograph and with a wonderful couple even better

Here is another more moody, thoughtful moment.

Photography has been very, very good to me.  Had an opportunity to photograph several models recently and I want thank each and every one, starting with today's post.