Friday Faces with Scott (and Hank)

TGIF everyone! It's me, Scott, filling in for Sere, our resident traveler. I can honestly say I have no idea where she's headed but I do know that posting today would have been close to impossible so you get me.

Before moving on, I'd like to announce Amanda as the latest "winner" for WW. Congrats Amanda. We love when you join us! Drop us an email at 3chicks1dudephoto@gmail.com. You know the drill.

For my post, I went over to Guitar Center hoping to find someone just like Hank. Hank was playing quietly, enjoying the fine humidity controlled accoustic room when I barged in and said "Hey, I want to take your picture!" He was a good sport and continued to play and ignore me, exactly as I requested. So not only did I get a willing model, but I also got a nice soundtrack while I shot.

Speaking of soundtracks, I'd like to share a recent re-discovery I made. Here's a little bit of "The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet." I lent this CD to a friend years ago and forgot about. Last week he returned it and it fits perfectly with this weeks theme. Hope you enjoy!



Love those guys. So with that as your soundtrack, here's Hank:

Canon 30D
Canon EF-S 18-55mm (kit lens - man I want a good wide angle!)
Aperture f/3.5
Shutter Speed 1/30
ISO 1600 (tons of noise as a result - 5D Mark II anyone?)

The unfortunate part of this shot is that I had to use an ISO speed of 1600. My camera just can't do that well and yet I had no choice. Sometimes as photographers, we are forced to make sacrifices. For this shot, I could have used one of my faster lenses. But I don't have another lens this wide. So I was forced to choose between the composition I wanted and an acceptable ISO speed. Sometimes, it is your equipment that is the limiting factor. I could have used my speedlight but in this case, it would have been rude and completely destroyed the feel.

So you get something close to what I wanted from a compositional standpoint, but something far from what I wanted in terms of noise. I did get to play with Photoshop Elements this time, and I know I'll like it eventually. I have a bunch to learn and I can point out several very troubling spots caused by my editing. But it's all part of the learning process and I can accept that.

My biggest triumph by far is finally taking a picture of a stranger! WooHoo for me! I've joined the ranks of Brandi. The next goal is to take a good picture of a stranger. Baby steps I tell ya, baby steps.

Have a great weekend everyone and tune tomorrow for some Jay'me action!

Scott