RadioPoppers Rock the Portland Head Lighthouse

Cami & I were up in Maine a few months ago to lead one of our Lightbending 411 Workshops for the Aroostook F-Stops.  While we were there, we stopped at the famed Portland Head Lighthouse to create our spin on this heavily photographed landmark.  After shooting the usual suspects, we decided to go for something “different”. 

Waiting until twilight, I stood on a ledge a couple hundred feet away.  Cami took a Nikon SB-800 with a full CTO gel on it and walked back to stand right under the tower.  I set the Nikon D3’s white balance to 4100K to make the sky go blue and dialed in a long exposure.  An SB-900 was mounted to the camera and set to Commander Mode to control the flash Cami had.  I dialed the power to 1/2 and fired.  The CLS signal from my flash was then picked up by the RadioPopper Px Transmitter mounted to it, converted to radio waves, transmitted to the RadioPopper Px Receiver mounted on Cami’s flash, converted back to a light signal that her flash could understand…and PRESTO!  Like Magic, her flash lit up the building like a spotlight.  She then moved to the other side of the tower and I took a second shot…later combining the two images in Photoshop.  Here’s the before and after so you can see what a difference one tiny little flash can make to an entire scene!  Enjoy…

Maria Sharapova Enters Family Circle Cup

Former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam Champion Maria Sharapova has officially entered the 2011 Family Circle Cup.  Sharapova enters this WTA Tour Premier Event player field currently ranked No. 16 after posting a solid 2010 season, which included her 21st and 22nd Tour singles titles at Memphis and Strasbourg. 

Eleanor Adams, Family Circle Cup Tournament Manager said  “We’re thrilled that she will begin her clay court season at the Family Circle Cup in preparation for her pursuit of the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros.”  The 23-year-old, six-foot two-inch Russian superstar currently owns a 371-91 singles record, has amassed over $13.5 million in career earnings, and has notched major titles on three different continents. 

“I was very disappointed that I could not compete in the Family Circle Cup because of an injury last year, so I’m excited to enter the 2011 event,” said Maria Sharapova.  “I love the history and charm of Charleston, and I really look forward to returning to Daniel Island.”

Lightbending 411 Workshop in Greenville

I am BLOWN AWAY by the response to our Lightbending 411 Workshop coming up in Greenville on March 7th!  We opened registration for this latest wireless off-camera lighting workshop on Friday.  Here we are only three days later and already OVER HALF the available seats have sold out!!!  So if you’re inteested in joining us for this fun, hands-on, all-you-wanted-to-know-about-flash workshop, better head over to www.lightbending411.com and register right away.  We’re going to have a blast!  I can’t wait to see everyone out there!!!

World #8 JELENA JANKOVIC Enters Family Circle Cup

Jelena Jankovic, World No. 8 and 2007 Family Circle Cup Champion, has officially entered the 2011 Charleston event.  Jankovic joins World No. 5 and defending champion Samantha Stosur, former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova, and American teen sensation Melanie Oudin in a stellar class player field assembling on Daniel Island.  Marking the tournament’s 39th consecutive year, the Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 2-10, 2011 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in the Best Tennis Town in America, Charleston, SC.

“Jelena Jankovic’s game offers a true look at world class power and excitement for our ticket patrons.  She thrilling to watch, and her big personality really creates a connection with her fans,” said Eleanor Adams, Family Circle Cup Tournament Manager. 

Throughout her 11-year WTA career, Jelena Jankovic has notched 12 singles titles, 415 singles victories, over $11.6 million in prize money, and finished a season as the World No. 1 player in 2008.  The 25-year-old Serbian marked her fourth consecutive Top 10 year-end ranking in 2010.  

“Charleston is such a beautiful city, and I always have so much fun there,” commented Jelena Jankovic.  “My Family Circle Cup championship meant a lot to me, and I’m very excited to return for another shot at this historic title.”

Terri & Danny at Northwood Baptist Church

Terri & Danny are an AMAZING couple!  Click here to read about their amazing story. We really bonded on that photo shoot and I was so excited to be there for them on their wedding day.  My good friend and fellow photographer, David Strauss, helped me cover their wedding at Northwood Baptist Church.  It may have been raining, but the sun was shinning brilliantly in everyone’s hearts! 🙂 To see the rest of their photos, visit www.chrisandcami.zenfolio.com.
CONGRATULATIONS, Terri & Danny! You two truly deserve each other. May your lives be blessed as you open new doors together!

























Fine-Tune your Focus

Professional level cameras like the Nikon D3 and D300 that I use have the ability for fine-tuning the focus parameters of each lens.  I just spent all day yesterday re-calibrating every lens to every camera body combination.  It was a chore.  But now all my glass will be at peak sharpness as we head into wedding season.  J 

Samantha Stosur Family Circle Cup Stadium Banner

World No. 8 and defending champion Samantha Stosur has officially entered the 2011 Family Circle Cup. Stosur, the first player to commit to the tournament, returns to Daniel Island where she set the event’s mark for the fastest championship victory on record by defeating Vera Zvonareva 6-0, 6-3, in just 52 minutes. Marking the tournament’s 39th consecutive year, the Family Circle Cup, a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event, will be held April 2-10, 2011 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in historic Charleston, South Carolina.

Samantha Stosur, the 20th champion in the Family Circle Cup’s storied history, said, “I’ve always enjoyed competing in Charleston, and I really look forward to defending my title at this historic event. The city is beautiful and the fans are very knowledgeable, so it’s always exciting to play this tournament.”  She added “Winning the Family Circle Cup has certainly been an important highlight of my career”.

As one of the Official Photographers of the Family Circle Cup, I’m always honored when one of my images is selected for the Stadium Banner!!!  This shot was taken on a rooftop overlooking the Charleston city skyline during a private photography session Samantha granted us after winning the title.  I used a Nikon D3 with 70-200VRI.  Since she was back-lit by the sun, I used an SB-800 off to my left to light her and placed a second one behind her to add a little bling to the trophy.  Flashes were triggered via RadioPoppers and a camera-mounted SB-900 in commander mode. 

The Eyes Have It

I was goofing off with my good friend and fellow photographer, Gary (www.colemanphotography.com) while he was doing a series on “Eyes”.  Here’s a couple of the shots he did of mine.  Pretty funny stuff!!!  J

Photo Guest Books

Last year Cami & I started offering Photo Guest Books to our brides and grooms.  We can’t BELIEVE what a huge hit they have become!!!  These beautiful coffee-table books are printed on fine-art silk paper, containing each couple’s favorite images from any of their Signature Shoots…like The Proposal, their Engagement Sesssion, or the Bridal Shoot.  Each page has space around the images where guests can sign the book, leave fun comments, or write a few words of wisdom.  Folks just love looking through all the pictures, often passing the book around the reception.  And the couple loves all the personal comments and well-wishes that make the book a very special keepsake instead of just the generic guest book with blank lines as a record of all who attended.  It’s a win-win and we love being a part of that!

Australian Open: Vera Zvonareva & Caroline Wozniacke are Out

Last year at the Family Circle Cup, Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva were locked in a semi-final battle when Caroline slipped and twisted her ankle…a very scary moment for ANY athlete.  But she recovered quickly and both players had an excellent 2010.  This year at the Australian Open, Caroline came in ranked #1 and Vera was #2!!!  They’ve both played some exceptional tennis throughout this first Grand Slam of the year.  So I was pretty sure they were going to be our finalists!!!  But Na Li, who has been on fire in 2011, and Kim Clijsters, who’s always a tough competitor, had other plans for the top seeds.  Yup, I’m sad to say Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva are out of the 2011 Australian Open Tennis Championships.