tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54807848631808072352011-11-27T15:58:41.675-08:00Life behind the lens.Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.comBlogger741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-17084057345011579732010-04-26T07:22:00.000-07:002010-04-26T07:23:12.567-07:00

I am pleased to be the featured photographer in issue 27 of PhotographyBB magazine. http://www.photographybb.com/magazine/

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-28374191686672780282010-04-05T08:46:00.000-07:002010-04-05T08:48:22.650-07:00

I had an assignment to shoot this photograph for an annual report and as always, I try to avoid photographing exclusively with available light. The reason is that available light in a manufacturing plant rarely compliments a scene that requires good lighting for an effective photograph. On the other hand it is difficult to use artificial light exclusively and have the scene look believable as

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-22422929888612281022010-03-30T09:50:00.000-07:002010-03-30T09:54:26.984-07:00

I have the pleasure of being featured today on Lensflare35 a podcast featuring professional photographers.

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-32859496124145279392010-03-28T05:00:00.000-07:002010-03-28T05:00:04.376-07:00

I have a client that makes valves for the industrial markets. When I visited the company plant they asked me to shoot among other things, a new valve they had just launched into the market. I could have just set it on a table and shot it or on seamless but they wanted a photo that looked like a real installation. The problem was there was no installation here to photograph and they did not want

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-59958832180682966542010-03-26T10:28:00.000-07:002010-03-27T08:17:41.201-07:00

Ring lights, aka ring flash, have been popular and in style for years. They offer a nice soft quality of light and when your subject is against the background you get a shadow around your subject. These were originally designed for macro and medical photography, but these days are used in fashion photography as well as general people and portrait situations. I like the ring light look but also

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-90804473745872397172010-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:002010-03-23T08:00:02.383-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I will be joining George Lepp, Les Voorhis, and other distinguished photographers leading a wide variety of workshops at this first annual event. The Black Hills Photo Shootout is the brainchild of the Senior Photographer, Chad Coppess, of the South Dakota Department of Toursim. Workshops incluide Photoshop, Nature Photography, Ghost Towns, Widlife Photography,

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-2255950652331383972010-03-18T08:00:00.001-07:002010-03-18T08:00:00.346-07:00

Industrial photography often has you looking for locations amongst ugly and filthy environments. Often clients will tell me that they want to shoot at a certain location but they have no idea what there is to photograph the subject in front of or within the surroundings. This client led us out to a site of a natural gas facility and when I saw this yellow pipe I thought this is the spot. There

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-18244652653169013982010-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:002010-03-16T17:17:31.121-07:00

When I am not on assignment or doing post production on client work and can break away for more than a day, I love traveling and shooting the landscape. Then using all the cool tools and plugins for really messing up an otherwise normal image. I shot this image in Anza Borego last year on my way back from California. Images that dont have a deadline seem to sit patiently on the hard drive until

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-91776351469672453932010-03-13T07:55:00.000-08:002010-03-13T08:29:54.043-08:00

I recently had a shoot with a young lady in the studio and wanted to achieve the soft, flat look using a large light source. I chose to use my 7' Photoflex Octodome which a great light source if you want a large soft light quality. I have also used it for shooting large groups of people because it has such a large coverage area. I placed the Octodome over camera and then just to the side a

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-49342155231752134552010-03-11T08:00:00.000-08:002010-03-11T08:00:04.213-08:00

Casey Templeton has designed a very cool promotional campaign based on a lunchbox stuffed with cool little gadgets all labeled with his name. His post also shows how popular it was among art directors and buyers and landed some assignments. That's what innovation brings these days. Check it out here!

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-2539463720140529512010-03-09T15:25:00.000-08:002010-03-11T14:32:55.737-08:00

Here is an industrial photograph of a new product release shot on location. This was toward the end of the day in 100 degree plus shooting day and everyone was worn out. The client came in here, looked around and said she did not know what to do or how to shoot in here. It was a metal fabrication facility and very dirty with stuff everywhere. Not styled for a photo shoot. As the photographer

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-27600158214034151362010-02-10T11:22:00.000-08:002010-03-09T15:44:50.975-08:00

After more than a year of work, we have finally launched Pro Nature Photographer, the online community dedicated to the business of outdoor and nature photography. Check it out! Take My Class: The Business of Outdoor and Nature Photography

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-67255137260028405362010-01-13T09:50:00.000-08:002010-01-13T10:30:42.773-08:00

I just want to let you all know that a person by the name of Jeff Visaya has decided to capitalize on my name in the photographic community by starting a blog called Charlieborlandnow.com.I have obviously nothing to do with this site.The domain, charlieborlandnow.com is registered to Jeff Visaya of Milpitas California. A search for Jeff brings up this blog Jeffvisaya.com. based in San Jose.

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-59539066582263730862009-08-03T04:00:00.000-07:002009-08-03T04:00:00.851-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I will be teaching a business and marketing seminar for outdoor and nature photographers in November in Bryce Canyon National Park. I will be joining Gary Crabbe, former stock business manager for Galen Rowell and Marv Johnson, CEO of online photo agent Fogstock. This seminar will cover subjects ranging from what sells and why to adventure sports, marketing and self

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-59694958345773008532009-08-01T04:00:00.000-07:002010-03-09T15:36:07.817-08:00

There are many, many photographers wishing to go pro and I hear from a few and fairly often as they wish to assist me. There are more assistants wishing to assist than I could ever use. I wish I could help them all. I have been teaching on the internet for the last five years and a few location workshops each year as well, but I decided to create a professional photography training program as an

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-78360455899527730852009-07-28T04:00:00.000-07:002010-03-09T15:27:21.935-08:00

Last week I had a great assignment at the wind turbine farms in Eastern Oregon. I sure love shooting this type of stuff with the blue collar workers out in the field. We shot a ton of imagery with this guy positioned around the wind turbines and from high angles and low angles, telephoto and wide angle. The image will be used for a trade ad. For lighting I used a Norman 400B on a stand with

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-76336612954372952602009-07-25T13:55:00.000-07:002010-03-09T15:49:03.526-08:00

I have been shooting quite a few staff photography assignments this year. In fact it seems that is one area that corporate clients are not cutting back. I have always used Photoshop to do my retouching, adding some diffusion and skin softening techniques along with an occasional Eddie Tapp Dream Glow effect to get them all to look smoother and younger-the most common request I get. I have worked

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-33751998737922998782009-04-19T08:35:00.000-07:002010-03-09T15:49:58.671-08:00

If you Google Grunge Photography or Lomography or HDR you will get millions of hits and each of them will provide a different explanation of what each of these techniques look like. Over time I have done that to see what 'looks' I like from the various sources and recently it was the Lomography look I want to play with. What is Lomography? Who is Lomogra(pher) or Lomo or....who? A search on

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-12624482861906172192009-03-17T04:00:00.000-07:002010-03-09T15:38:31.818-08:00

In a previous post I mentioned that I had just taken Seth Resnicks ‘workflow, not workslow’ seminar through D65 and I am still riding high with what I learned. Efficient workflow is not just about knowing Lightroom, but understanding efficient workflow that makes the tedious aspects of managing digital assets easier. We all know someone with the latest and greatest DSLR who cant take a picture if

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-52155531396635588332009-03-15T04:00:00.000-07:002010-03-09T16:10:59.615-08:00

I just finished Seth Resnicks D65 workshop in San Diego and am making a quick stop in Californias Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The wildflowers are still out and the cactus will not bloom for probably another week. I am bummed because it will be gorgeous when they do bloom. Here is a shot from Fonts Point taken at sunset when there really was no sunset due to overcast. Read on if you want to

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-62448817147750980742009-03-13T16:50:00.000-07:002009-03-13T16:51:43.375-07:00

So how is your digital photography workflow? Efficient, productive, and easy to use? Well I will be the first to admit that mine sucks. So I decided to take Seth Resnicks: workflow- not workslow, seminar through D65. It was long, intense, and absolutely fabulous. I am a better man for doing so. I have had Lightroom since it came out but never really had time to think about just how efficient

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-1960408351600132332009-03-02T08:50:00.000-08:002009-03-02T08:52:17.916-08:00

I usually dont blog about other photographers blog entries, but just in case you have not seen this it is a must watch: http://www.zarias.com/?p=284

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-32378010236053695442009-03-02T07:51:00.000-08:002010-03-09T15:52:49.162-08:00

Twenty some year ago I photographed a modern mountain man rendezvous for a magazine story. I cant even remember the magazine but it may have been the AAA magazine or Farmers Insurance or something like that. I have been having fun occasionally going through my old stock and assignment files and looking for images that could be considered timeless, meaning that they might still have a current

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-33629923756214479002009-02-09T04:00:00.000-08:002009-02-09T04:00:00.930-08:00

Master genius incredible nice guy photographer, Joe McNally has another book due out anytime and it is called the Hot Shoe Diaries. Joe is a phenominal photographer and I have had the pleasure of teaching workshops with him along with others like Drew Gardner, Chase Jarvis, David Hobby, Bobbi Lane, and others. The book is supposed to be released anytime and I am anxious to see it as well. If you

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-50357841000523543662009-02-07T04:00:00.001-08:002009-02-07T04:00:01.710-08:00

oI have been working with a client on a large architectural project for the last month and a half and when she e-mailed me today about scheduling our next location she also asked about the granting of usage rights to one of their partners whom I would call a third-party.Here is part of her e-mail and in particular the question regarding usageSecond, if XXXXXXXX wants to use your photos do they

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-546068286709988002009-02-06T04:00:00.000-08:002009-02-06T04:00:00.439-08:00

Our friends at Chromasia have announced their new Photoshop tutorial on working with Textures, has just been released. Chromasia is an online Photography, Photoshop, and HDR training site with a diverse selection of online tutorials. Chromasia director David Nightingale and I will be teaching an HDR workshop in Tampa Florida on April 19th - 23rd, 2009. For more information on the workshop click

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-74173913742882838832009-02-02T04:00:00.000-08:002010-03-09T17:50:48.787-08:00

Here is an example of needing Photoshop to balance color in an architectural interior. The assignment was shooting interior designs. In this shot we are shooting a row of office spaces to show the furnishings. When I do this i ask the client how far down they want to see because the further down the more distortion in the image and the harder it might be to straighten in Photoshop. The

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-15405672719120489532009-01-29T12:24:00.000-08:002010-03-09T17:49:20.238-08:00

When shooting architecture, the retouching of power lines and telephone poles can be quite a challenge. I had a client ask me to shoot a bunch of projects a few months ago. They wanted a lot of locations shot in a little time so we did not scout or select the perfect time to shoot for each building, rather we shot what was there when we were there. This is typical in today's economy...just

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-58367859889424407652009-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:002009-01-04T14:28:30.187-08:00

Wow, was I surprised when I got an email from a dear friend of mine from so long ago. It was a total shock to hear from her, but even more thrilling was to see that she is now in the music industry and a successful jazz singer and recording artist. My friend Aysha and I worked at the YMCA when we were in college, me at Brooks Institute and her at Santa Barbara City College. She was a lifeguard

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-86707880872022150702008-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:002008-12-19T08:00:00.634-08:00

As technology continues to amaze me (technologically challenged), I should not be surprised to see another advancement in photography that only a few years would have only been an idea. Software has been developed that allows us to talk to our cameras. That's right, voice commands to focus, adjust shutter speeds and fstops, change ISO and more has been developed by a company called Shutter Voice

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-52406155668240704602008-12-14T08:55:00.000-08:002008-12-17T16:07:42.141-08:00

One of our training partners, Chromasia, an online leader in digital photography and Photoshop tutorials has announced their newest tutorial on digital workflow. This latest tutorial is part four of an ongoing series of in-depth articles on processing digital images and is specific to ACR 5. I have read this and can vouch that it is quite informative and educational. Check it out here.

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-522877559765822252008-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:002008-12-06T06:00:00.503-08:00

I have stated it a number of times on my blog and that is, that I'm a big fan of the products made by Think Tank Photo. They have just come out with the new Airport Addicted version 2.0 and it has a lot of similarities with my beloved Airport International roller case. You can fit in lenses up to 400 mm and also include your laptop, use the seam sealed rain cover, and tuck away a shoulder

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-53835301232059415422008-12-04T14:26:00.000-08:002010-03-09T15:54:21.406-08:00

A commercial photography business will not be successful these days if your marketing effort consists of sitting by the phone and waiting for it to ring. I am sure that most commercial photographers out there would agree that it's not quite like it used to be. Some photographers remain very busy while others are looking for different careers. I am one of those who agree that there does not seem

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-10662780702264402752008-11-28T09:19:00.000-08:002008-11-28T09:22:42.409-08:00

With the Holidays here, the opportunities for some fun holiday photography are endless. One of my favorites is photographing all the colorful lights of the Holiday season. There are homes beautifully decorated, the Christmas tree, city buildings, yard displays, and of course, your imagination.I have photographed all the previously mentioned Holiday scenes over the years and decided I wanted to

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-24570090472424966812008-11-18T15:32:00.000-08:002008-11-18T17:39:56.308-08:00

With the recent crash in the economy and plummeting fuel prices, the airlines and travel agents are scrambling to fill seats and sell vacations. My wife and I decided to take advantage of a last minute incredible deal from Orbitz and headed for Mexico. Although our primary purpose was to take advantage of a lull in assignments and workshops and snorkel and explore. But as a photographer, I can

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-71432043462631278752008-11-05T18:45:00.000-08:002010-03-09T16:00:32.675-08:00

Last week I conducted a workshop in Arizona’s Slickrock country with my dear friend Brenda Tharp. Based in Page, the workshop visited some of the most extraordinary geological sites in this border area next to Utah. We visited slot canyons, hoodoos, and places like Lower Antelope canyon where the photo ops were boundless and there were not too many people coming through. Upper Antelope canyon is

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-72158274987485371162008-10-28T08:08:00.000-07:002010-03-09T17:28:23.771-08:00

I am having fun with a personal project shooting through windows of buildings at historic sites. Here is the barber shop in Virginia City, Montana where I stopped to teach a workshop in September. These must be shot in HDR for all the details to show because all the light comes from the front windows so the foreground of the interior is quite bright while the rear is quite dark. Here you can see

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-91618888476923429142008-10-26T07:32:00.000-07:002010-03-09T17:20:53.285-08:00

I was teaching a workshop in Colorado a few weeks ago with my friend Lewis Kemper and one of our more popular stops is Silverton, Colorado. It is a historic old mining town that is now a popular tourist and ski town. It still has the old boardwalks, historic, and rustic charm as if still in the old west. Many of the old buildings are renovated and quite historic looking, but what makes Silverton

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-86930759418522731102008-10-24T19:50:00.000-07:002008-10-24T19:51:49.244-07:00

I just got an email from Dr. Audri Lanford, who interviewed meawhile back for her "7 Photography Questions" podcast.You may have heard all the buzz in the last couple of weeksabout Audri's new product called Halloween PhotographySecrets.It's an interview Audri hosted with master child photographerVik Orenstein that's guaranteed to let you capture amazingphotographs of your kids this

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-42775313720206552912008-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:002008-10-24T08:00:01.808-07:00

One thing that I preach when I teach is the need to not just go to a clients location and take pictures. Many assignments you receive will seem easy because they just want you to come and take pictures, but I feel that every assignment is an opportunity to build photographs. We can all take pictures; point the camera and snap the shutter and it seems that many photographers get away with just

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-36756493131700182182008-10-22T06:34:00.000-07:002008-10-22T06:37:58.189-07:00

Did you know... ... that this Halloween, 97% of parents will take photos of their kids and be so disappointed the next day? But you don't need to be one of them... You see, Halloween is a photography nightmare. Awful (or no) light. Chaos. Hyper kids. A million things happening at once. So, if you feel completely frustrated, dissatisfied and overwhelmed -- as if capturing the mood and your

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-65310826205781729312008-09-28T05:41:00.000-07:002010-03-09T17:13:33.074-08:00

Yes I am back and asking myself: "Why have a blog if you have no time to blog? I dont have an answer other than I am having the busiest summer in years and that is not a bad thing for a commercial photographer in our pending economic collapse. I will have plenty to blog with this fall, but thought I would post something I have been having fun with and it is shooting through windows using HDR

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-21671197587820866452008-08-15T06:48:00.000-07:002008-09-13T08:44:03.284-07:00

Shooting adventure sports photography is certainly one of my favorite subjects to shoot as a photographer. I have produced and shot many adventure subjects for stock and also joined many outdoor adventures as the photographer. Three times down the Grand Canyon as well as rafting many other rivers in the west and creating large stock photo production shoots. Here we hired models and traveled to

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-15784106905546355332008-08-03T08:46:00.000-07:002008-08-03T11:00:43.564-07:00

Geeezz, I am slammed and finding the time to post has been tough this month. But as most commercial photographers know, it will slow down at some point. It always does. I just wrapped up my Oregon Coast Digital Workshop and what a blast! I very well had the best group ever. They were enthusiastic and eager to learn and do lots of shooting.We had fabulous weather: mostly sun and one afternoon of

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-81464198254211624672008-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:002008-07-26T08:45:54.506-07:00

Stitching panoramas and multi-image composites has never been easier. The Photomerge feature in Photoshop CS3 has made this a piece of cake. In fact, the days of carefully leveling the camera, nodal points, and extensive stitching are over, at least for me. Of course, this news is not new as this feature has been well covered since the release.What I have been having fun with is moving beyond

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-32750415957552709722008-07-24T21:53:00.000-07:002008-07-25T07:56:57.578-07:00

A few weeks back I posted about architectural interiors using Photomatix and if using it could replace the lighting of interiors and shooting with traditional methods. Although I believe that most interiors certainly benefit from artificial light to accent the interiors, there may be times when using lights are not an option.Shortly after that post I received an assignment where adding lighting

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-75973040793946035682008-07-14T16:04:00.000-07:002008-07-14T17:03:52.343-07:00

It was my buddies birthday on Saturday and his wife threw a big party: it was Casino Night. They rented all the stuff to throw a gambling party, ordered a big barrel of beer, and lots of fabulous snacks. It was a great time!As a pro shooter, I am always on the lookout for a great stock shot when out and about with my pro gear and as such, I am working. After work I never touched a camera no

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-13686073311255347132008-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:002008-09-13T08:41:32.864-07:00

As a teacher of photographic lighting, here is a book that I can highly recommend on photographic lighting. Lighting: Science & Magic is an excellent resource for those learning the fundamentals of lighting. This book is not packed with great shots by great photographers, but instead is an excellent resource for understanding lighting and the physics behind it.The authors dig deep into looking at

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-69154220669979570712008-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:002008-06-27T08:00:00.912-07:00

Certainly if you are a big flash user and especially wireless flash, you know of my friend David Hobby's site, Strobist.com. It's loaded with great tutorials and insights and David seems to have the ability to scan the universe and find some fabulous people doing fabulous things with flash. Now for a really great, innovative, and interesting use of flash, visit Strobist and watch this video. I

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-33062418135822190722008-06-25T08:00:00.001-07:002008-06-25T08:00:01.042-07:00

If you are a commercial photographer, maybe starting out, and need some additional instruction in location lighting, then check out my new class at the Perfect Picture School of Photography called Secrets to Lighting on Location. The program will cover Corporate and Industrial Photography, Architectural Interiors, Portraits on Location, and there is a bonus lesson on color manging your light.

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-3371621826473402022008-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:002010-03-09T17:02:02.538-08:00

Can you do high dynamic range photography in low dynamic range or rather low contrast scenes? Absolutely and it can produce some fun and exciting results. In low contrast scenes the range of highlights with detail and shadows with detail is relatively short and easily captured by the digital cameras sensor. In high contrast scenes, where HDR techniques are valuable, the contrast range between

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-72831255273256444592008-06-21T08:00:00.000-07:002010-03-09T16:52:10.506-08:00

HDR is one of the hottest techniques out there right now. Photographers are flocking to this software to create High Dynamic Range images for a variety of uses from illustrative street photography, unusual portraits, and for architectural interiors. Photomatix seems to be the most popular and widely used, but don't overlook FDR Tools as well. I was just perusing the net looking at my favorite

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-62174162352792322412008-06-18T09:51:00.000-07:002008-07-29T21:03:50.170-07:00

SORRY BUT IT SOLD!I have a 500mm Nikon F4 EDIF P series lens for sale. It is in mint condition and it is a P series meaning it has a chip in it and is compatible with many Nikon digital bodies. Read more and additional stuff for sale: I know you have heard it before and are thinking "yea, right!" but I have used this lens maybe 12 times. I switched to Canon more than 10 years ago so I dont take

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-21513699382828482182008-06-18T08:26:00.000-07:002010-03-09T16:32:13.645-08:00

One of the most popular places to photograph among nature photographers is the Oregon Coast and it is also one of the best places to conduct a photo workshop. There are lighthouses, rocky shorelines, massive sand dunes, forest, tide pools, and much, much more. Above is an image of the Cape Arago Lighthouse. This lighthouse is no longer illuminated at night, but is still very photogenic. Here I

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-45305284408997642052008-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:002008-06-18T10:34:49.649-07:00

What does your digital workflow really look like? If you are a busy shooter like me, you undoubtedly have a basket, drawer, or something loaded with DVD's of your personal work, waiting to be processed. I not only have a huge basket full of DVD's, but two 300 gig hard drives patiently waiting for my attention.It is really not that bad because since I have no urgent need for those photos and

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-86186441067544481442008-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:002008-06-15T08:00:01.282-07:00

If you have an interest in shooting cars, Subaru is looking for car photographers and is holding an open competition to find the winner. This is actually a photo contest where there is a winner and the website is quite cool. It is totally interactive where you choose the camera angle, the position of the sumo wrestler, and then can click the shutter.There is a lightbox where you can open your

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-73060858295495777472008-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:002008-06-14T08:27:24.611-07:00

There are many ways to learn photographic lighting and a lot of different lighting styles and approaches among photographers. Joe McNally is one of those lighting masters and in his new book, The Moment it Clicks, Joe takes you on a journey into the mind, philosophy, and photographic technique of one of today's leading photojournalists.As a teacher of photographic lighting myself, I am inspired

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-68483338030447697282008-06-13T08:48:00.000-07:002008-06-18T10:43:04.868-07:00

Today is Friday the 13th and as superstition has it, today is the unluckiest day of the year, or so we are led to believe. So what is it about Friday the 13th that makes for all this suspicion and lore? Of course we have the slasher movies depicting some unlucky souls having a bad day, but where did it really come from?Well there are many stories and legends professing the truth about the origins

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-67908498531867411392008-06-12T11:32:00.000-07:002008-06-12T11:58:10.630-07:00

I am not actually a photographer to the Hollywood stars, but am thrilled to see a beautiful young woman I used as a model 10 years has made it in Hollywood. Katee Sackoff, who went to high school in a Portland suburb, was a model I used several times for stock photo shoots using teens. She is now the leading star on Battlestar Gallactica and rumor is she is heading for Nip Tuck in the

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-8752370385613529862008-06-08T16:53:00.000-07:002008-06-11T15:01:31.935-07:00

Photographing theater, stage, or concerts has it share of technical challenges. Last night I attended my daughter’s high school dance recital and I took my Nikon Coolpix P5100 to essentially play with and see what I could capture. There were a number of inherent challenges with the whole scenario. The lighting on stage was very contrasty and low in brightness as expected. The black rear curtain

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-13041161442066131552008-06-02T08:00:00.000-07:002008-06-02T08:00:02.457-07:00

If you are producing stock images and looking for an outlet, check out Blue Moon Stock. I chatted with these folks last year and the were cordial and seemed to have a solid plan in place.That is the most important aspect of seeking a stock agency to represent your work. No matter the agency, try to get a feel for how solid their plan is, do they have startup funding if they are new to the biz,

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-55940144236945892332008-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:002008-06-02T07:17:05.320-07:00

I am often asked in my workshops and online classes; "what are the best cases for carrying all these lights". As you may know there are a lot of options out there and I have looked at many of them. There are soft cases and there are hard cases and of course, you cant test them all on a flight to an assignment.I selected the hard Pelican 1650 case with padded dividers (#1654) and they have held up

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-37088743365166875772008-05-31T08:00:00.000-07:002008-05-31T08:42:30.943-07:00

Commercial photography is a lifestyle, not a job! If your business keeps you busy photographing on assignment or for stock, when the weekend comes around picking up the camera is often a chore. My former studio manager became a massage therapist a few years ago and I once asked her husband if he got a lot of massages and the his reply was a smile and rolling of the eye. Our business is our work!

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-77464171998932489902008-05-30T12:11:00.000-07:002010-03-09T16:29:16.509-08:00

There is a lot of work out there for photographing business portraits. In fact it seems in this economy that there is more portrait work than everything else combined. Each photographer has there own techniques for lighting and mine has certainly evolved. My portrait training came from schooling at Brooks Institute and the portrait program there was very classical. Rigid poses and lots of light.

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-36534606194571792352008-05-29T10:45:00.000-07:002010-03-09T16:25:57.214-08:00

Photographing industrial locations as always provides plenty of challenges. Often locations are huge, meaning you cannot own enough lights to light them entirely and must use ambient light. You have color shifts from sodium vapor lights or other sources, and if you have moving parts, it is pretty well known that on ‘photo day’, if it can break it will. When on assignment, assume that if

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-32146414617550035912008-05-25T08:10:00.000-07:002008-05-25T09:16:53.913-07:00

Do you have something you wish to share with the readers of TCP? We are interested in publishing short pieces on other commercial photographers, articles on technique, Photoshop and photography, business and legal issue, assignments you have had, how you handled a job estimate or stock sale, and pretty much anything about commercial photography business that would interest working pros and

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-12121790601056753782008-05-19T11:03:00.000-07:002008-05-19T16:40:16.757-07:00

I was sitting in a bar recently with new friend David Hobby and others from the Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai where we were all leading workshops a few weeks ago. We were discussing the usual: photography, business, technique, and all while taste testing the local 'focusing solutions'. I had been playing with my new Nikon Coolpix P5100 when I handed David my camera to shoot this picture. It was a bowl

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-61784484366778603992008-05-17T21:49:00.000-07:002008-05-19T11:03:19.627-07:00

When should you ask for photography usage fees for the use of images you have shot? First, i am not referring to stock photographs, rather images you have shot on assignment. Usage fees for stock photo images are a different ballgame. As a stock photographer, you produce images at your own expense (most of the time) and when someone wants to use or publish that image, you are paid a usage (aka,

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-24338651958579135842008-05-16T23:41:00.000-07:002008-06-13T10:26:13.652-07:00

The hot topic of late for digital photographers and Photoshop users is High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography. My friend, David Nightingale, a photographer from the U.K., has mastered HDR techniques. David and his company; Chromasia, are the recipient of numerous awards for photography and have been profiled in several magazines showcasing his striking HDR images. David's technique pushes the

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-28235747007157990952008-05-13T15:22:00.000-07:002008-06-09T09:17:03.726-07:00

Please note: You can get a discount for any of their gear, not just this case, and the discount code is at the bottom of this story.I recently traveled to Dubai with my friend Ben Willmore and as I lugged my beloved Lowe Pro Trekker backpack loaded with cameras and carried a briefcase through the airports, I watched Ben casually rolling his Think Tank Photo Airport roller case. As I asked about

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-13043899657030361212008-05-10T05:42:00.000-07:002010-03-09T16:21:01.700-08:00

There are many forms of fashion and beauty lighting in photography. Photographers working in this segment of the market are often known for their lighting style and the motivation is there to create a new look that is their own. While I was teaching at Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai last week, I had the chance to demonstrate beauty lighting for my Studio Lighting workshop with Lenka, a well known

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-55055375606293719012008-05-04T05:23:00.000-07:002008-05-17T19:47:00.847-07:00

There are plenty of great opportunities for digital night photography after the sun goes down. Last night, while teaching at Gulf Photo Plus, I took my night photography workshop group from Gulf Photo Plus to the Madinat Jumeirah here in Dubai. The 'Madinat' as most locals call it, is a beautiful shopping location in Dubai next to the Burj Al Arab, the most expensive hotel in the world. The area

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-60720631326682609212008-05-02T19:02:00.000-07:002008-05-14T13:31:41.315-07:00

Certainly you have heard about Dubai and possibly you have visited or even live here. It is an amazing and very interesting country. I am here for the 3rd time, teaching at Gulf Photo Plus along with a distinguished cast of other accomplished photographers such as; Joe McNally (nicest guy in the world. National Geo/Life); Chase Jarvis and his team (another nicest guy in the world and advertising

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5480784863180807235.post-43705135190529922482008-05-01T19:19:00.000-07:002008-05-14T13:43:50.718-07:00

Yes, I admit that I am a bit slower than many others and a tad behind the times, but I am pleased to join the blogging community. So welcome to my very first post on my very first blog!Who am I? Nobody to most of the world, but in my area I am one of many commercial photographers. I have been shooting for close to 30 years for a wide range of clients and in a wide range of areas, both locally and

Charlie Borlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921284947675610469noreply@blogger.com1