Be sure to look at the Blog page I posted after that last Eclipse! 2017 Total Eclipse
Here is a website that helps you plan it shows the path of the eclipse. Where to Be!
It is really hard to find a place to stay on the path of Totality. Eclipse freaks (which you are about to become) book their stays up to a year in advance. I tried to find a place early last summer online and only found very expensive offerings and most of them were already taken. While flying Southwest Airlines to San Antonio last August, I met at woman, Jessica, and her husband and kids while on layover at the Phoenix Airport. Turns out she runs some AirBNBs and owns some properties in Fredricksberg Texas. Wow, I said you are in the middle of the eclipse for next year. "Yes" she said, we talked and then decided we would visit her in Fredricksberg. She also has a family house with lots of beds that was available. We agreed on a deal and I placed a deposit for April 6, 7, 8. Saturday Sunday and Monday.
On April 8, 2024, the eclipse will take place from 12:15 to 2:56 p.m. CT, while the total eclipse will be visible from 1:32 p.m. to 1:37 p.m. in Fredericksburg. I will look something like this:
The house is just a few miles outside the town of Fredricksberg Texas. It is located in the center of the path of Totality of the eclipse. The address is 98 Betts Road, fredricksberg Texas 78624. It is a cozy ranch house with a yard lots of parking BBQ, Well just look through the photos I'm posting here and we will work out who is coming and who gets which rooms.
This area will be jammed full of people on these dates. People from nearby Austin and San Antonio will come here in mass. Don't plan on doing any driving on April 8. We will checkout on Tuesday April 9. The attached photos show the room and amenities of the house. The last photo is in downtown Fredericksburg, a really cute tourist town with some nice features. Try to enjoy it on Saturday and Sunday and then maybe Tuesday after the crowds have departed. We should plan on our own food most of the time as it will be difficult to go out to eat near the eclipse day. Probably all the time we are there.
Master bedroom, Della and Gerry have claimed this one.
Living room
Kitchen
Dining room
Washer, dryer.
Bedroom 2,
Bedroom 3 has a queen size bed and a double bed. A cozy double by this view.
Another view of bedroom 3. (I'm suggesting Teri and Michael Cooper, and Shawn and Nancy McIntyre)
Bedroom 4 is a modified area more than a private bedroom, it has a queen size and a cozy double?.
A bathroom.
Bedroom 5, a queen sized bed and a single bed.
A second view of bedroom 4, this queen looks closer to a double, so two doubles in here.
RESCUED! After the third flat in one ride I was lucky enough to have the Bike Patrol find me sitting on the trail trying to fix my latest flat without any more CO2 cannisters for air. These guys were a hoot, a regular comedy team. They gave me a new tube and a CO2 canister. Then they watched me fix my tire and told jokes. A big thank you to Paul Rieger and Rick Tower of the Bike Patrol.
I love bicycling along the American River Bike Trail, I seldom get flat tires but in April I had an annoying string of flats on the trail. On April 22 it came to a head, Della and I were doing a 44 mile round trip, from home to a point along Lake Natoma and back. On the return trip I had three flats! First one I fixed with a patch, second one I replace the tube, third one, Della continued on home to get the car. I was fixing the flat but I had no more air, and then I got rescued by the Bike Patrol. You may have seen these men and women out on their bike along the American River Bike Trail? They are a part of the Ski Patrol that you meet up on the slopes if you are a skier. They lend assistance to people along the trail that, like me are having mechanical difficulty or perhaps injuries, they can assist with directing medical services to your location. I think I owe them a small donation. You can donate to them or find out more about them at this url: AmericanRiverBikePatrol.org
Do you see the spots inside the rim where the rim tape leaves the spoke hole partially exposed? That must be the cause, same placing on the tube of the patches as the distances between the spoke holes. This tube was less than a month old. I had had REI put a new set of tires and tubes on the bike in early April. So once off the trail I took my wheel and patched up tube off to REI for to complain about my bad luck with my new tires and tubes. It wasn't their fault, but something was wrong. I have spent a lot of money at REI and at their bike shop at the Cal Expo Store. I have no complaints, in fact hey are great and do a great job on our bikes. The prices are fair very good too. So the bike shop (manager?) Parker fixes my tire by placing a new liner inside the rim and replaces my tube at no charge. I haven't had a flat tire since. So another big thank you goes out to the team at the Cal Expo REI Bike shop. You guys are great!
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Della and I did the ride together in 2021. We had to train up to it since we hadn't been riding that distance for some time. In 2022, too many side projects, travels and events got in the way and we couldn't log the training days, so the ride didn't happen. As a renewed challenge, and determined to keep the good intentions alive of a healthy lifestyle activity, I am opening the challenge to share with my friends.
This is an invitation to my bike riding friends to join us, for all, or at least part of the ride on my birthday, which falls on May 29, Memorial Day this year, a Monday. All riders are invited to join us for a little Birthday Ride celebration at SacYard where we can all enjoy a cold brew and enjoy some pizza.
If your love riding the American River Bike Path and love following a little workout with some Beer and Pizza, Well, join me for my Birthday Challenge. I just need to know that you are coming, so please let me know with an email or text. RSVP to ([email protected], or 916-600-5744 text or call). We can organize the riders who will ride together, or just plan to be at SacYard
by 2:00 PM.
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For instance, I did not know that mergansers gathered in such large groups. (A large group of ducks sometimes called a "raft".)
Common Merganser - Natomas Bluffs 0206
I was mesmerized as I watched this large "Raft" of Mergansers swim together tightly as if a raft, first heading upwind, then downwind, and then all of a sudden they all dove underwater. I thought it might have been the Eagle that caused them to dive, but no, I think they were hunting as a pack. Hmmm, interesting. I tried looking it up on Audubon and Wikipedia but could find no references to this behavior. I also noticed that the group was mostly female Mergansers by a large ratio, like maybe 10:1, they are the red headed ones. There are some males among the raft, they are the green and white ones. Most of the males winter farther North. After their clutches are hatched the males migrate up north leaving the females to raise the brood, returning in the spring again for mating season. Mergansers are a type of duck, also called a sawtooth as their beaks have serrated edges, designed to hold on to the slippery fish they hunt.
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A raft of Common Mergansers - Natomas Bluffs 600mm 0270
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Mergansers are underwater hunters, they eat fish, swimming fast and chasing down their prey. I never imagined they hunted in packs, maybe not unlike the American Pelican which coordinates its movements with it's "Squadron" herding fish into the shallows where they then scope them up with their pouches.
Also spotted at the lake was an Eared Grebe, a red-tailed Hawk, a pair of red-shouldered hawks, and our most notable resident, the Bald Eagle, who flew from his perch, swooped down to the lake, grabbed his breakfast and perched on a pine limb across the lake.
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Red-shouldered Hawk - Natomas Bluffs 0171
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Bald Eagle - Natomas Bluffs 600mm 0231
I guess it wasn't a bad day for birding by any means.
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Three Sandhill Cranes 130 copy
Sandhill Cranes 169 copy
"Welcome Home!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms around me and gave me a big heartfelt hug! So began my "Burn".
Adelina-Burning Man 2022 0277-Aug 29 2022A friendly face on the Playa, "Adelina" as I recall. A psychic had told her mother that she was having a daughter who wanted to be called Adelina. The confidence is clear.
How do you describe Burning Man to someone who has not been to Burning Man? Surprisingly I found myself defending BM against many of the myths and stereotypes that get applied to make our lives simple. Right away everyone thinks it's a wild drug party in the desert with naked people running around. I won;t deny that there are elements of truth too, to many of the rumors and myths, it is not that simple to describe the experience of Burning Man.
Burning Man is a feeling, it is a Dream.
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Links to Galleries of photos from Burning Man:
Ultra Marathon put on by the Pink Flamingo Camp:
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Each evening the Lamp Lighters ceremoniously procession onto the playa to place the lamps providing three gifts to the community, illumination, navigation, and celebration.
Portraits:
Group at Paradisium Burning Man 2022 0224Burning Man 2022
Happy Birthday Shannon, this is a nice group I meet at the Paradisium art installation.
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Anna B., known on the playa as Phoenix, modeled several times for me with her dance outfits. I posted a gallery of her images and I thank her for her creative spirit adding a certain theatrical feeling to the Dream state that is Burning Man. Here is her link: Phoenix
Loren-aka-'A Lad' at Burning Man 2022 2-1860-Sep 01 2022 1
Loren, who shall now be called A-Lad-In-(xxx), (fill in the last part to how the situation calls for it, in this case, A-Lad-In-the desert. was the whole reason I came to Burning Man. Loren is my son and it was his invitations that brought me to join his friends at our camp "Presence". I also want to share some photos with Loren. Loren's link: A-Lad-In-the desert
What got his feathers all standing tall?
]]>I'll start with a group shot of my fellow "Cormorants" taken on our last walk on Floreana Island also called Isla Santa Maria.
Galapagos Day 4 Floreana Walk 1087
Thursday Feb 10, After alnding on Baltra Island we boarded the Santa Cruz II, our home for the next four nights, and took a short cruise to Santa Cruz Island, After orienting ourselves aboard ship we to boarded our panga boats to shore on Santa Cruz Island where we took a short hike to Dragon Hill. Photos are here: Day 1 Santa Cruz Island, Dragon Hill
Day 2 Friday Feb 11, Isabella Island in the morning from the Pangas : We ride pangas along Isabella Island
and Day 2 walk around on Fernandina Island, photos here: Day 2 Walk around Fernandina Island
Day 3 Bike Rides and Tortoises on Santa Cruz Island: Bikes and Tortoises on Santa Cruz Island
Day 4 Floreana Floreana from the Panga's In the afternoon we returned in the pangas and made a dry landing and we took a short hike to a beach where the turtles lay their eggs: Day 4 a Walk on Floreana
Day 5 Back to Baltra to fly back to Ecuador, some Darwin Finches in the Airport: Day 6 & 7 Quito
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Twilight Camp 2009-419
]]>The Patrol Method is how leadership is developed in the Scouting environment. A Scout Troop is divided into or is a group of patrols. Each patrol elects its own leader. The patrol leader is responsible to represent that patrol to the troop.
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The Wandering Wolves Patrol of Troop 78, here the whole patrol is working KP while earning recognition as one of the Best Patrols of Camp Cody 2021.
Welcome dance and drumming and singing in the longhouse.
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50-Miler-161-Jul 09 2013 copy50 Miler Backpacking Trip
These Scouts are about to wake up to a grand and glorious morning at the Minerets, in the Ancil Adams Wilderness.
Troop-One-50-Miler-at-Lassen-50-235-SAVED4WEBThis 50 Miler began at Mt. Lassen, now miles behind them, these Scouts take a photo from the rim of the Cinder Cone volcano inside Lassen National Park.
This 50 Miler began at Mt. Lassen, now miles behind them, these Scouts take a photo from the rim of the Cinder Cone volcano inside Lassen National Park.
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Jake Alejandro Chris ESP USA Flag-Horiz 2x3 Background 5x7for WEB
Do you want a constructive project you can do to get your through this cloud of covid hanging over our heads? Well what is something you have been meaning to do for a long time but never felt you had the time or the urgency? How about adjusting your lifestyle to get yourself back to a healthy weight and put more spring into your steps? I've been needing to get more serious about my weight for a while now. I didn't think of myself as being overweight but a combination of other warnings were telling me that it was time to take action. One my doctor has been telling me that I am prediabetic and that he could put me on some medications. I said no, I'll take care of this, and then 5 years goes by and no change to that status. Add to that an I had an Afib event and now my doctor does prescribe a medicine that I know I do not want to be taking for the rest of my life. I know I need to do something. So I spend my first covid summer swimming a mile a day, four days a week, and trying to eat healthier. At the end of the summer, this is me in my swim suit on October 4 2020. I am not impressed. Two other great influencers in my decision to get started towards a healthier future was picking back up a book I bought a few years ago called "Younger Next Year". I really enjoyed the authors philosophy of you can work your way back to being younger. And then my son Loren has been introducing healthier choices through a website called Dr. Greger's Nutritionfacts.org.
On October 5, I signed up for the Kaiser Health Management Program (Kaiser Health Management Program). It is a big commitment, it cost money, and time, and effort, but it seemed to me nothing else was working I wanted help to make this happen. I started a meal replacement program of limit calories on October 12, and started attending weekly 90 minute WebEx classes with my Kaiser facilitator. The program is a 82 week program and I am only into it the first 16 weeks now. I've take the weight off but now I am learning how to keep it off with lifestyle skills of diet and exercise. The batman picture of me was taken on January 12, after losing 42 pounds. I'm very impressed and very happy with my new waist size of 32 instead the old size of 36 inches. I never want to go back so I thought one way to keep it off is to celebrate what I used to weight by carrying it on my back for the first half of a hike and do the remainder of the hike without the weight. Watch my video here and keep an eye out for updates.
Learn more about "Younger Next Year" at their website: "Younger Next Year" or, buy their book at Amazon or your favorite book seller.
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I have a quote that Bob Beyn wrote for me when CPR offer to give me some radio advertising time.
"A Portrait Can Last a Thousand Years, a long time to not look your very best." I loved hearing Donna Apidone reading it on air in the morning. I always loved the quote. Della had a great idea that we put it on the side of the building. Maybe in the sign frame that is sitting there empty right now.
Next we are going to rebuild the monument sign, it is old and damaged. We need to get our logo on it. Here is a plan.
I never expected a merganser morning. Sunday, I was out for my first kayaking birding float of the new year. I enjoy the calm stalking ability of floating in a kayak. This benefited me well as I was able to find and hang with a female merganser sheltering her brood. I noticed through the 600mm lens that she was harboring some ducklings, I had no idea how many. She didn't pay me much attention and I tried to keep my distance, move slowly, and not pay her too much attention. I watched her hiss and drive off a Starling that got too close, and then a Scrub Jay nearly simultaneously coming in from the other direction. I was starting to think, ok there’s nothing here move along, just as a duckling came out from under her and started for the water. Oh, this might get interesting, I’ll hang longer.
Dyna-lites
One of the most popular brands of strobe systems is Dynalite. Since 1970, Dynalite equipment has been manufactured in the U.S.A. with an eye on creating reliable flash equipment with power and performance in a small and lightweight package. Having shot portraits with Dynalite equipment
Professionally used and professionally maintained, these lights are in great condition and ready to work for you
I have several kits for sale.
North Lights
I have 2 rolling North Light strip lights with stands, one 10’ tall and one 8’ tall. These are a perfect compliment to any studio for versatile overhead lighting.
Both are plexiglass soft boxes mounted onto a steady over head counter weight support system for effortless control of height and direction.
Professionally used and professionally maintained, these stands are in great condition and ready to work for you.
These stands and soft boxes can be bundled with any of my studio light packages.
Speedotron Lights
These Black Line Power Supplies and Light Units are built to provide accurate and repeatable light output day-in and day-out.
Professionally used and professionally maintained, these lights are in great condition and ready to work for you.
Currently listed in one big set, there are 12 strobes and 2 battery power backs that can be divided into smaller kits.
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I was immediately surprised by how little the attention the bird paid to the 9 photographers trying to capture images of it. Kate would send it off to a nearby tree or rock and then call it back to her hand with some treats. It would swoop so low one of our photographer almost hit it as he panned to keep the bird in his viewfinder.
Leaping off his perch on a rock, Xxxx would swoop right over our heads gliding back to Kate's waiting glove and treat. Click, click click go the shutters of all our cameras. We were all mesmerized by the opportunity to work so closely with such beautiful raptors. It is rarely possible to get such intimate photos in the wild.
I caught several great shots of the Harris Hawk as he tried to catch his treats in the air.
We spent about an hour with the Harris Hawk and worked him pretty well till he was "fed up", what falconer say when their bird's have eaten their fill and are no longer interested in doing anything for you. We walk him back to his roost where Kate keeps about twenty raptors each tethered to his own roost in a large fenced in area.
We then got to move out to the front lawn area where we got a chance to meet many of the other birds, either just on the glove or as they fly back and forth between two trainers or into a tree waiting to be offered a treat.
This Screech Owl is fully grown, and only reluctantly fly or blast from trainer to trainer. We got lots of shots of him running back and forth on top of a saw horse pouncing on his treats with both claws extended.
This second Harris Hawk (Bob) seemed like he wanted his turn up the hill.
Kate's associate -( name ) shows off ( Name ) a Eurasian Eagle Owl. This is the same species that was used as Harry's Owl in the Harry Potter movies. Many of the other birds flew across the lawn or posed for portraits, either way the photographers kept snapping away. I would much rathe spend my time silently wandering along the banks of the American River, trying to find the perfect wildlife photograph, but at the end of all this editing I have to admit, this was a great photography experience, I learned a lot about some beautiful birds and I got to take some photographs that I could never get in any other way. Thank you West Coast Falconry, Kate Marden and staff. Also Louis at Mike's Camera for putting the class together. And here is my parting shot. A closeup of this magnificent owl.
Gerry often photographs groups for companies who have a considerable amount of employees. Group photos can be challenging. I imagine we all have that one family group shot where so-and-so's eyes are closed, someone else isn't even looking at the camera, and that one person in the back whose face is totally blocked! A great way to avoid those common group photo pitfalls (as well as saying "Just one more!") is to photograph people individually on a green screen background. Photographing on green screen enables carefully controlled portraits where the photographer and subject work together to achieve the subject's best look. Gerry then manipulates each pre-selected and processed photograph into one large group image where each person is shown off to their best advantage. Sure, post-production takes a little longer, but we think it is worth the extra time to create a great group image and guarantee the best look from every person.
Shooting on green screen also means each company can have their background of choice. From logos to color to photographs, green screen technology opens up all those options. In our photographs here of a law firm, Gerry dropped in a background of a nature shot he took at McKinley Park in Sacramento on a separate excursion. This merging of experience, talent, and technology gives GMP a boost in a crowded marketplace. If you need company work done, we hope you will consider GMP to help you achieve your ideal images!
We’ve collaborated with Campfire Treats before, but this time, digital marketing was focus of our shoot with them. Part of the appeal of having an online business website is that potentially just about anyone can click on your site. They see who you are, what your brand and image represents, and you have a chance to communicate why they need your product, and hopefully they will follow through with a sale. In the hazy world of online commerce, clear photographs of your product cultivates interest, illustrates why somebody “needs” your product, and helps drive business. You have a quick half-second to grab somebody's attention before they scroll onto something new in the oblivion of the internet!
Chicken on dehydrator rack
Campfire Treats needed product shots for selling on Amazon, header for their website, and environmental action shots. To sell product online, a clean white background does wonders. The goal was to show the texture and size of the product as well as the quality - each pile of dog treats is the same amount that would be packaged in the individual bags or containers. The business owners behind Campfire Treats felt it was extremely important to represent their product as precisely as possible, while also communicating how fresh and handmade the items are. These images are the finals used for their online retail shop and Amazon page, as well as web marketing via social media.
For his business, Gerry needs to scout often. He often scout building locations, checking which building side is more photogenic or what time of day would work best for the shoot. He keeps in close communicate with the coordinator of the the business employing him, asking for their ideas, goals, and working towards fine tuning the final plan. Scouting give both the photographer and customer valuable feed-back, with planning time, a sense of direction to move towards, and a grasp of the overall layout of the area. Sometimes both parties will even change the direction of the shoot based up information gathered from the scouting trip. Scouting is an invaluable part taking great photographs and a valuable service GMP offers to clients.
Final Product
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TC Printing is a commercial printing company that creates custom prints for both large and small scale print needs. It has been a part of the Sacramento fabric for 40 years, and enjoys a small-town sensibility while boasting state of the art printing techniques and technology. Check out their history here.
Hard work put in by all, and the shoot was ultimately a fun and rewarding experience. Here are a few behind-the-scenes!
Final Results...
]]>Sometimes the birds come to you, it when opportunity meets preparedness. I drove back from an errand to my back gate of my studio and a hawk was busy searching for something. I was able to get the camera on him without him taking flight. This is a Red Shoulder Hawk, he's a juvenile I believe and he wasn't as alarmed about my presence as I expected. Also I stayed in the car, only allowing the lens out the window to photograph him. He is in my Chinese Pastachio Tree in the back parking lot of my studio. I have photographed other birds in this tree but I never expected to get such a closeup view of a Hawk just hanging out, well hunting in my parking lot.
To see more of my birds just click this link. For the Birds
woodpecker on a giant sequoia
]]>Stevie and Marko Wittich are a personable couple originally from Germany, who now live Rocklin, CA. While looking for dog food for their pup, they realized how many fillers and preservatives are listed in most brands' ingredients. Determined to find quality dog food, they eventually thought, "Why not just make our own?". Through their research and hard work, they started looking into making their own dog treats, and their business grew from there. We've been lucky to work with Stevie and Marko twice now, and their passion and attention to detail is part of what makes them such a joy to work with. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from their shoot.
Scotty organizing the product juuuust right.
Collaborating on the best look.
Gerry hard at work.
An overview of the dog treat products!
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Tip # 1. Get a good night sleep before your portrait shoot
There are a lot of great ways to pull off a beautiful portrait. Between makeup, lighting, and retouching, it is safe to say I have a few tricks up my sleeve to bring out you best during your portrait session. However, there is just no substitute for a good night's sleep. When you have given your body the rest it needs, you look younger, fresher, and your skin glows. Even more importantly, proper rest brings energy to a portrait that you just cannot achieve with a subject who has been up all night. I prefer to shoot clients in the mornings when possible, as we are all a little fresher at the beginning of the day. When you are taking a professional business headshot, you have a certain look in mind. You want an image that shows your clients that you are right for them! My goal is always to tell your story through the image and portray you in your best light.
Tip # 2. Try to get in a workout before your shoot to get your blood pumping and your energy up.
A good workout before your photoshoot can do wonders. Rest is important and is number 1 on my list, but once you hop up from your great night's sleep, get your energy up and get moving! Not only will a workout bring color to your skin, but it will also help you be more energized and ready to engage at your portrait shoot. I'm not suggesting you go out and run a marathon before you come in (but if you do, more power to you!), but suggesting something more along the lines of a brisk walk or another physical activity you enjoy. Personally, I love a good bike ride.
So get up, get moving, and check out the next Tip!
Tip # 3. Drink Plenty of water and make sure you eat!
This tip goes hand in hand with numbers 1 and 2. When my subjects come in dehydrated or hungry, it is apparent in their portraits. Our skin looks better when we have plenty of water, and our energy is better when we have had something healthy to eat. Since you know by now that my goal for every client is an energized and engaging image, you are probably starting to see why this tip goes along with the rest. I don't want my clients to look sleep-deprived, sluggish, or running on empty.
Tip #4. Details, Details, Details!
This is an important tip! When you are preparing to come in to get your portrait taken, sometimes it is the smallest details that elevate your image. Make sure that your nails are groomed and not chipped or dirty. Tweeze any stray hairs and tame back those nostril hairs (it's okay we all have them!). Going that extra mile can really give your image a high quality and polished look.
Tip # 5: If you do not love your hair you will not love your portrait!
I have learned over the years that if you are not comfortable with the way that your hair looks, you will never love your completed portrait. So I stress this tip, especially as it can be a lot more difficult to fix a bad hairdo in photoshop than it is to fix a blemish. For men, I suggest getting your hair cut a week before your photoshoot. You want to come to shoot during that sweet spot between when your hair is freshly cut and has had a chance to grow back just a little.
For women, I suggest getting your hair done the day before, or even the day of your portrait. If you do not get your hair done, take the time to put a little extra effort into doing it yourself. Make sure if you dye your hair, that your roots are not overgrown. We will make fine-tuned adjustments and assist with fly aways, but make sure you come in with hair you will be happy to see on screen!
Tip # 6: If you have a beard or mustache, make sure it is nicely trimmed and groomed.
Like I mentioned in Tip #5, hair can be crucial to a portrait. If you are a man with a beard or mustache, and would like to keep it for your portrait, it is important that you have it nicely trimmed and groomed before you come in. Remember that this is how you will be represented to your current and future clients. You want to look professional and polished.
Tip # 7: If you shave your face, make sure you are freshly shaven when you come in for your portrait.
If unlike the cool guy in tip #6, you are more of the clean shaven type, make sure your shave is freshly done the day of the shoot. Aim for a crisp and clean look, one or two days of growth can really make a difference. I usually keep a razor or two here at the studio just in case, but arriving ready to go can save you time and effort.
Tip # 8: Avoid busy patterns that overtake the Portrait.
When it comes to your wardrobe for your portrait, I would always recommend to dress to impress. Keep in mind that we want YOU to shine! I suggest that my clients avoid bright or busy patterns, as they can pull attention away from your face and draw the viewer’s eye to your shirt instead. Of course, there is a place for a fun tie or a lighter blouse in an image, but be careful not to overdo it. We want you to be the star of your own portrait. So although a Hawaiian shirt is perfect at a BBQ, it may not be the best choice for your professional business headshot.
Tip # 9: Update your wardrobe if needed. STAY CURRENT!
Just as your wardrobe choices are important, so is the necessity of updating what you wear. You wouldn't bring a Model T to a modern car show, would you? Of course not. Buy a snappy new tie or that cute blouse you've been eyeing. Keep it classy and sleek. Nobody wants to look outdated, so this is your chance to update your wardrobe - just in time for your special portrait!
Tip # 10: An Iron a Day Keeps the Wrinkles Away
Send your outfit to the dry cleaners the week before the shoot or break out your iron an d put a fresh crease in those trousers. Yes, you can wear your outfit to the studio, but feel free to bring an outfit on hangers to change into. That way, you're insured of a crisp, wrinkle free look.
Final Look
Now that you've gone over all the steps for a successful portrait, keep in mind that there are a few other options available for you to explore. Do you need an image shot on green screen, giving your image the ability to have its choice of backgrounds? Or would you like a makeup artist for your convenience and ease of professional services? Drop us a line, give us a call, we are here to help you bring to life the image you want to portray to the world.
That's it for our series Tips For Your Portraits!! Thanks for keeping with us and hopefully this series will help YOU for your best portrait yet!
Here is a before-and-after example photo highlighting the differences and contributions a makeup artist can add to your portrait. We took the left portrait first, then stopped the session to discuss makeup and styling. Our client consulted with the makeup artist Jean Fox who helped her plan an outfit for the next shoot. For the second shoot, the makeup artist styled the client and was able to oversee the images downloaded onto the computer where she could comment and address details right on set. As you can see, a makeup artist adds invaluable expertise and insight to making sure people look their best. If you want to book a makeup artist, give us a week's notice, and we'll have one for you on set. Here's to creating your personal Best Portrait Ever!
Had the fun of photographing these two youngsters enjoying a playground of fallen leaves at Del Campo Park for the STF. I am always happy to work with the Sacramento Tree Foundation and hope to continue to support their beneficial endeavors. ]]>Could we take images on of him that presented the business side he wanted to convey to his clients - smart, reliable, professional yet relatable - and oh, could we get an image with the Capitol as the backdrop WITHOUT being on location? The resounding answer was YES.
Now our client is a busy man. He divvies up his office space between Sacramento and Ohio, leaving us only a short time to work in the studio. That's where the specialty of GMP comes in. Green screen is a timesaving cost effective way of getting the look you want with less of the hassle. Gerry worked closely with Gregory Stuck to achieve several different looks, and both were pleased with the final product.
Another happy customer, another wonderful day here at GMP. GMP works with you, our valued client, to achieve your vision at every level.
My Studio Manager Kylie is taking a fun photo for them, and I managed to sneak in a shot. Shooting on Green Screen is one of our specialties here at GMP, and George definitely had a blast.
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The Great Blue Heron, photographed at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. This bird is a photographers favorite. Dramatic feathers and sharp beak. I have several photographs of this bird that I love.
Above the farms north of Sacramento a Great Blue Heron takes flight.
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The National Parks Service runs the lighthouse and it is open Thursday through Sunday each week.
The light is fairly small but it is surrounded by dozens of prisms, each angles to focus the light to the horizon, making the light effectively much larger, and visible 24 miles away. The smaller replacement light is only visible 14 miles away.
Parts of the Pt. Reyes Peninsula are protected rangeland for native Elk.
A view from the walk up to and back from the Lighthouse is miles of beach with sets of waves breaking.
It is a bucolic drive through windy roads and old dairy farms to get to the Lighthouse, time well spent.
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I had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view and photograph a solar eclipse in its totality. I drove with my wife Della and my son Loren all the way to Scio, Oregon to meet up and stay with our friends Tom and Joan. The drive took 8 hours to get there and a full 13 hours back! The traffic was astounding. I used my telescope with a BAADER solar filter out the immense light of the sun; with this set-up, I was even able to capture a few sun spots! It's funny, I took hundreds of photographs leading up to the moment of totality and afterwards, but only about 5 at full totality. I've heard it's said "totalities are the shortest two minutes of your life" and it's so true. It was amazing to us how dark it became - the wind picked up, the temperatures dropped, along with our jaws. I've never seen anything like it in my life and was so lucky to be able to witness it in person. I had a fantastic time with family and friends, made amazing memories, and collected new stories. What an incredible life experience. Here are some of the photographs I was able to take, I hope you enjoy.
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For years I have been handing out a flyer, or sending a pdf called "Tips for your Portrait" to my clients before their portrait sessions. It has been very popular and now it is time for an upgrade to that list. Most of the tips are timeless, while a few updates have been added. I thought I would offer something a little more fun to help educate my clients about how to prepare for a portrait session with me.
Tip # 9: Update your wardrobe if needed. STAY CURRENT!
Just as your wardrobe choices are important, so is the necessity of updating what you wear. You wouldn't bring a Model T to a modern car show, would you? Of course not. Buy a snappy new tie or that cute blouse you've been eyeing. Keep it classy and sleek. Nobody wants to look dated, so this is your chance to update your wardrobe - just in time for your special Portrait!
So go buy that extra little zing and come back for next week's Tip for Your Portrait!
Tip # 8: Avoid busy patterns that overtake the Portrait.
When it comes to the wardrobe you choose for your portrait, I would always say dress to impress. Just keep in mind that we want YOU to shine! I suggest that my clients avoid bright busy patterns, as they can pull attention from you and draw the eye to your shirt instead of your face. Of course there is a place for a fun tie or a lighter blouse in an image, but for the most part I suggest darker solid colors. We want you to be the star of your own portrait! So although a hawaiian shirt is perfect at a BBQ, it may not be the best choice for your professional business headshot.
So go rethink that pattern and come back next week for tip # 9
Tip # 7: If you shave your face, make sure you are freshly shaven when you come in for your portrait.
If unlike the cool guy in tip #5 you are more of the clean shaven type. Make sure your shave is fresh and done the day of the shoot. When aiming for a crisp and clean look, one or two days of growth can really make a difference. I usually keep a razor or two here at the studio just in case but arriving ready to go can save you time and the difference is worth the effort.
So grab your straight razor and come on back next week for tip #8
Tip # 6: If you have a beard or mustache, make sure it is nicely trimmed and groomed.
Like I mentioned in Tip #5, hair is hard to retouch but also extremely important to a portrait. If you are a man with a beard or mustache and you would like to keep it for your portrait, it is very important that you have it nicely trimmed and groomed. Make sure the parts of your face that you do not usually have hair on are freshly shaved and that your facial hair is brushed, and trimmed to a polished look. Remember that this is how you will be represented to your current and future clients. You want to look professional and well kept.
So go comb out your handlebars and come back next week for the next Tip for your Portrait!
Tip # 5: If you do not love your hair you will not love your portrait!
I have learned over the years that if you are not comfortable with the way that your hair looks, you will never love your completed portrait. So I stress this tip as it can be a lot more difficult to fix a bad hairdo in photoshop than it is to fix a blemish. For men I suggest getting your hair cut a week before your photoshoot. You want to come to shoot during that sweet spot between when your hair is freshly cut and has had a chance to grow back just a little.
For women, I suggest getting your hair done the day before or even the day of your portrait. If you do not get your hair done, take the time to put a little extra effort into doing it yourself. Make sure if you dye your hair, that your roots are not overgrown. We will make fine tuned adjustments and assist with fly aways and taming those locks when needed but make sure you come in with a hair do you will be happy to see on screen!
So go make an appointment at the barber or the salon and come back next week to get tip #6
Tip #4. Details Details Details!
This is an important tip! When you are preparing to come in to get your portrait taken, sometimes it is the smallest details that can elevate your image. If your hands will be in the picture, make sure that your nails are groomed and not chipped or dirty. Tweeze those stray hairs and tame back those nose hairs (it's okay we all have them!). Going that extra mile can really give your image a more high quality and polished look.
Tip # 3. Drink Plenty of water and make sure you eat!
This week's tip goes hand in hand with numbers 1 and 2. When my subjects come in dehydrated or hungry, it is usually pretty apparent in their portraits. Our skin looks better when we have had plenty of water and our energy is better when we have had something healthy to eat. Since you know by now that my goal for every client is an energized and engaging image, you are probably starting to see why this tip goes along with the rest. I don't want my clients, sleep deprived, sluggish, or running on empty.
So grab a power bar and some H20 and check out the next "Tip for your Portrait."
Tip # 2. Try to get in a workout before your shoot to get your blood pumping and your energy up.
If you have the time and are able, a good workout before a photoshoot can do wonders. Rest is definitely important and that is why it is number 1 on my list, but once you hop up from your great night sleep, get your energy up and get moving! Not only will you bring color to your skin with a workout, but it also makes you more energized and ready to be an engaging subject at your portrait shoot. I am not suggesting you go out and run a marathon before you come in, but more along the lines of a brisk walk or another physical activity you enjoy. Personally, I love a good bike ride.
So get up, get moving, and then come on back when I post my next "Tip for your Portrait"
Tip # 1. Get a good night sleep before your portrait shoot
There are a lot of great ways to pull off a beautiful portrait. Between makeup, lighting, and retouching, it is safe to say I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make you look great during your session. However, there is just no substitute for a good nights sleep. When you have given your body the rest it needs, you look younger, fresher and have more color to your skin. Even more importantly, proper rest brings an energy to a portrait that you just cannot achieve with a subject who has been up all night. I also try and direct clients to shoot in the mornings when possible, we are all a little fresher at the start of day verses the end of a busy day.
When you are taking a professional business headshot, you are doing so for a reason. You want an image that shows your clients that you are right for them. My goal is always to tell your story through the image, and you want your portrait to say "I am energized and engaged". So get a good night sleep and come back next week for the new "Tip for your Portrait!"
Of course we wouldn't make you wait to get each tip week by week if your shoot is next week! Here is our new flyer, which is available for download if you click the image.
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A Wonderful 2016!
A big thank you to all of my clients of this past year. I appreciate that you have chosen to work with us. It has been a year full of new experiences, new growth, new products, and new people on our staff. My clientele has grown, my team has grown, and I have grown, with new challenges and shooting opportunities.
GMP on the Road
We took it on the road and had some great location shoots this year. We photographed award winners at UC Davis and had a private tour of the beautiful auditorium. I shot at a River Cats game, at medical centers, and in luxury suites at Cache Creek Casino. We were invited back to the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce "Perspectives” event, and once again photographed the inspiring speakers alongside local sponsors. We succeeded at the challenge of photographing 150 employees in two days at 3 locations. Our team spent three days in a product shoot at "The Find" in Sacramento working with a video group, surrounded by dozens of beautiful flowers. We spent a day on the greens at Yocha Dehe Golf Club for a national magazine cover shoot, and a day in a 'bunny suit’ shooting in a brand new sterilized clean room. These are just some of the great places we have been this year. We've been lucky, to say the least, and look forward to working with these clients, and new ones, to create great portraits and product shots.
Strong Roots, New Branches and the Benefits of Green (Screen!)
Inside the Gerry McIntyre Photography business we have made many great changes this year as well. I have added two new members to my team, Kristin and Scotty. We have all worked hard and had a lot of fun in 2016, and I am excited to have them with me going into 2017. We built a new website this year and are very proud of how far it has come. We are diving deeper into social media, which still feels like a new field, and reminds me that even with all my experience, I always have more to learn. We have used a lot of 'green screen' this year and I am excited to continue sharing its benefits with my customers in the coming year. We also plan to incorporate video into our offerings, and create a simple, effective video product in 2017. I will be posting videos in the coming months; so look out for those and have a great 2017!
]]>I believe the power of a strong photograph is all in the details, and details are where I excel. In my years of experience as a professional corporate photographer, I have learned how to work with light in a way that shows off the best qualities of each individual.
The critical detail I try to achieve within a portrait session is to tell the story that my client is trying to convey. Is he a hardworking surgeon looking to show his patients that he is trustworthy and skilled? Or is she a powerful executive, looking to gain respect and loyalty from her employees? Possibly he is that employee, showing humble pride for his skills in the field.
The point is that everyone has a story and these stories create the actual message that the portrait delivers. Elevating a simple photograph and transforming it into something that can win clients, inspire employees, or quell competition - this is where my passion lies, and where I separate myself from my competition. I see these details and I know how to convey a message within a photograph.
I have many times had clients come in not knowing what they were looking for or not wanting their picture taken. By the end of the shoot, they are excited to have an image that is not just a portrait of what they look like, but of who they are and what inspires them. Believe it or not, they leave the GMP studio inspired themselves because they know they are capable of being the person in the photograph. They can believe in themselves more easily, and in turn their clients believe in them too. A portrait can elevate someone in mood, in business, and in life… this is what I love about the power of photography, and this is why I do what I do.
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class of 2013, or LS13. Our class chose the Boys and Girls Club as our class project, a non-profit that we would direct our energies into helping them with a project. That project was to rebrand the Downtown Boys and Girls Club as a teen center. I had decided that we needed photography of the teens that used the club doing the activities that we would help them.
This young man was actually very quiet and shy, not completely comfortable getting attention from me photographing him. He struck this pose very naturally and it became my favorite image of the project.
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Birding on a bike was my weekend exercise and escape, with camera gear in my paniers. Along the way I spied a large turtle sunbathing in a side slough along the American River Parkway. I got off my bike, prepared my 600mm lens, and stalked my way back, staying out of his view and away from the rim of the slough until I could remain behind a tall bunch of grass. Slowly I emerge around the screen of grass with my lens in position to start shooting. My experience with these turtles is that they are very shy and dive into the river as soon as they see you. With luck, I got off a few shots (with out of focus grass blades still blocking my view) and slowly I improve my position, expecting him to bolt. A bird flies in and he dives. The bird is cool, it's a Green Heron, and a species that I haven't seen one for a while. He spook my subject but now I am bird watching. (This is a Red-eared Slider.)
While the Heron spooked one of the turtles, there are three more nearby, and I see this play out like an episode of Wild Kingdom, with Marlin Perkins. Remember that? Mutual of Omaha and all. Well, the Heron wants to walk past the three turtles, and they aren't budging. He tries to look tall and scary, to no avail.
These must be ninja turtles because they are not shy and do not intimidate easily. They hold their position on the log and the Heron trying to frighten them does not work. (Two on the left are Red-eared Sliders, on the right is a Pacific Pond turtle.)
The Heron has a long neck folded up under all those feathers, look at him stretch and puff up his feathers to try and scare the ninja turtles.
Our Heron decides it'd be better if he just walked around, and not try to start anything.
The turtles don't blink, our heron will have to go to plan B.
Once the heron gets past the turtle she starts hunting for lunch, and she is quickly successful, catching two crawdads.
We are humbled and grateful to be a part of such a powerful annual event and to be able to meet these extraordinary women. There was over 800 people attending, and our job was to capture group portraits of the speakers with select attendees. It is our goal to take what could be a simple group portrait and turn it into something that pops and that someone would be excited to take home to remember the day with. We accomplished this using just the right lighting that we had planned out prior to arriving. We were expected to come in and efficiently and effectively set up, organize, and execute a very fast paced photoshoot that left us results that are high quality and ready to deliver within minutes of the speaker walking out of the room.
It means a lot to me that over the years, The Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce has continued to trust me with this important and powerful event. Anyone who has been apart of planning such a huge event, knows that there is no time for babysitting your employees. I pride myself on the fact that GMP can be trusted to come in as masters of our craft and can produce great results and manage a crowd without needing to ask questions. We arrive, we know what we need to do, and we get it done. Sometimes it is important to be able to take charge, something I was reminded of by the three powerful woman I was photographing on Friday. This is something that we can offer here at Gerry McIntyre Photography. We have experience and knowledge and our clients can be sure that the job will get done and it will get done right.
Here are some of the shots from the event on Friday...
The new team images below were taken outdoors at Capital City Park in Sacramento. They are shot with mostly natural lighting but we did bring in some studio lighting to take the images to the next level. We believe that the environmental portraits photographed at GMP stand out among the rest because of their engaging quality! Through the use of deliberate posing and the added studio lighting, we are able to make the image almost have a 3D effect. Add in a beautiful blurred background and some high end camera gear and you got yourself a winning headshot like the ones below (if we do say so ourselves). Having an extraordinary headshot allows you to greet the world the right way, in order to make your best first impression. If you come to Gerry McIntyre Photography, we can guarantee you will walk away with an image that you are proud to have representing your personal or professional brand.
To learn more about Gerry: http://www.gerrymcintyrephotography.com/Gerrys_Bio
To learn more about Kristin: http://www.gerrymcintyrephotography.com/kristin-s-bio
To learn more about Scotty: http://www.gerrymcintyrephotography.com/scotty-s-bio
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Working with a big crew is a lot of fun, but it is really important to be aware of how you and your work are affecting everyone in the room. When the video crew calls action; the whole set needs to be quiet in order to produce flawless audio for the client. This puts a stop to any photography that is going on. So how do we deal with this occasional downtime? We spend this time editing and preparing the images for final delivery right on site.
We are very proud to say that we had this job shot, edited and delivered before we were done packing up to leave. We were retouching, building out, and uploading the final images while we were still on location with the client. Being prepared to work efficiently for our clients upgrades the service we can offer, and we also like to think that these types of persona services and the quality of our work is why our clients continue to come back to Gerry McIntyre Photography.
Here are a few of the shots we got from the DesignMaster shoot last week…
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Often when we are discussing an upcoming portrait session we will ask the client if he/she would like a makeup artist to be on set. It is a larger expense certainly, we will bring in a very talented and skilled expert in makeup and hair and wardrobe.
Here I have a before and after example. We did the left portrait first and stopped the session to discuss makeup and styling. Our client consulted with our makeup artist and planned an outfit. Then the day of the shoot the makeup artist was present to do makeup and watch the images being shot into he computer where the could comment and address right on set. From the hair part to falling over one shoulder, adjusting until we got our strongest result.
If you would like to check out some of my other bird sightings here are a few www.gerrymcintyrephotography.com/for_the_birds
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Driving up to Arnold early on Memorial weekend I spotted the three osprey in their nest high above the power lines. The highway passes right under their nest, so they are used to visitors. I was quite surprised at the attention I attracted from the large osprey. He was very aware of me trying to casually approach. It might have been the 600mm lens he wanted to check out. There were other people in the area but they paid no attention to him and he paid no attention to them. He cawed out a few time then took to the air to check me out. I tried to look inconspicuous behind a telephone pole, to no avail, he flew right above me looking straight down. After giving me a close inspection, he flew back to the nest. I turned and left, afraid I had disturb the osprey family. He did put on an unexpected show for me. I got some nice shots.]]>
People often have asked me, "When you are not doing Corporate Photography, do you still do photography in your free time?" I say "Yes!" I totally still get excited about creating new images. I also do photography for my release time or sanity time. Few things beat a quite walk along the river early in the morning, hoping to photograph a new bird. Birds move so fast that I often I don't have any idea of what I got until I get back home and load the images into Capture One, my RAW image processor, and start looking over the images from the mornings walk. Here is a photograph of a handsome bird that I found in the Chinese Pistachio tree growing in the parking lot of my studio. I was having a hard time identifying it, and had to resort to an online program that let's you upload the bird you are trying to identify. I had never identified a "Yellow Rumped Warbler" and I couldn't have done it with The Cornell Lab application called Merlin.]]>
One of our newer specialties is making portraits of the young men who become Eagle Scouts. This is a special achievement that deserves a special treatment to properly acknowledge the achievement. Often we start with a pose on green screen that we plan to place infant of a flag or flags, or perhaps a special place familiar to that Scout. For many of the Troop One Scouts that place is Camp Cody. Camp cody lake is a favorite background with Pyramid Peak in the background. ]]>
One thing that GMP is very proud to offer to clients is the capability of shooting their Executive Portrait images on green screen; in studio or on location. These two images were both done using our green screen technology. Genovese Burford & Brothers is a long time client for GMP and we have always been very proud to deliver to them exactly what they were looking for.
Recently, we received a call from them that they were changing their branded background and would like their Executive Portraits to portray that. The red branded background (image above) was what we had originally delivered to Genovese Burford & Brothers to accommodate their brand at the time. Now they were looking to change their background and lucky for them we had originally shot their Executive Portraits with our green screen technology making the transition for them flawless and not having to reshoot all of their portraits was a huge benefit for them. So we delivered them their executive portraits on their new branded background (image below) in no time and with no added scheduling or stress for them.
Blue Diamond Growers, another great GMP client brought us the challenge of capturing their scientists creating new flavors for their products. This was a last minute decision and since we were going to be on site to shoot their executives they asked if we could accommodate their needs for their scientists and we were happy to oblige. With not being able to first scout the location we knew we were going to have a few challenges, but nothing we couldn't take care of. We were given a quick walk through of their facility and told of the locations we could use. Once we found the perfect location, the shoot was on its way. The gracious scientists of Blue Diamond were happy to show us all the products and tools they used to conduct their experiments and we wanted to make sure we were portraying the story they wanted to tell. After composing the image just like we wanted we asked the scientists to just be in their element and show us what they do, which is exactly how we wanted to capture them. After spending the day with the scientists Blue Diamond and GMP were very happy with the final product.
We had the great opportunity to collaborate with a small local Sacramento franchise; Culligan Water. During our scouting we decided on what was going to work the best for exactly what we needed. The day of the shoot started early; the Culligan drivers arrived with their sparkling clean trucks and we positioned them in such a way that we could portray Culligan’s logo several times with in the image. We also hosed down the asphalt before the trucks arrived to give the ground a more visually pleasing dimension. Along with the equipment we wanted to show Culligan’s great staff in a group portrait of 22 of their employees. With the equipment and staff composed just the way we wanted it the photograph really took shape and the final product was fantastic. The challenges where great for this shoot, but with the collaboration of everyone involved the final group portrait was exactly what Culligan was looking for and we were happy to deliver.