So long 2008!

Although 2008 was one of the most difficult years of my life personally, it was an exciting year for Brian Black Photography!

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the following for making this year possible for Brian Black Photography:

Blue Ember Creations
Brienne Michelle
James & Cindy
JLC Productions
MyNerdGirl.com
The Young Americans
Harmony & Ryan
Jada & Jelani
Rebecca & Joel
Megan & Jarod
Mike & Dalisa
Brian & Valerie
Alyssa
Alex
Anna
Ken
Marnie
Neil Chapman
Laurie Hartman
Dennis & Sharon
David & Nancy
Kim, David, & Abby
Kevin

A special note of appreciation for my lovely wife Loriann, without whom I could not have made it through this year.

I know 2009 has a lot of potential (both known and unknown) and I’m excited to welcome it. Blessing to all of you in the new year!

-B

Pre-Move Visit to Colorado

In June of 2009, my wife and I are planning on moving to Colorado. I'm going to continue Brian Black Photography there and she is going to attend University of Colorado, Boulder for her Masters in Speech and Language Pathology.

In November we took a trip to Colorado to visit the campus. The first few days we were there, we were in south Denver staying with family and much to my disappointment, there were no more fall colored leaves on the trees. We had missed it by just a couple weeks. Shucks!

Fortunately when we drove up to Boulder to tour the campus we found that some of the trees there still had some leaves on them! Here are a couple images of them:



The Campus is really a beautiful place. The "Old Main" building was built in 1876 and housed the entire University for 8 years. It was renovated in 1982 and is now the CU Heritage Center. I liked the old spiral staircases on the east side of the building:


We learned about Ralphie, the school's mascot and how he runs around the football field before each home game. In fact, the 5 "Ralphie Runners" are varsity student-athletes. I caught a sweet moment of a student sitting with Ralphie:


We had a great time on our visit and look forward to our first out of state move together. While we love California, it will be nice to have clean air, four seasons, lower cost on pretty much everything, and the Rockies (mountains, not the team).

2009 will definitely be a year filled with new experiences. It's an exciting time!

Christmas wish list - A Photographer's Perspective

With Christmas coming next week, I though it would be good to give a few last minute gift ideas with a photographic theme. I've decided to divide these ideas into 3 categories: "Tight Budget" (under $50), "Moderate" (under $200), and "I've got money to blow!" (sky is the limit).

*If ordering online always be sure to check that the website you are using is reputable. In the photography realm, there can be some sketchy companies so just make sure you are careful.


Tight Budget:

-Micro fiber cloths - these are really inexpensive (around $3) and great stocking stuffers. Not just for pros and their pro lenses, you can use these on your point and shoot lenses as well! They also work great on that new flat panel TV you got on Black Friday!

-Flash accessories - Diffusers. These are great for making a more natural, less harsh look from your flash. You can find them for point and shoots and if you have an SLR, they have them for your pop up flash. Gary Fong makes a couple different ones and they are all less than $20.

-Photography books - Whether it is an instructional book, or a book featuring a photographers work, books are always a great gift! A couple on my list this year are Performance: Richard Avedon and Seen Behind the Scene - Mary Ellen Mark.


Moderate:

-Canvas Print - This is a great gift for anyone. The gallery wrap versions are especially nice as the picture wraps around the edges of the frame. There are many places to get these done (like Mpix & Shutterfly) and they range from $80 - $170 depending on size. Here is one I had done as a Christmas gift last year for my wife.


-Photo Printer - Let's face it, digital photography is now the norm, and while it has many advantages over the film days, we tend to keep our pictures either in the camera or on our computer. You will enjoy your images much more if you make an effort to print them out. If you are just interested in making 4x6 prints, check out the HP Photosmart A636. If you want a printer that can print up to 8.5 x 24, look at the HP Photosmart D7460.

-Trip to Catalina - Ok, if you're not in Southern California, this might not work in this price range, but this is always a great idea (If you live other places, you can always substitute with a local destination) Round trip tickets on Catalina Express run about $70 a person and the island has a lot to offer, both photographically and not. Other great outing options in Southern California are the Huntington Library and Descanso Gardens and many many more.


I've Got Money to Blow!

-The latest Digital SLR complete with a set of pro lenses - for me this would be a Nikon D3 ($4,100) and the 14-24mm f/2.8 ($1500), 24-70mm f/2.8 ($1500), 70-200mm f/2.8 ($1600), and the 200-400mm f/4 ($5000). Well, I did say this was the sky is the limit section, so what's 14k right? At least I didn't say the new D3x ($8,000 just for the body). B&H Photo is always a great place to buy a variety of photography and electronics gear!

-Photo Safari - How about a 15 day photo safari to Kenya? It's $8700 a person + flight to Nairobi. This would be a once in a lifetime experience I'm sure and I have always wanted to do this. My wife has had the opportunity to go to Africa 3 times (Madagascar, South Africa, and the DRC), so I am way behind!


Whatever you do this Christmas season, remember to capture the memories with photographs and enjoy the moments with family and friends.

BBP presents - Ken

Last May I had the opportunity to be in the show Music Man. Ken was also in the cast and I was thrilled to hear of his interest in getting some images taken. We had a great time taking these pictures around downtown Glendale. Please enjoy some of my favorites: