Mazie

Isn't it amazing how many expressions a baby has already at 5 weeks? Mazie thinks it's very natural.

So does Sophie . . .

Memories

I’ve talked earlier about Kathy’s talent for photography. But perhaps it’s appropriate that I relate a little more.

In a previous life, I headed a company that grew from #2 in the USA in our field to become #1 in the world. It wasn’t easy and it required a great deal of travel. How many people do you know who had to have extra pages added to their passports? Twice!

The best part of my previous life was meeting people from all over the world. In South America, Scandinavia, Europe and in Asia I met the most wonderful people. Kathy was able to arrange her schedule to go with me a couple of times each year. We had been high school sweethearts who went to school in N.E. Ohio, were engaged in England and honeymooned in Bermuda. And years later we traveled together in Europe and Asia. She took this shot in a one room schoolhouse in the village of Jiajueke in China.

Once, we were the guests of local bureaucrats in Beijing where we dined at the same table used to host Queen Elizabeth, George Bush, Henry Kissinger and Zhou Enlai at the Emperor’s summer palace in Beijing. Quite an experience and the scorpion we were served was . . . interesting. But in the villages, dinner often began more like this . . .

Walking on the Champs-Élysées in Paris one Sunday morning, Kathy caught this shot as the public works crews cleaned the streets.

My first really good camera was a Nikkormat that Kathy bought for me in Japan for our first Christmas together. She worked overtime for an airline to pay for it while I attended night school and worked days for a major corporation.

I tried out my Nikkormat during our first visit to Hawaii I took many rolls of film and Kathy took a few shots. Guess whose pictures were keepers.

Years later, our son “developed” (I couldn’t resist it) an interest in photography. Around that time I had an emergency appendectomy and Jason decided it would be a good time to build a darkroom at home. He drew up a plan including a bill of materials and made a presentation to me. All I would have to do is sit in a chair and be ready to provide advice when, and if needed. He was 13 years old.

The resultant darkroom saw many years of service after that. As Jason’s interest grew so did Kathy’s. He became the head photographer for the high school yearbook and Kathy drifted into a role as advisor to the High School publications staff after Jason graduated. My son and wife’s mutual interest rekindled my own interest in photography and lit a spark with our creative daughter, Sarah.

As time went on Jason honed his craft at Ohio University, Kathy developed into a professional photographer, Sarah brought her creative talents to the party and, finally, I realized that capturing memories was far more satisfying than making presentations to the board of directors.

I once thought that good photography was about mastering the technical stuff and it took a great many years for me to realize that it’s really about melding with the emotions of the subject. Now we’re a family capturing memories for families. Many people take pictures. But how many pictures really evoke emotion?

Have you ever had a photograph make you cry?

Kim

Kim stopped over today and posed for us. Isn't she lovely?

Great expectations

Kathy and I were married in the era of “traditional” wedding photography. Our photographer had a studio right across from the church where we were married. Large prints of his best work were on display in the storefront window of his studio. He had photographed Kathy’s sister’s wedding some years before and she was happy with his work. When we met him we complimented him on several very dramatic and emotional shots he had on display and he graciously thanked us for our praise. We signed up and never considered another photographer.

After the wedding we looked at the proofs and discovered that the shots that we had expected – and had discussed with him – were nowhere to be found.

“Sorry” he said. “I’ve gotten too old to do those shots anymore.” He provided us with about 50 proofs from which he asked us to select the images for our album.

“Why so few proofs?” we asked.

“I only provide proofs for the shots that meet my standards. I can’t have substandard images out there” was his response.

Today our wedding album with it’s 15 dull and uninteresting images is all that we have to remind us of that wonderful January 18^th when the temperature in Cleveland Ohio was magically above normal, the sun came out brightly and we celebrated joining our lives together for (many) years to come. Sadly, those photos are fading fast and will soon be lost completely.

Why were our expectations so unsatisfied? Whose fault was it?

Well, as much as I hate to admit my rare mistakes (Kathy would tell this differently) it was mostly our fault and only partly that of our photographer.

Here’s what went wrong and how to avoid our experience:

• Get it in writing. Be certain that you have a written agreement for your photography and that it clearly mirrors your expectations. This should include how much time, how many images, what mood or style you expect, what specific images (if any) you want and if final prints and/or album(s) are included in the fee.
• Interview several photographers. Prices will range from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars for a wedding shoot. As with many things, you can’t expect $20,000 results when you want to spend only $500. But be aware that it is (unfortunately) possible to get $500 results from a poorly defined $20,000 deal.
• Talk with references. Really! Don’t rely only on testimonials. Preferably recent references that had similar expectations. Do you want joyful exuberance, elegant, romantic, edgy or traditional? Don’t count on your photographer to deliver a style she/he has no experience with. Be aware that every photographer has a style at which they excel. Look for the one whose natural style is closest to your vision.
• Speak up! The most common reason that customers are disappointed in any situation is the failure of the customer and seller to communicate. This can even mean how you wish the photographer(s) to dress. Would you want your photographer to show up in jeans and a sweat shirt at your elegant and formal wedding and reception?
• Remember that you will spend more time with your photographer(s) on your wedding day than with any other service provider. Even a wedding coordinator will be off checking on things somewhere when your photographer is capturing yet another candid memory for you to enjoy with your grandchildren.

Class is over. I hope my thoughts help you to find a photographer to capture your precious moments in a way that give you and your children lasting joy. But I think it’s time for me to please me. Recalling memories . . .

Who owns "your" photos?

Clients are sometimes surprised to find that, after paying a photographer to capture their event, the images that result may not be “your” property. How can that be? Well, it’s all about copyright law.

This is where anyone who isn’t a lawyer will tune out, and anyone who is a lawyer will scrutinize what comes next looking for flaws in what I say. To the first group – stick around – it ain’t that bad and it’s VERY important. To the others – get a life. It’s my blog and I’ll say it my way.

First and most importantly, different photographers approach this issue in different ways. When contracting with a photographer you should be asked to sign an agreement for her/his services. READ IT! No two are likely to be exactly the same. But each should have a section that discusses copyright law as it will apply to the agreement you are signing. If you aren’t asked to sign an agreement, look for another photographer.

Some photographers are what has often been called “shoot and burn”. This means that the photographer will capture the images, burn them to a CD or DVD and give you that CD/DVD thus fulfilling their obligation. In such cases the images are often yours to do with as you wish. This style of photographer frequently does not claim or retain copyright privileges for the images captured. In such an event, they truly are “your” images. Off you go to the local photo kiosk to print your pictures and paste them in an album or scrapbook. Nothing wrong with that if that is what you want.

The kind of photography that Kathy and I do (as do most other accomplished professionals) is quite different. In addition to capturing the images, we spend a great deal of time enhancing them to raise them to the level of art. We don’t just point cameras, we continually work to perfect our skills. Such photographers normally retain the copyright for their work. They often provide you with a “limited release” of copyright that allows you to use the images in certain ways. The most important of these uses being for your own personal use and enjoyment. But you probably will not have the right to enter the images in contests, sell them to a magazine or make other use of them that infringes on the artistic ownership that remains the right of the photographer. You may or may not have the right to reproduce them. Many reputable photo reproduction companies will not accept professional images for reproduction without a copyright release from the photographer.

Your photographer will probably retain the right to use “your” images for display, marketing, competitions and other similar use that contributes to the success of the photographer’s business. It is the product of the photographer’s creative vision and artistic skill that is being retained.

Separate from the preceding discussion is the issue of whether or not you will receive all the images that were captured, some of them or only those which you purchase after the shoot. Once more – read the agreement before signing. Some professionals charge a “shooting fee” and the delivery of finished product is negotiated after the assignment. Others offer some specific products (such as an album with 20 pages and up to 100 photos. Some might provide you with all or most of the raw images in a low resolution and non-enhanced condition. It is essential that you understand exactly what you are paying for in the fee quoted to you by your photographer. Kathy and I have talked with hundreds of other professional photographers and virtually all strive to avoid any confusion on this issue. Real pros want satisfied customers. The best way to disappoint a customer is to surprise them by delivering less than the customer expected or something different than the customer expected.

Something different? Next time, what did you expect?

It's us!

Just posted a picture of Kathy and me. The picture was taken by a mother of one of our brides during the reception outdoors in the summer - temps in the 90's. A really GREAT couple and a very special wedding in many ways. Sometime in the near future I'll share some favorite wedding stories.

Does size really matter?

Few professional photographers would even think about showing up for an important event (let’s think wedding here) without quite a bit of equipment.

Sure, it’s possible to take wonderful pictures of a wedding with only a single camera and lens. But doing so dramatically increases the risk that some wonderful moments will be lost. Kathy and I generally bring at least four cameras and at least six to eight different lenses. Why so many? There are some who believe that a single variable lens that can move smoothly from wide angle to telephoto (usually called “zoom” lenses) can provide all the flexibility that’s needed. But here’s the deal. Single focal length lens are optimized to produce the best optical results at their designed focal length. So a 28 mm wide angle lens will always give a better result than a 28 mm – 200 mm “zoom” lens.

You’ve probably seen “fisheye” pictures where the scene is increasing distorted towards the edges but the field of view (what the lens can see from side-to-side and top-to-bottom) is enormous. Such extreme lenses can’t be had in zoom models. And a fixed length medium telephoto is ideal for portraiture in a studio setting but at a wedding ceremony it just isn’t possible to move in close then back away to obtain photos that capture the image in the optimum way. That’s when the zoom lens can be particularly useful.

Changing lenses also brings with it problems. Today’s digital cameras can collect dust on their sensors – which are momentarily exposed when changing lenses. The sensor replaces the film and actually converts light from the lens into digital information for the camera’s computer Dust on the sensor means spots on your images. In addition, the action of changing lenses can be far more distracting to wedding guests than simply changing cameras. Most photographers avoid changing lenses at critical times like the ceremony and prefer to change cameras, having mounted the most useful lenses on their cameras while in a safe and dust free environment ahead of time.

As wonderful as digital can be, images can be lost through failure of the memory card or a malfunction of the camera’s computer. Today’s professional digital cameras often cost $5,000 or more – and that’s without the lens. Lenses can cost thousands more for just a single lens. But as with anything, they can and do malfunction on occasion. Having multiple cameras available can provide assurance that, in the event of a malfunction, a quick switch to another camera can save the day. So when your photographer shows up with bags full of equipment, it isn’t really because photographers are gadget freaks but, rather, a well thought out plan to insure that she/he will have the equipment at hand that is essential to record a once in a lifetime experience.

One of the most traumatic problems that can arise is the failure of a memory card after irreplaceable images are already captured. It’s happened to us as it happens to every professional sooner or later. Often, the images can be rescued by a recovery service just as you would recover data from a hard drive crash on a personal computer. But it’s not a guaranteed thing so the need for two photographers at an important event is even more obvious. Don’t settle for just a “roadie” who carries equipment and sets up reflectors – you want two capable professionals who can back each other up for those critical moments in your magnificent day.

OK. Enough about equipment. You’ve chosen your photographer, planned every detail of your photo shoot and everything went even better than you’d hoped. It’s time to look at those marvelous photos and ponder the most misunderstood question in photography , , ,

Who owns “your” photos?

Image Enhancement

So . . . do you really need digital enhancement? First, let’s clarify what we’re talking about. The most common – and frequently requested – type of enhancement is probably “selective color”. You know, a black and white image with a stunning colorful bouquet of flowers, for example. This type of enhancement first began appearing in television commercials and is now routinely used by professional photographers to create images with an impact. And this effect is uniquely digital. Doing the same thing in a dark room from a film negative was almost impossible. Those old photos you saw with selective color were usually hand painted black and white prints.

But there are many other kinds of enhancement that are also utilized by accomplished professionals to add impact and emotion to their work. Some of them are carried over from the days of film and others, like selective color, are a benefit of the digital era. Here’s a few examples:

• Cropping and straightening – No photographer can always get the picture framed exactly as she/he would prefer. So modifying the image to correct this can easily rescue a flawed shot and preserve an important memory.
• Retouching – Who knew that a zit would chose that moment to appear. In the digital age you can be blemish free if you so choose
• Object removal – Ever seen one of Uncle Bob’s photos where the candle appears to be growing out of Aunt Lucille’s head? No need to live with that result in this day of digital manipulation
• Color correction – Even with the best equipment in the most skillful hands, sometimes the color is just not as vibrant or not the shade that you remember. With the tools professionals use today colors can be removed, intensified, shifted or even changed completely.
• Lighting effects – How about a starburst of light, a shaft of light falling on your hair or elimination of a harsh glare
• Vignetting – A subtle darkening around the edges to focus attention on a particular point of interest
• Texturing – Fine art might have a cracked appearance (craquelure), exaggerated roughness, soft veiling or other visual elements applied to all or part of a photograph

These are just a few of the obvious and more common methods of image enhancement. None require you to take a pill before enjoying your photographs nor do you need to worry about enhancements lasting more than four hours. Image enhancement can be a very GOOD thing.

But beware of the overuse of these techniques. Some less accomplished photographers will use these techniques to distract you from the fact that the basic image is poor or has been poorly captured. As with any good thing, too much is generally a bad idea. Although the photos I’ve included with these thoughts have been chosen to make the effects obvious, many times the subtle application of multiple effects is unnoticeable to any but the most discriminating viewer. Yet the resulting images have “punch” and emotion that truly elevates the image to fine art. Don’t hesitate to let your photographer know what you think about her/his use of these techniques. And be sure that it’s your photographer and not some third party retouching service that is doing the work. Adjustments should be easy and your photographer should be willing and able to tune the work to please your eye.

Next – “my lens is bigger than your lens” and other thoughts on equipment.

Choosing your photographer

The digital age has had a stunning impact on the world of photography. Those of you over the age of 40 can probably remember going to the photographer’s studio after your wedding ceremony. With banks of artificial lighting, an array of backdrops and sometimes other props, the photographer would carefully pose the wedding party in various combinations. This process would often take 2 hours or more. Some weeks after the event you would return to the studio to view your proofs, usually small prints of perhaps 50 – 200 photos from your wedding day. From these you would select 20-50 of your favorites. Another couple weeks of waiting and you would receive an album containing one photo on each page, inserted into a frame.

These days, a professional photographer will almost certainly work with digital equipment. Freed from the constraints of roll film, most photographers will take at least 1,000 and often more than 2,000 images during a wedding – fewer during a portrait assignment. These are often available to the client the same or the following day. At least some are often displayed on a private website for your viewing shortly after the event.

The option to select, print and assemble a traditional album is still available from most photographers. But few clients look for that today. Instead, the top professionals today will consult with the client well ahead of the day of your event. It’s essential at this point to share your vision with your photographer. The top pros today will blend their artistic and technical skills with your vision to be sure that they capture the event in a way that is consistent with your vision. Because of this close collaboration, your photographer should be able to begin the design of your album so that your first post-event meeting will be a chance to view draft pages of your album. At this time you will begin to appreciate the technical skills of your photographer as she/he enhances the images that best fulfill your own creative vision. Most pro’s will value and utilize your input at this stage to perfect the final record of your most important day.

If your event is typical, you’ll have many other digital photographs available from your day. It’s not unusual for your guests to have dozens and sometimes hundreds of digital camera clicking away during the day. These are also valuable images you’ll want to treasure. But the difference between Uncle Bob’s “snapshots” from the 14^th row and the images created and enhanced by a professional will leave you speechless.

Be sure as you interview photographers for your important event that you consider:

1. Is the photographer eager to hear your vision?
2. Will the photographer be with you for the time you wish – often 10 hours or more?
3. Does your photographer provide a second professional photographer to ensure that other perspectives are captured and to guard against the possibility of equipment malfunction?
4. Does your photographer have the skills to enhance your images and create fine art or will you only receive “raw” images? Some photographers contract this important work out, effectively severing the connection between your vision and the final product.
5. Is there a contingency plan in the event of illness or other unforeseen circumstances that might affect your photographer?
6. Are you really talking with the photographer who will be there with you on your day? Beware of those who dispatch photographers who may not have even met you before the event.

Next time – a little more about “image enhancement”. Do you really want your photos on digital Viagra^®.

Superbikes to weddings

So . . . what does motorcycle racing have to do with wedding and portrait photography?

I’ve been a life-long motorcycle rider and enthusiast. Even got trained at Las Vegas Speedway by Freddie Spencer, former world champion racer. For several years our son, Jason, went with me to watch the annual superbike races at Mid Ohio Race Course. But when he relocated to Yuma Arizona in 1998 I told Kathy that I wasn’t planning to attend.

“But you look forward to the races each year”, she said. “Why don’t I go along instead?”

I was convinced she would be bored silly and anyway, there was little or no chance of finding a hotel room in the area just days before the race (when we were having this conversation).

”Fine”, I told her. “If you can find a room we’ll go” – and I was convinced that would be impossible. Well, a few minutes later she announced that we had a room at the White Fence Inn just across the street from the track. Little did we know at that moment how that simple decision would impact our life.

Bill and Ellen Hiser, the innkeepers, had just added two modern rooms adjoining their century-old farmhouse inn. And, because no one knew about them, one had been available. And so began our friendship with the Hisers and our introduction into the inner circles of superbike racing. It turns out that all the other rooms at the inn were reserved each year by the people from Dunlop Racing Tires, Race Tire Services and the California Superbike School staff. We became friends with Jim Allen of Dunlop, Steve Brubaker at RTS and Keith and Judy Code, owners of CSS. As a result of our photographs of the races and through their support we gained full access to the event each year.

Standing six feet from a group of 200 HP motorcycles at the starting line or a few feet from the track when they come by at speeds approaching 200 mph is a visceral experience. And, although both Kathy and I had been photographing for many years, learning to anticipate the moment, reacting instantly to unforeseen action and learning about getting into the right position to capture the drama was invaluable experience.

The days of studio-posed portraits and wedding formals are long gone – and good riddance! Today it’s essential to anticipate and capture the precious moments.

Those old style structured shots can’t begin to compare with the emotions that a more candid and informal style of photography produces. This new style is often, erroneously, termed “photojournalism”. In actuality, a pure photojournalistic approach to a wedding would prevent the photographer from coaching the bride and groom, instead, “lurking” around to catch the action as it unfolds. In fact, most “photojournalist” photographers DO coach their subjects. And thank goodness. These days most brides still want a few of those formal shots (bride, groom and brides parents, etc.). But capturing those seldom requires the formal structure of days past and often produces a more relaxed and natural result while still meeting the “formal” needs of the wedding party. Such shots should never require more than 20 minutes out of the day, allowing the balance of the wedding day to unfold spontaneously. The payoff - photographic memories that evoke emotions just as strong as those of a great superbike race. Anticipating the dramatic moments and capturing them for you and your family to enjoy forever.

Next time – what should you expect of a photographer?

Welcome

Welcome to our blog.

Hitesman Photography has been around for a few years now but we're just now getting around to this method of communicating with our friends.

I began my interest in photography while serving in the US Army in Germany where I worked in the post studio/darkroom and earned some pocket money taking studio portraits of fellow servicemen for their families.

Kathy (my wife) began Hitesman Photography in 2005. But that was far from her first foray into the medium. She began with casual photography, as many of us do, many years ago and encouraged our son, Jason, who won early admission to the Scripp's School of journalism at Ohio University for his photographic accomplishments. Our daughter, Sarah, also inherited a talent for design and photography and has filled in as second-shooter when needed.

We all (Kathy, Jason, Sarah and I) developed our craft in the darkroom - film, red lights, noxious chemicals and the magic of seeing the image appear from a "blank" piece of material. In this age of digital media we're proud to trace our heritage to the real roots of photography.

For many years Kathy was content to use her talents for the benefit of our community - training budding photographers at the local high school where she continues to serve as the photography adviser to the high school publications staff. And donating her talents to the school, city and it's residents. The two of us photographed weddings for friends and family. And the buzz built.

Finally, in 2005, Kathy launched Hitesman-Barth Photography with the help of her close friend Hope Barth. Hope is also a talented photographer and, together, they began accepting assignments. But by the end of 2006, Hope recognized that the growing demands of the business were taking too much time away from her close/extended family. And she (wisely) decided to devote her full attention to her family.

In a remarkable expression of serendipity, in late 2006 I was offered the opportunity to retire from a career in international business (as President of a gobal group of companies with operations in 13 countries) and I took over Hope's position as Kathy's partner. Never really recognizing the reality of going from industrial guru to second-shooter with my wife as my boss. And thus was Hitesman Photography born.

In 2007 Kathy and I began our collaboration. As we began to work together, we discovered a new depth in our relationship. A relationship that began more than 40 years ago when we were high school sweethearts ( Kleenex anyone?).

Next post - I want to talk about photographing motorcycles at 200 mph from three feet away and how that relates to wedding and portrait photography. Stay tuned!