Making the best of a bad situation...

Last week, I heard there was going to be an eclipse that would be partially viewable by the East Coast of the United States shortly after sunrise.  The only downside to this, so far, was that I don't like mornings.  But, not wanting to miss a rare photo opportunity, I made it a point to make it out to the beach.  As seen in the photo below, I wasn't the only one.  :)

Sadly, though, there were clouds on the horizon, so I didn't see the actual eclipse.  It's ok though.  There will always be times when things doing don't go as planned.  You can either get frustrated and let it impact your work, or make the best of the situation and come away with some good images.  Here are some photos of the sunrise.

Tips for photographing horse jumping

When you're shooting a horse jumping competition, it's all about freezing the action in your photo.  I shot a horse competition for the first time not too long ago and here's what I learned.

1. It's all about timing.  The ideal time is when the front hoofs are tucked underneath the horse. 

  

If you are a little slow on the shutter release button, you'll end up with an image closer to this one.  

Notice how the legs are coming down and getting ready to land.  This image doesn't have the same visual impact as the one above it.

2. Horse move quickly.  In order to got shots like this, I recommend shooting at a shutter speed no slower than 1/500th of a second.  Because the shutter speed needs to be so high, I was shooting at 2.8 and had the ISO cranked up to 8000.

3. If at all possible, shoot horse going over obstacles that conceal their hind legs.  There are times where their back hoofs are still on the ground as their front legs start coming down for the landing. 

This image does not have the same impact as the one below because you can see the back hoofs still on the ground.

This horse's hind hoofs are probably still on the ground, too, but because you don't see them, the overall image is more striking to the viewer.

This is one of my favorite images from the set.  The timing was right, I like how the rider's position matches that of the horse, it all came together nicely.

If you'd like to see more shots from this event, check out my site, John Shippee Photography.  If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

The Pretty Reckless at Jack Rabbits

I have been wanting to shoot The Pretty Reckless for quite some time.  I almost had the chance a few years ago when they were in town.  I'd worked things out with a friend of mine that works the door so that I would be able to bring my camera into the venue.  Then the day of the show, he called to let me know that the band had strict instructions that no cameras were going to be allowed.  :(

When I found out they were coming back to Jacksonville, I quickly contacted the band to arrange for a photo pass to the show.  After some communications back and forth, it was all set and ready to go.  Now the hard part; waiting the few months to pass between getting approval and waiting for the actual show.

The show was yesterday, September 25.  My calendar had it as this coming Sunday.  OOPS!  Fortunately, I was looking at Facebook and saw a post from the band that alerted me to my error.  I quickly grabbed the camera and headed out the door.  There was a small line outside, but at least I didn't miss the show.

Louna, a band from Russia, went on first.  This was their first show in the US, which made being there a little more special.

After Louna's set, it was time for Heaven's Basement.  They are from England.  While I don't recall them specifically saying so, I think this was their first time playing in the States, too.  They kind of reminded me of a young ACDC.

Then it was time for the headlining act, The Pretty Reckless.  Their set was particularly difficult to shoot.  There was more use of fog machines.  The lighting was harsher.  People kept crowding and pushing in front of me, and then raising their phones in front of my view to take photos.

Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless

Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless

Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless

While it was a difficult show to shoot, I think they turned out pretty well.  More pictures from the show can be seen at my site John Shippee Photography.

The perspectives of flooding

A few months ago, I moved to an older part of the city.  One of the things people complain about here is the poor drainage and frequent flooding after it rains.  While I can see that flooding can pose problems, it can also create possibilities.  As with most things in the world, it depends on your perspective of the situation.

After a recent storm came through, I grabbed my camera and tripod and went for a walk.  I started out down by the river.  (which just made me think of that Chris Farley sketch about living in a van down by the water.  http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/83156259/ )  Any ways...

I got there just after the sun had set and had some gorgeous lighting and clouds.

St John's River at nightfall by John Shippee Photography

After taking a few photos, I looked to the left and saw that the road had flooded.  I walked past the flooded area and turned to see some great reflections in the road.

The taller building is an apartment complex and the smaller one that looks like a little castle is one of my favorite houses in the city.  Hopefully one day I'll get to see the interior of it.

My favorite shot from the night came from this spot.  To get the colors to show better, I opted for an HDR image instead of a standard photograph.

HDR image along the St. Johns River by John Shippee Photography

Yes, I could have stayed in and complained about the recent rain and mild flooding, but had I done so, I would have missed out on this gorgeous scene.  I'm so glad I chose to go out.

Some of my favorite Instagram photos.

Some of my favorite photos lately have been taken with my iPhone and edited with/for Instagram.  My username is @JohnShippee, in case you want to follow me.  A few of accounts that I follow are @Stace_a_Lace, who documents the legs/feet of people she sees on the streets of New York, and marscuriosity, which is the Mars Rover named Curiosity, that sends photos from Mars back to Earth and some of them get posted to Instagram.

Some of my favorite images from the over 400 that I have posted are below.

A highway in Jacksonville, Florida.

Storm clouds over the Jacksonville Beach Pier.

A view of three of the high rises in Jacksonville, Florida.

A collage of different views of Pittsburgh, PA.

A girl walking in the rain in Jacksonville, FL.

And here is a collection of other images, which can all be seen on my site, here:  http://smu.gs/13iypwY

http://smu.gs/13iypwY

Inexpensive tiltshift

I remember sitting in a cafe with some photo-buddies of mine and one pulled out a newspaper he had been reading with an article including some type of 10 best photos, or something to that effect.  The first photo was an aerial shot of a construction site where everything looked to be miniature.  I couldn't figure it out and was amazed.  I HAD to know how it was done.

After researching the photo for quite some time, I figured out it was done with a tilt shift lens.

(If you really want one, you can pick one up here for $1,900.  http://www.adorama.com/NK4528PCU.html?gclid=CNWEkPbXybgCFTRo7AodDQ8AeQ)

After learning what tilt shift photography was, I wanted to do it myself.  That is, until I figured out how much a lens was.  :/  I figured that I'd probably use this about as much as I use the fish-eye lens that I had to have.  Yes, it's nice for certain situations, but it is by no means a daily use lens.  The lack of use makes it hard to justify almost $2,000.

Then I learned about a (toy) lens called the Lens Baby.  (http://www.adorama.com/LBMUDGNKF.html?gclid=CNKS5-XYybgCFSUV7AodUC4AIw)

While it's definitely not an actual tilt shift lens, it is the same idea, and less than 1/10th the price.

Here are some photos I took with my lens baby today.

The rest of the images from this set can be seen at http://smu.gs/18AJ2Mj