Chris and Katie Portriats
Family Portraits
November 7, 2019
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Josh and Ashton Portraits
Family Portraits
November 5, 2019
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Anika and Garet Portraits
Family Portraits
October 25, 2019
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Jeff and Amy Portraits
Family Portraits
October23, 2019
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Rich's Custom Challenger
Challenger Portraits
OCTOBER 06, 2019
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Nate and Ashley
Family Portraits
Septemer 23, 2019
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Madi Senior Portraits!
Senior Portraits
Septemer 10, 2019
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Cathcart Wealth Management Group
Website Portraits
St. Louis
July 8, 2019
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Caitlyn Senior Portraits!
Senior Portraits
May 20, 2019
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Jake and Melissa
Family Portraits
April 29, 2019
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Courtney and Jeff
Family Portraits
DECEMBER 9, 2018
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David and Melissa
Family Portraits
DECEMBER 1, 2018
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Allison and Kevin
Family Portraits
November 18, 2018
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Cameron and LIsa
Family Portraits
November 18, 2018
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Amberly and David
Family Portraits
OCTOBER 30, 2018
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Anika, Garet, and Liam
Family Portraits
October 25, 2018
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THE LENS EVERY CREATOR SHOULD HAVE
You can have the cheapest Canon DSLR camera you can buy and if you a great lens, you can still get AMAZING photos.
Recently I was helping someone purchase a new camera for a beginner and I suggested the new Canon EOX Rebel SL2. This camera is packed with great features like the same 24mp sensor my camera has, legendary Dual Pixel Auto Focus, and a small footprint...
You can have the cheapest Canon DSLR camera you can buy and if you a great lens, you can still get AMAZING photos.
Recently I was helping someone purchase a new camera for a beginner and I suggested the new Canon EOX Rebel SL2. This camera is packed with great features like the same 24mp sensor my camera has, legendary Dual Pixel Auto Focus, and a small footprint... for about $500.
Even with an entry level camera you can take amazing photos. The big difference is what lens you are working with. If you buy a camera with the typical 18-55mm, you can expect to get good quality photos, but you have to work hard to achieve outstanding creative photos.
Instead of buying a kit with a lens, I suggested buying just the camera body and buying 1 lens.
Introducing... the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM.
What? A prime (a lens that doesn't zoom) lens?? One focal length? how limiting... Although I do agree with the fact that a prime lens limits you, there are several reasons I would suggest this 50mm lens (also known as the nifty fifty) over buying a kit.
NOTE: the ONLY reason I would buy a kit with an 18-55mm is if it was the same price or cheaper than just a body.
Here's a few reasons why I would suggest this over ANY kit lens
Price
You can pick this lens up for around $125 new or less than $100 refurbished (I always suggest refurbished). That's such a deal for any lens, let alone a quality lens like this one!
Another advantage of this lens' price is you won't be afraid to use it. This lens is mostly plastic, but that keeps the weight down. One of my lenses is over 3 lbs, and if you are carrying that around all day, you will feel the weight of your camera setup. With this 50mm, its light, small and easily replaceable if something were to happen to it.
Focal length
Although this is a prime, I don't think that's a bad thing. When I first started using my kit lens when I was zooming in and zooming out, having no idea what I was really doing. I was playing with my shutter speed and my aperture... When you start with a prime, it takes one of the equations out of the puzzle. You can only shoot at 50mm. This helps the beginner get used to their digital camera with one less setting to get confused.
If you've had your camera for awhile, maybe with either the 18-55 or 18-135 kit lens and your ready to step up your photography, this lens should be your first prime lens. 50mm is a great size, especially on a full frame. On a crop sensor it's a little tight, but what I love about 50 is it makes you think through your composition. How can you get everything you want in your frame without zooming in or zooming out? Zoom with your feet! Because you only have one focal length, you will start thinking through your shot more because you can't easily jump from 18-55... or 135 so easily.
50mm is a great focal length as far as depth perception as well. If you aren't aware, focal lengths effect your photos two different ways. Obviously they zoom in, the bigger the focal length, the more it zooms in. The second thing it does is change the depth perception. If you have a small focal length (18mm), a 15 foot pier will look much, much longer than 15 feet. 50mm is a great balance and has close to the same view as our eyes (typically in between 35-50mm).
Aperture
Seriously? f1.8 for a hundred bucks?? Incredible! Aperture has two different effects on photographs. First, as you lower aperture it lets more light into the camera. This is a big help for low light situations. This helps keep your ISO down, helping you have the best quality photo you can have. The second thing aperture does is adjusts your depth of field. At a high aperture or F stop (like f18), your focus plane is essentially the entire photograph. As you lower the aperture, your focus plane narrows, helping create depth of field (blurry background). F1.8 is extremely low! It's so low you have to be careful your subject is entirely in focus. If your subject leans forward slightly, they will be out of focus. BUT, thats how you create incredible blurry backgrounds. This can take your photos from amateur looking to breath taking!
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Your gear doesn't make you a creative, but choosing the right gear for the right situation will make it much easier to help create the best content you can. I highly suggest every photographer have this lightweight, inexpensive lens in their kit!
Here's two More entry level lenS!
Wintery Mix
This past weekend we had a fresh snowfall so I bundled up and headed out into the woods. The winter is especially hard for me to express my creativity with video because I...
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This past weekend we had a fresh snowfall so I bundled up and headed out into the woods. The winter is especially hard for me to express my creativity with video because I hate the grey skies and brown grass. Fresh snow always makes me want to get out and enjoy the fresh blanket. I decided to practice my Ronin (camera stabilizer) skills with my Canon 80D DSLR.
The day before I snuck out in the afternoon right when the snow was starting to fall and snapped some pictures. These pictures were taken with my Canon 80D and 70-200mm F2.8L IS II USM lens.
A few snowy photos from our first snow fall.
2018 Reading List
With the New Year approaching, everyone is discussing their plans for self improvement. One of the ways I am constantly developing myself is by reading. If you consider yourself a creative, YOU HAVE TO BE READING. This is a very simple way to stay fresh and relevant. I've listed 5 books I have on my reading list for 2018. Feel free to join me reading these books throughout the next year!...
With the New Year approaching, everyone is discussing their plans for self improvement. One of the ways I am constantly developing myself is by reading. If you consider yourself a creative, YOU HAVE TO BE READING. This is a very simple way to stay fresh and relevant. I've listed 5 books I have on my reading list for 2018. Feel free to join me reading these books throughout the next year!
BONUS: I added a 6th book with several creative excercises to help you strengthen your creativity. I've never used this book, but I've often found myself wondering if there was a resource like this out there... well, there is!
1. THE WAR OF ART by Art Pressfield.
A succinct, engaging, and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, The War of Art is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul. What keeps so many of us from doing what we long to do? Why is there a naysayer within? How can we avoid the roadblocks of any creative endeavor—be it starting up a dream business venture, writing a novel, or painting a masterpiece? Bestselling novelist Steven Pressfield identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.
The War of Art emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows how to reach the highest level of creative discipline. Think of it as tough love . . . for yourself. Whether an artist, writer or business person, this simple, personal, and no-nonsense book will inspire you to seize the potential of your life.
2. Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Art HUGH MACLEOD.
When Hugh MacLeod was a struggling young copywriter living in a YMCA, he started to doodle on the backs of business cards while sitting at a bar. Those cartoons eventually led to a popular blog-gapingvoid.com-and a reputation for pithy insight and humor, in both words and pictures. MacLeod has opinions on everything from marketing to the meaning of life, but one of his main subjects is creativity. How do new ideas emerge in a cynical, risk-averse world? Where does inspiration come from? What does it take to make a living as a creative person? Ignore Everybody expands on MacLeod's sharpest insights, wittiest cartoons, and most useful advice. For example: -Selling out is harder than it looks. Diluting your product to make it more commercial will just make people like it less. -If your plan depends on you suddenly being "discovered" by some big shot, your plan will probably fail. Nobody suddenly discovers anything.
Things are made slowly and in pain. -Don't try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether. There's no point trying to do the same thing as 250,000 other young hopefuls, waiting for a miracle. All existing business models are wrong. Find a new one. -The idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to be yours. The sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will. After learning MacLeod's forty keys to creativity, you will be ready to unlock your own brilliance and unleash it on the world.
3.Called to Create: A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate, and Risk by Jordan Raynor.
We were created by an infinitely creative God to reflect his love and character to the world. One way we do that is by continuing his creative work. In this energizing book, serial entrepreneur and bestselling author Jordan Raynor helps artists, entrepreneurs, writers, and other creatives reimagine our work as service to God and others, addressing such penetrating questions as
- Is my work as a creative really as God-honoring as that of a pastor or missionary?
- What does it look like to create not to make a name for myself but to glorify God and serve others?
- How can I use my work to fulfill Jesus's command to create disciples?
- Will what I make today matter in eternity?
To answer these questions, Raynor shares compelling stories from an eclectic group of 40+ Christian entrepreneurs, including the founders of TOMS Shoes, Charity: Water, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out Burger, Guinness, HTC, and Sevenly, as well as nontraditional entrepreneurs such as C. S. Lewis, Johann Sebastian Bach, and J. R. R. Tolkien. Raynor's "show" rather than "tell," story-driven style makes you feel as if you are sitting at the feet of some of the godliest and most successful entrepreneurs of all time.
Perfectly poised to reach today's growing creative class, this unique work restores God's position as the first entrepreneur, helping readers see the eternal value in the work they do today.
4. Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory by Tod Bolsinger.
Explorers Lewis and Clark had to adapt. While they had prepared to find a waterway to the Pacific Ocean, instead they found themselves in the Rocky Mountains. You too may feel that you are leading in a cultural context you were not expecting. You may even feel that your training holds you back more often than it carries you along.
Drawing from his extensive experience as a pastor and consultant, Tod Bolsinger brings decades of expertise in guiding churches and organizations through uncharted territory. He offers a combination of illuminating insights and practical tools to help you reimagine what effective leadership looks like in our rapidly changing world.
If youre going to scale the mountains of ministry, you need to leave behind canoes and find new navigational tools. Reading this book will set you on the right course to lead with confidence and courage.
5.Creating Space: The Case for Everyday Creativity by ED CYzewski.
Creativity is a gift everyone has been given to share, but doubt, discouragement, and distractions hinder the ability of many to pursue their creative passions. Creating Space advocates for the creative gifts in every person, arguing that...
- Creativity is not a mistake.
- Creativity can be developed.
- Creativity is a vitally important gift for others.
This brief manifesto on creativity is for everyone. Whether you doodle, sing in the shower, knit scarves, or scribble poems, Creating Space will encourage you to make space in your life in order to fulfill your creative calling, using your gifts to their fullest extent.
BONUS
Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills by David Sherwin.
Have you ever struggled to complete a design project on time? Or felt that having a tight deadline stifled your capacity for maximum creativity? If so, then this book is for you.
Within these pages, you'll find 80 creative challenges that will help you achieve a breadth of stronger design solutions, in various media, within any set time period. Exercises range from creating a typeface in an hour to designing a paper robot in an afternoon to designing web pages and other interactive experiences. Each exercise includes compelling visual solutions from other designers and background stories to help you increase your capacity to innovate.
Creative Workshop also includes useful brainstorming techniques and wisdom from some of today's top designers. By road-testing these techniques as you attempt each challenge, you'll find new and more effective ways to solve tough design problems and bring your solutions to vibrant life.
What books are you reading in 2018? Comment below!
How to: Get Better...
The past few months have been a whirlwind for my creative skill. There's no doubt I've taken HUGE steps in creative growth recently. I have noticed there's been a huge difference in the quality of photos and videos I've been creating lately. How exciting! But how have I gotten so much better?...
The past few months have been a whirlwind for my creative skill. There's no doubt I've taken HUGE steps in creative growth recently. I have noticed there's been a huge difference in the quality of photos and videos I've been creating. How exciting! But how have I gotten so much better? One could say I'm just a talented person, one could say I've just gotten a lucky shot... The truth is, there are specific reasons why I have grown creatively lately. Although you can grow by accident, I've found if you apply these 3 things in your life, you will see exponential growth, faster than you have ever seen before. Let me share them with you!
Get More Experience
by doing more...
This is kind of a no brainer... If you want to take better photographs, you have to take more photographs. If you want to get better at guitar... you have to play more guitar. If you want to write better, you have to write more words. There are times in my life when I just feel bored with creativity. In those moments it's most important for me to get out my camera and take pictures. There are times when I feel like I am stuck playing the same few chords. In those moments I need to play more guitar. When we get bored with what we are doing, but still force ourselves to keep going, we find new ways to "do." You'll learn new chords, you'll find new angles, you'll work with new words. If, once you get bored, you stop creating two things happen. One: your axe gets dull and you have to work harder (or resharpen it). and Two: you have robbed yourself of an opportunity to learn something new, therefore, putting yourself further back than what you were before you set your axe down. Bottom line: force yourself to keep going when it gets boring. I guarantee you, you will be happy with the results.
Surround Yourself
with people who are more talented than you
Surround yourself with people who are more talented than yourself
In the beginning of 2017, I was in a situation where I set creative bar. It was up to me to come up with new ideas and push the envelope when it came to creativity. I felt I was making strides in my own personal creativity and was happy with the results I was seeing. Here we are at the end of 2017 and I am in a completely different situation surrounded with people who are way more talented than myself. I work in a church on a team with several members who are stuffed with talent. I personally have never been in this situation. I have always been part of small organizations and I was the driving force of my own creativity. Now, I work with a large specialized team, and also have experience outside of the church working next to filmmakers who have an unbelievable amount of talent. This has pushed me in two different ways:
1. I am learning like crazy from them. Obviously, just working next to others you gain insight by the way they accomplish things. Simple things like how they organize their workflow all the way to particular ways to do certain specific tasks. Every day I am learning new skills from them, making me raise my bar.
2. Because I am surrounded with people more talented than myself, I have noticed I am subconsciously forcing myself to produce better content. It's a weird experience for me to think of myself not as talented as those around me. Although I have been in rooms filled with people smarter than me before, I have never felt the urge to push myself to my own personal limits. I think I have said I was but it just wasn't the truth. I think the difference now is I have some how surrounded myself with people who are very likeminded and I want to be able to make sure I am pulling my own weight. In doing this, I have noticed my content has taken a jump in quality without formally learning new information. This doesn't only apply to my content at work, but all of my creative content has taken a bump in quality.
It's pretty crazy the power others can have in our lives. I have never felt belittled around these talented people I get to spend time with, if anything I feel they give me more credit than I deserve, but I still push myself to strive farther than I ever have. Although it is completely up to yourself to see personal growth, if you can find a few people who are near the same skill level or slightly higher in your field to spend time with and "talk shop," I promise you will see higher quality in your content.
Find something
you can't do, and do it!
This is a big one. And a simple one. Simply look at someone else's work and say "how did they do that?" Figure it out, and do it! There's plenty of times when I am watching a Youtube Vlogger or tutorial and wonder just how they "did that" and I will then research how to do a certain effect, or get a certain shot, or find a certain angle. By doing this I now have that skill in my toolbox I can store away for the perfect moment. When the time is right, I will remember copying the idea and then add elements of the idea to my creative content. It's a simple process but before you can add that skill into your toolbox, you need to spend time replicating someone else's process so you can make it your own. Try it out. Find a piece of music you couldn't already play and replicate it. Watch for a commercial where you wonder how did they make that motion graphic, and research it until you can do it. Actually do it. Get in After Effects and spend the hour on that 2 second motion graphic. You can do it. Figure it out! Don't let your limitations limit your creativity. Just get it done.
A Few Extra Tips
Here's a few extra things I've learned over the past few months.
TV IS A TIMESUCK - I've realized that you can sit in front o f a tv and lose 5 hours of your life without even trying. As much as you think it's a way for you to unwind, you are really just wasting your life. Find a new way to unwind: read a book, listen to a new album, spend time with your family, spend time with yourself, read your Bible, organize something, build something, get some rest, go to sleep. Seriously, this is coming from someone who makes videos for a living. Don't get sucked into sitting in front of a screen for several hours at a time, wasting your life. Your time is worth more than that to you.
TAKE NOTES ON WHAT THE WORLD IS SHOWING YOU - I am always trying to find new ways to look at life. If you see a photograph you like, note it. If you see a graphic that catches your eye, note it. If you hear a piece of music you like, note it. Make sure you are paying attention to the creation around you. You'll be surprised just how inspired you can be from what is happening around you!
GEAR WILL NOT MAKE YOU BETTER - As much as I LOVE new gear, it will not improve my game. In fact, I think it may be a hinderance to growth. Hear me out: when I get new gear I get distracted by the shiny new buttons and forget about the skill. Most of the time when I get a new lens, I actually see a drop in quality in my photos for awhile because I'm more focused on the new toy than I am with the skill of taking photos. Also, whenever you add a new piece of gear to your tool belt, it takes a period of time for you to get acquainted with how the piece of equipment can be used in your process. Now, that being said... new gear is essential for growth. The better your gear, the easier it is for you to create quality content. BUT don't let the gear blind you of the creative process of your craft. Example. I recently started working at a new job with lots of new toys I had never played with before. It's taken me months to get acquainted with the equipment. I finally am just starting to get to the point where I am able to subconsciously make the adjustments I need to make in the real world situations. As time goes on, I am more comfortable with the equipment and can use the gear to help me tell the story better. Bottom line, don't go buy something new and expect to see a huge improvement. Instead, use what you have and make people wonder how you got such quality content out of such subpar equipment.
MAKE SURE YOU ARE CONSTANTLY POURING INTO YOURSELF - This is a common theme for me. If I stop learning, I stop growing. Make sure you have a constant intake of fresh information. There's several ways how I accomplish this. Youtube is one of them (not pointless youtube of bears juggling bunnies, But those are fun too...) Find people on Youtube who can help you improve. Make sure you are reading. Make sure you are getting plenty of rest. I have several ideas come to me because I am well rested.
At the end of the day, the only person who can help you get better is yourself so get at it!
If you haven't read the book "Oh, the places you'll go!" by Dr. Suess lately, you should. Seriously.
“And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
You’re off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!”