George Skepton's Photography Blog

Jon & Hannah - June 2011

2011-08-09T16:25:00.001-04:00

from the wedding of Jon & Hannah. Beautiful bride, handsome groom, great friends and family, fantastic venue at Kent Island Manor and loads of fun people.

Victorian Mourning

2011-03-11T12:32:00.006-05:00

From a Victorian Mourning photo and video shoot last Saturday with Kelley. A while back Kelly and I decided to do a photo shoot at the cemetery. I'm stating to play with digital video a bit and took a seminar with Maryland PPA on Video Fusion and decided to do a video. When Kelley drove up and I looked in the car, she was stunning. This is the product of our collaboration and efforts. I'm still working on rights to the music - which might have to be changed.

coming soon

Alena - Mid Winter Album

2011-01-27T22:26:00.004-05:00

Photo session last week with Alena at Studio 128 West in Baltimore. Here's a short video of some of he images. It's a bit on the dark side.

Photos can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=262559&id=638092913&l=d81805e178

FaerieCon 2010 - Day 2

2010-11-21T17:23:00.005-05:00

A convention day of rich beauty and frivolity while fairies shop and vendors clink their golden coins. And the art of Steampunk - Victorian steam age and modern fantasy technology blending in with the fantasy of faerie worlds.

What a fantastic event - good faeries, bad faeries, wizards, goblins, trolls, forest and woods people, Victorian and Elizabethans, steampunks and goths, just plain beautiful people, fashion, trinkets, music, and live bands made for a wondrous day. Here are a few photos from the day 2 convention and some from the evening's Bad Faeries Ball.

The Bad Faeries Ball was the Saturday evening event at Faeriecon when all the bad faeries came out to play and frolic and dance. Music of the evening was by Cecile Corbel from Brittany and her musicians and the band Faun from Germany. Some of the faeries hung outside and cast spells on each other. Others watched and listened to the bands while others danced to the spirit of the music.

I hope some of these images help convince you that the worlds of mythical creatures sometimes come to life in a big and beautiful way to share their world with us. Believe.

Entire Facebook albums of FaerieCon Day 2 and The Bad Faeries Ball

Baltimore Diamond Dash - Smyth Jewelers & SCVNGR

2010-09-21T21:43:00.002-04:00

I was the official photographer and event partner for the SCVNGR Smyth Jewelers Baltimore Diamond Dash scavenger hunt for the $20,000 diamond ring in the Inner Harbor on Sept 18. Weather was beautiful - sunny and pleasant. It was a workout for everybody. Sore feet - sore legs - but it was fun.

I just realized how much work it was for me and all the contestants to run from Power Plant Live, to all over the inner harbor and then across President St and part of Little Italy. The Annapolis Dash was in a nice and confined more relaxed area. This was crazy.

Here is a short Animoto Video put together by SCVNGR with my photos and here are some images on my Facebook Album for the event - more to come.

Sunflower Fields

2010-09-09T22:04:00.004-04:00

Kristie & I went to dinner at my son's Monday evening and stopped off and photographed the sunflower fields on Jarretsville Pike across the street from the Royal Farm store. Oceans of beautiful brilliant yellow sun flowers - hundreds of acres as far as the eye can see. Here's a few images with a bit of artistic freedom for a new look at the sunflower.


Evening Light

The Blaster

Sunbathing

Sunflowers at Rivers Edge (not really)

Sunflower Smiles

From a Hot Summer Afternoon on the River

2010-07-02T23:50:00.002-04:00

Met up with a few other photographers at Patapsco State Park through Model Mayhem for a Meet & Greet Shoot Last Sunday. It was really really hot - about 100 degrees, so a few of us decided to go down to the river and cool off. Here's a few images. Full slide show is here

http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/portraits/Patapsco2010/

Danielle - Just Being Hot

Lori - A Bit Retro

Trai - Enjoying the Cool Water and Watching us Work

Danielle Cooling Down

Victoria & Nikki

2010-06-16T10:07:00.005-04:00

From a portrait study photo session Tuesday morning with Nikki and her daughter Victoria at one of my many outdoor studios (my backyard). Victoria kept running all over the place; but we had fun.

Updated Website & Portrait Session

2010-05-30T11:40:00.003-04:00

In the process of dating my website, making it simpler, cleaner and brighter. Still have to add a few sections and modify the menu system. In the meantime I added a bridal portrait session to the portrait page for my friend Reanna. The session was shot mostly in the studio with available light Here's a few images from the session and here's the link to a slide show of the session images

Wedding at the Maryland Faerie Festival

2010-05-18T20:57:00.002-04:00

Some fantastic wedding photos from the Maryland Faerie Festival in Upper Marlboro last Saturday. The Green Men were parading through the festival announcing all were welcome to the wedding. I tagged along and took a lot of great candid pictures. Here's a few and there's more on one of my Facebook albums.

Instant Gratification - Gallery 788

2010-03-21T20:46:00.001-04:00

Instant Gratification was a fantastic Baltimore Art Event - great fun - art - performers - great people. Hosted by Gallery 788 manager Erod Rodriquez. Gallery 788 is located at 788 Washington Blvd in Baltimore city. Organized and moderated by Philip Edward Laubner and Lauren Barnhart.

What is it? It's experiencing yourself being transformed into art; it's unexpected ideas and visions; It tastes like you see it sounds and doesn't it feel so good?! It's Alexa Grey, Robin Gunkel, Nancy Murray, Chandra Guglik, Jode Mode, Kim Jensen, Michael Monroe and friends sharing their words and ideas. It's the electronic soundscapes of DJ Introvert, the acoustics of Michael Monroe, the ambient jams of Tom Swiss a.k.a Tom Swift and the Electric Monk, the riveting L.I.E. (Lyrics Incarnate Evolving), or the harmonious voices of Silent Whys; It's the expressive body art of Patricia Tamariz and Toby Verhines; it's an interactive photo booth with an expanding canvas of images. It's Matt Muirhead and Crystal Dunn fixing your social ailments in exchange for....muhahahahah. All of this happens at the same event in a gallery displaying the work of amazing local artists. Here's a slideshow with music. http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/gallery788mar2010/

ReAnna and Amanda

2010-03-10T23:13:00.001-05:00

Sunday afternoon, I assisted Lauren Garczynski with her concept shoot in the studio. After Lauren's models dressed back into their street clothes, Lauren and I, Amanda and ReAnna played with the ambient light in the studio. These are proofs - none of them have been photo-shopped - some Lightroom adjustments and cropping.

Spaghetti Disco

2010-03-01T11:00:00.006-05:00

Spaghetti Disco - What a strange name - but it was fantastic fun.

Kristie and I attended a wacky Charles Village neighborhood tradition, the Spaghetti Disco! - a fund raiser for the Village Learning Place. It's a great annual party that brings together food, kids’ crafts and games, and great neighbors on a dance floor in St John's Church on St Paul Street in Baltimore city. This was the first year Kristie and I attended and I'm sure we'll be back next year.

Here's a few images - full slide show with music at http://GeorgeSkepton.com/spagdisco2010

Corporate sponsors include SECU, M&T Bank, Barnes & Noble Johns Hopkins and PNC. Other community supporters: Donna's Coffee Bar & Restaurant, Eddie's Markets, Gertrude's Restaurant, The Wine Source, Woosley Farm, 32nd St Farmer's Market, Atwater's, Boheme Cafe, Broom's Bloom Dairy, The Brewer's Art, Carma Cafe, Fleur de Lis, Loane Brothers, Martin Farms, Union Memorial Hospital, Uptown Sounds

Kelly Pierce Memorial Award for Best Portrait of Child - 2010

2010-02-21T17:56:00.004-05:00

I was honored to receive the prestigious Maryland PPA Annual Convention "Kelly Pierce Memorial Award for Best Portrait of a Child - 2010" at the Maryland Professional Photographers Association awards banquet at Ruth Chris in Baltimore last Wednesday night. My winning photo was "Eyes of Innocence" and I would like to thank those who gave me motivational and artistic advice and the young lady who so graciously posed for this photo.

Kelly Pierce Memorial Award

Eyes of Innocence

Maryland PPA Blue Ribbin Winner

2010-02-06T13:34:00.002-05:00

I submitted 4 prints into the annual Maryland Professional Photographers Association competition this year and won 4 awards - one Merit Award (blue ribbon) and 3 other awards. I'm motivated again. All prints are printed 16x20 on Kodak metallic paper and mounted on 3/16" black gator board.

After the competition judging, a few of the prints were critiqued and I now know how to make my images better yet for better presentation and higher scoring. Kristie and I will be attending the awards banquet at Ruth Chris's in Baltimore later this month.

Eyes of Innocence - Blue Ribbon Merit Award, Portrait Category

Serving Smiles - Red Corner Award of Quality, Commercial Category

Hot Wheel - Red Corner Award of Quality, Illustrative Category

Morning Elegance - White Corner Award of Achievement, Illustrative Category

Rock & Recovery Benefit for Haiti

2010-01-24T22:24:00.003-05:00

I helped photograph a "Rock & Recovery Benefit for Haiti" event at Bourbon Street, Baltimore sponsored by the Capital Funding Group, CBS Radio, and MissionTix with photographers Trish Kirby, Marc Siegel, and Barry Page from Creative Exposures. Music by the bands Fiction20Down, Free Lobster Buffet, All Mighty Senators, and Jimmie's Chicken Shack. Great time by everybody. Here's a few pictures of my images - slide show of larger images and music at http://georgeskepton.com/rrbhaiti The pictures are also on Facebook available for Friends and Friends of Friends - feel free to tag them.

Jenny Retro - Hippie Audrey Hepburn

2010-01-20T21:15:00.006-05:00

A few images from a photoshoot last Saturday in my new studio. Jenny & her mom could have opened a retro clothing store with all the clothes they brought. We shot for the themes - "Hair", "Audrey Hepburn", "fashion" and "beauty & glamour"

New Years Eve Photo Session

2010-01-02T16:59:00.002-05:00

I was lucky to get two beautiful young ladies to help me with some lighting tests in my new studio on New Years Eve afternoon. We had a ball doing photos and checking out some of the new furniture and equipment that Rob is bringing in. These 3 images were shot with the new Canon 7D and an external 580EXii speedlight (triggered from the 7D) using a silver white reflective Westcott collapsible umbrella - tried to keep it simple since we were running late for a party. Here are some images of Julie and Stefanie.

Snowed in - some nature shots

2009-12-21T11:53:00.001-05:00

This past weekend we had our historic record December snow - 21". We stayed in packaging Christmas presents, working on gifts, getting the house ready for Santa's visit, and taking some time to photograph a few snow bird images.

Green Mount Cemetery

2009-11-10T17:25:00.010-05:00

Yesterday I went downtown to take the CTA workshop and test. I'm sure I passed. On the way home, I stopped at the studio to drop some more stuff off and then rode over to Green Mount Cemetery to take some pictures. It's about 3 blocks away from the studio. (this blog updated 11/11/09)

Green Mount is a historical cemetery, established in 1839 as one of the first rural cemeteries in the country. It is part of the National Registry with many famous people buried there. It is a world all by itself and is peaceful and rather beautiful and the statuary and monument artwork is magnificent. I walked around and explored for about an hour and here are a few images. The groundskeeper said the cemetery likes getting pictures but they want something different - so I over processed some images and here are a few. We'll see what they say. Here' a Wikipedia article about Green Mount. I plan on going back.

Just signed a lease on a studio - Yeah

2009-11-04T11:48:00.001-05:00

I just signed a lease for a studio with another photographer. It's 1500 sq ft in the Cork Factory, the place Kristie & I toured a few weeks ago. I added a photo from the tour of our future office space and classy urban decay smaller studio - the old residents were still there getting ready to move out. Photos of the larger empty studio space coming soon. The main studio is on the other side of the wall and is twice the size of the office side and will be more formal and traditional. The studio is on the 5th floor of the Cork Factory in the Station North Arts District of Baltimore City and the. Now we have to move most studio equipment from our home studios, We can't wait to get the studios set up and to start shooting. YES

Station North Open Studios Tour - Cork Building

2009-10-19T12:53:00.011-04:00

This past Saturday, Kristie and I did a short tour of some of the studios in the Cork Building in the North Station Arts District of Baltimore. All the artists that we met were friendly, interesting, and fun and the building and studios were fantastic. It was a pleasure chatting with the artists in their studios and seeing their art. We didn't buy anything this time; but there were a lot of really neat pieces. Our tour of the studios and meeting with the artists at the Cork Factory was a memorable experience.

The artists we met were Nancy Linden, Daniel Herman, Paul Moscatt, Mary Swann, Lyndie Vantine, Jim Hillman, David Herman, and Al Zaruba. Here's a slide show of some retouched photos from our tour.
http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/corkopenstudios/

Images from Baltimore Book Festival - Day 2

2009-09-28T23:03:00.010-04:00

Went to the Baltimore Book Festival in Mt Vernon this past Saturday - no jobs scheduled. Weather was overcast and crowds were down. I decided to do mostly candid shots of children. Here are a few retouched images. Slide show is here http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/book_festival_2009/

Perya - a new Canon 7D video - Beautiful

2009-09-09T14:24:00.003-04:00

Here is a beautifully fantastic video short using the new Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera - I want one - the editing is fantastic - great photojournalism - it's as if each segement of the video is a time expanded still shot - it's great for a quick look into photojournalism.

I did video for awhile (nothing like this) - these just don't happen - a lot of planning and a lot of work.

Perya (Town Fair) - a Canon 7D Short from Jason Magbanua on Vimeo.

a full screen hi-def version is here

and here's a link to a few more of his videos http://vimeo.com/jasonmagbanua/videos

Pics, Pixies, and Pixels Exhibit at Penn Camera

2009-09-04T11:56:00.006-04:00

My photo exhibit "Pics, Pixies, and Pixels" at Penn Camera in Pikesville last month was a success - Short article written up in the Examiner.

One of my photos is also exhibited at Barnes and Noble in Ellicott City in September as part of an exhibition from the Baltimore Photography Meetup group.

Tattoos, Skin, & Style

2009-09-01T10:39:00.019-04:00

Slide show - Angels Rock Bar & Immoral Ink Tattoo Party & Contest - Baltimore, MD - Aug 2009 - Don't stare at any of the tattoos for too long though - they just might come to life.

http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/arb_082909/

Models & Throttles - again

2009-08-20T21:30:00.005-04:00

A few images for another Models & Throttles - this one at the West End Grill in Annapolis on Aug 23 - includes a few trainers from Premier Health & Fitness, one of the vendors at the event - here's a short video

http://skepton.com/mt2

Enjoy the video

Models & Throttles - a few images

2009-08-11T20:30:00.004-04:00

A few images from the Models & Throttles Aug 2009 event at Power Plant Live in Baltimore and from the Angels Rock Cafe - in association with UjENA Swimwear Competition and 3rd Annual Mid Atlantic Cover Model Search. Limited access to models and posing. It was 95 degrees in the shade and sunny and humid. Sweat and high contrast. Full screen slideshow is here http://GeorgeSkeptonPhotography.com/mt0809

Pictues from a Family Gathering

2009-08-08T23:38:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to a friend's 40th Birthday Party and took a few pictures. Here's the result - it was inspired by Asylum Photography at a Model Mayhem meetup.

Otakon 2009

2009-08-03T21:24:00.006-04:00

A few images from Day 1 and Day 2 of the Otakon 2009 weekend event at Baltimore Convention Center - over 20,000 attendees celebrating anime, game, and cos play characters. Slide shows from each day are here http://skepton.com/events You may find some images strange and others disturbing (240 images)

Bella Meyer Reception at Port Discovery

2009-07-23T23:48:00.016-04:00

A few images from a reception a few weeks ago for Bella Meyer, granddaughter of Mark Chagall. In attendance were some of the Port Discovery board members and benefactors. Bella gave a childrens' workshop the following day based on the art of Marc Chagall, a Russian-born Jewish painter who lived most of his life in France. Chagall for Children features 14 reproductions of the artist's works. A slide show of some of the images from the reception is here http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/bellameyer

ArtScape 2009 Dragon Song and Nina Amaya and Belly Dance Delight

2009-07-21T11:05:00.005-04:00

Kristie and I went to ArtScape in Baltimore Sunday afternoon - just to enjoy ourselves. I took an inexpensive point and shoot camera and took a few shots of a runway fashion show and a few short movie clips of a band and a drummers gathering. Here's one of the clips - from Dragon Song Band and Nina Amaya and Belly Dance Delight. This video does not do the band or dancers justice - the performance was great.

Creative Alliance Big Show

2009-07-07T18:57:00.002-04:00

Slideshow from 2 weeks ago - Kristie & I took an out of town friend, Linda, to the Creative Alliance's Big Show at the Patterson Park theater. http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/bigshow2009/

Another Model Mayhem M&G

2009-06-30T14:17:00.005-04:00

I attended another MM M&G last Sunday at Patapsco State Park - fantastic fun and a lot of neat people. Here are a few images for now. I'll have a slideshow up in a few weeks.

Festival of India - May 2009

2009-06-04T11:27:00.005-04:00

Kristie and I attend the Krishna Festival of India (part of the Festival of Chariots) every year at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. A few of the pictures in the slide show are Kristie's. Hare Krishna. Slide show http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/chariots2009

Sowebo Festival - May 2009

2009-05-27T11:22:00.000-04:00

A few photo impressions from the 2009 annual Sowebo (South West Baltimore Bohemian) festival. Slide show with more images http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/sowebo2009

Now Accepting Orders for Designer Frames

2009-05-16T22:18:00.028-04:00

We have partnered with a major framing company and are happy to offer their entire line of designer eco friendly frames and mattes. These exceptional frames range from contemporary, traditional and classic and will look great on any wall. Here are a few samples out of hundreds of different style frames and mattes.

Contact us for more details and recommendations for type of frames for your special portrait. We are also integrating a page for you to customize your own frame for your images and are also partnering with other select companies for canvas wrapped art prints, metallic prints, prepress photo books, designer albums, and other high end photo products.

(Note - these images do not show the actual richness of our frames and any matte tile patterns and other artifacts on these computer generated images are not on the actual products).

Two Fine Artists Pass Away

2009-05-12T15:36:00.002-04:00

I just heard today that a friend from the Baltimore Camera Club passed away suddenly. Barbara Williams, a great photographer, recently came down with an infectious virus and passed away within days. Before that, she was always full of life and sunshine. This is a reminder to me that life really is fragile.

I also heard today that the brother of 2 girls I knew a few years ago, just passed away. Edgar Argo was a well known cartoonist with a somewhat strange sense of humor.

The world will surely miss these two fine artists.

Model Mayhem Sly Horse Studios

2009-05-05T18:55:00.009-04:00

Last week I attended another Model Mayhem event. This one was at Sly Horse Studios in Rockville. Met a lot of neat people and it was fun and an experience photographing so many models in one place. It was somewhat hectic and a long busy day. It was even longer getting photos ready for presentation with Photoshop and distribution to the models.
Last Saturday, Kristie & I went to the Fairy Festival in Spoutwood Farms - Glen Rock, PA. That was great fun too. Will have pictures up from that in a few days.
Here are the studio pictures from Saturday April 25. http://georgeskepton.com/mmsh2009

Model Mayhem Fells Point

2009-04-25T07:55:00.006-04:00

Last week I attended a Model Mayhem meet & greet event at Fells Point in Baltimore city. Met a lot of neat people and it was fun. Got a lot of nice pictures. Some gritty and some beautiful - reflects the Fells Point area. Now, I'm getting ready to go to another Model Mayhem event At Sly Horse Studio in Rockville, Md. Here are pictures from last Sunday's event. http://georgeskepton.com/mmfp2009

Watchmen - Family Photos - Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T22:12:00.008-04:00

Saw the movie "Watchmen" this weekend. Good movie, but rather long (2 hours 45 min). Good story - nice cinematography and lighting. Very violent - but stylized enough to take away the realness of the violence.

Worked on some family portraits for a friend who is leaving for Iraq in a few months.

Had a great Easter dinner with my family at my son's house and played with my grandaughter and took a vacation from photography.

Today, I worked with a photographer friend in the Caribbean to help her get her website to show up better in search engines. I gave her a few suggestions about adding links to her site, adding her site to social networks, registering with other photography related reciprocity linking sites, linking her other sites to her new site, and setting up a blog. I have to call her tomorrow about a few related issues. The weather here was chilly and grey - there it was warm and sunny as she looked out at the ocean. Nice for photography :)

Support The National Tea Parties

Redesigning the Studio

2009-04-03T15:31:00.002-04:00

Completely updating the studio - which used to be a living room - then a master dining room - now it's my studio and part showroom. Still need a lot of work though for the showroom layout.

Also recently purchased the SensorKlear Loupe and SensorKlear pen and Giotto Rocket-air blower - they work great and got rid of a few sensor spots that were really bugging me. It's a lot cheaper than sending the camera off to be cleaned - you just need the guts to rub the cleaning pen on your sensor and a fairly steady hand.

Facebook Time

2009-03-18T23:28:00.007-04:00

I've been spending a lot more time on facebook setting up part of my viral marketing business process. Will get back to the blog later. Here's my facebook address. If you're already a member, check it out. If you're not a member, register and then check me out. You'll enjoy it.

Here's my facebook site
http://www.facebook.com/people/George-Skepton/638092913

Make your own lighting diagrams

2009-02-26T10:26:00.002-05:00

Here's a neat little web application for making your own studio lighting diagrams.
I'll fix the overlaps on the page when I get a chance.

Sarasota Polo Match

2009-02-17T19:00:00.002-05:00

Did a shoot for Mercedes Benz of Sarasota, Florida for a Sarasota Polo match. The Mercedes dealership is one of the major sponsors for the 2009 season. I'll have a few photos later.

Maryland PPA Convention 2009

2009-02-11T08:48:00.005-05:00

Spent 4 days of intensive seminars at the Sheraton Hotel in Columbia for the 2009 Maryland PPA Convention. A lot of great seminars and new friendships. The seminar instructors included: Mark Levesque on Lightroom, Jeff and Carolle Dachowski on building the business, Don Chick on basic lighting , Jim Lersch on commercial and portrait photography, and Jack Reznicki on commercial photography and copyrights. Fantastic presentations, fun and informative.

IPod Touch Photo Applications

2009-01-30T09:34:00.005-05:00

I've been spending a little bit too much time researching uses for my new toy - the iPod Touch. Some of the practical things I am now using the iTouch for include:
1) Storing some of my Photos for showing at Networking events (my mobile portfolio)
2) Storing my camera and flash manuals so I always have reference (just in case)
3) Storing various photo shoot lists as a reminder when needed
4) Storing different images of poses that I may decide to use once in awhile
5) A Sunrise application that tells me the twilight, sunrise and sunset times at various locations in the country so I know when I can capture the magic light any day of the year
6) A DOF (depth of field) calculator for different lenses and focal distances
7) Links to various photography websites for keeping abreast of new equipment and new techniques
8) and other planned uses

Apple Ipod Touch

2009-01-22T10:21:00.006-05:00

I recently purchased an Apple IPod Touch for showing my photographs at networking events as part of my new marketing thrust for this year. I loaded some photos and took it to the Maryland PPA meeting last night and showed a few other photographers who were impressed with the images and the IPod itself. Here's the image I selected for the wallpaper.

Fairie Lights

Stephanie Millner Presentation

2009-01-22T10:15:00.004-05:00

Attended a Maryland PPA presentation "Don't Blame The Printer" by Stephanie Millner, award-winning wedding and portrait photographer from Alexandria, VA. Prior to her transition into professional photography, she gained prolific experience as a graphic designer and prepress manager at several printing companies. I learned a few hints about some of the things that should be done prior to submitting printing. Stephanie was a knowledgeable and great presenter.

PlayList.com

2009-01-19T14:10:00.015-05:00

I am in the process of looking into Playlist.com for selecting music on my websites. Right now, Playlist.com is somewhat controversial with rights issues; but I feel that since all I'm doing is providing a link to them, I should be ok. Supposedly they are in the process of obtaining rights to all the music. I'll let you know what happens as PlayList.com works out it's issues and how they will eventually charge for accessing their servers. They are presently in talks with Sony BMG Music (see press release).

I added the player today and did a little more research and then decided to remove it from the blog since the music sources appear to be from different servers from all over the world and probably aren't licensed properly.

What does this have to do with photography? Nothing; but it does have to do with presentation methods and it gets me away from direct photography for a bit.

For reference, a Sarah Brightman PlayList Popup (opens a new screen)

Lens Pen for cleaning your lenses

2009-01-16T10:08:00.004-05:00

I recently purchased a Carson Lens Pen LP99 from B&H PhotoVideo. What a fantastic device. Simple to use and very effective for cleaning finger prints, smudges and grime from your filters and lenses. I highly recommend this tool - about $10. Don't buy the mini - that one is for small optics. The lens pen uses a non-liquid compound for cleaning the lens after first brushing off dust and other debris with an attached natural hair brush.

The Lens Pen device is NOT for cleaning your sensor. I have my eye on a sensor cleaning device that i'll review in a few weeks.

Here's a little UTube video from Carson Optics

Sarah Brightman - Diva

2009-01-05T20:08:00.010-05:00

Kristie & I are sitting back watching the beautiful Sarah Brightman Diva DVD - my favorite female singer. It was a Christmas gift from my ex-wife, Laura. Diva is very different than Sarah's concert DVD's. It's a series of 21 chronologicaly ordered music videos from her career. Some neat videography and photo overlay montages. A bit of something for inspiration and I love Sarah. Some of my other favs include Laura McKennitt, Lisa Gerrard, Enya, Clannad, Bjork, and more contemporary Shakira and Beyonce.

Port Discovery New Year Everything Italian

2009-01-02T22:40:00.006-05:00

I attended the Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore New Years Eve Everything Italian Event. The museum was loaded with kids and adults having a ball.

Here's a Slide Show of some of the activities. I made a last minute decision to attend and help support Kristie. I arrived for the second half of the event and photographed a few costumes, the kids painting masks, kids playing in the Water Works area and some of the climbing structures. I missed a lot of the early happenings.

I made good use of the 28mm 1.8 lens I bought on eBay, mentioned in my last blog, and even though it's pretty dark in the museum, the lens and high ISO worked great.

The event was held in association with and supported by the Italian Consulate of Baltimore and Maserati of Baltimore . A more detailed description of the event is here in Baltimore Style magazine.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a great holiday and wishing you a Happy & Prosperous New Year.

Canon 28mm f1.8 Lens

2008-12-14T11:44:00.004-05:00

I just ordered a used Canon 28mm f1.8 lens from a photographer on eBay. Look forward to using this lens for interior available light photography. It was highly recommended by other members of the Maryland PPA. I have used the Canon 85mm 1.8 and I love it; but it's too long for normal interior shots. I'll post some shots after I receive and try out the lens - most likely after Christmas. Wow - I still have a lot of Christmas shopping to do.

Fashion Images

2008-12-04T15:03:00.004-05:00

I just added a new link for fashion portraits from different runway and other fashion shoots. Most of the images are portrait images from different events that can be seen in the event sections of the web site.

Cheap Lens Hoods

2008-11-22T20:09:00.004-05:00

I just found this website that supplies free templates for making cardboard lens hoods for all types of camera lens. It's http://www.lenshoods.co.uk/ This is great when you loose or bang up a hood and you want one in a hurry.

Caribbean Cruise

2008-11-09T20:47:00.033-05:00

Last week, Kristie & I took a cruise to the Carribean aboard the beautiful cruise ship Carnival Destiny with WeDJ.com, a group of wedding DJs, videographers, and photographers. We attended several WeDJ.com marketing classes and photography workshops. Gary Kaplan, international award wining fashion photographer & wedding photographer, taught several short workshops on attitude for creativity and business and Photoshop overlays and filters.

We had the honor to dine with Gary & his wife Ellie in the fantastic Destiny Galaxy dining room. We hung around a bit during the trip and tagged along for a wedding dress fashion shoot and I took a few pictures while he was shooting. I really thank Gary & Ellie for their advice and assistance in helping set up Brittany for the photoshoot. They not only supplied the wedding dress; but Gary also applied her makeup, set up the initial poses and worked with WeDJ to obtain the model, permissions, and releases. The trip was fantastic and hanging with Gary & Ellie was not only a great learning experience, but great fun as well. They're a little crazy like us. Here's a link to Gary's blog - some really impressive and expressive images.

Here are a few pictures from our trip. Slide show of some pictures from the cruise are here

Atlantis, Bahamas

Signing the Shells, Bahamas

Bacardi Building, Bahamas

Carnival Destiny, Grand Turk

A few Images from the Bridal Fashion Shoot

New York City Day Trip Collage

2008-09-29T16:13:00.004-04:00

Here's a collage image from my New York City day trip images with a little different presentation.

Added an Amazon Associate Link to the Blog

2008-09-29T15:31:00.003-04:00

Just added an Amazon Associate link to help support this blog. All proceeds from purchases on the Amazon links below will be used to help keep this blog updated more frequently. Thanks for your support - George

Pictures from the New York City Day Trip

2008-09-22T22:24:00.005-04:00

Well, here's a few pictures from my New York City Day Trip. It was well worth all the walking. More can be seen at http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/nycdaytrip/

New York City Day Trip Photoshoot

2008-09-20T23:59:00.001-04:00

I joined a group of photographers for a day bus trip to New York City. Set the alarm for 2:30AM , caught the bus at 4:15AM so we could catch the early morning light in New York. Got to China Town about 7:30 with the smells and sounds of the Chinese markets opening. Watched a TaiChi group at one of the local parks, walked to Foley Square, the Law & Order courthouse for a group shot and more pictures of the Federal building benches and of the skyscrapers. Then we walked to and over the Brooklyn Bridge and back, taking a few nice pictures along the way. On the way back, about 3,000 "Live United" marchers for the United Way poured onto the bridge towards Brooklyn. We survived the stampede.

Went to the South Street Seaport where a bicycle for a day festival was held. Took more pictures of the people. Had lunch, then walked to Wall Street, caught a subway and headed for Central park. Walked through the park to Shakespear's Garden, Belvadere Castle, The Boat Lake, Belvedere Terrace, Wolman Rink, Poets Walk, and back to China town via the subway. Caught the bus and headed home. A lot of fast paced walking and sightseeing for the day.

A great trip and a great overview; but not enough time to really study and capture the places in photographs. I'll have a few photos up shortly.

P3 News & Reviews Online Magazine

2008-09-12T14:04:00.007-04:00

Just added a new link to my Helpful Photography Links for Brendan Cavanaugh, President of P3 Imaging Inc. for his new P3 Photographic News & Reviews online magazine. Take a look for some neat reviews. Good luck Brendan.

Professional Remodelers magazine photoshoot

2008-09-11T23:59:00.006-04:00

Just finished shooting 2 evenings of award dinners for the Reed Business Awards Dinner for Professional Remodelers magazine. Awards were presented to many of the top home remodelers in the country at McCormick & Schmicks restaurant and the Sheraton Inner Harbor, Baltimore.

I'm looking forward to be published in their magazine.

City Docks, Annapolis

2008-08-30T23:05:00.002-04:00

Joined up with a shutterbug group early this morning (6:00 AM) at the city docks in Annapolis, MD to capture some sunrise pictures. Even though it was a really overcast morning with no visible sun, I knew there was still a sun behind the clouds - we just couldn't see it. I had a feeling I could get the sun in my images using some forensic processing that really digs into images and pulls out unseen details and colors.

To capture the most dynamic range for helping get more details across the exposure range, I took three exposure bracketed images using a tripod and combined them in Photoshop HDR. The resultant HDR images werent that impressive since the cloudy lighting was pretty flat. They needed further tonal and contrast processing with Photoshop and additional filters to capture the details.

Here are two of the images. Even if they are not purist photography, they do truly represent what was photographed, just with a little more detail and colors that the human eye or camera could not normally see with the heavy overcast. There is no cloning, no special brushes, no manual dodging or burning - just pure computer image analysis and processing.

Capturing the Sunrise - City Docks, Annapolis

Sunrise - City Docks, Annapolis

2008-08-22T22:31:00.003-04:00

Time to update the blog

2008-08-22T01:08:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since the blog has been updated. Have some updating to do and will backdate them to get a true chronological order of things. My last blog was Jan 30, 2008 - so everything between then and today has been backdated.

Theres a new MySpace page for George Skepton Photography to share my photography and services with a larger market - http://myspace.com/gskeptonphotography. If you're a Myspace person, please sign up as a friend - let me know you found it through the blog. Here's the Myspace slideshow - some of the models from Baltmore's Fashion Week.

3D Journey

2008-08-21T23:11:00.000-04:00

Went to see the 3D version of Journey to the center of the Earth with my niece, Julie. I promised to take her to the movies before school started. I thought the 3D effects were fantastic with great videography and CGI. The story line was just ok; but it was well worth seeing.

Rick & Deb Ferro Seminar

2008-08-20T22:34:00.000-04:00

I attended a Rick & Deb Ferro Selling Portraits seminar at the BWI Shearaton. They are fantastic speakers and successful. I picked up some pointers on turning digital photographs into digital paintings, some new product ideas - I'll talk about these later when I start adding more product lines to my business. I picked up a few marketing affirmations too - keep my blog updated at least twice a week to ensure the search engines stay up to date (this was the incentive to update my blog) - join a formal business networking group - I have a few in mind - reformalize my goals and expand my product lines.

Baltimore's Fashion Week 2008 - Day 5

2008-08-15T22:44:00.001-04:00

Baltimore's Fashion Week 2008 day 5 was fantastic. I photographed the models using off camera flash that gave me a bit more modeling of the models, better emphasizing details and allowing different lighting patterns, as opposed to shooting the models straight-on on the runway. You can see the pictures at http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/baltimoresfashionweek_081508/

Baltimore's Fashion Week 2008 day 2 & Workshops

2008-08-12T10:15:00.002-04:00

Baltimore's Fashion Week 2008 day 2 was fantastic. I want to thank Sharon Nixon the fashion show organizer who did a fantastic job of publizing, getting local support, and pulling the entire week together and Jeff Butler who did an excellant job of assisting and keeping the photographers on track.

I attended a short workshop on fashion photography by Roy Cox - one of the local hi-end fashion photographers and a short workshop on modeling hair and makeup by Tim Coburn - another hi-end fashion photographer.

Between workshops and the fashion show, I checked out some of the archiecture of the War Memorial building where the show was held. It's a fantastic older building with all marble interiors.

Heres a few runway images of the models during the show. http://georgeskeptonphotography.com/baltimoresfashionweek_081508/

Four Days of Learning

2008-01-30T19:46:00.004-05:00

Hi Everybody - it's been awhile again. I attended the Maryland Professional Photography Association (PPA) 2008 this past weekend - Friday thru Monday with 4 great speakers - Hanson Fong, Mark Campbell, Jamie Hayes and Mary Fisk-Taylor. Learnd some about studio work, flow posing, work flow, high-end glamour photography, and high-end marketing. I don't know how much will stick or how much I can apply about the marketing when the Hayes and Fisk team charge $300 for a studio portrait session, $125 for an 8x10 print, $1000 for an oil-touched 16x20 photo, and hope to average about $3000 per studio session. They partner with businesses like Saks, Mercedes Benz, and other high-end businesses in the Richmond area hoping to capture that type of clientel. If you are reading this, I have to assume that you are in this class of client. Just kidding. Like our photography and your life, our prices are real - for real people.

I submitted a print for competition and earned a merit for show exhibition along with a lot of other photographs from some of the best photographers in Maryland. My image didn't quite meet the judges standards for size, presentation, mounting, and lighting. However; I take great pride in the merit and a few comments by casual viewers. Some though it was the best photo in the display exhibition. Just a note - prints made for competition aren't normally the prints that clients buy or those that regular viewers appreciate. I have to learn more about the PPA judging game and start shooting images for competion besides shooting just for clients and for myself.

Enigmatic Elegance

One of the neat little things I learned was about lightness perception explained with an illustration of the Koffka Ring. Gray is a standard used in photography for exposure control and is the most predominant shade in black and white photography. Click here for a short demo of when the same shade of gray can be seen as a different shade of gray.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T16:37:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T12:06:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile. Have a lot of neat stuff to add - a bit later.

More Movies

2007-10-29T22:01:00.000-04:00

I just finished watching the movie "The Fountain" by Darren Aronofsky - a beautiful spiritual fantasy movie with fantastic images and lighting. The leading actress was Rachel Weisz, who just happens to be the girl on the photograph on my last blog from my PDN Expo trip. Something about the photograph radiated life. Watch the movie. Some might consider it a bit strange.

Another Bruce Dorn recommended movie I watched last week - Pride & Predjudice - more great cinematography and lighting. The story was good.

It's Been Awhile

2007-10-28T14:31:00.000-04:00

A little bit too long again. My excuse for not keeping up my blog - I've been too busy of course. Well, what's been happening since my last blog. As usual a few family events, parties, dining out with friends, a few photographty events, working on photos, slide shows, a wedding DVD, and business plans and goals. Today, the minister at church asked about my progress with the photography business and we spoke a bit about his interests in photography. I'll get back with him about some courses, workshops, and photography clubs. Another soul to be saved - mine.

Week before last, I attended an all day seminar with Eddie Tapp on Photoshop sponsored by the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. He was extremely informative and presents well. I recommend listening to Eddie if ever you get a chance. I learned a lot about some neat Photoshop Actions for enhacing images. The same evening, listened to Andy Stanicek, a local PPA photographer, speak more about Photoshop and photography. The next day, I woke up early and took a bus trip to the Jacob Javitts Convention Center in New York City with fStop International for the Annual PDN (Photography District News) Photoplus International Conference and Expo. It was fantastic - all the latest photo equipment from the major vendors, demos, talks, album displays, and fantastic photo print galleries. Another don't miss event.

Gallery wall from PDN Expo

Interior shot of the Jacob Javitts Center

Last week, fStop International had an evening with Pete Wright (2007 PPA Photographer of the Year) and his wife Liliana, speak about a few of their techniques for marketing their wedding photography and supplying the wedding couple and party with better services, better photography and better products. Another great presentation not to miss if you get a chance to see them.

I'm a Grandad

2007-10-13T08:44:00.000-04:00

I have a grand daughter - Elspeth Ryan Skepton - 7 lbs, 6oz born Oct 09, 2007 at Greater Baltimore Center. She's beautiful.

Right now, I'm in a Photoshop class to pick up some additional techniques for photo enhancing. Last night I watched "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" a movie about Vermeer's famous picture. The movie was recommended by Bruce Dorn as a good example of great cinematographic and photographic lighting. The story was a bit slow, but the lighting was fantastic. A few days ago, I went to the Digital Photography Edge seminar in Washington DC with Bruce Dorn and Maura Dutra. Learned a little, but the seminar was mostly a marketing tool for Bruce & Maura's photography, art and their products.

Still Busy and Parties

2007-10-08T21:53:00.000-04:00

The Moose Peterson seminar was great last week. Learned a bit about Moose and wildlife photography and grizzly bears. Went to 2 private parties this past weekend and the Renaissance Festival. Hot, sunny - too contrasty and too crowded for good pictures. Working on a DVD of the last wedding - using Photodex ProShow Producer. Today I purchased two 500GB drives for additional backup, 2 more Gigs of RAM for the desktop PC, and a LightScribe DVD writer.

Tomorow is the Digital Photography Edge seminar with Bruce Dorn and Maura Dutra. Hope to learn a bit more about off-camera flash for cinematographic effects and digital painting from the pros.

Alo, tomorrow I should be a grandfather - I'm getting excited - can't wait - a new addition to my great family.

Another Photo Shoot

2007-10-02T08:24:00.000-04:00

Friday, I went over to Gil Jackson's to drop off a check for the Moose Peterson seminar. Gil was working with Corel Painter X on a tropical scene from Hawaii. I was impressed - I'll have to make time to try it out.

The family party went well Saturday and I didn't even get my camera out. A little rest from the camera and just enjoying family. But; I got up early Sunday morning for a photojournal shoot with the Baltimore Camera Club at the Baltimore Book Festival - see events.

I am also generating a group on Flickr for camera club members to post their photos for critique by other members. This is just about ready for testing & review. Today I'll work on my nephews wedding pictures and tonight I go to a Moose Peterson wildlife photography seminar at the BWI Airport Marriot.

Image from Baltimore Book Festival

Been Really Busy

2007-09-27T23:50:00.000-04:00

Well it's been over two weeks since my last blog submittal. I've been busy with a few photo shoots, attending a few parties and a wedding, getting ready for a big family party, completetly redoing a powder room, going to different photo group meetings, and regular life stuff.

Here's a few shots from my nephew Christian & his wife Shannon's wedding last week. I'll be adding more in the following weeks.

Good Fashion Show

2007-09-12T12:38:00.000-04:00

Well the Baltimore Fashion Week 2007 Boutique show last night went great. It started a little late; but so what - got a few extra pictures of the audience. Great models and a great venue at the Red Maple Lounge. The new camera seems to be working great - haven't had a chance to check it outside yet or for fast action shots or for night exposures. When I find the time.

A slide show from last night is on the events page. Here are a few pictures. Note - there is no Photoshop editing of any of the images - only a bit of exposure & color correction and increased vibrancy using Lightroom. Lighting was with a hand held off-camera Sigma 500DG flash with a lightsphere clone - lens was a Canon EFS 10-22 mm.

Show organized by Pam Haner and April Camlin, fashion from local Baltimore boutiques Shine, BU, Form and Jean Pool, and Models from ... For further info about the show see City Paper article

Another Busy Week

2007-09-11T13:51:00.000-04:00

This weekend, went to my son and daughter-in-laws baby shower - getting ready for number one. Had a great time and took a lot of pictures. That filled Sat and Sun.

Yesterday, prepared and sent a few older prints to a local Color Lab for evaluation for competition submittals. I also received an anticipated new Canon 40D camera . Have to take a lot of pictures to make sure it's as great as it's touted to be - better than a few high-end really expensive cameras. Shot with it last night at day 3 of The Baltimore Fashion Week - Screen Prints at the Metro Gallery. This is a series of fashion shows for local designers - slide show in the Events section of my site. This evening, I'll shoot day 4 at The Red Maple - Boutigue Fashion. More real time testing of the camera.

From Baltimore Fashion Week - Metro Gallery

Upcoming Events

2007-09-07T12:24:00.000-04:00

Added a set of links for local upcoming photo events in the Greater Baltimore - Washington Metro area. This section will eventually be enhanced to make it more informational and timely.

If you know of any upcoming photography events, please send me a link and I'll try to get it added. gskepton@georgeskepton.com

Just installed a Pantone Huey monitor calibration stick to my monitor. Easy to install and use. It's suppose to color calibrate the monitor so that prints from labs are more color correct with what you see on the monitor. My monitor was pretty well calibrated anyway, but the Pantone calibration should help all my client's lab prints look better yet. I notice that the calibrator blinks once in awhile checking and readjusting the monitor for ambient light in the room. Cool

St. Armands Circle in Lido Key, Sarasota

Swimwear Images Updates

2007-09-04T17:04:00.000-04:00

Today, I added some black and white images to the swimsuit workshop/photoshoot slideshow using the new black & white adjustment in photoshop CS3 with a bit of further customization. I'm pretty impressed. I also added some new links to the blog - some tutorials on Lightroom, Photoshop CS3, and the blog software itself. Here are a few of the richer looking B&W images using CS3.

Carly

Deanna

Here's a little video I just ran into and decided to share.
Iz - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole 1959 - 1997

Swimsuit Edition

2007-09-01T08:40:00.000-04:00

Well, I went through the images from Thursday's swimsuit workshop shoot and put together a short slideshow . Some of the images have obvious extensive Photoshop work that changes the overall environmental look of the photo. The photoshoot was outdoors on the dock at the Tidewater Marina in Havre de Grace, MD

I thank Leo Heppner, Terri Shepke, Brendan Cavanaugh, and the rest of Leo's staff, the other photographers for assisting with lighting and posing, and Ira Black from Nor'Easter magazine for letting us use his bike as a prop. I thank the models Carly, Tiffany, Deanna, and Elise for just being themselves and affording me this great opportunity for creativity and just having fun. Lastly, I thank Kristie for her understanding and support.

Workshop and Print Review

2007-08-31T00:37:00.000-04:00

Hi again,

Well, I did the swimwear workshop yesterday. It was great. Beautiful models, beautiful weather, good instructors and good food. Here's my favorite image so far out of a few hundred shots. It's Carly with off-camera on-location pocket flash and tightly cropped. Had a great lighting guy, Brendan. We'll be seeing more of Carly and the others later.

Carly Jane

Later today and tomorrow, I'll be working more on the swimwear pictures, make a slide show and get the pictures off to the models.

And here's a few of the pictures I submitted last night for review. They were reviewed by a team of 3 master photographer judges from fStop International (Jackie Hicks, Gil Jackson, & Tony Marill). The prints did ok with a few constructive critiques.

I See You

Stacey

Maid with a Strap

Another Busy Day

2007-08-28T22:50:00.000-04:00

Today, I prepared all the photos from the swimwear photo shoot and downloaded them for the models and enhanced and printed a few pictures for an upcoming preview for a Professional Print competition. I also started modifying my blog layout by removing the blog navigation bar from the top and adding my website menu at the bottom of the blog page. I have a lot more to do with layout so the blog look is more like my main website.

Here are a few of the titles of the images I will be submitting for review on Thursday. I decided not to show the images until after the review.

"Maid with a Camera Case Strap", "I See You" and "Summer Cool"

Tomorrow, I have a swim suit modeling workshop class on the docks in Havre de Gras with Nor' Easter Boating magazine photographer Leo Heppner. Looking forward to learning another way to photograph swimsuit models.

Pictures from Saturday's photo shoot

2007-08-26T14:38:00.000-04:00

Hi Everybody,

Well, yesterday's swimwear and glamour photo shoot was a success. Three models (Melanie, Rachael, and Ray) and about 10 other photographers showed up in the sweltering heat. We all sweated, but it was worth it. The river was cool and I walked around in the water up to my ankles to get better pictures. We were grateful that Racheal, one of the models got her feet, legs, and behind wet so she could be in the water for pictures - she's a doll. Melanie was a little uncomfortable getting directly in the water; but so what - she looked fantastic anyway. Yesterday evening and this morning I worked on a few of the pictures for posting. I still have a lot of images to prepare for the models since it was a TFCD (Time For CD images) shoot.

I experimented with a hand-held off camera flash fired by wireless remote for doing the shots. Tarik, one of the other photographers assisted me by holding the flash so I could better manipulate my camera. The flash was a Sigma 580Super and the wireless remote was from Hong Kong from eBay. The Sigma had to be put into slave mode which caused a slight problem - other people's flashes would set it off, making it less stable for me. I'm going to try to cover up the slave sensor and see if that works better. I also have a Viitar 583HV i'm going to try. I still have a lot of experimenting to do with off-camera flash and with setting the right camera exposures. I love the way the off-camera light models the subjects.

Later this afternoon, Kristie (my better half) and I going to my son and daughter-in-law's for dinner.

Here are a few more pictures from yesterday's photo shoot.

First Blog

2007-08-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

Earlier this morning I was looking at Dan Heller's website who is a photographer that writes a lot about the business end of photography - in his opinion the larger part of the "photography business". I connected to his blog website and was impressed with the look. In fact, so impressed, I used the same template for this blog. The template was designed by Todd Dominey, an author, programmer and designer whose work I also respect.

I always thought blogs were neat but too time consuming to maintain. I am a writer, web designer, and photographer and have a few websites that are for self promotion; but this blog is my first one. I'll try to keep it current and share a small part of my photography life with you.

Later this afternoon, I have a swimwear and glamour photo shoot in Patapsco river under a bridge in Patapsco State Park with the local Meetup group. Have to go now and start getting my equipment ready. Just for reference, the temperature is suppose to be 101 today with a heat index of 110. I'm sure we'll all be sweating. I'll have pictures up in a few days.