Storytellers & Autism have one thing in common …

“The debilitating interpersonal impairments experienced by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder are assumed to result from a neurocognitive impairment in the basic motivation and ability to understand people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors – perhaps even their own.”

Personality and Self-Insight in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder by: Roberta A. Schriber, Richard W. Robins, and Marjorie Solomon

I want to fit in and connect with people. This desire has led me to try and understand good communication skills and do a LOT of self-evaluation.

Julian Pizarra preaching at his church Iglesia Baptist Comunidad Cristiana in Los Ciruelos — at Colegio Francisco de Miranda. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 4000, 1/200, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 105)]

People with Autism and those struggling in storytelling have something in common. We can get a message delivered but are often perplexed about why the audience isn’t responding.

I am on the Autism Spectrum and considered to be high functioning. What is essential to understand for this blog post is, at its core, Autism is a disorder that has social impairment at its heart.

My wife, family, and friends have all gotten used to me. I will be deep in thoughts, and when something fascinating is in my mind, I often share this with those around me.

When I do share these thoughts, I am seldom taking the time to understand what is going on at the moment with them. I do a poor job of meeting people where they are in that split second and helping them make a transition to something I would like to share.

Jeff Raymond talked to the group of missionaries and those in the stories about the process and set up the screening of all the stories we worked on during our week in Santiago, Chile. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 5000, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 32)]

Guess what? When it comes to business and communications in general, this is a problem for everyone. When you have something to sell, you are like someone with Autism. You have a tough time meeting people where they are. People constantly are talking about everything they know about their product but do not understand where your audience is at the moment and about the product they are selling.

One important thing people in business and Autism have in common is often lacking an understanding of self.

We are so into our thoughts that we are not thinking about how we come across to others [AUDIENCE].

Two common themes I heard throughout my life are that first; I need to learn to meet people where they are in the moment. Secondly, almost everyone said that once people got to know me, they appreciated me much more.

You cannot survive very long with these characteristics when you are in communications or sales. You need to be seen as a person who cares for others. You need to be seen as someone interested in others and not just yourself.

Emily Tromp, closest to the camera, works on her story as Bill Bangham & James Dockery help Jennifer Nelson with editing her story. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 4500, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 28)]

The hardest part of storytelling is not knowing your subject or peeling the onion to get the best story. The hardest part of storytelling is meeting the audience where they are with the story.

Stanley Leary

It would help if you did as much research understanding your audience’s knowledge of the subject as you do about your story/product.

Files were transferred on July 4, 2019, and each team member flew back to their corner of the US. The big celebration was Wednesday, July 3rd, as each team member shared their video during our Grand Premiere at the International Headquarters of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism. Missions staff, families, and friends joined to see the eight videos we’ve produced in the past two weeks. Each team member shared testimonies of what God has done in our hearts while connecting to the hearts of the Chilean believers who shared their stories with us.

When it comes to storytelling for nonprofits, you will always have a “Call to Action” at the end of the story. Now that you have heard this story, you can get involved.

People take action to work with a nonprofit because of a few things.

  • They have the skill the nonprofit needs.
  • They have a heart for the nonprofit
  • They have someone who is involved with the nonprofit that they care about [ie..family or friend who they want to support]

In narrative storytelling, the hero of the story, the subject, has a problem they cannot solve alone. They need some help. Either they have someone to help them, like a mentor or a resource that helps them overcome adversity and become better because of this process.

Many nonprofits are about providing education. They need teachers, administrators, and others to help run a school. When telling a story of someone they helped, this helps to describe what they do and invite others to help them continue doing this with even more people. If the audience has people who have worked in education in some way, they may see themselves wanting to be part of the organization. A teacher who just finished 30 years teaching and retired in their early 50s may want to go and teach in a nonprofit and give back.

The storyteller must know what the audience can do to be a part of the success of the future story of the organization.

Pastor Rodrigo Cisternas is in front of his church. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/125, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

Once you understand your audience, you now know how to meet them where they are and tell the story in a way that helps them to see how they are part of the solution.

Here are some questions to consider if you engage your audience as a storyteller.

  • Have you had to change the story because of the audience?
  • Have you asked questions that you wouldn’t have asked but the audience may ask when working on a story?
  • Have you ever created a focus group of an audience and asked them what makes them want to participate in a nonprofit?
  • Have you ever created a focus group of an audience and asked them what turns them off about nonprofits?
  • Have you ever dropped a great story because it doesn’t help the organization?
  • Have you had to talk a client out of doing a story because it doesn’t engage the audience?

Have you adjusted how you tell a story because of the audience?

“You will be my witnesses”

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Photo by Nathan Jones

This past week I was in Santiago, Chile, helping Jeff Raymond, James Dockery, and Bill Bangham lead the Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Missions Workshop. We were working each day from getting up at 7:00 am until well after midnight each day.

Bill Bangham, Jeff Raymond, James Dockery, & Stanley Leary. Photo by Allison Bayse
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I believe we trained the storytellers to be the best witnesses to what they had seen and heard of each person they were assigned to capture.

Jennifer Nelson interviews Julian Pizarra at his church Iglesia Baptist Comunidad Cristiana in Los Ciruelos. RuthAnn Rogers is an ABWE missionary helping us with transportation to the church. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 4500, 1/200, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

The week started with each workshop participant [Storytellers] doing pre-interviews with their subjects to get the story they would later capture on camera/video.

I was teaching the class that you shouldn’t record the video interview until you had a pretty good idea of the storyline. The reason is then you would have a much longer discussion from which you had to transcribe all that content to dig for a story.

Dave Rogers sits in front of the camera to do translation while Michael captures the interview. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 14400, 1/200, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 105)]
Michael, Jaime Palma, & ABWE Missionary Dave Rogers [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 10000, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 42)]

Friendships with the subjects we were telling their stories, and the translators and missionaries were being created throughout the week.

Bill Bangham is coaching Jennifer Nelson on her storyline. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 8000, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 62)]

In my opinion, the best part of the week was the one-on-one or two-on-one coaching.

All the workshop storytellers are working hard to make the final touches before our showing to the missionaries who helped us produce these stories. Here is Bill Bangham, James Dockery, and Jennifer Nelson as they put the finishing touches on the video. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 3200, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 28)]

We also went on location with each workshop participant to give directions.

Courtney Gille with the children that are part of the story she is working on at Santiago Christian Academy. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 2000, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 35)]

The weather in Santiago, Chile, was winter while we were there.

The group coming back after eating dinner one night. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 51200, 1/10, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 32)]
Cole Buchanan gets a B-Roll from pastor Rodrigo Cisternas. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/160, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

We spent much time in the field and even more sitting in front of the computers, organizing and editing the projects.

Michael listens to James Dockery as he teaches some of the settings we use in Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the projects. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 14400, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

When we were trying to output some of the projects to make the final movie, we ran into problems with the software. I had not seen those particular errors before. This is when having one of the senior editors for ESPN, James Dockery, as part of the teaching team made a huge difference.

Cole Buchanan, the translator they had working with them, and James Dockery. This is at showing the rough-cut videos to the missionaries and subjects that participated this week in capturing the stories. [NIKON Z 6, VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 7200, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

Please stay tuned for the final videos. I will share them here when we have finished making the final edits.

We believe that packing all we could into one week on the field is worth the effort. We believe “we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Group Photo Tip: Create Windows

One of the most challenging things for photographers to photograph is large groups.

Communication is key to getting the best photo where you can see everyone’s face.

[NIKON Z 6, Sigma 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Manual, ISO 200, 1/200, ƒ/8, (35mm = 24)]

One of the best possible solutions is risers. They are often called CHORAL RISERS.

Even using these risers doesn’t solve the problems with people’s heads blocking the people behind them in a photo.

No matter how often I work to get things just right, there are always a couple of folks who move and think they are OK from their perspective.

The two guys on the back row here think they are OK since they can “see” me. It would help if you had each row create enough space between people that the distance between their heads creates a “Window” space for the people in the row behind them to stand.

[Nikon D5, Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4, ISO 100, ƒ/9, 1/80 – (2) Alienbees B1600 for fill]

Staggering people works, but telling the people on a row to help create a “Window” and have the 2nd row put their heads into those “Windows” can speed up lining people up for a group photo.

If you don’t have risers, create more space between people.

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Camera Insurance? I wasn’t Covered!!!

I discovered that while I was overseas for three trips this year, I wasn’t covered if my gear was lost, stolen, or damaged. I thought I had done everything right. I even wrote about it on this blog on how I screwed up.

August 1, 2012 I wrote this in my blog: [Camera Insurance]

Lesson Learned

A few years ago, I read on a photography forum how people were getting great deals through their State Farm Insurance representative. I was with State Farm for my house and cars then, so I called them.

I explained that I do not have a studio, do location work all over the country, and occasionally overseas travel.  I got a quote for about 1/3 of what I had been paying. I jumped on that and had the policy for more than two years.

Just change that “State Farm Insurance” to “Allstate Insurance.” The difference in how I got burned this time was that ASMP had listed them as a benefit.

Howard Burkholtz was the representative that I talked with about switching from Tom C. Pickard & Co.

I explained that I travel and do not work out of a brick-and-mortar business. I travel to my clients all over the world.

How it all went wrong

While in Trinidad teaching in the Storytellers Abroad workshop, I got up from my chair, and my foot caught the power cord plugged into HyperDrive – USB Type-C Hub, which also my 4TB Western Digital Hard drive was plugged into. The hard drive went crashing to the floor.

Not everything on the drive was there a second copy of the files. I sent it off to get recovered. I knew that the insurance was supposed to cover this.

Image result for western digital external hard drive 4tb

Well, I read in the policy they sent me to sign that the limit was $10,000 for data recovery. When I talked to the claims adjuster, they informed me it was only for $5,000.

I discovered that I wasn’t covered as told by the Allstate Representative.

When I just left my house, I was covered only by about 1/2 of the policy I had before. I also discovered that I was not covered at the requested replacement cost.

The worst thing is that I discovered that my camera gear was not covered overseas. I made three trips this year to Peru, Trinidad, and Chile. Had anything been damaged or stolen, I wasn’t covered.

So my coverage with Tom C. Pickard & Co. was around $800 a year. Allstate was initially quoting about $350. When they saw I also did a video that went up to $500.

Howard Burkholtz discovered the problem and was willing to find another policy to cover me as requested. He came back with a price of $1,800.

I canceled their policy and called Tom C. Pickard and company (http://www.tcpinsurance.com/). Allstate refunded me, and the new policy is right back to about $800 a year for all my $45,000 gear.

I learned even the insurance recommended by a professional association like ASMP could be bad for you. I recommend talking to other pros doing similar work as you and finding out what they are using.

Helping when someone isn’t ready to seek help

Where there is no guidance, people fall, but there is safety in an abundance of counselors.

Proverbs 11:14

One of the most challenging things I struggle with regarding my clients is wanting to help them, but I am not invited to the table.

Jeff Raymond listens to the story about Ashmir with the Storytellers Nathan Hiser and Lane Yoder during one of their many editing sessions. [NIKON Z 6, Sigma 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, ISO 16000, f/4, 1/250, Focal Length = 62]

I have learned from my 35+ years in the industry that I have what my friend calls “accumulated scar tissue.” I have seen so many things and been in so many planning meetings that I am bringing all of this to the table when I listen to your ideas.

Just on Facebook the other day, a photographer went to an event where they had the podium in front of a window. This makes it nearly impossible to get a good photo/video of the person on the stage. This is an excellent example that someone could have spoken into the planning that has the expertise of why you are doing the event – for media coverage.

Most of the time, people will not invite you in and hold a meeting to listen to you. They are not even going to invite you to the room.

They often fear that you may only give them suggestions that benefit you and not the organization. Even if you have built a reputation for giving them advice that doesn’t help you and them, they are still so cautious they are missing out on some counsel.

How to be present when the client isn’t showing interest

Be available – Do everything you can reasonably do without being a stalker to show you are there for them. Just check in with them. Be Supportive – You are not asking for work; you genuinely offer to help in any way possible.

Be Organic – Imagine allowing things to happen naturally, and things work out, and all you did was smile and watch. To do this, you must know what you can do. You let what is going to happen, happen. Accept the outcome, good or bad. Always try and learn from the situation. If you have this attitude, when your client talks about something they are working on, you will have the perfect opportunity to offer counsel.

Columbia Theological Seminary Classroom photos [NIKON D3S, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/500, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 300)]

Do your research – Nothing is worse than having an opportunity drop in your lap and ruin it. Those opportunities come seldom, so do your homework. This is very hard to do if no one lets you know what they are working on. This is like how the US monitors North Korea; they must ask China, Japan, and South Korea to give them intel.

Storytellers Abroad Multimedia Workshop Balkans [Fuji X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 1600, 1/100, ƒ/5, (35mm = 29)]

Model the behavior – Have you ever noticed that you want your client to open up so you can help, but you haven’t opened up for others to help you? This is probably my weakest area myself. Find someone you can talk to to help you think better and develop the necessary patience.

Set Boundaries – Realize your limitations. Don’t become a pest. You don’t want to put pressure on them in any way. They should never feel pressured by you.

Don’t Avoid Them – This is strange that I should mention this, but sometimes we treat our clients like they have lost a loved one or have cancer. We don’t know what to say, so we withdraw from them. Amazingly just being there for someone can mean sitting in silence with them. Having answers and ideas all the time isn’t as valuable as just knowing when you don’t have an idea.

Capturing the best “Moments” of Theatre

The photo above is from the photo call for Show Boat performance at East Carolina to open the new theater on April 3, 1982. The camera I shot that on was a Nikon FM2. I would have been using Kodak Tri-X film pushed to ISO 1600. The shutter speed would have been about 1/60 @ ƒ/2.8.

Everyone was in place and told to freeze. Notice how all the guy’s hats are in the same position. Would that happen in a natural scene? Why was this posed? In the 1980s, the film didn’t allow you to move much, or you were blurred.

Before writing this blog, I surveyed my professional photographer friends who shoot theater. No one doesn’t prefer shooting real-time action over staged moments.

The 1826 photo View from the Window at Le Gras took 8 hours to expose the first photograph ever shot. When Louis Daguerre introduced the daguerreotype in 1839, he managed to shave this time down to just 15 minutes.

Technology made it almost impossible to get action shots as they happen in a dress rehearsal or live theater.

I have been doing headshots for actors for 35+ years in this profession. Recently I tried to mix some real “Moments” into the photo shoots.

I asked the theater people to give me all their facial expressions in 30 seconds. Even if those photos taken during those 30 seconds didn’t turn out the best, the images that followed were far superior. The difference is going for a “real moment” and not a “posed one.”

Here is a blog post I did for actor headshots.

Oklahoma Performance
[NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 18000, 1/500, ƒ/5, (35mm = 155)]

In 2017 I photographed my daughter’s high school production of Oklahoma and was shooting the live performance. Here I froze the peak moment when a dancer was doing a split. This was not possible in 1982.

Until the Nikon D3 was introduced in 2008, the maximum ISO sensitivity setting that you might be able to shoot at was either 1600 or 3200 (depending on the model), and even then, not remarkably confidently.

I jumped from shooting ISO 1600 to ISO 12800. This was three full stops of ISO.

Today I have the Nikon D5 & Nikon Z6 and have had to use ISO 51200 or higher to get photos. Before now, they were not possible without a flash.

My daughter, the banshee, is on the back of Caleb Jackson, who plays a monster in the play “She Kills Monsters,” opening March 1 at CSU’s Riverside Theatre Complex. in Columbus, GA. [NIKON Z 6, Sigma 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, ISO 4500, f/4, 1/250, Focal Length = 48]

Nan Melville, who shoots for The Juilliard School performances, says, “shooting in real-time in rehearsal is important – Instead of stopping and having the actors pose. I never do that.” [Nan Melville’s performing arts photos]

Alan Goldstein says, “I’ve photographed many performances and preferred dress rehearsal because I could move around the theatre. However, I have also photographed live performances from the rear of the theatre. Nothing was staged for me, and I liked the spontaneity.” [Alan Goldstein’s work]

Jeff Widner said he shot these of the broadway show “Network” during the performance. Go here to see those photos.

Michelle Heimlich says, “I know Ball State University that I shot for 15+ years ago with the move to digital photography, has gone to all real-time photography instead of dress rehearsals.”

Spring Dance Concert at Columbus State University [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 120-300mm f/2.8G IF-ED, ISO 7200, ƒ/2.8, 1/800, Focal Length = 195]

Now when it comes to dancing, that takes things to a whole new level. If it were born in 1982 with my Nikon FM2, this photo would have been 1/2-second-long at ISO 1250 and ƒ/5.6. Also, that wouldn’t be in color. Back then, ISO for Color was about ISO 320. Your shutter speed would have been about 2 seconds.

Nan Melville says,

“With dance, I find it almost impossible to pose pix and can generally tell when I see a photo set up. Sometimes the set-up Photos with the elaborate background can be compelling, like the posters for ballet and opera, when done on a grand scale, if you know what I mean.

That is, with a setting and lights organized for a particular effect. However, these must be good, or I think they are fake.

A dancer recently asked me to take pictures during a performance because all the rehearsal pictures were so bad, and the absolute intensity did not show.”

She Kills Monsters [NIKON Z 6, Sigma 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 51200, 1/125, ƒ/4, (35mm = 28)]

Only recently has it been technically possible to capture the scene above that I did recently at the dress rehearsal for “She Kills Monsters.” ISO 51200 made this possible.

Show Boat at East Carolina University 1982

As you can see, the actors don’t have the emotion on their faces as they would have had during the actual scene. Stopping and posing make for poor aesthetic images.

Show Boat at East Carolina University 1982

It makes the actors look horrible. What I like about capturing a rehearsal and performance versus a photo call where we stop the scene for photos is that the emotions of the commission are lost.

Into the Woods Performances [NIKON D5, Sigma VR Zoom 120-300mm f/2.8G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 10000, 1/400, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 380)]

Getting high school performers to look accurate in posed photos is nearly impossible. This is why I love shots like this of high school performance.

Shuler Hensley Awards [X-E2, XF55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS, Mode = Normal, ISO 6400, 1/160, ƒ/4.4, (35mm = 212)]

“Photography is not like painting,” Henry Cartier-Bresson told the Washington Post in 1957. “There is a creative fraction of a second when taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative,” he said. “Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”

“To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event and of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.

Henry Cartier-Bresson

When theatre is done at its best, the storytelling becomes real and makes the audience feel. Their bodies will react to those scenes. Your body wants to run when the scary parts of the story are told and cries during the sad moment. You laugh at the times of humor.

Photography of the theatre should do the same. It should capture those peak moments and bring the audience into the moment. We kill the moment when we stop actors and tell them to hold a pose.

The TV Show Lie to me! is inspired by the work of Paul Ekman, the world’s foremost expert on facial expressions and a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.

The research is based on the fact that people have micro-expressions that happen only at about 1/30 of a second. I know that many seasoned photographers can anticipate these types of moments. When you freeze actors, you will never capture these micro-expressions, which bring a level to the performance of a scene that is not possible without the actors in full performance mode.

With today’s camera, the technology allows us to capture theater and dance live, which was not possible just a few years ago. If you want to fill those seats in theaters with paying customers, the only thing that many will see that will determine if they come is the photos that promote the performance. It would help if you had the best possible “Moment” to enable it.

Hire a photographer known for capturing the “Moment” with the gear to photograph in low light to get the best possible images to promote your performance.

Nikon Z6 on Beach Vacation

The photo above is of Brown Pelicans. The Brown Pelican is the only pelican that uses the plunge-dive while fishing. The bird flies some 20 or 30 feet above the water. [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 120-300mm f/2.8G IF-ED, Mode = Manual, ISO 800, 1/4000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 360)]

I love shooting with the Nikon Z6 camera during our family’s vacation at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

Leary Family Photo [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/1000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

Combining the Nikon Z6 with the Godox V860IIN flashes, I got some good group photos and portraits on the beach.

Stanley & Dorie [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/1000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 105)]

I love the ability to see what I am getting before shooting. Less chimping and checking the LCD. Also, using the Electronic View Finder, I can see what I am getting. While witnessing the histogram is always helpful, it is less necessary with the mirrorless than the DSLR.

Manzi Family [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/320, ƒ/6.3, (35mm = 75)]
Early morning walk on the beach at Ocean Isle, North Carolina. [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 110, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 48)]

I loved taking early morning walks each day carrying the Nikon Z6. I used the tilting LCD screen for this photo to get the camera low to the ground.

Early morning walk on the beach at Ocean Isle, North Carolina. [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 110, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 48)]

I enjoy the dynamic range that the camera is capturing as well.

Fisherman near the Ocean Isle Peer. [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/2000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 105)]

I love being able to capture the family as well in candids.

The annual jigsaw puzzle [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 2800, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

I like how the face recognition and eye tracking function works.

Adaline is shopping at Lowe’s in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, during our Leary Family Vacation. [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 3200, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 95)]
Ultra-light flying at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, during our Leary Family Vacation. [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/800, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 105)]
Early morning walk on the beach at Ocean Isle, North Carolina. Leary Family Vacation [NIKON Z 6, Sigma VR Zoom 24-105mm f/4G IF-ED, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 110, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 48)]

All positives so far in using the camera during our family vacation.

Shooting Wedding with Nikon Z6 – as a guest

Dorie & I enjoy dancing at the reception party for our niece at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 2500, 1/20, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

My niece, the bride, asked me to take some behind-the-scenes photos of the wedding. The venue had a package that included a photographer.

They wanted me to have fun as well. Dorie, my wife, officiated the service, and Chelle, my daughter, was the wedding soloist.

I am writing this blog for those interested in the newest mirrorless camera from Nikon, the Z6, and how I set it up and used it for this wedding photo shoot.

Rehearsal for the wedding at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 140, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 105)]

I brought a really small kit.

  • Nikon Z6
  • FTZ converter
  • Sigma 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0 Art
  • Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art
  • Godox 860II Nikon
  • Magmod Maggrip w/ Magsphere
Wedding Day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 35.0 mm f/1.4, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/500, ƒ/1.4, (35mm = 35)]

I love the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art BOKEH when shot wide open. With the new firmware 2.0 on the Nikon Z6, the eye tracking focus helps nail the eyes when focusing.

Wedding Day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 10000, 1/50, ƒ/7.1, (35mm = 24)]

I was in the room with the Groom and all his 16 attendants. Did I say this is the largest bridal party I have seen? 30 total. They have many friends and family, which is the best way to describe this problem.

The Sigma 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0 let me go from this broad group shot inside to much tighter shots of the Groom with individuals.

Wedding Day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/125, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 42)]

My Flash Settings on Nikon Z6

  • e1: Flash Sync Speed – 1/200s (Auto FP)
  • Auto ISO sensitivity control – Subject and Background

For the Godox flash, I set the compensation to -1.

Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 1250, 1/2000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

So during the wedding, it was raining. Just a few drops, but this tells you the type of light we had. I decided just to fill in to give a little pop to the photos. So outside, I was shooting at 1/2000 shutter speed with a flash.

Then I am inside shooting at ISO 10000 at a shutter speed of 1/50.

Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/30, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

It worked just great on the dance floor. Here I shot at ISO 6400 with a shutter speed of 1/30 to add a little action to the shots.

Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/30, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

I love shooting with the on-camera strobe in a situation like this. It lets me be sure there is light on the people and then allows me to record the background in natural lighting.

Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 5600, 1/250, ƒ/4, (35mm = 105)]

Sometimes the light was great without a flash. I just turned it off when I didn’t need it and turned it on as needed. The settings on the camera stayed the same.

Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/100, ƒ/7.1, (35mm = 105)]

I really love just taking photos as a guest and not the official photographer.

Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/125, ƒ/7.1, (35mm = 24)]

The other thing is if you know the people in the bridal party, you get different expressions than the official photographer can sometimes get.

Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/25, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 32)]
Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/125, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 28)]
Party at the end of the day at Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 1600, 1/1250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 82)]
Brunch Rehearsal [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 160, 1/320, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

I love the Nikon Z6 with the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 Art lens with the Godox V860IIN with the MagMod MagSphere for weddings. I think you can shoot 95% of the wedding with this setup. I think you need a long lens, like 70-200mm, for the ceremony.

The updated Adobe Lightroom is the other thing that really makes this system work. I love using three of the controls that, if used correctly, can help out some photos that, in the past, would have been so-so photos without these controls.

I love the Texture, Clarity, and Dehaze sliders. I cannot recommend them enough.

For sharpening, I hold the Option key on the Mac while sliding the Masking control.

I loved shooting the wedding with the Nikon Z6. I think a lot of wedding shooters will fall in love with the mirrorless Nikon Z6 as much as I have this year.

Interfaith Dialogue will enrich your own faith

Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.

President John F. Kennedy

The United States has been described as a “Melting Pot” and a “Toss Salad.” I prefer the “Toss Salad” better. We live in a very diverse country, and when you get to know your neighbor, this is a beautiful place to live.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms hosts Ramadan dinner for the Atlanta Muslim community at Atlanta City Hall [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 12800, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 32)]

Dorie Griggs, my wife, and I have been participating in Atlanta’s very diverse interfaith community for many years now. Dorie helped to produce an interfaith dialogue TV show, and I have helped by helping create websites and photograph these different organizations through the years.

Rev. Notasha Reid Rice – Ebenezer Baptist Church [NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 5600, 1/200, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 600)]

Last night Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms hosted a Ramadan dinner for the Atlanta Muslim community at Atlanta City Hall. The attendees were from many of the diverse faiths of Atlanta.

Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal – President of Atlanta’s Rabbinical Association [NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 8000, 1/200, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 380)]

The three Abrahamic faiths: 1) Muslim, 2) Judaism & Christianity, all had speakers at the event, and people from those communities of faith in attendance as well.

Imam Plemon El Amin – Imam Emeritus Atlanta Masjid of Al Islam and ISB Board of Directors [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 14400, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

From my time in dialogue with people of a different faith, I have discovered that we are more alike than others when it comes to living in the community. All religions hold education as core to their values, meaning their interest in public education is high.

Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood and Noor Abbady in Atlanta City Hall. [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 22800, 1/250, ƒ/4, (35mm = 52)]

While everyone enjoyed seeing their friends from their faith community at the Iftar Dinner, they were just as pleased to be in such a diverse community.

 Soumaya Khalifa Executive Director and Founder ISB Atlanta and Luisa Fernanda Cardona Deputy Director, Office of Immigrant Affairs –  Atlanta City Hall.
[NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 11400, 1/250, ƒ/4, (35mm = 62)]

What I love about the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta is that they care about the education of the faiths, not proselytizing. They realized that when we learn about the different religions, we start to see some of our common bonds.

They also realized that they needed to help create a safe dialogue space so that people could learn about their neighbors and not feel threatened by them.

 Dorie Griggs and Hiba Ghalib at Atlanta City Hall. [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 11400, 1/250, ƒ/4, (35mm = 42)]

“If you let it [United States] give in to us versus them, at some point, America won’t be America anymore.”

President Bill Clinton
Imam Plemon El Amin – Imam Emeritus Atlanta Masjid of Al Islam and ISB Board of Directors [NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 20000, 1/100, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 300)]

 When we think of Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world.  Billions of people find comfort and solace and peace.  And that’s made brothers and sisters out of every race — out of every race.

President George W. Bush

Interfaith dialogue is possible only when two convictions pre-exist in the participants:

  1. No participant is seeking to proselytize any other participant.
  2. The participants are persuaded of the inherent validity and integrity of all the faith groups involved in the dialogue and are persuaded that no group possesses total and absolute knowledge regarding the nature and works of God and human involvement with the Divine.
Mr. Hassan Faye – Youth Director, MAS Atlanta & his wife Khadija Abourawi [NIKON Z 6, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 40000, 1/250, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 24)]

There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions.

Hans Küng, Roman Catholic Theologian & Advocate for Interfaith Cooperation
Office of the Chief of Staff | Carmen Chubb, for the office of the mayor of the City of Atlanta Mayor was the keynote speaker. Keisha Lance Bottoms could not attend due to a fever and was advised by her doctor to rest. [NIKON D5, 120.0-300.0 mm f/2.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 10000, 1/200, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 600)]

I recommend you host a group like the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta’s Interfaith Speakers Network. It is a collaboration between the Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta (FAMA) and the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta (ISB).  The ISN provides opportunities to hear and interact with a panel of local practicing representatives from six faith traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. The meetings are educational and facilitate dialogue and understanding between different religions. In addition to sharing information, ISN panels showcase ways other faith traditions can work together. 

ISN programs promote religious pluralism by emphasizing shared values and practices and modeling respectful civil discourse when discussing our differences.

Close the deal with “Call to Action” in Storytelling

Uber asks, “Know where you are going but need a ride?” Then they offer you options.

Every time you talk to a client or a potential customer, you need to know your intent and the obstacles in your way or their way.

Cowgirl Barrel Racing at the 27th Annual Pana’Ewa Stampede Rodeo in Hilo, Hawaii. [NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 1600, 1/4000, ƒ/5.6, (35mm = 300)]

You need to have an objective in mind. For example, knowing where you want to go is the same as telling the Uber driver where your destination is to be for your trip.

In Barrel Racing, the rider wants to complete the course in the least amount of time, and the system is around three obstacles, which are barrels laid out in a triangle shape on the course.

When I am teaching storytelling, we use the same parts of the story that Aristotle outlined in Poetics. He wrote this around 335 BC. It is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory. But, again, the subject wants something, and there are obstacles to overcome to get it.

The tension is great for telling the core of any story, but the one missing thing companies and organizations must have for their storytelling is a “Call to Action.” So, now that you have heard this story, we want you to do something.

Traditional Advertising Call to Action
  • No obligation: “TRY” is in all caps; the email offers a full refund.
  • Usability: Directing Readers to click “Subscribe Now.”
  • Immediacy: The copy includes the phrase “right away,” and the Call to Action button uses “Now.”

The key to an effective Call to Action is to provide people with compelling reasons to ACT NOW rather than defer that action.

Avoid using a passive voice. Use action verbs.

Get straight to the point and make it short and sweet. 

Here is a trick that will make all your Call to Action successful. Start with the audience and the call to action. Then, find the story that will best emotionally connect with them to achieve your “Call To Action.”

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

The title is quote from Helen Keller.

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” 

Michael Jordan
[NIKON D5, 28.0-300.0 mm ƒ/3.5-5.6, ISO 110, ƒ/5.6, 1/100, 35mm Equivalent=300mm]

How does one learn? How do you grow? I believe the answers to these questions lie in our failures.

If you try and avoid all failures, you will take no risks. Without taking these risks, you cannot learn.

When watching a PGA golf tournament, you see the caddies and golfers referencing these notepads. They have the notes they have taken about the golf course. They are often called yardage books. Here is what they may look like.

Yardage Book

PGA golfers cannot play it safe and win a tournament. They take risks. To take those risks, they assess the ball’s lie and pick where they want to hit it. Those that win the tournaments take risks.

We often picture Tiger Woods hitting the green and sinking the put.

However, we forget how often he misses.

Rodeo Hawaii High School State Finals The Big Island Bull-riding

The reason bull-riding is a popular sport isn’t that it is easy to do. It is popular because it is hard to stay on a bull for 8 seconds.

Rewards come after the risks have been taken.

“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t over sell your camera to me

Originally posted this on the Facebook Group “Nikon Z6 Z7 Mirrorless Cameras”. This is a repost of it.

I am a little tired of seeing posts that oversell a camera. It comes off as a used car salesman. I think we need to be as transparent as possible on a camera’s merits.

Some people are looking to buy a camera and often are disappointed because they listened to some posts about selling a camera.

Nikon Z6 with Sigma 24-105mm ƒ/4

Nikon Z7/Z6 cameras are fantastic. I own the Nikon Z6.

We need to go back to the film cameras just before digital became prominent in 2002 to remember what I think we forgot.

We had several cameras back then.

  • Viewfinder
    • 8×10
    • 5×7
    • 4×5
  • Medium Format
    • 2-1/4″
    • 6×6
    • 645
    • 6×7
    • 6×9
  • 35mm

When digital came along, we tried to buy one camera to do it all. The reason was simple those first digital cameras cost as much as $25,000.

Today I think we have slowly returned to where we should be. Many cameras, like the film days, work great for certain types of photography, but there isn’t one camera that does it all.

I must admit that the Nikon D850 comes close to doing it all.

After the Digital revolution in photography, we have the mirrorless revolution.

If you do this for a hobby, you will most likely buy a good digital camera that meets your needs.

If you are a pro or an amateur with the means to buy more than one camera, you will buy at least a backup camera. Then you add those unique cameras for the things that work best.

Many pros don’t buy every camera they will use. Many rent those high-end medium format cameras for those jobs that need that resolution.

Regarding Nikon Cameras for the advanced amateur or pro, here is how I break down the Nikon Line.

Nikon D5 – The ideal camera for a photojournalist. They are asked to shoot just about everything. They need a great sports camera, suitable for portraits, low light shooting, and video. A buffer of 200 RAW images is fantastic—also XQD Card Slots for speed.

Nikon D850 – This is one of the best cameras for almost anything. I believe the Nikon D5 is better for sports due to its low light and frame rates. The enormous resolution of this camera is a must for the landscape and commercial photographer who needs to make super large prints. Great for video

Nikon D750 is a great full-frame camera, but the buffer is small at 6.5 fps. It has many low-light capabilities like the D850, just not the resolution. It is the entry-level of the full frame.

Nikon D500 – While this is a smaller DX format is is pretty much the Nikon D5 in a smaller DX format

Nikon Z7 – This is the mirrorless version of the D850. Due to the DSLR’s focus, it isn’t the same, but close. The fact it has more focus points in some ways is better. Picking this camera over the D850 is for all the reasons mirrorless has advantages over DSLR.

Nikon Z6 – While very similar to the D750, the buffer is more significant than the Z6. This might be the best video camera as far as mirrorless on the market. It has a higher frame rate than the Z7 and ISO than the Z7. I bought it for those two reasons.

Why I like mirrorless

  • Seeing what you are getting
    • White Balance
    • Depth-of-field
    • Exposure
  • Quieter even with mechanical shutter
  • Less need to Fine Tune Auto Focus
  • Optional electronic shutter
  • Lighter
  • More focus points
  • Face and Eye recognition
  • No need for extra gear when doing video

Significantly, you are getting sports images with your camera. It is excellent that you can make huge prints from your smaller sensor.

When you start to compare your camera by saying, who said my ______ Camera couldn’t shoot __________ is the same as saying my Nikon ______ is as good as the Nikon __________.

That is what I have a problem with.

Show off your beautiful images. Talk about the love of your camera. Just don’t try and say your camera does everything that the entire Nikon line of cameras does because it doesn’t.

The closest camera to doing that was the Nikon D850, but even it has some limits.

In my opinion, no one camera does it all.