Chelle, our daughter, is excited to meet Snow White and show her she is in her shoes at Disney World at Magic Kingdom. [Nikon D100, 24-120mm, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/180]

Do you remember meeting your hero? Our daughter had just turned four years old when we were visiting Disney World. She was usually dressed in pink but loved her Disney princess sneakers.

She ran over to Snow White to talk to her. Snow White even came out of character for a brief moment when Chelle told her to have a Happy Thanksgiving.

The Disney Princess Alice in Wonderland wasn’t just staying on script. They interacted with my daughter where she was and made her day. Isn’t that what happens to our hero.

For my daughter, she fell in love with their stories. Isn’t that how it happens no matter our age? We fall in love with their account.  We want to meet them and interact with them.

I created a group called FOCUS. It stands for Fellowship of Communicators Uniting Socially. We are professional communicators who meet in various locations around Atlanta throughout the year to support each other and our work.

I had reached out to Billy Howard, Billy Weeks, and Robin Nelson in the past to speak to the group. This is the first time that all three have agreed to be our keynote speakers.

All three of them are my Storyteller Heroes.

Here I am with two of my other Storyteller heroes, Bill Bangham and Eugene Richards.

There is one thing to see your Hero from afar, and it is quite another thing to meet them and ask questions.

This Saturday, I will have an opportunity not just to see Billy Howard, Billy Weeks, and Robin Nelson but also to ask them some questions that have been on my mind.

You are also invited to see their work and hear them talk about what they do in Storytelling.

Go to the FOCUS Facebook Page for more details and how to get there.

You can show up and hang out with us, or you can let me know today you are coming, and I will have a FREE Chick-fil-A Meal for you. I have to know today to have the meal for you.

If your plans change and you can join us, please show up tomorrow.

Here are some tips for meeting your Hero:

Be a photojournalist – Take lots of candid photos. Tell a story with them. Capture emotion, not just posed smiles. Include shots of the venue to set the tone of your account. The little details matter. By doing this, you’ll be able to look back at your photos and relive the experience.

Stop taking photos – Don’t forget why you’re there. Put the camera down, breathe deeply, and let your gratitude fill you. Look around at everyone else and know that you are sharing a special moment. Be present.

If you speak with your hero – do one or more: express gratitude, ask a good question, say something funny, or share a short but fantastic story about how your hero changed your life.

If you don’t know about these guys’ work, go to their websites and learn all you can. They each have a following, and clients seek them out for their projects. Come and know why they are so special. I promise I will tell you more about them at the event.

“What’s the best type of lens for the city at night?” This is one of the variations of the question on the best lens for the question that I see pop up on photography groups all the time. Then the responses are so predictable.

“A 23mm f2 is fine. A faster lens will give you a bit more latitude, but I’ve had great results with my 35mm f2.” is one of the responses.

There is no best lens for everything. There is the best lens for what you are trying to accomplish in a specific photo.

Just as there is no best bike for world-class bicyclists. Bicycles are custom-made for a bicyclist when you are at the world-class level.

The correct answer depends not only on what you are shooting but on how you are interpreting the scene. I shoot skylines with wide to telephoto for example.

I have seen great shots from about every lens. You don’t need a fast lens either. That is a myth. People have been shooting night scenes with tripods since the beginning of photography when ISO didn’t get above ISO 20. Today with a camera that goes to ISO 102400 it frees up the photographer to not have to always shoot wide open aperture.

Now, this photo of a rodeo at night was shot at ISO 64000, ƒ/2.8 @ 1/2500. Now if you were just shooting photos around the stadium of people watching then you don’t have to shoot the higher ISO or the higher shutter speed.

Same rodeo and I caught the sun dipping into the sunset and shot ISO 640, ƒ/1.8 @ 1/160. Due to the ISO capabilities of the camera, I could have shot this at ƒ/22 @ ISO 81920 and the same shutter speed of 1/160.

If you want to get the shot versus getting a style of a shot then zoom lenses are great. I find that the combination of Nikon 14-24mm and the Nikon 28-300mm will let me get just about any photo I need for a client on a photo shoot.

Here is a recent blog where I talk about using just those two lenses for shooting an assignment.

What about primes?

Now there is another reason to use a different lens–Special Look. I think shooting with the Sigma 35mm ƒ/1.4 gives you a beautiful look.

You isolate the subject very easily at ƒ/1.4. However, you also need to have your focus locked in on those eyes and shoot quickly before they or you breathe again. The depth-of-field is razor sharp and thin at the same time.

The other lens I love to shoot with is the Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8. I used to own the ƒ/1.4 earlier version, but after shooting with the much lighter ƒ/1.8 I fell in love with the look and the lens.

What about Wide Angle versus Telephoto?

Should you use a Telephoto lens or a Wide-Angle lens? Well, that all depends.

Here I walked across the street and up a small hill and shot back at all the First 100 Campers sleeping over the night in the parking lot for the Grand Opening of Chick-fil-A at Northeast 8th Street in Bellevue, Washington. The First 100 get free Chick-fil-A for a year.

I think I did a great job of showing the campers in front of the store.

Here I walked a lot closer and shot it with the 14-24mm at 14mm to emphasize all the tents in the parking lot.

Which photo is better?

Well, that all depends on what you are trying to say. The real reason I am covering this story is that Chick-fil-A is just now with this Grand Opening getting into the Seattle, Washington market.

I think the first photo shows the city of Bellevue and even the corporate offices of Microsoft just next door to Chick-fil-A. The lower photo could almost be shot anywhere because the emphasis is more about what is the same at the grand openings–tents in parking lots.

Now if I were to only need one photo I would shoot the top photo, but I am a seasoned journalist and know to cover it completely, so I shoot them all and even more angles. This is critical when you are telling the story. This is especially true in multimedia where you may show both with other photos in a series. You may talk about the campers and how this is in the city of Bellevue.

The question is not just which is best but why not shoot both and then decide later as you figure out what you want to say. Maybe you will need both.

A great question about which lens might be which lens did Henri Cartier-Bresson use when he did the picture of the guy jumping the puddle? That is trying to find the lens that helped him get that photo.

I would follow that question up with why is that a good lens for that photo and could other lenses work just as well? This is how you learn.

This is the Halema‘uma‘u Crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii [Fuji X-E3, 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/6.4, 1/6]

It is tax time, and this can be like a volcano for those who own their own business. Did you pay enough last year, or will you owe more? Did you set aside enough money, or did you have circumstances like a medical emergency that took your money?

Hawaii was formed out of the ocean by a volcano. Kilauea has been continuously erupting since 1983, which is in the photo above.

Maybe your life is like the Kilauea Volcano erupting. I believe more people are experiencing volcanoes than peaceful calm waters in their lives.

When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. – Peter Marshall

Maybe you are seeking those calm waters and taking longer showers to help ease the stress on your mind.

Many know that being around water makes us calmer and more creative. Science knows it, too: A recent study even showed that people who live near the ocean report less stress and better health than those who don’t.

While going to the beach or sitting by a waterfall can be therapeutic, you still have stress if the stress trigger is still there.

The pressures of life can overwhelm us if we let them. In my faith, when tensions mount, we are taught to go to the Lord in prayer.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Now all of this can sound quite pious. Quoting some scriptures and saying trust God will heal you is, in my opinion, useless, even if it is true. You are hurting, and life is overwhelming.

I want to be very honest that I think often life can suck at times.

James 1:2-4
2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Often I found that by blowing my own horn, I have created a problem. This is usually done when I am trying to compensate over. You know when you are trying everything you can to land a job with a client.

See if any of these might be something you have dealt with as a freelancer this past year.

Lost a client because your contact changed jobs
A client went out of business.
A client decided to go in a new direction.
Your computer crashed, and you had to repair or replace it.
Your camera had to be repaired.
You lost images due to a bad memory card or hard drive failure.
Your competition has upgraded their gear while your gear is ancient.
You had a medical emergency this past year.
You lost a family member.
You experienced a mental health crisis for yourself, your family, or a client.
Your transportation failed this past year. You had significant car repairs or had to replace a car.

This is by no means an exhausted list of all the stresses of life that I have personally experienced or had some close friends go through this past year.

The hardest thing I experience isn’t the things I cannot control, but when I make a mistake, it causes me problems. This is the one I beat myself up on over and over.

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”

― Marcus Aurelius

Togo, West Africa [Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm ƒ/4, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/100]

When I think of the developmentally disabled, I think of people with disabilities that put them in wheelchairs.

In Togo, I saw many people in handmade wheelchairs. They had three wheels with a bicycle chain on the front wheel where they could peddle with their hands and steer their cart.

Another type of disability I think of is being blind.

I think of the people needing Braille to read.

I think of someone using a very crude technology and creating the bumps on the page that can then help a blind person read.

Today I think for the first time, I see most of the people I know now having more in common with the disabled than ever in my lifetime.

If you took away your smartphone and computer, could you function today in our society?

We are more handicapped today than at any other time in my life when it comes to getting things done. We need our technology.

Maybe you will be a little more compassionate when you see someone struggling who may need some technology to help them function in today’s society.

Chick-fil-A Spicy Deluxe Sandwich [NIKON D4, 24.0-105.0 mm f/4.0, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 1400, 1/250, ƒ/4, (35mm = 105)]

When I go to my Chick-fil-A restaurant and ask for my favorite Spicy Deluxe w/ Pepper Jack cheese, they are not telling me how much time it took to make the sandwich and how much tomatoes, lettuce, pepper jack cheese, Chicken, bread, butter, and all the coatings cost and that being the total price. They tell me the price.

Freelancers need to learn from other industries. Other Chick-fil-A Franchise owners are the only people talking to each other about what it costs to make the sandwich. The public doesn’t understand all those numbers.

That information is part of the formula to get the price of their sandwich. That is the point I am making here. The actual costs are part of the formula that gives you a total.

Now for up-selling restaurants, put together packages. Do you want the meal or just the sandwich? The meal comes with fries and a drink.

This is how freelancers should be talking about their prices.

Create a base price, medium price, and high price.

Do you want the basic sandwich or the deluxe? Do you enjoy the meal?  Would you like the small, medium, or large?

So the point here is you need to know your costs, but don’t talk to your clients about your hourly or daily rate. Talk to them about a basic, medium, or large package.

I hope this helps you know how to price yourself for the public better.

Our trip around The Big Island of Hawaii [Fuji X-E3, 10-24mm ƒ/4, ISO 200, ƒ/7.1, 1/400 – Godox V860IIN + Godox X1NT]

Just last week Dorie and I enjoyed our trip to The Big Island of Hawaii where I was teaching for Dennis Fahringer’s School of Photography 1 at the University of Nations.

We enjoyed our time seeing the sights of the island.

No matter where we went others were touring as well and Dorie was offering to take their pictures for them.

There are safe viewing areas for most of the beauty of Hawaii, but there are also dangerous spots marked due to people who have died in those locations doing what they tell you not to do.

Now for our trip around the Island, I was carrying two cameras and three lenses.

Fuji X-E2, Fuji X-E3, 10-24mm, 18-55mm & 55-200mm.

With the 55-200mm on the Fuji X-E3, I was able to get a good video of the Volcano at sunset.

Shooting with the Fuji the 200mm is 300mm due to the sensor being a cropped sensor.

We stopped and visited with my friend Tom Butler a coffee farmer. His coffee won 2nd best in the cupping contest for Kona coffee. If you want some great 100% Kona coffee you can go to his website http://paradisefoundhawaii.com.

The main reason I am shooting with the Fuji on the trip around the Island and not the Nikon D5 is the weight and size. I wanted a compact system.

I was able to take wonderful photos in almost every kind of light on our trip. One of the stops I always make is to Ken’s House of Pancakes in Hilo.

Another of the stops that we made and we had been there before 12 years ago was the Hawaii Tropical Gardens near Hilo.

We also celebrated my birthday at Kona Brewery where the entire restaurant sang Happy Birthday to me.

Dorie enjoyed the beaches while I was teaching Lighting and Business Practices to the School of Photography at the University of Nations.

While I taught students how to shoot in a photo studio I also took them on location for lighting class.

As you can see we had lots of fun.

One of the students wanted to know how I stay inspired and going to Hawaii and seeing all the beauty of the island and the people is one of the ways I stay inspired.

Six years ago when teaching lighting to the School of Photography 1 in Kona Gary S. Chapman’s daughter Sara helped as part of the staff for class. Sometimes she was a model for the students. This is one of the assignments I used to give where the students were mixing flash with available light. In this photo, Hasting Franks took the photo as other classmates tossed water onto Sara.

This was where the student’s used a studio monobloc light to overpower the sun to shoot the assignment.

Today more students are using the Godox because it is more affordable than their Sony, Nikon, Canon, or Fuji brand flashes.

I did a post not too long ago using them to light the soccer players.

Here is the lighting setup for both of those soccer photos:

For the assignment shoot this week in Kona, Hawaii we were illustrating how to improve a difficult available lighting situation like this one here.

To do the assignment this year I took the class to the coffee shop on campus where it had been raining. I picked a situation where the off-camera flash could improve the lighting in a situation. Here you can see that one lady is backlighted and the other lady has a light on her face from the window.

On the far left you can see not just the Godox V860IIN but the instructor for the school Dennis Fahringer getting a photo of me demonstrating this to the class behind me.

Here you can see how much the off-camera Godox V860IIN flash helped the photo.

The assignment PDF is here for you.

They have to first take a photo where there is no flash and then take a second photo where the flash improved the photo.

They are also making an environmental portrait. An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings. The term is most frequently used in a genre of photography.

We went outside as well to demonstrate how someone sitting in the shade would benefit from an off-camera flash. I instruct the students to put the flash so it forms a triangle between the subject and the camera.

A good starting place is always at 45º, but they can put the light anywhere to help improve the lighting.

Here you can see the after shot showing better lighting on the face. Also, you can see Dennis taking more photos of the teaching time with the students.

I was using a wide-angle lens to capture the environment around the subject.

A couple of years ago I changed the assignment from just a mixed lighting assignment to more of an environmental portrait. In 2016 I walked around the campus doing a similar exercise and here is that post for you.

Godox V860IIN + Godox X1NT

This is the very first year where almost all the students had bought a similar flash. Most of the students have the Godox V860II + Godox X1T for their brand of camera.

Most all the students are shooting this assignment with the speed lights that they own rather than using the studio strobes that are available as well. No one wants to carry around the heavier gear if the lighter gear will do the job.

GODOX X1-N FEATURES

Godox 2.4GHz RF Radio System
Range – 100m +
Flash Modes – iTTL / M / OFF
HSS to 1/8000th
Second Curtain Sync
FEC / FEB – 1/3rd Increments (±3 Stops)
FEL (Flash Exposure Lock)
Manual Flash – 1/128 – 1/1 Output (1/3rd Increments)
Remote Flash Zoom (Auto / Manual) (Global for All Groups Only)
Group Mode – 5 Groups A / B / C / D / E (D & E Are Remote Manual Only)
32 Channels
Large LCD Display with Back Light
HSS Delay Setting – 0~19.9ms, (100us Increments)
Modeling flash
Auto Memory Function
AF Assist light (With an On/Off Switch)
Wireless Shutter Release
Micro USB Port for Firmware Upgrades
Transmitter PC Sync Port – Input & Output
Receiver 2.5mm Sync and Shutter Release Port – Output

Photographing Island Breeze Dancer Victoria Taimane Kaopua while showing the class at Youth With A Mission Photo School 1 how to use off-camera strobe. [Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm ƒ/4, ISO 400, ƒ/5.6, 1/1600 – 2 Godox V860IIN + Godox X1NT with CTO +1 gel]

Last night I worked with Island Breeze dancer/singer Victoria Taimane Kaopua at the Old Kona Airport along the beach. I am teaching lighting this week at the University of the Nations-Kona, School of Photography I.

Last night I was teaching them off-camera flash and mixing it with daylight.

You are seeing three flashes on the left 2 Godox V860IIN and Flashpoint XPLOR 600 HSS TTL Battery-Powered Monolight with Built-in R2 2.4GHz Radio Remote System – Bowens Mount (AD600 TTL). Both systems work together using the Godox X1NT. They make this so these will work with Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Fuji. When you buy them just get the one for your system.

In the first photo, the only flashes firing are the smaller speed lights and not the larger studio strobe.

I start with a photo of the dancer with out flash and then I add the light.

My friend Dave Black likes to call this the Silhouette and Reveal.

I would show the students some of the shots as I was working.

I also was showing the model dancer the photos.

Today we will go over the photos in our class and I will see how many students paid attention to the conversations I had with the dancer and when I showed her photos. I will ask them why I did this. Do you know why?

The dancer and I were working together to make the photo. I was able to show her what I was getting hoping to get her more excited about the shoot and engage her more in the process.

We will talk about composition today as well as the lighting.

We are also going to talk about VALS today. That is a Voice Activated Light Stand, which is having someone hold your flash and adjust it when you ask.

Besides it helping you it also gets people involved and creates excitement for everyone because they are now helping you and are a part of the process.

If you want to do this with me give me a call and we can organize a photo shoot with your friends in your hometown.

Impact 360 Institute’s Campus Expansion Dedication [Nikon D5, 14-24mm ƒ/2.8, ISO 2200, ƒ/8, 1/100]

One of the types of photography I do a great deal of for clients in event coverage. This is the type of coverage that you are capturing the photos with available light and an occasional on-camera flash for a quick grip and grin.

In these situations, you need to go as wide as possible to pretty close up. I find that the Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8 is the best lens for capturing those super wide and wide-angle shots.

With a new campus dedication, I needed to show tour groups going through and around the new campus. I used the 14 -24mm to capture the room interiors with people to give a sense of perspective and to capture as much of the room as possible.

Now I was also using the 28-300mm because I was needing to capture moderate to telephoto shots of people around the campus and the speakers at a podium.

Now, this lens combination works great for just about any situation. Now for a smaller venue, I am often using the Sigma 24-105mm ƒ/4 when I just want to carry one camera.

If you are to cover things where you have speakers and need to capture rooms where you cannot back up enough then the 14-24mm and 28-300mm lenses will help you do a great job.

I am also loving my Fuji X series cameras and lenses. I am finding shooting with the Fuji X-E2/X-E3 with the 10-24mm and the 55-200mm lenses will give you a similar lens coverage.

The Fuji is a much lighter system than the Nikon.

It is much easier to walk around at an event all day with the Fuji system.

I haven’t tried the Fujifilm XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS. I would love to try this with some high school football games to see if it could work. However, I am super confident with the Nikon D5 & Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 with the TC-2001 converter keeping up with the action.

I am also more pleased with the Nikon D5 having microphone and headphone jacks for recording video. The Nikon D5 is the camera system that does it all and my only complaint is the weight.

My recommendation is to have lenses for covering events that are at least 20mm wide to 30mm for a full-frame camera. As far as a camera I cannot see ever buying a camera today that doesn’t have an ISO of at least 51200 and a low of 100. This will let you shoot in almost every situation without the need for a flash. The reasons I use my flash today are to add light to improve the photo where often there is no light.

Shooting events requires you to be ready for just about everything, so be sure you have the lenses, camera, and flash to deliver to the client.

I bought the Fujifilm 10-24mm ƒ/4 lens. It translates to a 15-36mm (35mm Equivalent) lens.

I have advised many photographers looking for smaller systems like the Fuji mirrorless camera. Many of my friends have already had this lens in their bags for a while, but I finally picked this up, and before using it on a paying job, I am just shooting test shots.

My test shots are not portfolio shots.

I am just shooting things to get a feel for the depth-of-field and how it focuses, which is super fast and quiet on the Fuji X-E3.

This is one of my favorite zoom ranges. I like to use a great deal. I have the Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8 that I use on my Nikon D5, which is like a center block compared to the Fuji X-E3 and the 10-24mm.

I love just taking photos all the time. It is not just my profession but also my hobby. However, I am not a fan of the weight of the Nikon D5 cameras and lenses. I trust them a lot more than the Fuji, but this has more to do with having 35+ years of experience with my Nikons.

When someone pays me to shoot an assignment for them, they are paying me to know what my gear will do and for my creative instincts. Whenever you buy new equipment, always take it for a good number of test drives, so you know any quirks before you find out about the paying job.

Stay tuned for more photos from my new Fuji X-E3 and my new 10-24mm ƒ/4 lens. I am off to Hawaii in a few weeks and can’t wait to see how they do around the Big Island.

I am my family’s visual historian. I take photos and give them away to my family all the time. Thanks to social media, there is a good chance these may be seen and enjoyed more than when I shot the film, and they went into a family photo album.

While I am not working on an assigned story, I still capture our family’s story in moments. The cool thing with social media is our ability to match words with those pictures.

I still take those formal photos of our families, but the living life photos capture the personalities of each person, in my opinion, so much more.

This role often means you are just observing, but I believe long into the future, when I am no longer here, my family will cherish these and learn about their ancestors.

My mother’s dad was always documenting his family and my dad.

I grew up every Christmas with my dad having these lights pointed at us as we walked into the room. I am not sure I saw anything for a few moments. It was so bright.

This is one of the rare moments where my wife Dorie has been with two of her sisters. While getting to see them was excellent, capturing the moment for us to remember makes this so we can tell the generations who their family is and how they are all related.

Here are a few tips to make you a better visual family historian.

• Take lots of photos of your family.
• Share your photos with your family. USB Jump Drives are good.
• Use metadata to put the text with each photo. For example, be sure you have the occasion and the names of the people in the image.
• Put your photos in some storage system like Google Drive, DropBox, or other online services.
• Create photo books. I use Blurb http://www.blurb.com/user/stanleyleary.

One of the best things you can remember is how you captured your family for everyone to enjoy now and for eternity.