Metal.

Leather case.

Dust.

And in that moment – I HAD to go buy a roll of film. Except I had to wait as we were traveling.

Fast forward a week… I look over at my new found friend, sitting quietly on a black bookcase, looking a bit forlorn. I picked him, yes, it’s a him…I picked him up and went on a quest to find the relic known as – film. My quest brought me to the ever so underwhelming, big box store that I truly despise. Success. For just $3.69, 24 exposures were all mine.

The feeling of loading the film, shutting the case and creating images with this antique, quirky little metal hunk of a camera reminded me of so much. It was like I was 13 years old all over again. It was a feeling of complete and utter glee. If I was to say I was elated, it would be a MASSIVE understatement. I was addicted. It wasn’t just a spark of creativity – it was a full blown fire.

Head. Over. Heels. In love. I tell you.

I went through the 24 frames, hoping for anything to come out. I wanted this camera to work so badly. I rushed out the second I finished and dropped it off for 1-hour development.

Drumroll, please…..

And… Epic fail. It was completely blank. Wah…wah…wah… There was good news, we think that it was operator error. Which shouldn’t be something to celebrate, but I did a little happy dance nonetheless. It appears that I incorrectly loaded the film. At least I am still telling myself that, so that Mr. Agfa still has his chance to shine. And shine he will…Or I will place him on a shelf and purchase a more functional less quirky film camera.

Mr. Agfa you’ve been warned.

And then I lost it…Big, alligator sized tears welled up in my eyes.

It was the most beautiful sight. These two people have loved each other, life and their family like no other. I was looking at the living definition of what true love is. That kind of love is so precious, so rare. It brought tears to my eyes in that moment and as I am writing this post now. I don’t know how I got to be so lucky to be surrounded by that kind of unconditional love.

I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life.

The above image is a 12×18 canvas, featuring 7 coordinating images. This canvas is ready to hang with the mounting bracket already attached. For a modern look it can also easily be displayed on a side table or resting on a mantle.

The above image shows a 20×20 storyboard canvas, featuring up to 37 images.

Because I am so excited about these new items, I’m offering a 72 hour SALE!!!!! Save $100 off any of my two new canvas collages! Email – shannonrosan@gmail.com to order

12×18 – Regular Price – $325.00
Sale Price – $225

20×20 – Regular Price – $425.00
Sale Price!!! – $325.00 

And!!!! I’m giving away 1-12×18 canvas collage – FREE  - to one lucky winner!! Here’s what you need to do to win -

1. Share on facebook, twitter, and/or blog the contest with a link back to my blog.

2. Tag me on facebook and/or twitter (twitter handle, @srosan)

3. Come back to my blog and leave a comment showing me where you linked back to this post.

4. Contest ends, Wednesday, May 16.

Annnnddd… GO!

Into the Great Wide Open

Shooting with very low apertures (like 1.4) creates absolutely beautiful, atmospheric images. Where just one small, yet important area is in focus and everything else fades into a soft blur, also known as bokeh. These f/stops can be difficult to work with. Below are my tips for attaining sharp focus with wide apertures.

My Top 5 Tips for Shooting with Wide Apertures

Like many things I’ve learned my technique for shooting with wide apertures through trial and error…lots of error. Through that error I have found my top advice for getting tack sharp images at f/1.4.

1. I set my focus mode to Continuous Focus. I love having Continuous Focus set when shooting with low f/stops because it is constantly adjusting focus, which is great because if your subject moves just a hair continuous focus mode will adjust for that and thus give you a sharp image.

2. I set my AF Sensor Mode Switch to multi-point. I then take my focus point and align it over, for example, my subjects eye. Having the focus point exactly where I want it is crucial to getting tack sharp images with low f/stops.

What happens when the area you’d like in doesn’t land in one of the focus points? The best way to adjust for that is to focus with that point on your subject and then very carefully shift on a straight plane either horizontally or vertically based on your composition. You want to keep your lens on an imaginary flat plane when doing this technique so that your distance to your subject doesn’t change. If you happen to angle your camera up or down – you have now changed the distance to your subject, which means the image will be out of focus.

3. Distance is a factor. The closer you are to your subject = less depth of field. Which means it will become more difficult to get a tack sharp image as the area of sharp focus may be down to millimeters. Conversely, if you move away from your subject your area of focus will increase. For a very precise and techy manual you can check out this depth of field calculator – here.

4. Take into consideration the amount of light hitting the lens. If you are shooting back-lit, with lots of sun flares, that flood of light will reduce your area of focus greatly.

5. Practice, practice and then practice some more

Technical info : Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 – ISO 200 – f/1.6 – 1/400

Ridiculous, I know. But Sammie and Olive just melt my heart.

Over the weekend Milan and I stayed with a friend in Redding. Before heading up there we dropped off Sammie and Olive with my amazing in-laws to play with their jack russell terriers. When I say play, I mean…run non-stop across their 5 acre property from sunup to sundown. To say they love it there is an understatement.

Then Sunday, Milan got a call from his mom. The tone of his voice changed and the air got sucked out of the room. My heart raced – I was terrified something happened to our little pups.

Milan’s mom, Sherry, informed us that Sammie and Olive got into rat poison.

We piled our stuff into our car and left immediately to pick up the dogs and take them to our vet. The air was thick with worry as we drove down I-5. No music played. Hardly anything was said. We had one goal – make sure Sammie and Olive were going to be okay.

Thank you Sherry, from the bottom of my heart for saving Sammie & Olive. Sherry called poison control and followed their instructions to minimize poisoning. To quote our vet, ‘We should hire her. She did a fantastic job.’

Sammie and Olive are doing fine. Olive is currently sleeping at my feet as I write this post, and Sammie is snoozing on the couch.

We are so incredibly thankful.

A Back Story…

When first learning photography, I was extremely focused on the technical. Getting the exposure right. Making sure I had a good composition. The standard things to create a descent image. As the years progressed, I wanted more from my images. I wanted them to go beyond just a ‘pretty picture.’ To say something about the person. To show emotion. Images that had that certain something that drew you in. A feeling that is beyond words.

I tried all the posing techniques out there…Still, something was missing.

The Missing Piece

I was the missing piece. Not a posing technique. Not a better composition. Not a fancy photoshop action.

It was me.

To create images with connection and emotion – I needed to truly connect, relate and understand – who my clients are.

So, how does one do that? Always, meet with your clients long before the photo shoot and talk. And talk…and then talk some more. When I say talk, I mean let them do all the talking. That way you can find out what they’re passionate about and who they are. Now, in a one hour meeting will you find out absolutely everything about them? No. But it will give you a fantastic start in understanding their personality. It’s also a good time to see if – you – connect with them. If you are feeling like they aren’t a good fit, chances are you are right. That lack of connection will show through in your images.

This is only the first step, and far easier of the two…

Who YOU Are Matters

You’re personality, your attitude on life and who you are as a person – greatly affect your images. There are pieces of the photographer in all of their images. As an example, if you are a very bubbly, bright, happy person, you most likely have images that reflect that view on life.

If you are struggling with getting your clients to connect and relate to you. Really take a look at how you are feeling at the shoot. Are you nervous? Unsure of yourself? Do you honestly care about who these people are? These things will block you from creating emotional images.

To quote the amazingly talented photographer, Jerry Ghionis, “To be a better photographer – You need to be a better person.”

Amen, Jerry…Amen.

If singing completely off key wasn’t enough…Currently, in a monotone speaking voice I like to repeat just one line from a song to Milan. Usually for no reason. Just to make him laugh. At the moment, I like to randomly interject – ‘Hey, I heard you were a wild one’ from Flo Rida’s hit song, Wild Ones. I think this may be slowly driving Milan completely mad. Time will tell.

When I’m not singing – I’m dancing. Usually in my office. I like to edit to music…typically bad music. The type of music, if I had to equate to food…Is more fast food than fine dining. And fast food music – definitely lends itself to dancing. A little Keisha and LMFAO never hurt anyone. Right? …I may need to rethink that statement.

Little, 17 pound Olive, well she loves dubstep. Totally fits her high energy personality. Not to mention her style of dancing, which includes randomly spinning in circles and jumping.

She Dj’s on weekends.

Chelsea and Jeff were married a year ago at The White Ranch in Chico, Ca. In celebration of their first year of marriage Chelsea contacted me for an anniversary shoot. AND! It was to take place at her grandparents 2,500 acre ranch in Benecia, Ca. As I drove up to the ranch I was met with a seemingly endless view of softly rolling hills of green, oak trees that were shaped by the wind and old dairy barns.

It was photography Heaven.

Sympathize with Your Client

As a professional photographer it is extremely easy to forget what it is like – to be photographed. The nerves. Wondering if the pose I am doing is what the photographer wants. Am I making a goofy face. And, to quote Will Farrell from Talladega Nights, ‘I don’t know what to do with my hands.’

Having the tables turned helps build an understanding of what my client is going through. During the session of having my photograph taken – I take mental notes to implement when I am back in the role of photographer. Being able to relate to your client and their experience will make you a better photographer. It will help you find ways to direct, communicate and pose better.

If you can’t afford to hire another professional photographer, I would encourage you to reach out into your network of fellow photographers who you are friends with and offer to photograph them in exchange. If you don’t have that network, I strongly recommend building one. It may seem difficult to connect at first, but once you find that one person you really ‘click’ with (yay photography pun!) it will snowball from there.

So, get out there and practice. That relating and understanding will help you better connect to your client. And that connection is what takes images to another level.

Truthfully…I wanted it because of the color. Practicality and style have been waging a war inside me for a long time. Style tends to kick practicality’s butt. I think I heard it running home to it’s mommy…

Flash forward…ohh ten…more like twenty years and you’ll find me grinning ear to ear. Riding my shiny new Schwinn bicycle. The one with the big ‘S’ on the seat. And feeling like I am eight years old again. Wind flying through my hair, laughing and trying not to fall down. Me and falling down seem to be friends…

But twenty years later…it’s even more fun because I get to share it with Milan.