Transposure

The title says it all.  This post is about shoes, shoes and more shoes.  Women’s shoes to be specific.  A while back, a little too long of a while to mention actually, I had the pleasure of setting up a shoot at Jennifer Mann’s new shoe store, called Shuze, in downtown Bethlehem.  It started out as a fun shoot wherein she got her girlfriends together to have a little shoe party.  The girls whipped out the shoes and I whipped out my photo gear!  Let the games begin!  After setting up a mock stage and capturing a variety of images of these fashionistas trying on these new shoes that Ms. Mann just brought in, I had a bigger plan….

How big?  Well, let’s just say it turned into a literal truckload of a plan!  OK, here’s the deal…

After collecting the images, I decided to create a vary large rendition worthy of something BIG.  I spoke to Jen about it and we decided to run with the idea.  Well, there it was, a 1GB image file and a total size of 20 feet long!!  Where the hell was I going to print this?  My first stop turned out to be my last.  Duggal in NYC is arguably the most capable printer in the United States for this kind of thing.  I made contact.  They can print on glass, metal, stone, carpet, fabric and can fabricate pretty much any sort of installation dictated by the artist.  OK, done.

With the file in their hands, the next step was to arrange the transportation of the final print to Jen’s store.  UPS and Fedex aren’t equipped to handle a delicate print that is 20 feet long!  Well, my good friend Tony in the trucking business was!  He had his guy pick up the print in NYC and truck it straight out to Jen’s store.  What more can one ask?

I met Jen at the store a few days later and we hung the print for all the world to see.  Now it’s your turn…..

We finished up a few bridal shows recently and made some new relationships with some new clients!

Angela and I frequently discuss who are clients are, their personalities and the various nuances of each of their weddings.  We have found one common denominator with all of them.  They love the art of photography!

That is what makes our marriage with them, as their wedding photographers, the best part.  They understand and want the art and are willing to work with us to get it!  We love that!

We love that you can think outside of the box and want to push the limits.  We have and will continue to push our own limits to make the ordinary…extraordinary for all of you!

So, we want to thank our newest clients…

Kimberly and Clint (Make sure you get your hands on that chopper!)

Lisa and Steve (Quentin rules!  Yes, we are excited about that!)

Michelle & Chris (We’ve taken off “Donor from our licenses!!  LOL)

Rachel and Ryan (We are getting in shape for the big hike!)

Thanks guys!!

Over the course of the last six months, I had the pleasure of befriending Mrs. Sophie Shor of Roman Jewelers in Flemington, New Jersey www.romanjewelers.com .  Sophie is the owner and CEO of the company and quite a lady.  She is the sweetest lady and also an ingenius businesswoman.  We were recently discussing jewelry photography and I offered to shoot one of her pieces.  It happened to be a ring, and just in time for Valentines Day!

I figured I would ramp things up a bit and see where the chips fell.  The ring was very pretty and I decided to juxtapose it against a grungy background, in pink of course, just in time for Valentines Day!  I think it works!  What about you?

The project did get me thinking….

What if we started offering high end photography of wedding rings?  This kind of thing could work well in the bride and groom’s album!  Thoughts?

It’s off to Imaging USA 2010!  This year PPA (Professional Photographers of America) has made arrangements with the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.  I previously stayed at this hotel in 2002 when I participated in the Gumball3000 cross country race, but that is a subject for another conversation…hehe.

Anyway, the complex is absolutely enormous, but more importantly, it is attended by approximately 20,000 professional photographers from around the nation.  The three days are filled with a variety of workshops and seminars giving all a chance to learn the latest and greatest tips and techniques from the industry leaders.  We always enjoy the show as we come back full of inspiration ready to implement new ideas and products into our business.

In the end, this effort benefits our clients, further bolstering their confidence in our abilities and product line.  Case in point, we found a wicked new album line that we will be integrating into our lineup.  If any of the current brides are reading this, and are interested in discussing the possibilities, leave a comment!

Be back soon!

I have had the pleasure of working with Lehigh Valley Style Magazine for the past two years now.  In that time, I have photographed a variety of covers, feature articles, and such.  Well, recently, I was asked to provide photography and graphic design services for their 10th Anniversary cover, the January 2010 issue.  I was flattered!  Lisa’s (editor) idea was to shoot a birthday cake and use it as the centerpiece of the cover.  We set up the shoot and collected the images.

Since the first conversation, my creativity engine was in high gear trying to develop a way of pumping up the cover for this special anniversary issue.  I decided to call on a long time friend of mine, Britt, who is in the graphic arts business.  I can handle graphic artistry up to a certain point, but I wanted a seasoned pro to provide oversight for this job.  Britt stepped up to the plate and, using technology to our advantage, he received the image files in his Florida office soon after they were shot in Style’s office in Pennsylvania.  Gotta love the internet!  I came up with a concept in advance of the shoot which involved a collage of the covers from the past 10 years.

Within 15 minutes of shooting, we had several finished proofs for the anniversary cover in hand and in front of the editor!!  Wow!  She was delighted!  We developed two versions of the cover.  The cake idea and the “10″ idea.  The “10″ idea was simply a large 10 representing the anniversary.

After some deliberation lasting several days, the final decision was made….

Style made some tweaks to the text, but overall, that was the chosen design.

Happy Anniversary Style!!

One of my favorite things to do is create environmental portraiture.  What is EP you ask?  Well, quite simply, it is a portrait of an individual in an environment that helps define who they are and/or what they do.  It involves creativity and an ability to control the light to achieve the end result.  Well to this end, I had the unique opportunity to photograph a blacksmith recently.  The point of the project was to create a stellar opening shot for his website.  Now, he wasn’t the ordinary run-o-the-mill blacksmith, mind you.  In other words, you weren’t going to find any horseshoes hanging around his shop.  Instead, you would find twisted iron, hammered metal and other intriguing shapes.  Mr. Braddee of Braddee MetalWorks creates work of metallic art for high end homes.  Think barstools, bar footrails, iron entry gates, fireplace protection grates, and the list goes on.

Well, the first order of business was to discuss our respective ideas for his environmental portrait.  We did and decided on a concept.  Mike wanted to see the sparks flying, and at the same time, a portrait of himself to define his site and his work.

We set up the shoot and I allotted about 2 hours to get the job done.  By the time I set up lighting and he got his forge to working temperature, two hours proved to be just right!  We timed the strike of his hammer on the red hot iron piece on his anvil.

One….two….three…….

Overall, I was pleased with the result, and so was Mike!  And in the end, that is really what matters!

I hope you like it too.

The dilemma…..a reliable power source for the variety of off camera flash units I use on a daily basis.

The result…..a friendship, and a few batteries….

Shooting events such as weddings can take a toll on flash batteries very quickly.  Running AA’s in the battery compartment simply don’t have the capacity to withstand long events, let alone those that require high power bursts.  So, it was off to market to find a suitable solution.  The market was the internet and reading the various photography forums I found quite a few references to an elusive product called the “Black Box”.  After more research, I finally found its maker, Mr. Al Jacobson, and his website www.aljacobs.com.  Al is the epitomy of a Mom and Pop shop , minus the Mom.  I guess that would make his company a Pop Shop.  Well, maybe that is a fitting term as his device, The Black Box, pops my flashes over, and over, and over, and over.  As a matter of fact, I have not reached its limit in any event I have shot yet!  I currently own two of them and Ang has one of his smaller units called a “Tuxedo”.  The batteries utilize lead acid technology in lieu of NiCad, NiMh or Li-Ion or Li-Polymer.  They are seemingly endless in their supply of power and they are supposed to be plugged into the charger when not in use.  No worries about overcharging here.  Set them and forget them.  That is also Al’s philosophy, KISS.  You all know what that means.  I use them for my off camera flashes.  They just work.  And that my dear friends is very, very important in this game.

So, after purchasing these batteries, I just had to go back to his site.  Why?  Well, its all about the comedy.  The banter.  The insightful world viewpoint.  At 65+ year old, I have to believe Mr. Jacobson has seen a fair share of things in this world and his satirical take on them is second to none.  In the flavor of the ubiquitous bathroom stall inscriptions “For a good read, go to www.aljacobs.com!”

Although not yet meeting face to face, I have exchanged philosophical banter with Mr. J countless times.  He always has me rolling on the floor!

Recently, during one of our conversations, I directed him to my website.  He was so enthralled, he offered to place a link on his site in a special “Featured Photographers” area.  Al tells it like it is and his endorsement of my work means a lot and I am very appreciative of that.  He had this to say……….

Kenneth P. Volpe

PPA Certified Professional Photographer

T R A N S P O S U R E

F i n e  A r t  P h o t o g r a p h y  S t u d i o

9 0 8 . 9 3 0 . 5 9 9 8

ken@transposure.com

www.transposure.com

“Words like “over the top” come close to the work that Kenneth Volpe does.  Just when you think you have seen artistry, he can and does take it to a new level.

Working both studio and on location he brings new insight into this art form.  He too sees “gear” as tools just as a brush is in the hands of the painter.  But it’s the Renoir’s that hang on the walls that Sam the painter, painted. Go to his website and explore.”

I have but two words…..

Thanks Al!

So, I spent my day yesterday out in the cold, freezing!  Even my 37 layers weren’t enough to keep the bodyheat inside.  Well, I guess it is partially due to not moving around too much.  That is the nature of the proverbial beast though.  We are talking about wildlife photography and alot of it is just standing around waiting…..and in the case of yesterday’s temperatures….freezing.

The “beasts” of the day were bald eagles.  You know, the symbol of this once great nation!  Yeah, the “once” was intentional.  At one time, an endangered species, I don’t believe they are any more.  It usually takes a while for the realization of this to catch up to the administrators that keep animals on the endangered list a little longer.

In any case, I packed the Mark III and dusted off the 600mm and the Wimberley mount and trekked to Maryland.  The drive was about 2 1/2 hours, but I was excited to get out and shoot.  It has been a while since I last photographed wildlife, so it was a welcomed excursion!

I showed up a little late so I missed a lot of the “breakfast” activity.  Eagles apparently fly south as the northern weather gets cold and the lakes freeze.  This always them to feed on the fish in warmer regions, and usually in the morning and evening as I found out.  This also means that we photographers gain the benefit of photographing them without having to travel too far.  Well, unless you are a diehard fanatic, in which case you probably already have your airline ticket booked to Homer, Alaska.  LOL

After lunch, that is, lunch for the photographer, the afternoon proved more fruitful in terms of image captures.  And, I thought I would share a few….

So, am I happy with the captures?  Well, yes and no.  I didn’t have my autofocus settings appropriate for this type of photography (still set for wedding shooting) and I had a 1.4 teleconverter installed.  So, that meant I had to keep the center focus spot on the target to achieve focus.  If it fell of the target, like during panning, all bets were off.  So, yes, I am happy considering the hinderences of the equipment and being able to work through them, and no, I will never be completely happy with any photograph I make.  But then again, isn’t that the case with many of us?  Don’t we all go out again and try to do better?  I know I do!

So, after much research, reading and vascillation, I decided it was high time to enter the world of blogging.  I must have read at least three of four articles over the course of the last few months on the subject.  The greatest virtue expounded by the authors of said articles is the ability for web bots to log some of this and help with the location of my site when people use search engines.  In the old days, that wasn’t much of an issue, but lately, with the proliferation of flash sites, the liklihood of being found in a search has grown smaller and smaller.  So, from that standpoint alone, the whole blogging thing sounds good to me!

My background, for the uninformed, errant, vistor that stumbles across this little island of 1’s and 0’s in this great sea, is that of engineer and photographer.  I started my career as a structural engineer and climbed the proverbial corporate ladder, achieving multi-state professional engineering licensure status along the way.  I also obtained a masters degree in structural engineering at the start of the new millenium.  I currently operate my own structural engineering company as well as my own photography studio.  And that is what prompted me to be here.

Photography has always been my hobby, since I was yardstick height.  I recall the days of the Kodak Instamatic and those pesky little flashcubes….4 flashes..replace….4 flashes…replace.  LOL  Anyway, my interest grew and in time, when I was old enough to afford it, I purchased my first 35mm camera.  Wow, was that cool!  It was a Ricoh KRM something or other.  I was in my late teens at the time and I couldn’t get enough.  I saved up and bought a few lenses and shot and shot and shot.  I learned alot by doing.

I just realized I started out typing a “good evening” to the world speech and it has somehow morphed into a historical background of my careers and my camera gear.  Hmmmm….let’s see if we can bring this to a profound point in the end…..

So, as I captured many images with my SLR, digital photography started to elbow its way into the world.  Being a gadget freak, I was immediately enamored by the prospect.  Early adopter is a term that applies to those that embrace, and generally purchase, new technology before the mainstream.  That word very accurately described me back then.  I jumped head over heels into the medium and purchased my first digital camera.  At the time, phhotography was still a hobby to me, so I went with a Sony DSC-F505.  It was such a cool camera, with the articulating lens barrel allowing you to take high angle shots by swiveling the body as you held it overhead.  But, it was a digicam (upscale point and shoot) camera.  I would eventual learn a lesson…read on.

Sony DSC-F505

The camera worked great, but I always looked for an upgrade path.  So, when the DSC-505V came out, guess who had to have it?  Aha.  The F505V looked identical to the F505.  If I recall correctly, it had more pixels.

Sony went through a series of upgrades to this camera concept.  They were the DSC-F707, the DSC-F717 and finally, the DSC-F828.  Guess who bought all of them.  Aha.

Sony DSC-F707

Sony DSC-F717

Sony DSC-F828

One day I had a revelation.  It was as if I awoke from an extraordinarily long dream.  I stepped back and looked at the landscape.  Not the landscape in my viewfinder mind you.  The landscape I was referring to was where I was stadning in terms of my equipment and the limitations it placed on me.  I went from an SLR to a series of pimped up point and shoots!  What was I thinking?

At that moment, I made a paradigm shift to move into a DSLR.  It was 2002 and my goal was clear.  I wanted the biggest, baddest DSLR on the market.  The problem was my budget.  I couldn’t afford it.  Luckily, through a friend, I was referred to a small boutique photography dealer in NYC.  The shop is www.photovillage.com.  I made a visit and he had a used Canon 1Ds Mark I in the case.  After I cleaned up the drool on the counter, I asked “How much?”.  When I opened my eyes, I saw the paramedics huddled around me.  They were just about to yell “Clear!”  LOL  OK, I exaggerated a bit there.  The price was steep (about half of the new price) but I knew I had to do it.  I found a way, along with a Canon EF24-70mm f2.8 L lens.  And…..we’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz!!

Over the next few years, I scrimped and saved and increased my lens arsenal.  I bought some new, some used, but always “L glass”, including a 600mm at one point!  “Investments in my future.”, I kept saying to myself.  Eventually, I sold the 1Ds and moved up to the 1Ds Mark II.

Canon 1Ds Mark II

I recently upgraded again to the Canon 1Ds Mark III and still have and use my Mark II as my backup camera.