Welcome to our Blog! We will post recent shoots, tips for photographers as well as personal ramblings. Over
the years, this blog has been such an excellent tool for keeping in contact. You are able to view our wedding and lifestyle portfolios by using the navigational menu above. Please stop by often and tell your friends too! Thanks for being here.
I read and interesting article this morning over at Chase Jarvis' Blog, focusing on Stock Photography. It got me thinking about pictures, in general.
What do you like about a picture? Is it the content, composition, shadows, highlights, emotion, perfection, noise (or lack of), the "effect", etc... ??
Think about it.
For me, sometimes it is the Imperfections that make it more pleasing and create a better visual impact.
Here is an example of one of my favorite photographs, I have made. I have a 20x30 canvas in my studio of this photograph. There are imperfections about this image (ie, the baby's head is cut off, LOL!), but I wouldn't change it for the world.
(Image captured in black and white, contrast and noise added in Post Production)
I love Google Apps and use quite a few features of it. The biggest feature I use is the Email. All of our domain emails go through Google Apps so we can get all of the benefits of Gmail. We also use Apple's Mail client via IMAP to send and receive our emails. This has been working flawlessly for about 1 year.
Two days ago, I noticed that we had some new messages and an hour later they were gone, when using Apple Mail. I assumed that our accounts were hacked. I went into the Google Apps control and found the emails. They were moved from the "Inbox" to God knows where. I did an advanced search and set to "within 1 week from today". There were the missing emails. So I moved them back to the inbox. Fired up Apple Mail again, and they were not there! Go back to Google Apps mail and find them again. Move to inbox. Repeat. Same thing. Apple mail seems to move them somewhere when it connects via IMAP.
I have deleted the accounts on Apple Mail and recreated only to see the same issue happening. Works fine from the iPhone.
If anyone has any ideas please email me at davidburkephoto@gmail.com to make sure that I get it :-)
Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers! We are all excited here in Pittsburgh. Winning aside, that was a fantastic Superbowl! Santonio Holmes' catch in the endzone was amazing! Big Ben is a winner and plays his best football when he is under the gun. Way to go Ben!
Here are links to download pdf versions of today's front pages (click on the pics): Tribune-Review:
Post-Gazette:
Also a special shoutout to LaMarr Woodley for forcing Kurt Warner to fumble at the end of the game! That was the icing on the cake.
Bridget and Bryleigh left for Florida this morning to visit Bridget's father. After we dropped them off at the airport, Brayden and I played in the snow for a bit and snapped a few shots. It was snowing so hard, that we had to go into the woods a bit, to get a good portrait of him. He is such a ham.
I shot all of these except the last image with off camera flash. I handheld my SB-800 (with diffuser attached) to high camera left.
My fav = This is Bray
I used High Speed FP Flash Sync (iso 200, f2.8, 1/640) on this one, to get a shallow depth of field. I also desaturated this in post production and added a slight blur around the edge.
Off to an exciting weekend with the boys. We are going to have some fun! Have a great weekend!
btw - Happy Birthday JLB (1/29/98)... We love and miss you!
I am not one for the cold weather, however I live in Pittsburgh, so I do not have a choice. When it snows, I make the choice to love it. There is something so beautiful, peaceful and perfect about snow. We have had some wild weather the past few days. This winter has been relatively mild, as have the past few. We are making up for it now. I have been working from my home office this week and am enjoying the view.
I took a lunch break and grabbed this shot from the back window. Not sure if the picture really does it justice. I think when the boys get up from their nap, we will go play in it. Then the pictures will be full of life!
Shoot N Learn - Recap (plus baby burke's first pic!)
1.21.2009
Last night was another successful Shoot n Learn gathering. Our main topic for the evening was "Connecting with your Subject". We watched a few short video clips and then traded tips, tricks, etc.. It was an excellent discussion. I truly enjoy having everyone in for these. It has been such a great way to connect, share, learn and teach. We are all winners at the end of the night.
Our attendance is both professional, aspiring amateurs and just folks that want to make better photos! I applaud all of you for wanting to mingle and step up your game. I learn something every time we get together.
There is no such thing as a "dumb" or "naive" question. I was a beginner too and remember being intimidated by professionals. Mainly because the professionals were "grumpies" and not "love cats". I strive to be a "love cat". I still have questions and love to share. The only way to learn is to ask, study and take action. Making mistakes is a great way to learn ;-)
Since a few questions were asked last night, I wanted to share here because I know more of you out there have the same questions: Question: What ISO do you use?
This depends on the situation and can be a very detailed response. ISO dictates how sensitive your digital sensor is to light. The HIGHER the number, the more sensitive it is to light. Also, the HIGHER the number means the colors, contrast, saturation, etc.. may become compromised. With the latest and greatest sensors, that decline in quality is less noticeable. So my short answer to this question is: I use the LOWEST ISO Possible for the given situation. If I am outside on a Sunny Day, I am going to shoot at my camera's lowest ISO setting of 200. If I am at a reception I am typically between 800 and 1600 ISO.
Question: How do you change your exposure on your camera?
A digital exposure has 4 ingredients: ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, White Balance. A Digital SLR camera gives you the freedom to change each of these settings. This is what makes an SLR so special. You can control your exposure to achieve YOUR desired results. The key is understanding the relationship between these components and knowing how to change them on your camera. Shooting in MANUAL mode is the best way to learn, but it takes time and practice. I will have more on this at a later date for you.
Question: What is a Pocket Wizard?
A Pocket Wizard is a remote trigger for firing off camera flash or cameras. They are very cool and extremely useful. Their website can explain a lot better than I can. I use Plus II.
Hope this is useful to somebody out there ;-)
I can't post without a picture, so I will leave you with our first glimpse of Baby Burke: Isn't He/She Lovely ;-) ?
I have seen this before, but thought it was worth posting here, in case YOU haven't seen it.
Look at the rotating image... Is it spinning clockwise or counter-clockwise? (Creativity comes from the Right side of the brain)
*If you look hard enough, apparently you can see it spin the other direction. No matter how hard I try, I can only see one way!*
LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe
RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses feeling "big picture" oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy & religion can "get it" (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking
My friend Elizabeth over at Craig Photography recently sent me some interview questions for some posts she will be putting on her blog. Firstly, I love being a part of this community! More and more people come out of the woodwork that are open, friendly and giving. That is what it is all about! Back in the day, most photographers I met were kind of snooty and tight lipped. I am glad to see this NEW trend taking over. Life is too short to be a grumpy!
Secondly, by answering these questions, I was able to relive some things and get all happy inside! Can't go wrong with that! I am going to keep this text around so when I get discouraged and down on myself, I can just read and remember why I do what I do. I hope you enjoy!
- How did you get into photography in general?
I had a camera in my hands since I was about 10 yrs old. It was a Kodak 110 to start with. I always enjoyed looking at photographs and taking pictures. I still go back to some of those pictures from way back when and remember what I was thinking and doing at those points in my life. Once I got older and understood life a little better, I thought, "What a great way to document time." I was then hooked. Growing up I loved Life Magazine photos and National Geographic. In my heart I think I always wanted to be a photographer, just never thought it would materialize. I am so happy do be doing what I love!
- Photographing Weddings?
This came about pretty naturally as well. I would get asked to take pictures of families and children and then one day I mentioned that I would like to photograph a wedding sometime. A DJ friend of mind called me one January evening and said, "My couple this weekend had their photographer bail on them. They asked me if I knew one and said, yes I will have him here for you." How could I say no to that? I DID!! Vehmently. I was like "Are you CRAZY? Photograph someone's wedding? I don't know what I am doing!!!!" Eventually he calmed me down and talked me into it. I did it, shooting with 35mm Film Cameras and Fuji NPH 400 Color Film ( which is now Fuji Pro 400H). Nervous? You better believe it! Scared? Heck ya! I was a nervous wreck until the proofs came back from the lab. Turned out they weren't too bad and the clients loved them. I then said... "NEVER AGAIN." The suspense was too stressful.
Fast Forward one year. My passion for photography grows and I get a Digital SLR - Nikon D100. I am asked again to photograph a wedding. I say, "Sure! (Did I just say that outloud??)" This time I shoot 50% Film and 50% Digital. I am now in love. I started on a journey working with a fellow photographer and quickly learned that I did not like to be the "Planner and Guide" for the day. I wanted to observe and document. I mean, formal shots are great and important but only a slice of the day. I want to document them, but not spend all day telling people where to go and what to do.
At this point, my wife, Bridget, said, "You need to do your own thing. Start your own business and shoot them the way you want." It was at that moment she encouraged me and gave me permission to pursue my dream of becoming a photographer. So one Sunday afternoon I cooked up a website, made cards and started telling everyone that I was a photographer. I would shoot anything for anyone. Over time, lots of mistakes and learning, I have focused more on weddings because that is what I truly love. There is so much going on, so much to be told, observed and documented. It is truly an honor to be the selected Historian for this day.
-What is your favorite piece of equipment and why?
Well I have two. My Nikon D3 and my Nikon 85 1.4 lens. One without the other doesn't work very well :-)
I love my D3 because it is a workhorse, built to last and is easy to use. it is so comfortable in my hands and the FX Sensor is amazing (even at ISO 6400). I never really need to go into a menu to make setting changes. Everything is right there on the body at my finger tips.
I love my 85 1.4 because it is razor sharp wide open, has amazing contrast, colors and saturation right out of the camera. This is my favorite portrait lens, first dance lens and candid lens. (I also love the 35 f2 and 50 1.4 :-) ) I am really cheating here!
-Do you have any other artistic outlets besides photography?
I love to SING. I play guitar, but only rhythms. I never had the patience to get fancy. I also feel better singing when I have a guitar. The guitar acts like a shield and keeps me from being so... um... naked. LOL. I have loved to sing since I was a kid. My wife is always telling me to "keep it down" because the kids are napping/sleeping all the time. Secretly though, she loves my singing. That is how she fell in love with me :-)
-Which photographers have influenced your work?
This is a great question. The list is long so I will focus on the biggest impacts. In our industry I would say Mike Colon, Denis Reggie & Joe Buissink first and foremost. Their influence of being a "story teller" instead of a "director" gave me the validation that it is a great way to photograph a wedding. Mike Colon's openness about his Faith had a big influence on me as well. I have learned a lot from him and am happy to call him a friend.
-What advice would you give to a couple looking for a wedding photographer?
Make sure you like the photographer as a person. His/Her character and attitudes should be in touch with your own. Relationships are number one in this industry. If you do not feel comfortable with the person that will be with you for the majority of your wedding day, then look elsewhere. Whether he/she is an observer or a director, his/her vibe will be there all day. You will be able to tell in the images if you were comfortable or not.
I am a John Mayer fan. One song in particular, (Live Version) Daughters on the "Where the Light is" album, gets me every time. If you haven't heard it you can get it here on the iTunes store. Everything about the song is beautiful. Being a father to a daughter really makes it special.
Having a daughter is also a great reminder of the business I am in. I see fathers give their daughters away all the time. It is such a great moment. Bitter sweet. (yes, I am a softy and proud of it!) When I really dig in and think about this, the importance of my job is greatly enhanced. To be selected as the "Historian" of your day, is such a privilege. I am humbled and I thank you.
Amazing what music can do :-)
In spirit here is one of my favorite giving away moments (just captured).
And here are a few of my daughter! She makes me a better man for sure! (Of course my wife and sons do too!! LOL)
I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas from the Burke Family! We are so thankful for so many things and grateful to all of you that have supported us through the years. Our Families, Friends and Clients are the heartbeat of what we do. We look forward to 2009 being another incredible year and ultimately welcoming our newest addition to the family! Bridget is due in June, so we have a few more months of anticipation. We are doing our best to keep the sex of the baby a suprise. Who knows if we will be able to refrain from finding out.
Enjoy this Christmas and Holiday season. Love and Hug often!
I love photography books! Recently I added a few to my collection, for inspiration. 2 are filled with images and one is more of an explanation of the process by shoot.
1. Annie Leibovitz at Work Annie is a living legend, :-) She is one of my all time favorite photographers. Both her portrait setups and photojournalism are fantastic. This book explains how she thinks when shooting and takes you through the process of creating the image. So far, I love it.
2. Mario Testino: Let Me In! Another highly sought after photographer is Mario Testino. Mario has such a raw style of shooting that I can't help but be drawn to it. His imagery is powerful, simple, fun. I think a lot of the impact (even with Leibovitz) has to do with who is in the photograph. (I would love to hear comments about this.) I sometimes think that if I were to take shots like this of the average Joe, they would not be as powerful, simple and fun. At any rate, I still love the images in this book.
3. Vanity Fair: The Portraits I have always been drawn to the imagery in Vanity Fair. I guess it is no suprise since Leibovitz and Testino both have had many images throughout the magazine. Actually Annie has a long term contract with Vanity Fair, so her imagery is always in there. This book has portraits from the past 100 years. The book is huge and heavy. This equals Huge, Beautiful Portraits to view. I love this as well.
Please leave some comments to what Photography books inspire you. I like to get 1 or 2 every few months. I have also started cutting images from my favorite magazines and putting them on my office wall, so that I can always see them and be inspired before I go out and shoot. It is a great way to keep pushing your abilities.
I hate to postpone the Shoot N Learn at the last minute, however due to my workload and priorities, I have no choice. I will reschedule and post soon for after the New Year. We can start Fresh and catch up! I have been thinking a lot about future SNL's and have a lot of ideas to share. I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season!
In the meantime, here is an objective for you. Commit to shooting with a different camera a few times over the Holidays. A point n shoot digital, Film camera, Polaroid, Holga, etc... Try it. It is so much fun and can reignite creativity and ideas. I have been using my little Nikon Coolpix L18 that I picked up for $100 at Target (over the summer). I am also going to pick up some polaroid film before it is all gone and take some with my polaroid as well. I have been shooting with my iPhone camera too. It really pushes you to get a good exposure!
Here is one of my recent favs with my point n shoot.
While browsing, recent tweets, I came across this incredible website. Mediastorm. I have watched a few of the stories that are a mix of video, stills and voice overs. A. These are extremely inspiring from an artist standpoint, but more so the stories themselves are so interesting. These videos are put together so well. The photojournalism is exquisite. You become a part of each story just by viewing and listening.
The past few months have been a whirlwind due to travel, weddings, shoots, business planning and lots of family stuff!. All of the excitement has taken a toll on my blogging abilities. I am so far behind blogging the many wonderful shoots I have had over the past few months. I am taking some heat from some folks, because they have not appeared on the blog yet (I will not name you... you know who you are! LOL!!!) Stay tuned, as I promise to get you all on here!
In all seriousness this year has been unbelievable for us. We have met so many wonderful people and have made so many friends. The work continues to come and we feel nothing short of blessed and honored to be a part in all of your lives. Thank you all! We have been smiling and groaning as we feel growing pains throughout our systems. We are working "on" these systems as much as we are "in" them, so going into next year we will continue to polish and improve. Thank you for being patient with us as we continue to work and improve everyday.
In the meantime look at this lovely image. I want to feel like this every day, don't you???
Well Bryleigh will officially be one year old on November 21, 2008, so I am a bit premature with this post... Since I will be out of town for her actual birthday I wanted to post now.
To say it was a great year would be an understatement. We have been blessed with the sweetest little girl. She is so calm and happy. There may have been 1 or 2 days throughout the whole year where she wasn't her typical smiling self. Even when she had a 105 degree fever (due to a UTI), she was smiling. We all love her sooooo much :-)!
Having a daughter has definitely changed me, for the better of course... Having boys has been a wonderful experience, but having a daughter has been extra special. Firstly, we found the name Brylee, but decided to change 'lee' to 'leigh' to honor the memory of my first daughter, Jourdan Leigh. Secondly, having a daughter has made me want to be a better man. It want to be an example of the man I would like her to be with someday. It is so easy to sit back and be worried/concerned for her future, but I am choosing to be a better example instead. Easier said than done somedays!! I know I am not perfect and have my shortcomings but I sure am making the best of it.
With that being said, I just want to wish Bryleigh Teresa Burke a Happy 1st Birthday!! Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives. Thank you to Bridget (Mommy) and her 3 big brothers, Damon, Christian and Brayden. We all love you so much! Just think, next year at this time YOU will be a big sister too!! We love you baby girl!!!
Bryleigh at birth...
Bryleigh at 1 year....
**About the 1 year picture - I made this portrait yesterday 11/16/08 and decided to mess with Photoshop a bit. This image is way out of my comfort zone, but I am liking it. It is very rare that I extensively edit an image, but I think it is important to try new things and grow. Not sure if I will do any more like this soon, but it sure was fun! Hope you like it!**
Hey all! So we are mid November and I realize that I am not going to be able to have a SNL this month :( The good news is that we have been extremely busy/productive here and things are going great. I have also scheduled the next Shoot N Learn for Tuesday December 9, 2008, 6PM @ my studio. We will be SHOOTING this time! We will work in the studio, shoot, learn & have fun. Sound good? I hope to see you all there!!
In other news we have been shooting like crazy, editing, doing albums etc... Please bear with us if you are on our list.. We are getting to you soon ;-) We have experienced some growth lately and have been granted some incredible opportunities. Life is Good! I am headed to Cabo next week to shoot a wedding and am bringing along my good friend/photographer, Kenny Kim. Good Times for sure!
Home has been fun! Bryleigh will be 1 next week! I cannot believe it. She is so stinking cute! She smiles, 24/7. She is so smart and tries so hard to have a conversation. She will sit with me and just hang out for hours. She really loves her 3 older brothers too (and of course Mommy!). Each time one of us walk in a room, she lights up like a Christmas tree with Joy. She reminds me of how WE need to be. Much like the behavior of a dog that is unconditionally happy to see his owner, always! Please keep Bridget in your thoughts and prayers as she has not been feeling very well this first trimester. Hopefully she will be out of the sick days soon and be her happy self again. We love her no matter what! She is my hero for being able to maintain a household, keep the kids in line, keep ME in line all the while being sick constantly. I am the luckiest man around!
The more I think about having 5 children, the more excited I get. Each day I learn what is "Really" important and things that "Really aren't" important. Lots of fun.
OK, sorry for the tangent there. I need to blog more. I need about 24 extra hours a day. Thanks for letting me chat for a minute!
Can't post without a picture. Here is one from a recent family session.
I have been shooting a lot lately and enjoying it tremendously. I have been working with such wonderful people. I am sooo far behind on blogging these shoots, but I wanted to drop a few recent images (that are a little different than what I normally shoot) and say Hello... So... 'Hello World!' Please tell me what you think!
My two favorite girls! Hmm.. could be three I guess ;-). In case you haven't heard we are expecting again! We are so excited and will gladly accept boy or girl.
We spent the past two days in West Virginia and it was beautiful. Peaceful. I grabbed this shot as we we went to the creek to catch some crawfish. Bryleigh is such a cuddly girl. She loves to be close to Mom and me. Bridget says that she is a Daddy's girl. I think I agree, but nobody ever takes pictures of it. LOL.
Man, this September and October have been fantastic for lighting! I have forced myself to create images of my children. The light is so beautiful this time of the year. If you know me or follow my work, I am a huge fan of backlighting. I know my subjects can attest to me saying "backlight is my absolute favorite lighting." All of my personal favorite images are backlit in someway, shape or form. I don't know what it is about it, I simply love it. When I am out and about without a camera, I see that backlight on people and objects and just say "aahhhhh, I wish I had my camera!"
Yesterday I spent about 30 minutes in the late afternoon sun. We were in the backyard with the kids on the swing set and playing in the leaves. We had a blast. I was also able to capture a few images. I am trying to shoot as much as I can this fall (on my personal time) and learn new ways to use backlight. I am getting a lot more flexible with the exposure and making a lot of mistakes! Mistakes is how I learn best :-)
I am also keeping it as simple as possible. Using 1 lens, 1 camera, no assistants, no reflectors, no artificial lighting. As much as I love the technicalities of lighting an image to "perfection", I love the "imperfections" more. I am experimenting with warm tones, cool tones, more contrast, desaturation, blown highlights, rich shadows, etc... It is so much fun to get out and shoot for yourself. I am on a journey and it sure is fun. I will continue to share.
Here is a favorite of my two littlest ones playing in the leaves. They are so stinking cute!
This morning Brayden wanted to ride his bike. I thought it would be a great opportunity to tell a story with my camera. To see the whole set check out my flickr set.
Lots to catch up and post about, but could not resist posting this image showing interaction between a newborn baby girl and her mother, softly comforting her. I knew when I pressed the shutter that this image was going to speak volumes (at least to me).
Being the softy that I am, I cannot help but marvel at how perfect and precious a newborn is. When I look at newborns, I see nothing but Perfection. I am so fortunate that I have these opportunities to Document Life at its Best.
Seth Godin writes a blog that I like to read. Seth is a very talented writer specializing in marketing. He has a great post on his blog today "Is effort a myth?". It is some good food for thought!
Hi All, I have a new Portfolio site that I am excited to share with you. I had not updated my main website in such a long time, because it was so cumbersome to update. I finally found a great solution to host my portfolio and could not be happier! It is so easy to update, so I will update often! I promise!
The actual site is hosted at http://davidburkephotographers.com but is accessible from http://davidburkephoto.com by clicking on Portfolio. I want all of my sites to be accessible from my main domain of davidburkephoto.com. It is still a work in progress, but we are getting there!
This new Portfolio will showcase my Wedding and Engagement work only. I may launch another site in the near future to showcase my other work. Since Documentary Weddings are my primary focus, they need to be separate.
Since my goal as a Wedding Photographer is to be Real, Classic & Timeless, it was important that my site be clean and simple. I did not want anything too flashy. I also decided not to use music. I always find myself turning the music off when I visit websites. What do you do? I would love to know. If you like music on sites, please do tell ;-)
I am working a lot on my brand and have a lot of things coming down the pipe so that I can continue serving my clients with the best of me. I look forward to sharing!
Hi Everyone! I just wanted to drop a line and let you know that I am still alive! Just been extremely busy traveling and shooting. Lots to catch up on and blog about. We are working on a bunch of new things and look forward to sharing. First and foremost, our new portfolio site that I feel really works well with our style.
Last week I was in Atlanta for business and while there I also spent a few days with Denis Reggie and a great bunch of photographers. Denis had us to his home for his 'Conclave' which was just fantastic. In case you do not know him, he is the Godfather of wedding photojournalism. His ability to share, teach and connect is wonderful. I am so thankful that I had this opportunity. Thanks to Denis and his staff!
Hope you all are doing well and look forward to posting soon!
Last night was wonderful here at the studio. Michael and Anna Costa were here and gave a presentation on Standing Out in the Industry. It was extremely inspiring and informative. We had a great group of photographers here, thank you all for coming. We also missed the few that could not make it. (You all missed out! ;-) )
Thank you to Michael and Anna (and Pictage for sponsoring the tour!) for coming here and sharing. You two were awesome and I look forward to seeing you again soon. Your inspiration and creativity is incredible. Thank you for helping us remember why we love photography in the first place!
Couldn't help but post this little clip of Bryleigh from this afternoon. She is so into discovery these days and loves to chit chat. She will talk and talk and talk.. It is so priceless. She was chatting away so I interuppted her and showed her my laptop. She loves to see herself on the screen. She also loves to look at photographs. Definitely a future apprentice!
I haven't shared any family pics in a while so I am hoping this holds over for a bit ;-)
Hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner!
Lately all we seem to hear is "Change, Change, Change...." Eventually it all starts to sound like the teacher on Charlie Brown "mwua, mwua, mwua, mwua, mwua...." and our ears go numb. Change only occurs with action. Change also begins within ourselves.
Keeping this in mind, I came across this video yesterday and it really got me thinking. Regardless of your Religious beliefs, I think you should watch it. It is a two minute video that speaks volumes... Wouldn't it be something if we made a little change this Christmas season? Changing from within ourselves and teaming up with others would and could really make a difference!
I wanted to share this because I really want to make a difference in people's lives. I hope this touches you and anyone you share it with!
If you have emailed us in the last 48 hours, we have not received. We are still moving hosting companies and things are taking longer than expected. If you need to reach us in the meantime, please send mail to davidburkephoto@gmail.com. We hope to be back up and running soon. Thank you for your patience.
The past few months have been very trying when it comes to blogging, updating our site, emailing, etc... We have recently switched website hosting companies and are confident that the problems will be solved. We are currently still transferring things so please be patient with us during this transition. We are hoping to not lose any emails during this process. We will keep you posted once the move is complete.
As you all know I am a loyal Nikonian and am always excited when Nikon brings out new products. Whether the product is Professional or Amateur, Large or Small, I honestly believe in and support Nikon. My Nikon products have served me very well over the years and I have no plans to ever leave them ;-)
That being said, Nikon just released the Nikon D90 which is geared towards the Advanced Amateur. This camera looks to be incredible! One stand out feature is that it does Video too! This camera may very well make its way into our arsenal and be my go to camera for all of our family and personal shooting. It sure is a lighter load than my Nikon D3! So if you are in the market for a killer Digital SLR for a reasonable price, look no further.
This brings me to Chase Jarvis. Chase Jarvis is a Commercial Advertising photographer that is just incredible. I have yet to meet him, but look forward to it someday. His work is so out of the box and extraordinary. He is highly regarded in the commercial industry and among photographers alike. I am an admitted blog stalker of his. His work is so inspiring as well as his personality and willingness to share.
Low and Behold Chase is a Nikon Shooter. He is big time. Nikon gave Chase and his crew pre release versions of the Nikon D90 so they could put them through the ringer. That they did and what they came up with is extraordinary. I encourage you to watch the Behind the Scenes video and then view the image gallery. After doing so you will be headed to B&H Photo to make your purchase. You can thank me later!
This morning I had the pleasure meeting Riz Crescini. Riz found me on Facebook, via our common connection to Kenny Kim. How cool is that? Riz has been living in Japan for the last 9 years with his wife and 2 daughters, educating students in the English Language. He also has a ministry and is looking to incorporate Photography into it.
I always love meeting new friends and especially when we have common interests ;-) We talked shop quite a bit and learned about each other. It is neat to discover how many things we had in common. I hope that I shed some useful light for him! Riz promised to keep in touch and let me know of his progress.
Riz it was awesome meeting you. Maybe someday we will get together with Kenny Kim too! God Bless Bro.
Here he is in his Cubs Glory (Cubs are in town beating the Pirates):
Our families have been blessed, yet again! My sister (Amy) and her husband (Steve) welcomed their second child to this world on June 30, 2008! Adia is now a big sister!
Meet Elijah Stone O'Toole. He is such a cutie. I also could not resist shooting some updated Adia pics too. :-)
Well, we had our official Grand Opening Gala last Thursday, July 3rd and we can honestly say that it was a huge success! First and foremost, so many people that play an important role in our lives were there to support us. We are so thankful and blessed to have all of you around us. Thank you!
Secondly we raised $500 for the Pregnancy Resource Center! We could not have achieved this without the donations from the following sponsors:
For the winners that were not present when the tickets were drawn, you will be contacted today! Congratulations!
I also want to thank Justin, Mark and Diedre for performing wonderful melodies for us throughout the evening. It was awesome.
Here are a few snaps from the evening. Thank you to my buddy Peter for being the shutter bug. ;-) Click through the images by selecting the number of the slide.
**Update** Also be sure to check out my buddy, Armin Defiesta's Blog for some more pics. He and his wife Denise made the trip from Washington DC to be here for the party! Thanks For being here!
This Thursday July 3, 2008 we are having our Studio Grand Opening! We are so excited to make it official! We have been working hard to put this together and it is wonderful to see it finally come together.
*Intentionally Blurred Images*
We are having a grand opening open house party 7/3/2008 from 5PM to 10PM. We are expecting a great turn out and would love for you to stop in and say Hello! We will be serving Light hors d' oeuvres, featuring Authentic Mexican from Los Chiludos Mexican Restaurant, the most wonderful meats from the one and only Parma Sausage in the strip district, as well as others. We will have Champagne, Red Wine and refreshments.
We will have some light acoustic live music from the band 'Soul Anatomy' which includes two of my good friends Justin & Mark.
To top things off we are having a fund raiser for the Pregnancy Resource Center of the South Hills that will consist of a Chinese Auction for a Gift Basket filled with Goodies from local vendors and also includes a Black iPod Classic!! (I love my iPods!)
We are hoping to raise a generous amount of money for the PRC. The PRC is a wonderful organization consisting of many volunteers to "bring the word of life to every client, trusting in the power of God to restore the promise of hope and a future." The PRC is very close to Bridget's and my heart. We hope it will be a huge success for them!
So If you can, please stop by and wear Black and White (Casual!) attire to support the studio ;-)!! We are here:
We are busy getting ready for our Grand Opening at the studio, Next week! I will post more on Monday. Needless to say we are sooooo excited! We hope to see many of you here. It looks like we are going to have A LOT of people visiting for our Open House! We can't wait.
Here is a quickie of Bryleigh from yesterday. Have a great weekend!
Bridget and I have been entertained lately by some of the things that Brayden says. Bray is at that age where he is really starting to discover who he is and how he feels about things. He really has an incredible vocabulary and we have wonderful conversations with him. It is so awesome!
Here are two recent things he has said that really made us smile.
Bray: "Mom, who made rocks?" Mom: "God made rocks." Bray: "Yeah, Him make Teddy Grahams too."
How sweet!
Then yesterday, I was cutting the grass and Brayden likes to follow me using his litte Home Depot mower.
Bray: "It's a great day to lawnmower, huh Dad?" Dad: "HaHa, you better believe it. It is a great day to lawnmower Bray!"
Taking time to talk to your kids really puts life into perspective. I love little nuggets like this. Have a great weekend and listen to your kids!
I recently discovered a great website, Pandora. I am probably late to the party, because I think it has been around for a while, but never the less, it is awesome. You create an account and then you can create multiple "stations" based on an artist name. For instance I entered "Nirvana" and it started playing Nirvana and bands like Nirvana. So cool :-) I have since created a bunch of stations and then use the "Quick Mix" feature to mix all of the stations together. It is great to have while I am working at the computer or need music to play throughout the studio. Best of all it is "Free". How cool is that?
So if you haven't tried it, check it out! Pandora.com
Back to work now.... Frank Sinatra is serenading me at the moment!
Our little Bray turned 3 yesterday. We had a little party for him and had a great time. He is so cute! It was a Spiderman themed party, because Bray loves all things Spidey. He received lots of great gifts, much of which were Spidey themed. He has been enjoying them all. We got him the Black Spiderman Muscle Suit. Last night when he was going to bed, he looked up at me and said, "I'm really glad I got the Black Spiderman Suit Dad." He has been wearing it ever since. God Bless him!
Here are few snaps from our trusty ole Nikon D70. Bray
Us adults had fun too with a one light setup at sunset.
My good friend Kenny Kim was recently interviewed for F-Stop Beyond. Kenny is a fabulous photographer and more importantly, a wonderful friend. Kenny is one of the most giving people I know. If you are not familiar with him, I have no doubt that you will be eventually. Kenny has experienced a meteoric rise in his recognition as a photographer. He will soon be a household name when the Big Wigs of the industry are mentioned ;-) (Actually he already is!)
It is a wonderful interview and it gives the listener a great inside view of Kenny as a person, photographer and friend. He truly does have the heart of a servant. If you would like to listen, you can by going to Kenny's Blog or F-Stop Beyond to hear.
I am also excited because Kenny is coming to stay with my family for a few days this week. This will be his first visit to Pittsburgh, so it will be a pleasure hosting him.
We are behind on blogging some fantastic shoots. I promise they will all get here eventually. This past week has been a whirlwind of excitement. New Studio, LifExpo and our first Shoot N Learn workshop. I am about to run out and shoot the engagement session of Jill and Joe so I have to make this quick.
I thought I may get 2 or 3 folks out for the workshop, but we had 10! I was blown away. The people that came were awesome. I made some new friends and cannot wait to do it again. We are brainstorming on what we can do each time to make it super useful. We are putting together a survey to send out to see what you all think. Thanks to everyone that came out and look forward to seeing you again!
Here are a few of my snaps from the night. We did Available Light Portraits. Fun!!
My beautiful Wife, Bridget, was our model. Bray Bray made an appearance too.
(these are from my flickr page, sorry for the small size)
**Update. We also have an awesome announcement to make later today**
We were invited to be a part of LifeExpo this weekend down at Heinz Field. We are very excited to be there and will be shooting the entire event this weekend. TWe would love it if you would stop by and say hello.
Here is some info: Come Down to the LIFExpo at Heinz Field this Thursday May 1st through Sunday May 4th!
It’s a FREE Event where you’ll have the opportunity to: See Tunch Ilkin of the Pittsburgh Steelers for autographs on Thursday from 12-2:00 See Jennifer Antkowiak speaking on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 1:00 Experience the Steeler’s Heinz Field Coca Cola Great Hall See How You can “Go Green” Everyday right here in Pittsburgh! Go Online at the KidZui Internet Cafe as seen on WTAE’s “Plugged In” Enter Prize Drawings and Giveaways for All Ages Introduce the Kids to the Pirate Parrot, Pirate Peroggis, and Kenny Kangaroo Learn How to Lower Your Cost at the Gas Pump Bring Your Home Products and Toys to Test for Lead Content Visit the booths of many regional companies and non-profit organizations!
Visit the website at www.lifexpo.com for much more information!
And on the website, check out the Schedule of Events for more info on the Stage Schedule and Special Attractions! (All scheduled times are subject to change)
Last week was a crazy week. With Brayden being sick, I had to line up my priorities accordingly and he came in first place. Everything else fell behind and we are now just about caught up.
Thankfully Brayden is now back to 100%. I tried to get him to make a video this morning to thank everyone for prayers and happy thoughts, but it did not work out too well. haha. I am going to post at least some happy face pics of him.
Friday I was able to shoot a newborn and a maternity session. Sweet.
Baby G is gorgeous and cuddly. Don't ya just want to eat her up? She was born to Amy and Chris ( you can see their maternity images here). I love her hair! Thank you Amy and Chris for having me over. We created some fantastic images that you are going to love! See ya soon. Here is a sneak peak.
In the early evening I had the fortune of hanging out with one of my favorite couples, Stephanie and Jeremy. We documented their wedding last March 31, 2007. It was so great to see them again and this time, with baby on the way! These two are so perfect together. I cannot wait to meet the new addition.
We had so much fun taking some images. Here are a few for a sneak peak. Enjoy and I will see you soon! (Aren't they beautiful??) **Update Forgot to blog this one. My favorite!**
This is so not the usual Brayden. It has been 5 days and he is still not getting better. We are heading back to the hospital. Please keep the thoughts and prayers coming.
Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers. They are working, so please keep them coming.
Bray is coming along, but he is still pretty sick. We decided to take him back to the Dr. today because he was so lethargic. He is definitely making progress and we should see him getting back in the groove by Thursday. His little voice, 'Da Da, I don't feel good...' Man it breaks your heart when you hear it!
Apple Aperture 2.1 Well my love affair with Apple Aperture has come to an end. I was LOVING Aperture. Totally LOVING it. Until they released the update for 2.1. Now I cannot keep the application running. It CONSTANTLY crashes. To the point that it is unusable. I am so heart broken. I have begun using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom again, until they get the quirks fixed in Aperture. I have faith that Apple will fix the issues, but still need to be productive with my time in front of the computer.
Has anyone else had this experience? Do any of my blog readers even use Aperture?? haha.
I came home this afternoon from a great weekend with by son Damon and the youth group. On my way home, Bridget called to tell me that the Dr. Suggested taking Brayden to Children's Hospital. He had spiked a fever on Friday and was wheezing. So she did. I was 3 hours away by car and I was not driving... Worried? Yes. Confident that he would be OK? Yes.
So I eventually got to the hospital to be with him. He was lying there with a breathing treatment and being very quiet. Bridget and my Dad were there with him. He kept saying, 'I want my daddy.' (Which made my day!)
Long story (and day!) short... It turns out that he has a little pneumonia in his left lung, an ear infection and a stomach virus! Good Lord, how can his little body handle this?? I do not know how he is doing it, but he is. We were able to bring him home and care for him here. He slept relatively well and is still sleeping. I am praying that today is a better day for him.
Brayden is our sickliest child. He is so precious and soft. He is not frail, but there is something fragile about him. We love him so much! So if you think about it, please pray for him and send good thoughts his way. We just want him to get better and back to his old self.
Here is a little iPhone picture from yesterday. He is so adorable. I love you Bray Bray!!
I am heading on a youth retreat with my son Damon. It is called Destination Unknown, so the kids do not know where we are going! It is going to be a wonderful time. I really look forward to these trips for so many reasons. Reaching out to the unchurched, having great times and spending quality time with my oldest son. Lots of value!!!
So, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. See ya next week.
Vegas is fun!!! Most of the parties we attended had these Photobooths for all to enjoy (www.fotocabina.com). Outside of the booth there is a basket filled with props to use, which makes it extra fun ;-) I definitely had my fair share of fun in these booths! Sometimes we try to fit as many people as possible in the booth for the 4 pics. Before each shot, someone yells out "Be Happy" or "Be Cool", "Be Sad", etc... The outcomes are hilarious.
We are in the process of implementing a new website! We have decided to make our blog the first thing our viewers see because it is updated the most and gets the most traffic :-) The Portfolios will be consolidated to one 'Flash' page with multiple galleries for kids/weddings, etc.. We hope you enjoy! Please bear with us while we work out the bugs.
One of the bugs is with our email.. I am unable to set up an auto-responder at the moment, so you know that I am not ignoring you :-)
I will be out of the office from March 15 - 21, because I am attending WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) in Las Vegas. This is the years biggest convention for my industry and I make it a point to attend every year. I always come away with more knowlege, inspiration and more friends. I love connecting with old friends and making new ones.
During this time I will have limited access to email/phone and blogging. If you need to contact me, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
I just love having a daughter. She is so stinkin cute. Her face is perfectly round. I think she looks just like mommy. I can only hope! Mommy is so beautiful!
*Tech note* (and a few tips!) Window Light Right Nikkor 50 1.4
ISO 400 f-stop 2.0 shutter 1/100 WB - 5300K
When I am shooting available light, To nail my exposure I typically pick an ISO that I want to use. After that, Aperture is most important to ME so I then select that (I like large apertures 1.4 - 2.8). Then, I dial in the correct shutter speed for a good exposure (using my viewfinder meter) and finally set the correct white balance (I use my RGB histogram on my LCD for review). After a test shot or two, I am off shooting. At this point I am thinking about composition and focus-points, etc...
When recomposing your image ALWAYS be aware of what is in your viewfinder, because it can affect the overall exposure. You may need to adjust your shutter speed to compensate.
I recently came across this site Confessions of a CF* Husband, which is the blog of Nathan Lawrenson who is married to Patricia Kirschner that suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. The link takes you to the "Fast Track" section of the site to get you quickly up to speed on their story.
Reading this story and the blog entries totally grips my heart and makes me realize how much I love my wife and children. Nathan's Faith in God and Love for Patricia and Gwenyth (born at 24 weeks gestation) keeps him moving forward. He has really gotten to know God through this ordeal. That is key with faith. It is hard to "just get more faith", but when you take the time to know God better your faith will grow.
Their story is very touching, but is such a story of strength and perseverance that it will make us all stronger.
God Bless Nathan, Patricia, Gwenyth and their families!
Michael Gerber, Author of The E-Myth, was recently interviewed by Tim Ferriss. It is an excellent read for you budding entrepreneurs out there. Gerber has a new book coming out on March 4 "Awakening the Entrepreneur Within". I will be picking up a copy of this book too. The E-Myth is one of my all time favorite business books. He has a way of writing that really gets your fire going for success.
One thing he touches on that is VERY VERY important is that successful entrepreneurs today, seek Meaning rather than Money. This is not to say that the entrepreneur is not interested in money, but money without meaning is too big a price to pay. I cannot agree more.
Meaning is what has driven me to continually create and improve my business and purpose. We all need money, but the meaning of making a positive difference in people's lives far outways the weight of any dollar I can ever make.
Tim Ferriss, author of "The 4-Hour Workweek" has a great blog that I subscribe to and read whenever he has an update. I have read the book and refer to it often to stay "fired up". His blog is a great supplement to the book. He is currently working on a second revision of "The 4-Hour Workweek" due later this year or early next. I will be certain to pick it up. If you have not read the book, you should!
His blog has lots of cool information and is just different from all things photography. Check it out sometime.
OK, so yesterday I posted a video for the out of town family members to see. Today is Officially 3 months old for Bryleigh. We love her so much. She is eating and sleeping so well. She is growing so quickly, that we already miss the things she did last week. It is amazing how quickly they grow. True miracles.
Bryleigh is developing some really cute wrinkles. I called her "Chubbers" and Bridget was like "Don't call her that!!! She is a little Girl, not a boy!" My Bad, Lack of experience with daughters I guess. Now I just call her "Cutie". Another interesting tidbit is that when Brayden, Christian and Damon were 3 months old, they could all lay on their tummies and hold their heads up. Bryleigh is still a little dainty here :-) We are going to work on that.
Brayden woke up from his nap and joined in for a few pics too. I could photograph my kids around the clock. Sometimes they just want me to play. I do play, but it is hard to resist taking pictures.
Here are a few from our little shoot. We put up our grey seamless backdrop and used window light. I processed these all with Aperture 2.0 (I am really diggin it, can't ya tell!) and added a few Film Filters (mainly Ilford B&W 100 grain) from Alien Skin Exposure 2.
It was FREEZING this afternoon, but Christian and Brayden insisted on going outside. (Brayden lasted a whole minute before going back in the house!)
Before Christian went in, I wanted to capture the coldness (notice the little moisture under his nose) and the blue skies. I set up my onelight (Nikon SB-800, Pocketwizard Plus II, Light stand and 28" umbrella) camera left to create this image.
Hi Everyone! You can now subscribe to this Blog via an rss feed reader, such as Google Reader . You can also subscribe by entering your email address and having updates sent right to you. This is a great way to keep up to date and prevent you from spending countless hours surfing your favorite blogs :) You will be notified when new posts are published instead of checking only to find out that there is nothing new.
Time is precious so subscribe to the feed. I placed the tools to do this on the right-hand sidebar ----->
Today, Apple announced Aperture 2, the successor to version 1. I tried Version 1 and 1.5 and it just was missing some key features that I really liked in Adobe Lightroom. I am excited to try this version for a few reasons:
1. It's Apple Baby! They get it right more often than not.
2. It looks to be improved as far as User Interface and Speed, not to mention key image adjustment features
3. Like I said in an earlier post, workflow is ever changing. If Aperture 2.0 has something to offer that can make my life easier, I will take advantage of it.
There was a few additional bonuses to this workshop, 1. The hotel had a pool, so Bridget, Christian, Brayden & Bryleigh joined me for a mini-vacation. 2. My good friend, Kenny Kim was accompanying Mike and Bob on this leg of their tour. We headed down Thursday so that we could hang out with Mike, Bob & Kenny to catch up and grab some dinner.
The workshop was fantastic. I love 1 day workshops. They really get the juices flowing for shooting & business. Mike and Bob are so passionate about teaching and sharing. I am happy to call them friends. I picked up a lot of new things and relearned some old things. It is like sharpening your sword... Learing and continuing to learn is awesome. If you are in one of the upcoming cities, be sure to attend!!
I met quite a few photographers that I hope to see again in the future. I am heisting some collages that Kenny Kim created and some images a few of my new friends captured. I didn't take any pictures this trip! I was on vacation....hahaha
Thanks Mike, Bob & Kenny for a great time! I also want to thank Michelle and Maureen from Graphistudio for hosting/coordinating such a great event. It was nice to talk and spend time with both of you! And to all of my new friends especially, Peter, Armin, Asim and everyone else! I hope to see you in Vegas next month.
I wasn't sure what to think when AppleTV was first released. I didn't get too excited about it, but always wondered if it would be a good fit in our home.
Recently, I purchased one and I can tell you that I am very glad I did! It is super slick and easy to use. We have so many photos, movies, videos, music tracks, tv shows, etc on our home machine and AppleTV has enabled us to show them off on our TV instead of having everyone gather around the computer.
Apple is going to be releasing an update for the AppleTV soon, so that you can rent movies right from the iTunes store. Library movies are $2.99 and new releases are $3.99. This will be great!
We also buy a lot of children's dvds that tend to get scratched and start to skip. Now we can download many of the titles for the same price or cheaper and just stream them to the TV. No more scratches.
If you are sittin on the fence about the AppleTV, I say get one. It is great!
The question 'What is your workflow like?' comes up quite a bit. I think workflow is an ever changing process that needs tweaking, every once in a while to improve efficiency. When I first started I discovered a workflow and decided to emulate it. It worked well, but it was not entirely for me. I eventually tweaked and adapted strategies from other workflows as well. Now, I have my own that works well for me. This is not the end all nor the greatest, but it works for me.
I love repetition (steps that are easily repeatable) and automation. Wherever I can batch process or script, I do. Saves TONS of time in the end. I have posted a .pdf of my workflow here if you are interested. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a line at david@davidburkephoto.com.
I just wanted to share a few of my favorite "non-wedding", "non-portrait" (in a traditional sense) photographers that I love to follow for inspiration. Each year I pick something "technical" that I want to really hone in on and improve upon. Last year it was flash on and off camera. I learned a TON and really improved the way I can light things when I have too. My hat goes off to Zack Arias and his One Light Workshop for showing me how to do a LOT with little equipment.
This brings me to my first inspiration. 1. Zack Arias - You can see his music work here www.zackarias.com. His other site, www.usedfilm.com. Besides being a stellar individual and an excellent photographer, Zack is a wonderful teacher as well. I hope to see him again soon.
2. Jeremy Cowart - Jeremy Cowart is a commercial photographer that lives in Nashville, TN. His work is beautiful and gritty at the same time.
3. Jill Greenberg - Jill the Manipulator is an incredibly talented Canadian-born photographer. Her portfolio is huge and awesome.
4. Dave Hill - Dave Hill Photo. His work is off the hook. He does some crazy photoshop magic to give the images a surreal feel. Very cool.
I have many more inspirations, but these are my current favorites. Who are some of your inspirations?
So this year I actually picked 2 "technical" areas to improve upon. 1. Custom Printing - I have a fantastic professional printer that enables me to print large images. I want to master my Black and White custom prints. This is something new that I want to offer my clients.
2. Studio Shooting - I want to continue my exploration of off-camera lighting with the intention to create unique portraiture of individuals. Simple and clean is the name of the game.
I will be sure to post my progress throughout the year.
Firstlly WE HAVE EXTENDED THE CONTEST ENTRY DEADLINE TO FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2008. We will still post the winner on January 28, 2008. Get those entries in!!!
We have been asked for some recent images of Bryleigh, so I grabbed a few before her nap today. Looking at these, I just cannot believe how quickly she is growing up. My goodness she is 7.5 weeks old now! She is such a great baby and a joy to have around. We love her sooooo much.
Check her out:
Brayden wanted in on the action. I love how the motion is shown with his movement. Brayden is so mesmerized by Bryleigh. I also LOVE how she is looking up to him! ISO 400, 1/50 @ 2.8
Details: 1. Please email stories and recent photo to info@davidburkephoto.com with subject of Free Wedding Photography 2008 (Wedding can take place anywhere in the United States) 2. Couples must have date and location selected for wedding already (subject to our availability as well) 3. Package includes 8 hours wedding day coverage, 20 page 10x10 Leather Album, Online Hosting of Images, travel expenses and a DVD of High Resolution Digital Negatives (once your album is delivered) 4. Our panel of judges will go through the stories and vote. Most votes for the couple wins. 5. ENTRIES IN BY MONDAY 1/14/2008 6. WINNER ANNOUNCED MONDAY 1/28/2008
Happy New Year to all! It's 2008 and life is good! We had such a wonderful Christmas and New Year's with our family. The kids were awesome and they enjoyed everything thoroughly. Spending so much time with them over the Holidays was such a treat. I wish that I could do that everyday. Unfortunately I have to work... Fortunately I work, doing something I LOVE!
I am very excited for this year and happy to be back at it. We have so many cool things going on this year with our business and I cannot wait to share with you.
So a New Year's would not be complete without a few goals. Here are a few of my personal goals: 1. Lose 20 lbs by March 15 (accomplished with a much better diet and exercise) 2. Do something Physical everyday, outdoors rain or shine (walk, bike, skate, kayak, hike) 3. Blog about more useful things 4. Start cooking and creating new meals (I love to cook, but have not done it much) 5. Spend more one on one time with each of my kids, individually 6. Date night with Bridget, at least every other week
I created two lists. Personal and Business. I think setting goals and writing them down are very important. It acts as a roadmap for you to follow.
What are some of your goals for the new year?
Here is an image from New Years Day. Lil Bray was sleepy (captured by Bridget):
Last night we gave Bryleigh her first 'non-sponge' bath. I love seeing a baby's reaction to the first bath. She was just like the boys... Didn't like it at first, but then grew to love it.
Brayden was a spectator and then he said 'Daddy will you take my picture in the bath too?' How could I say NO??
I had a fun 10 minute session with the two little guys tonight while Mommy went to the hair salon and Bryleigh was napping. Simple setup, but lots of fun!!
**For Photographers** Grey seamless paper background, Nikon SB-600 bounced into a 45" umbrella at 1/8 power (fired with Pocket Wizards), Nikon D200, 17-55 2.8, ISO 200, aperture f/4, shutter 1/100 :-) **End Geek Speak**
Christian played Joseph in his school play this morning. It was awesome! All of these kids did such an incredible job. They are all so darn cute. Moments like these just remind me of how good it is to be alive and to enjoy the things we are blessed with.
Enjoy. **Edit - Yep that is Bryleigh Crying at the beginning... :-)***
OK, one of the great things about having sons, is that you still get to be a kid yourself. Enter Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE. What a combo. Santa delivered the game console last Christmas and we have enjoyed it tremendously. Lately we have been playing Call of Duty 4. Recently, my Bro-In-Law, Darren, got me hooked into playing our favorite game online. The game is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This game is great! I only wish I had more time to play it!! (Extra time is not something we have lately...)
Anyways, if you are an Xbox LIVE player and are playing Call of Duty 4, my gamer tag is DaYzeZ. (Christian came up with that name Daze-ez. So cute.) Look me up and we can play!
I found this new site Blip.tv that has excellent web-quality video. So I wanted to put a test clip up there and who do you think it stars??? Yep. Bryleigh.
We had a major malfunction with our email system over the past two weeks. For some reason, our main email info@davidburkephoto.com was missing from our server. If you have sent an email to us, using the info address, over the past two weeks it is likely that we did not receive it. Please accept our apologies and I believe that the issue is resolved. Please resend any emails that you may have sent.
Also, we have started to use SPAM ARREST due to the large amount of spam we receive. If you send us an email you will be asked to verify your address. I hated to enact this line of defense, but we waste so much time deleting junk mail that the junk filters do not catch. Thank you for understanding :-)
This site is fun and promotes a good cause. Check out Free Rice. I saw this on my friend, Kevin Von Qualen's site. For each word you get right, they donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger. You get to educate yourself and help the hungry :-)!
Wow this past week has gone by so quickly! We had a lot of family in over the holiday and are just now trying to get settled into our new and improved family routine. Adding Bryleigh sure has been a lot of fun! The boys are adjusting well, but they are definitely a little jealous. That is to be expected. Bryleigh sleeps like an angel, eats like a champ and does her business as she should ;-).
One of the things that I have been wanting to do as an 'artist' is take a hand at newborn photography. Newborns are soooooo adorable and I would love nothing more than to capture those details. Well, since I have a live in model, I was able to get a little natural light setup put together and give it a shot. It was great! Bryleigh was a trooper. Click on the picture to see a brief slideshow of the results.
Tech notes: All images shot with available window light. ISO set between 200 and 400. Shutter 1/80 - 1/200 sec, f2.0 - 2.8 using my 50mm lense. I used Black Velvet, an off white shaggy rug, beanbag, basket and a few blankets. One thing I learned is that a beanbag is ESSENTIAL when shooting newborns. It works perfectly.
I am very happy with the results and I cannot wait to shoot more of these. Click on the picture to see a brief slideshow of the results.
We are all just smitten here at the Burke home! Bryleigh is amazing. I cannot tell you how thankful I am right now. This Thanksgiving will always hold a special place in my heart :-) Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
All is well. Dr. Says Bridget needs to rest until the baby arrives. She has been trying to do too much and now she just needs to relax and wait. Obviously, I need to pick up where she leaves off. She does SO MUCH for our family. I appreciate her more than words can say. I know that we would not be where we are if it were not for her.. I love you B!
So with that being said, over the next few weeks while we wait for our daughter to arrive, I may be slow to return phone calls and emails. Please bear with us while we prepare for this wonderful experience and I can assure to help my wife get the rest she needs.
We will post about the baby as soon as we can. Until next time....
I had an incredible time at the One Light Workshop in Atlanta. I will write more about it later, but here are a few images I snapped. So much fun. So worth it. My Flickr Onelight Page.
I love to learn! This weekend I am headed to Atlanta for the One Light Workshop "People are happier when they are lit!" with Zack Arias. I hear it is a fabulous very intensive one day shop. I truly cannot wait. I am also going to get the opportunity to photograph our brand new niece, Evie White. An added bonus!
We are very close to the arrival of our own new daughter too. When we booked this trip for me, we figured that we would still be 3 weeks out from Bridget's due date and would have nothing to worry about. I have to admit, that I am a bit anxious about leaving. We both feel confident that things will be fine while I am away. The good news is there are a lot of flights between Pgh and Atlanta, so I can get home quickly. I will be praying a lot that God takes good care of my family while I am away. Can you do the same? thanks!
Zack is an incredibly talented photographer and it will be great to finally meet him. I will be sure to post images from the workshop. Have a great weekend!
While shooting Nicole and Blaine's wedding, in Charleston last week, Kenny and I decided we wanted to make a little video of our adventures. This was the INTENTION. However, we were so busy shooting and having fun, that we never shot any more video! I guess we need to hire someone to bring along and do this sometime...
...with the amazing Kenny Kim. Yesterday, Kenny and I got to stroll around Charleston and just take pictures for ourselves. It was so much fun! It is a great way to get the juices flowing again. This is something that we do not get to do too often, so we really ate it up. Check out the collage that Kenny put together of some of our images Here. I also uploaded some images to my Flickr page here.
If you have not been to Charleston, definitely put it on your "to do list". I plan on bringing my wife here as soon as she is ready to travel, after the baby! I miss you B, baby and the boys!
We are off to get ready for the wedding of Nicole and Blaine now :-)
Hey there! I just wanted to give you a heads up and let you know that I will be out of the office for the next few days. I am headed to Charleston, SC for a destination wedding! It should be a wonderful event. Nicole and Blaine are a great couple and I can't wait to spend the weekend with them. I am bringing my good friend, Kenny Kim, to second shoot and have fun with! Kenny spent last weekend in the Bahamas! He is loving it.
I will have limited access to email, if there is anything urgent, please email my office manager, Erin, at erinschumacher@davidburkephoto.com. She is the best!
Wow, only 6 weeks to go for baby girl! We created some fantastic maternity images to remember this experience with!!! We are going to keep them under the wraps though :-) Here is a sneak peak of her belly.
We just bought the little guys and girl some new knit hats for this fall/winter. I love these hats! Bray put his on this morning and asked me to take some shots. I figured I would share, because they are so darned cute.
BTW - if you want to get your kids some really beautiful knit hats, check out LaFolie knits. We buy them every year.
My son, Damon, has been saving up for a guitar for quite a long time. He finally had enough after his birthday this past July. So... He picked up a beautiful Epiphone Les Paul Custom. Here is a recent pic of him playing. Shot with Kodak TMax 3200 ISO Film.
I just wanted to give a shout out to my clients Liz and Tim.
I just received word that they passed the PA Bar Exam!!! All of their hardwork has paid off and now they can continue on their journey to success. Congratulations!!!!!
Sweet, I just received word and a link to The Shores Hotel website. The Shores is a division of destinationhotels.com.They are using a number of my images for their website and brochures! I shot Corrine and Nick's wedding there back in April. It is really cool to see how someone else may use my images. I am so happy that they are using them.
A huge thanks to Corrine and Nick for allowing me to capture their wedding and share the images. Here is one of my favorites they used:
I love photography books. Specifically, coffee table books, that have lots of different photos in them. I have always loved the portraits created for The Gap ads. When I was at The Gap yesterday, I discovered this book called Individuals. It contains page after page of images they have used over the years. I love the simplicity of the setups. Most images are created in front of a simple background (white/grey) and one light (off camera) is the light source. There are plenty of images where they use available light too. The images are plain, simple, but very effective. There is also no Photochopping! (a term used when too much Photoshop enhancing is used)
Simple = Beautiful.
Another cool tip. I purchased my copy from the Gap for $35. You can get the same book through Amazon.com for $23. :-)
If you follow my blog, you are surely familiar with my sister-in-law, Brooke. Her and Michael came in last weekend for their baby shower. While they were here, we decided to take some pictures of her belly, because I will not see them again until after the baby is born. Cool thing is that I will be in Atlanta when the baby is still a newborn, so we are planning to do a newborn session too!
So, here they are. We did a few in the house and a few outside. These are just a few of my favorites. I can't wait to meet him/her!!
My good friend and very talented photographer, Andy Peterson, blog tagged me. This means that I have to list 8 things about me that you may not now. (Incidedtly, another great photographer and friend, Erich Camping, blog tagged me today too!)
Let’s begin. 1. I love my wife and kids more than words can say. Each one of them has something unique about them that makes me love them more and more. Without them I would be nothing. They keep me motivated and smiling (constantly).
2. When I was a boy, I always wanted to grow up and be a dad. I said that I was going to have 5 kids. With our blended family, our newest baby girl will make that 5 (in my heart).
See, I had a daughter in 1998. Her name was Jourdan Leigh Burke (1/29/98 - 2/1/98). She was born with a heart defect called Left Heart Hypoplastic Syndrome and she only lived for 3 days. This was not known during the pregnancy or upon birth. She was born healthy and we have beautiful and fun memories of her for the first 36 hours of her life. Jourdan will be with me always. She is my little angel :-). Here is a picture of her.
3. Favorite things besides family: Dozer (my boxer dog), my church, my Nikons, my Macs, my Honda, vacations, Harry Potter series, business books, simplicity, music, movies, Xbox 360, photographs of course!
4. I have always loved computers and cameras. Funny how things turn out! My first computer was a 1991 Packard Bell 16 Mhz with 1MB RAM. The hard drive was 85MB. I remember saying to my friend, ‘Man 85 megs! I will NEVER fill this up!’ On a typical wedding day I fill up about 16,000 megs with pictures!
My first camera was a Kodak 110. Then I moved to the Kodak 35mm compact camera. I bought my first SLR (a Minolta) in 1997. I then truly fell in love with photography. After that I bought a Nikon N70 in 2000. The Nikon D100 in 2003 was my first digital SLR and the rest is history. (I occassionally still shoot film. Kodak Tmax 3200 for Black and White. Fuji Pro 400H for color.)
5. I graduated college after majoring in Accounting and Finance. I was an accountant for a short period of time before I realized how much I disliked accounting. I taught myself how to program in Visual Basic and ended up getting a job as a programmer. I eventually settled into mostly database programming for the majority of my computer career. I always wanted to be independent and have my own business. Bridget gave me the kick in the but to try the photography business. My business background and computer experience have been tremendous assets. Thank you b!!
6. I hate snakes. Yes I am afraid of them. Even gartner snakes.
7. I used to play guitar and sing all the time. As I got older and busier, I stopped. Now that Damon just bought his first guitar, I am getting back into it. Music is a wonderful catharsis. This is something we can really enjoy together. Side note: Damon’s talent is amazing. He is good at everything he tries.
8. If you need tips on how to grow a killer mullet, I can help. I had a huge mullet in high school. It was my pride and joy (See picture below).
Today Bray had his first haircut (plus we haven't blogged him in a while). Just a trim though! We were not ready to part with those curls yet. Here are some snaps and a few of him this evening, trying to beat the heat. It is hot as heck in Pittsburgh today!
I received sad news today. Jose Gonzalez, a friend I made at the Mike Colon workshop this past February, has passed away. Jose was a great guy and a very talented photographer, as well as videographer. I enjoyed spending the week with him and getting to know him. He will be missed. Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family.
Here is a headshot I captured of him on our last day together. Godspeed Jose.
