New Site, New Blog

Just a short while ago I launched the new and improved website. Along with that, a new blog. I will no longer be writing blog posts here through Blogger. It was time for me to move on and consolidate sites. I've transferred over 100 posts from this site over to the new site. I was unable to transfer over the comments.

I feel the new site overall is a huge improvement, not only for my portfolio, but for the blog and the entire user experience. I hope you continue to follow my posts over on the new site. If you have me booked marked, please update your link to http://davemphotography.com. Thanks.

If you're looking for a portrait photographer in the Atlanta area, visit my portfolio.

On Assignment: Atlanta Track Club - Haunted Hustle 5k

Here are some photos from the Haunted Hustle, a cross country 5k put on by the Atlanta Track Club. A 5k is so short that I wasn't able to move along the course like I normally do. It was also a 2 loop course, so at least I got to shoot everyone twice.

On Assignment: Atlanta Track Club Grand Finale

There's been a lull in my blogging as of late and for that I apologize. I will be catching up in the next couple of weeks as I've got big news. I'll hold off the major one until later, but for now, I'll let you know that I'm planning on redesigning and relaunching my website and will move off Blogger onto my own blog right off my site. That's going to take a while, but it'll all makes sense in a couple weeks when I make the announcement and start off on a new adventure. You'll understand when you find out about the adventure.

Okay, back to the topic at hand. The Atlanta Track Club Grand Finale is one of my favorite events. Not only do they have a nice spread of food at the end, but there's an award ceremony. This was also a new course that took runners around Chastain Park. I've done training runs around here and there are some nice hills in the area.

On Assignment : Athletic Photo Shoot Part 2

Took longer than I expected to get back to blogging. I finished up my marathon training and completed my first marathon and then took some time to support and photograph my teammates down in Panama City Beach at Ironman Florida. I've had a couple shoots sprinkled in between and I'll get to those posts in the future.

In the meantime, Part 2 with Krista Klumpp. We finished our shoot inside the studio and moved outdoors for an environmental setup.  The purpose of these shots were to show off her physique. She wants to be a fitness model and we needed full body shots, but we wanted shots that you'd see in a health and fitness magazine.

On Assignment : Athletic Photo Shoot Part 1

I'm really excited about sharing images from this shoot for several reasons. This is the first time I was contacted by a celebrity for a photo shoot. Not a big time celebrity, but a celebrity none the less. She was on Survivor for several weeks last season. Krista Klumpp was the head cheerleader for Auburn University before appearing on Survivor. I had watched the show that season, but missed several shows early on. I did a Google search and found plenty of sites with her photo, most of them had the same photo used on the Survivor website and a couple from her cheerleading days.

I was excited because she searched for an Atlanta fitness photographer on Google and came across my portfolio. Based on my work she contacted me. She liked my style of photography and wanted some fitness photos of herself that she could use to pursue a modeling career. I'm flattered and honored to have been selected out of many other photographers.

On Assignment: The Kurt Thomas Band CD Release Concert

This was a fun assignment and not my typical shoot. It was a pleasure to shoot for several reasons. First of all, I know Kurt through his wife Sabrina. I used to be Sabrina's boss when I worked in TV as an Art Director. I must have been an okay boss, because we remain friends and I photographed her sons' birthday party earlier in the year.

Sabrina contacted me about photographing Kurt's show where he would be releasing his new album. Kurt got his start in music in high school, just north of Atlanta in Dahlonega, GA. He's also opened up for some of the biggest nanes in country music including Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, LeAnn Rimes, Sugarland and Zac Brown Band. Check out his site and give his music a listen.

I was told that along with Kurt and his band, that there would be some special guests & friends performing as well. I knew that one of Kurt's friends and fellow musician from Dahlonaga is Zac Brown. Yes, of the Zac Brown Band that won a Grammy for "Best New Artist" in 2010. I wasn't sure if Zac would be there or not. It was going to be a great show anyway. You'll have to continue reading to find out if he made the show.

On Assignment: RE Magazine

I recently had two assignments for RE Magazine and it reminded me that I never blogged about this assignment when it got published. This assignment was the cover story, so naturally I got the cover shot, although that's not always the case.

This shoot was challenging for a couple reasons. First of all we needed to reschedule because she had fractured her foot while running. Which led to the next challenge, I needed to shoot around her foot brace.

GOYA - Group Ride

Part of my triathlon training is participating in organized group rides. This particular ride, The Jackson County Brevet, is organized by our head cycling coach and raises money for Aplastic Anemia. A cause that hits close to home as his wife has been living with this disease for many years. Our club comes out in big numbers to show our support. I brought along the Kodak PlaySport camera. It shoots stills and video.

It was my intention to shoot video during the ride and later post those videos on Facebook as well. I thought I had the camera set to shoot videos, instead I only took still images. I was disappointed at first and then got a really nice surprise. Read on to see more.

On Assignment: Achieve Kids Tri

I know, I haven't written a blog in a couple weeks. I've fallen behind, but there's been a bit of work that's been taking up some of my time. I've got a list of items to write about, so let me get started with a quick and easy post.

Back in June I was asked to photograph an event for Achieve Kids Tri, a non-profit organization that helps under-privileged and at-risk youth enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle. The kids were part of a week long camp and on this day, they were going to have Jeff Galloway as a guest speaker.

If you're a runner or have ever thought about running, then there's a good chance you recognize the name. Jeff Galloway was a member of the 1972 US Olympic team in Munich. He has also written several books on marathon training and writes a monthly column for Runner's World magazine.

GOYA - Atlanta Triathlon Club | davem photography

It's been severals week since I wrote up a blog post. I've been working on a couple projects that have taken up some time and since I'm ramping up my training for my 2nd Half Ironman next month, there seems to be little time left to blog. Keeping with the triathlon theme, today's blog is from a triathlon I shot back in May.

The plan was for me to volunteer before the start of the race and then cover the race including the swim start. I wanted to see what kind of shots I could get if I got knee deep or even waist deep into the lake. That didn't pan out. There was a shortage of volunteers and I went to help out on the run course for a bit. Once the sprint race had gone through the run course, I was able to cover the half iron distance.

On Assignment : Getting 2 Tri Paratriathlete Camp

I think this has to be the work I'm the proudest of since I started doing photography. It has nothing to do with how I used lighting (actually it was all natural light except for the group photo below) or how I used gear to capture these images. It's about the moments, faces, emotions, reactions, and interactions between an incredible group of individuals.

I came into this hoping to create some powerful and dramatic images, similar to some of the athletic portraiture I've done recently. I still think they are powerful, due to the individuals and the subject matter. But that all changed when I arrived and started to shoot as a documentary photographer or photojournalist. Keep in mind I have no formal training in either, but respect the kind of work that these photographers do.

I'll post several of my favorites from this 3 day event and finish it off with a video slideshow that captures a lot of what went on.

On Assignment: Engagement Session

You might remember Rachel form a previous blog where I was testing out some new gear and then later when I did another session with Rachel and her brother. Rachel and I used to work together and she must really like my work because she called wanting me to do her engagement session.

We were discussing locations and I happen to throw out the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The Atlanta Botanical Gardens requires a special event fee for professional photography on their property. When I suggested it, I was thinking of keeping it on the down low, only bringing a camera and 2 lenses. Many photographers have done this without any problems. Rachel loved the idea, but wanted to make sure we played by the rules and she made the arrangements and paid the special event fee. Rachel, you rock!

GOYA - Atlanta Triathlon Club | davem photography

The GOYA shoot returns. For those of you just tuning in for the first time, GOYA stands for, Get Off Your A$$. I didn't coin the term, but liked it when I heard it from Zack Arias. Basically, it's when I give myself an assignment or just shoot for myself. It's always a learning experience, fun and keeps my skills sharp.

This was kind of the official start of triathlon race season. The Atlanta Triathlon Club had huge participation at this race. It was a chilly morning and the water temperature was actually warmer than the air. It was still wetsuit legal.

South Atlanta Flickr Meet - Season's Bistro | davem photography

I hadn't been out to one of these meets in a while. When it was posted that it would be a theme and possible some old vehicles, I knew I had to be there.

There was plenty of ambient light to shoot without strobes, but I wanted to control the ambient and subject exposure for something a bit more dramatic. I like shooting wide angles and I wanted to get the entire vehicle, but you can see the reflection of the strobe and umbrella on the truck. Getting around that would mean creatively positioning the lights much higher or on booms requiring sandbags and counter balance weights to make sure the stands don't tip over. We didn't have the time or the gear to pull that off. My solution was to shoot around the problem.

On Assignment : Atlanta Track Club Women's 5k

Meant to post this blog a week or so ago, but got busy with some other projects. Anyway, I managed to get the cover of Wing Foot magazine for the month of May. This marks my  1 year anniversary shooting for the Atlanta Track Club and it was 1 year ago that I got my first cover shot.

As it turns out, she's the wife of Ray Mariner from the Cindy & Ray show on Star 94. This is a great race and I'm always surprised at how many great shots I get along the course.

On Assignment : Vision Trek 10k

This shoot was from early March, but I was contacted about being the event photographer back in October. The event coordinator had seen my work with the Atlanta Track Club and wanted the same level of photography for this event.

I expected it to be cold and dressed myself as if I was going to be a participant. Many times, I've worn jeans and jacket, this time, I went with cold weather wicking clothes. The weather called for rain. I was hoping it wasn't going to be pouring. Although my camera is weather sealed, I don't think it would've survived a down pour.

On Assignment : Atlanta Track Club Hearts & Soles 5k

Going back a bit to catch up on the blog. This year is flying by. I shot this assignment in February. I remember it being around 30º F that morning. The most difficult thing about shooting in cold weather is operating your camera with gloves. I've tried using regular gloves, but they get in the way of pressing buttons to adjust settings on the camera. I've been using thin cycling gloves. They provide the tactile feel I need to work the camera. They don't provide sufficient insulation to keep my fingertips warm, but it's better than no protection at all.

We had a nice sunrise with clear skies and I wanted to show that at the start of the race. Looking at some of these guys in the front, you'd never know how cold it was.

GOYA - Athletic Self Portaits

A couple weeks ago I did another self portrait session. I tend to do these right before a major race that I'll be doing. It helps me focus and motivate myself. It also gives me some confidence going into the race.

We all have doubts when it comes to what we can physically do. I like to picture myself looking like a professional. If I can see myself as an athlete, I'll perform like an athlete. Seems simple. Sports psychologist use similar methods, helping athletes envision themselves finishing or even winning a race. I use photographs to do the same.

On Assignment : RE Magazine Editorial Shoot

First let me apologize for being away for so long. Between getting taxes done, some graphic & web design projects, and training for my half iron distance race in 2 weeks, there has been little time to keep up on the blog. Hopefully this will resume the regular blog schedule.

So let's start with some good news. I got another cover! My first for RE Magazine. I have done several shoots for RE Magazine, but for one reason or another, they always use another image for the cover.

More images after the jump.

On Assignment : Atlanta Track Club Peachtree City 5/10k

I was excited to hear I got the cover of the March issue of Atlanta Track Club's Wingfoot. This is my second cover and it's always great to see my work in print, even better when it's large and on a cover.

Here are a couple more shots from the race that made it into the magazine. I'll get into more detail about the shoot after the jump.