Tim Boyles Photography

Blog in Transition....

2009-07-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

If you're following this blog, I'm moving it to a new location:

See you there!

http://www.timboylesphotography.wordpress.com/

Thank you!

New Equipment, New Portraits...

2009-01-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

I ordered some new off-camera flash accessories just before the new year.

That accomplishes three things:

1. it gets me the new equipment I crave.

2. The new equipment gives my clients better photos.

3. I can deduct the cost from my taxes.

In this case, the stuff I craved were some EZY softboxes from Lastolite. They're 24x24". They fold up very small for transporting. They're light enough to take on location. They're durable, although kind of expensive. They're compatible and made for using with my SB-800 Nikon strobes.

And, they provide soft, wraparound light that complements a person's face.

Rachel Morgan graciously agreed to pose for me again. We did several setups with the lights. The shot above is with one EZY Softbox just off to camera right and fired by pocket wizards. The sun was setting at Boca Ciega Park and I positioned her so that the sunlight coming through the trees was hitting her hair, providing a great, natural hair light that gives dimension, depth and a bit more power to the image.

This second shot is at the same location, same setup, but with a different backround. She's looking directly into the light. The beautiful boardwalks at this park give some depth to the image, as well as a juxtapostion of a beautiful model and the rustic, wooden walkway.

These next two shots were done in the studio.

The one above is shot with a single 24" softbox with an SB 800 flash inside. It's positioned to camera left. A second SB 800 is behind the tri-fold room divider (doing secondary duty as a studio backdrop). It's got a red gel over it.

And, the last shot below is classic glamor lighting for a woman. It's a clamshell setup. There's one EZY softbox high and directly in front of Rachel. There's a second one low and pointing up at her. This image required almost no post-processing. Besides a contrast adjustment, there's not much else done to make this image appear as you see it.

These softboxes are ideal for me. Most of my shooting is done in the field, on location...weddings, events, portrait shoots. I can pack up my portable studio, drive to my shooting location and unpack and set up for the shoot in mere minutes.

Do you need new headshots? Modeling comp cards? Family portraits? Corporate portraits with power? Call me. 727.504.9425

Casting on Craig's List

2009-01-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

I've never used Craig's List before, but I won't hesitate to use it in the future.

I had a great first experience by placing an ad there for models to shoot.

Model Rachel Morgan (click on any photo for larger view)
I had some free time from shooting over the holidays and wanted to work on my modeling photography. I've done some before, of course, but have been studying lighting setups courtesy of http://www.strobist.com/ and "The Moment it Clicks" book by Joe McNally. Both are great sources of information on photographic lighting. Both are also inspirational in their approach to photography and lighting.

As with any career, the times, they are a changin'. You must be able to grow, expand, improve and deliver superior products to your clients or they wont' be your clients for much longer.

With that in mind, I turned to Craig's List to recruit people who would pose for me while I tried some new lighting setups. In exchange, I'd give them a CD with some of the best images from the shoot to use in their own portfolios.

Rachel Morgan was the first person to answer my ad. Her response to my ad for "Free Modeling Photos" came in within 30 minutes of it being posted. I could have yanked the ad right then and had what I wanted: She has had some experience as a model, but she wanted to expand her portfolio.

She's 19 and a full time student in Sarasota. She's also a true professional who handles being in front of the camera with the confidence of a seasoned pro.

I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of her somewhere in the public eye.

I'm almost embarrassed to tell you the simple setup for the top photograph. It's natural light, with a hair/separation, flash over her head. It's also a great headshot for opening doors.

I've seen a video of a casting director going through headshots. They go through them as rapidly as a Las Vegas blackjack dealer.

A vast majority of them are discarded rapidly. Why?

The photographs don't portray any personality....they aren't the kind of person they're looking for..or the photographs are less than top-quality.

If you're serious about pursuing acting or modeling, the headshot is the key to opening the doors for you. Don't try to use photographs that are shot by "my friend Willie, who's pretty good with a camera".

Hire a professional. It is the best investment in your career that you can spend.

Great headshots open doors that are notoriously tightly slammed shut.

Rachel's second shot above is lit with two umbrellas. One is high and to camera left. One is lower and to camera right. There's also a hair/separation light over her head.

This is an entirely different look for her, yet also a powerful photograph that will capture attention. I cannot help but think "Audrey Hepburn" when I look at it. It's a combination of the lighting and of Rachel's pose and appearance. Classic.

Rachel Morgan

Rachel wanted some 3/4 length shots for her portfolio, so we moved out to the front of my home. I think it's an effective, powerful photograph of an engaging model. Anyone want to hire her?

This photograph is lit with a mixture of natural light and a tungsten, continuous light softbox.

One last photograph of Rachel. Again, natural light with a hair/separation light. We shot about 300 frames in a few hours. She looked unbelievably beautiful in each and every one of them.

Ultimately, about 20 people responded to my Craig's List ad, but based on the results and experience I got with Rachel and Mike Hall (below), I was done. No more free photography for models and actors. I gained some confidence and experience with various lighting setups and some excellent portraiture for my portfolio.

Mike Hall is a professional kite surfer who has never modeled before, yet had a desire to try it.

He looks like he just walked off the pages of Central Surfer Dude Casting.

Mike Hall

Sunset at Indian Shores.

Mike is holding his kitesurfing board. He's lit from camera right with a mid-sized umbrella with a SB-800 Nikon flash firing through it.

He's actually much more intelligent than his appearance would lead you to believe. He's also warm, engaging and a very nice guy.

One of his desires for doing this photo session was wanting to acquire a sponsor for his kitesurfing career. He wanted photographs to send to potential sponsors and I believe that we shot some great ones. Looks and appearance are very important when a big company is looking for people to promote their products.

Mike, I think, is destined to be the poster boy/man for kitesurfing.

Mike Hall

This shot was natural light as the sun was going down. Mike's never posed before, but his confidence is high, rightfully so.

Mike Hall

I love the look of boardwalks like this one. I actually ride my bicycle on this boardwalk almost every day and think constantly what a great place to do some shooting. It winds through mangroves and ends poking out into the Intracoastal Waterway. Studio in a bottle, so to speak.

It's got color, foilage, rustic boards, soft light in some places. All it needed was a confident model to show up.

He's lit with a mid-sized umbrella in front and a bare bulb flash shooting straight up from behind him for a hair light.

This last photograph of him is his headshot. It's lit the same way as the shot above, but with the hair light is off to the side to give him some separation from the Mangroves.

Mike Hall

I didn't tell Mike what to wear for the shoot. I simply told him to bring a few different tops that he felt good in. This blue top is nearly the exact color of his eyes and the results are a dramatic, powerful headshot that shows confidence and marketability.

Mike and I have another shoot to do. We're anxious to do some action shots of him kitesurfing in the Gulf of Mexico. I'm planning on the action and power of these shots and how to shoot them for maximum impact. I do plan on shooting him silhouetted against a setting sun, as well as light him in the air with a strobe on the ground.

I've also ordered some new portable softboxes and plan on shooting Rachel again once these arrive.

I have to admit that I feel refreshed and invigorated again following these shoots and am quite anxious to work with some new models and actors.

I'll work with any aspiring actors/models for reasonable rates.

No more freebies, though.

Dog Blog

2008-12-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

Ruby (left) makes a new friend.

I love dogs.
I know that's not an earth-shattering statement. Everyone that has a dog loves them. It goes with the territory like the warm greeting at the door when you get home, like the puppy dog eyes you get when it's dinner time, like the creative sculptures you get to pick up every day.
One woman I heard recently put it best: "I could never give them as much as they give me".
What do they give me?
Incredible affection and attention.
Undeniable love.
Constant companionship.
Great photo ops.
This is a photo blog, right?
I take my 6-year old German Shepard/Chow mix Ruby to the dog park at Boca Ciega Park almost every day. When I began doing that, I just loved to watch her play with the other dogs, run off some of her extra weight and get stroked and petted by other dog lovers there who cannot resist her sweet disposition and incredibly pretty face.
She thinks it's a human park where she can soak up attention from other dog-lovers.
I think it's a photo op just waiting to happen.

Ruby makes friends with a pit bull.

(click any photo for larger view)

And relaxes under cover of Narnia, the gentle Newfoundland.

Dog parks are also great places to work on your photography skills. The action can be wild when they're wound up and chasing one another, playing and doing the other things they enjoy so much. Photographing a pack of dogs playing is a like photographing a sporting event. You have to anticipate the action, be ready at all times, look for and capture the peak action as well as the emotions the dogs display.

Rocky the Beagle (one of my favorite subjects because he's so animated, playful and cute) gets chased, overtaken and passed.

Imagine the series above in your local sports section of the newspaper, but instead of dogs, the photos show a head-to-head race between two high school track stars chasing the state championships. Do you see the correlation? Can you see the series above featuring track stars?

Good. I hope my point is well-taken.

Rocky gets chased by a German Shepard. This shot shows the technique called panning.

I normally go to the dog park about 4:30 in the afternoon. It's when many people are starting to get off work and get their dogs out to play after being home alone all day. It's also the time when the sun is beginning to get lower in the sky and the dog park is losing the afternoon light that illuminates it. Subsequently you must shoot with higher ISOs and slower shutter speeds to capture the action. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. In the shot above, I'm "panning" with the dogs as they run, or moving my camera and body at the same speeds as the dogs are running and clicking the shutter with a relatively slow shutter speed. In this case, it was 1/40th of a second. The results are that you get the blurred backround, which makes a person sense the movement of the dogs. You also get blurred legs on the dogs which helps to illustrate the speed at which they're running.

Again, you've probably seen this kind of photo in many sports photographs of runners, swimmers and other sports figures.

It's a technique that requires practice and patience. If you use too fast of a shutter speed, the motion you're looking for is stopped and you don't get the blurring of the legs and backround. If you use too slow of a shutter speed, you get too much of the blurring and it makes the dogs unrecognizeable.

This shot of an Australian Cattle Dog uses the same panning technique, but with a faster shutter speed (1/80th of a second). You can see that you get less blurring on the backround and on the legs of the dog, but still get the sense of motion.

I mentioned peak action above as something you want to be prepared for when photographing at a dog park, or anywhere for that matter.

This is Roxy the Pit Bull being suprised from behind by Ruby the Newfoundland. I'm not going to include the whole series here, but there were about 4 other frames of Roxy in the foreground of the shots I took with Ruby sneaking up behind her. This is the final frame as Roxy discovered the sneak attack.

Peak action, again. Rocky playfully bites Roxy's hind leg while playing at the Boca Ciega Dog Park.

Ruby the Newfoundland plays keepaway with a dog frisbee.

Ruby the Newfoundland plays tug-of-war with two black labradors.

Ruby joins the fracas.

From a photography standpoint, Dog Parks are wonderful places to practice your skills. They're also great places to meet other people who share your passions.

Shoot what you love and your photos will reflect your passions.

There's one more reason why shooting at a dog park can be an incredibly rewarding experience: The cuteness factor. All dogs have it. They're like children in the way that their faces are perfect and their actions are adoreable. Who could resist this Brichon Frise?

On the other end of the cuteness scale, this Neopolitan Mastiff mix below. This is more of an illustration of a portrait of a dog as opposed to the other techniques I mentioned. Dog parks are great places to practice your portrait techniques. But, beware, shooting dog portraits is like shooting a child's portrait: They don't pose, take direction well, listen, sit still or appreciate your efforts to cast them in the best possible light.

And, they don't smile on command.

But, with a face like this, you don't have to.

Chris and Dawn

2008-10-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Chris and Dawn met at roulette table #12 at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City.

It was a gamble both were willing to take and it paid off in ways that no casino could ever dole out from any cashier's booth.

They fell in love and got married .

Chris has been a great friend for about 8 years. We met when we were both working for a TV station here in Tampa Bay. He's a great reporte and is now reporting and anchoring for KSTP in Minneapolis. I was honored when he asked me to come to Atlantic City to photograph his wedding to Dawn on October 4.

I've been photographing weddings for long enough that I don't feel stressed about shooting them, but when it's your friend's wedding, you want to do a great job. There is a little stress involved.

The easy part about shooting this for them was that they're both great looking people. Dawn is stunning, petite, dark hair and eyes. Smoldering, yet endearingly sweet.

All the girls at the station adored Chris. I remember one woman saying one day when he came back from a storm story that he "looked like a little puppy dog that you just want to hug". He's the kind of man that everyone should have for a friend. He's loyal and open, incredibly fun.

This was bound to be a memorable weekend.

One of my favorite photos from the wedding preparations is this one of Dawn's dad in the backround with Dawn and her two sisters in the foreground. I think it's an heirloom that should be in the family for generations.

I think the photographs will tell you the story better than I can write it.

Chris waiting for his beautiful bride to walk into his life. The poster behind him is the one friends had unfurled while Dawn and he flew overhead in a helicopter. That's a proposal!
Dawn and Chris pose in the setting sunlight.

First Dance.

Chris pulled some strings and got the Borgata Casion to give us permission to shoot photographs at the roulette table where they met. They are surrounded by friends and family. One guy who said he had just lost $5,000. at that table refused to move so we could take the photos. Security escorted him from the area.

Do Whatcha Gotta Do

2008-09-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

Lindsey Rose Belcher is my new hero.

She is followed closely behind by her father, FOX-13 reporter Charley Belcher and American Idol David Cook.

The three have a bond that was formed when Charley was in Hollywood covering the American Idol competition and mentioned to David that Lindsey Rose had picked Cook, during the preliminary rounds, to win.

Charley also mentioned to David that seven-year-old Lindsey had been diagnosed with leukemia on Christmas Eve, 2007 and that the orange wristband with the motto "Do Whatcha Gotta Do" Charley was wearing was the catchphrase that father and daughter had come up with to help cope with the painful, invasive treatments she was going through.

David Cook, bless his generous heart, asked for one of the orange wristbands. He wore it through the rest of the competitions and wears it to this day.

The next time he makes an appearance, anywhere, look for it. I guarantee it's there.

Lindsey Rose and David met in person when the Idol show came to Tampa last month.

Here's the link to the story as it aired on FOX-13:

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=63ADE516C61AAFD158A090BB4AE0AC26?contentId=7263836&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

Lindsey Rose shows off her "I Love David Cook" t-shirt.

You would have to be dehydrated to not shed a tear after seeing the joy in Lindsey Rose's life when meeting her Idol for the first time.

And, you'd have to be a little cold-hearted to not feel great respect for David Cook, a young man literally at the top of the world who has adoration from millions of fans, yet takes the time, energy and emotions to form such a bond with one little girl and give her (and her parents) hope, love and immense joy during the most challenging, unpredictable, painful times of their lives.

I've been numbed a bit after being in the news business for as long as I have been, but this was a story that I couldn't ignore. I was moved beyond belief.

I had met her father Charley while covering a few news stories together. He had always been friendly and seemed like a truly nice man.

I called him and offered to do a portrait session with Lindsey Rose.

Lindsey Rose and her biggest fan, her father Charley.

Charley told me it's something they had been talking about: documenting Lindsey Rose as her hair started to return after her initial bout with chemotherapy. He said they'd love to do a shoot with her. But, was she up to it?

Charley said yes, she loved attention and was looking forward to "her photo shoot", as she called it.

Lindsey Rose turned out to be a true professional in front of the camera. She was comfortable, calm, extremely beautiful and had a smile that hours of shooting couldn't erase.

We shot under studio lights, natural light and at the beach with a mixture of both.

Charley Belcher provides the light for Lindsey Rose's photo session.

She loved it, as you can see from this selection of photos.

I loved it at least as much as she did. I was shooting someone far more important than any celebrity, bride and groom or news story I've ever shot.

I was shooting a young girl, facing and overcoming challenges that I couldn't begin to imagine and doing it with the courage that many adults cannot accomplish.

What's my point?

There are several of them:

1. Support any childhood cancer foundations that you can find. Tampa Bay has many organizations and health care facilities that specialize in childhood cancers. Give donations and volunteer.

2. If you're a photographer, GIVE part of your time away. Find a non-profit organization that you believe in, a family in need, a couple getting married who cannot afford you for your services or any of a million causes that could use your skills to further their message or document their accomplishments or people. There are Heart Galleries around the country who use the services of volunteer photographers to shoot portraits of hard-to-adopt children. They place the portraits in high-traffic areas like malls, libraries, etc. to try to catch the attention of prospective, adoptive families and make them fall in love, just a little, with a young child in need of a family. (I'm the photographer coordinator for the Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco. We can always use new photographers. http://www.heartgallerykids.org/)

3. Hug and love your children every day that you can. Charley told me it was ok if I wrote about this shoot if it helped to open the hearts and minds of people that every day with your children is a gift and to never take it for granted. He said that when he looks back before she was diagnosed, he wishes that instead of watching the Buccaneers play, he would have spent that day playing with Lindsey Rose. He wants Lindsey Rose to move people, to affect positive change and she does.

There's a very special bond between these two that I was lucky enough to witness and to document.

Thank you Lindsey Rose.

You are my American Idol.

Lindsey Rose had to be "forced" to not smile. I told her she doesn't have to smile to be beautiful. All she has to do is walk in the room.

Lindsey Rose's support page: http://www.active.com/donate/ltnTampa/cb

Teresa and Matt, July 27, 2008

2008-08-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

Some weddings almost shoot themselves.
(click any photo for larger version)
That was the case last weekend when Teresa and Matt got married at the Esperanza Mansion along the Finger Lakes in Bluff Point, NY.
As you can see, Teresa is model-beautiful. Matt is, heterosexually-speaking, the same.
The mansion is also a gorgeous locale for a wedding. It sits high on a hill, with one wing of the Finger Lakes stretching out below it. It makes for a great backdrop, although that's not as important to me when photographing a wedding as capturing the love between the couple and the joys shared between the families and friends who come to celebrate the union.

This group was the epitome of great people. Many times when you're shooting a wedding, you've never met the family and friends of the couple, so you're an "outsider" trying to fit in, make people comfortable with you and most importantly: Capture great photos. In this case, I hadn't even met Matt and Teresa until I showed up at the Mansion a few hours before the ceremony. We had done all of our conversations via email or on the phone. Since it was a referral from another couple's wedding, along with the fact that they were in NY and I in FL, we hadn't met in person. They trusted my work and dedication to my clients.
By the end of this wedding and reception, I truly felt as if I had made some friends from among the guests. That's a wonderful by-product of wedding photography. This is Teresa's brother Michael and his girlfriend Tori. They're two of the people I bonded with during the day. I even tied Michael's tie for him while shooting Teresa's "getting ready" photographs. And Tori has already emailed me asking me if they could get some of the photos I took of them during the day.
So, why did this wedding almost "shoot itself"? The answer is sprinkled all through this writing. Gorgeous couple, great friends, great fun, great location, friendly family members and a beautiful baby boy, Seth, Teresa and Matt had brought into this world. He's a very lucky kid. He'll be raised in a wonderful home, with loving parents and doting family and friends.
I fell in love with him immediately. I think he did the same with me.
Seth couldn't keep his eyes off of me. We actually had many laughs during the day when Teresa and Matt were loving on him and he couldn't stop looking at me. The admiration was entirely mutual.

A few words about technique:

One of the things I learned in my initial photojournalism training way back in 1984 in the US Navy was "shoot the action, shoot the reaction". In other words, during a wedding, the ceremony and the couple is not the only thing you should be photographing. The shot below is one example. Teresa's father is all man, yet couldn't contain his emotions during the ceremony. If you click on the shot to make it larger, you'll see the redness in his eyes. He showed overwhelming emotions of watching his daughter get married and I'm sure he tried to keep them supressed. He wasn't entirely successful as you can see. The people At the wedding are there for a reason: They're important to the couple and deserve to be in the final albums. Shoot the guests relentlessly.
Shoot the action...shoot the reaction.

I have many techniques that I like to use when shooting weddings. I had mentioned before that I like to use a 200mm lens on one of the cameras I shoot with during a ceremony. That allows me to stand back, out of the way, but still pull in the beauty and joys apparent in the faces of the bride and the groom. I also use it to shoot the exchange of the rings. There's something more powerful about this close-up of the exchange to me than of a wider shot. As a photojournalist you should always shoot the wide shots and the tight shots that show the details of the wedding in ways that people perhaps didn't notice. From their seats 12 feet away, no one could see this intimate look at the ring exchange, but it's such an important detail to me to capture.
Many times I change this shot to a black and white image. I think it's a timeless, classic way to show this, but in this case I left it in color due to the wondeful greens of the lush valley that was a backdrop for the ceremony.
One more trick I'll share with you. When i shoot the kiss, I don't just shoot the kiss. I like to mesh the "action-reaction" shot with the actual kiss-at-the-end-of-the-ceremony shot. It shows the kiss, of course, but also the reactions of the guests who are watching it.

I also love to do this photo in black and white, but deliver the color version of it as well.

Here are a few other portraits that we shot while the guests were eating their meal. I don't like to keep the couple away from their guests but in this case, Matt and Teresa had already eaten, so I dragged them out to the front of the Mansion to do a few more portraits while everyone else was served and ate their meal. They were both troopers and even laid on the grass for me. I don't know if they got grass stains on their clothes, but I do think these shots are worth it.
The sun had set when we shot this last series of portraits. The portraits on the grass were shot with a silver umbrella, bounced with an SB-800 flash set at 1/4 power. The shot with the blue, set-sun, misty light over the Finger Lakes in the backround was shot with a shoot-through, white umbrella with the flash set at 1/4 power. Notice how soft, romantic that light is?
(Thanks to www.strobist.com for teaching me how to use my sb-800 Nikon flashes to their fullest. )

Many photographers don't like to and will not shoot weddings. I can understand why. They can be stressful because you're being trusted to document one of the most important days in a person's life. Gear can fail. You might meet a "Bridezilla" who likes to rant, complain and make people miserable.
I've never had either of those in my life.
I always carry backup gear for everything I bring to photograph a wedding and it's tested, cleaned and re-tested before every wedding. I've never met a "Bridezilla" either. Perhaps it has a lot to do with my calm nature, but I've been fortunate.
I don't get stressed about shooting weddings. I feel totally confident that no matter what the day brings, I'll be ready to deliver heirloom photographs. I've been doing this a long time and always look for the fun, beauty and emotion of a wedding shoot.
I LOVE shooting weddings. Teresa and Matt's day was a perfect example of why.
Like Matt is here, however, I do enjoy a cold brew at the end of the evening.

Beatrice and Tony

2008-07-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Beatrice and Tony first called me because I had shot a wedding for friends of theirs. The friends loved their photos and even flew me to Oklahoma City to shoot their hometown reception. They've also introduced me to other friends of theirs in NY who are getting married this weekend. I get many bookings through referrals and they're the ulimate compliment. Thank you.

(and please double-click the photos to see larger versions. Small thumbnails do not do a photograph justice)

That may tell you about my wedding photojournalism philosophy

1. Shoot images that evoke emotions in those who view them. Shoot photographs that have impact, drama and power.

2. Remember that YOU revolve around their wedding. Not the other way around. The day is meant to be shared with the couples and their loved ones, not hours posing for you. The best photographs are the ones that capture moments of the day as they happen.

3. Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. Normally, I shoot about five times as many photographs as I'm going to deliver. The client gets only the BEST of the BEST.

4. Be fair, be prompt ( I guarantee turnaround of your photographs within one week), be courteous, and always give the couples more than they contract for.

That's how you survive in the competitive wedding photography market, but the rewards are incredible. I bet I get as excited as the couples when I'm ready to deliver an album. The moments of the day go by rapidly. The mili-second snap of my shutter documents what the couples may soon forget, not because they weren't important, but because they happened in a mili-second. Literally. And...the day was filled with millions of mili-seconds. It would be impossible to remember them all.

I am proud of my work and anxious to see their reactions.

Regardless.

Some weddings are almost easy to photograph. Beatrice and Tony's was one of them.

The first thing you notice is that the couple is model-beautiful. The next thing you're quite aware of is that they are incredibly in love with one another.

The pair were so kind to me and even allowed me to pick the time for the ceremony so I would have a pretty good idea of what time would be the perfect light for a beach wedding. I looked brilliant because the weather did exactly what I had hoped it would do to enhance the colors of the ceremony. It didn't rain, yet instead showered them with soft, late-day golden light.

There were only five of us. Andrew, Beatrice's best friend and officiant, myself my assistant for this shoot and friend, Michelle Nault and the couple on the beach behind the Don Caesar Hotel on St Pete Beach. I must admit, even though I don't like to give shout-outs here, the Hotel makes a gorgeous backdrop to the sandy spot we had picked out there. The location was a cleared circle of sand about 40 feet wide, surrounded by 5-foot Sea Grass.

Photographer heaven.

Beatrice shed a tear as soon as she finished her approach and stood beside Tony for the first time. She shed many light tears throughout the ceremony and I think I captured most of them. The eyes truly are the windows to the soul. That's why I carry a 200mm lens to photograph weddings (as well as a 24mm for the wide views). When a couple looks at one another while saying their vows, or sneeking peeks at one another.....you've got to be able to get those tight shots of the eyes. They show the love between the two. Look at the looks of these two in the photos here. Can you see what I mean?

I could have given them nearly every photograph we shot that day. They were all beautiful images, but not necessarily because of my talent. I told Beatrice it's truly a team effort and her and Tony held up their parts of the bargain ten-fold.

What did they do? They let their emotions come to the surface. They were playful and open and let me poke my lens into perhaps the most important day of their lives. And, they let me have fun doing it.

I've been photographing weddings for a long time, yet still truly get tears in my eyes sometimes when I'm able to witness such a love as these two have.

Thank you Tony and Beatrice, for MY dream wedding.

Your wedding photography knocked John Travolta's portrait off the front page of my web site.

I think that's significant.

(http://www.timboylesphotography.com/)

Nick Hogan (Bollea) Pleads, goes to jail.

2008-05-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's an international story when Hulk Hogan's 17-year-old son Nick (Bollea) admits that his actions caused the severe injuries to John Graziano. That's what happened May 9 when Nick was scheduled for a hearing in Pinellas County Court. The press knew that there was a plea deal in the case and with Hulk's international fame, it was bound to be covered by many reporters and photographers from Tampa Bay and beyond.

TMZ set up a live video feed from there. The St Pete Times and Tampa Trib reporters were there as well as multiple crews from each of the local TV stations. All of them were doing live reports from there. Radio too.

In all, there must have been 15 reporters, 25 video shooters and live truck operators and only about five still photographers.

Six, if you count me. I was shooting for Getty Images and hoping that my photos would get picked up for publication. They did, but more on that later.

The point is that it was a big, media event, not to mention the impact that it would ultimately affect both families and people that care (or don't care) for them.

It's a bit intimidating knowing that you won't have much time to get your shots. Since the event was a "pool" camera situation, in which one videographer and one still photographer shoot inside the courtroom and share their goods with everyone else who's there.

My shooting would be limited only to the outside of the courthouse. There was no shooting in the hallways. So, the only time I would have for my personal photographs would be them (Hogans) coming in and leaving.

In total, I had about 2.5 minutes, literally to get news images worthy of publication in any media.

The Hogan family arrived about five minutes before the beginning of the start time. They walked in without emotion past the awaiting pack of hungry journalists. A videographer tripped over the cement balls in front of the courthouse while filming their entry. Nick grinned as the guy layed sprawled on his back.

After they went in there was nothing for me to do until the hearing was over. The courthouse has a decent media room and I did want to watch the hearing so I sat and watched the emotion-filled hearing. Nick got sentenced to 8 months.

When it was over, the family, minus Nick who was immediately taken into custody, left the courthouse without saying anything. It gets very crazy during those "walks" when 50 people are asking questions, shooting video and stills, pushing, pulling, looking for their shots and sound bytes. When those masses start moving you never know where you're going to end up. You just kind of get swept up in whichever way the subject of the shot is going. Sometimes, I'm not even sure if I moved my feet, yet I end up 50 feet from where I began.

I ended up being right in front of Brooke and Hulk when they got to their car. They basically walked right into my lens and into their awaiting car. The post -hearing opportunity to shoot them was 30 seconds. It's a much shorter walk leaving the courthouse than walking in.

I think I filed about a dozen photos to Getty Images, half of them while watching the hearing in the media room. Expedience is expected and demanded when working for Getty. It often pays off because they distribute internationally and there are deadlines and web sites to file "breaking news" bulletins around the clock.

They were picked up by E! online, Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Tonight, ABC News and a few other outlets. One or two of the links are posted on my web site under "about Tim".

US Magazine published one of my photos in their newsstand copies. Often you never know who bought your photos until you get your statements a month or so later.

Professionally, it was a good shoot.

I've got a feeling I'll be shooting the civil hearings and case when it starts.

Thank you for reading. Comments welcome.

Executive Portrait, Photojournalistic Style

2008-05-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

I got an email from an old friend and co-worker of mine, Julie Booth last week. She' s working for a PR company in St Petersburg and needed a photograph of a CEO to run alongside an ad they were working on touting his company, Proggex, a project management company. She said they wanted something that would look like a news photograph. I said, "perfect". That's exactly what I do best: Photojournalism.

She showed me an article that had been written about his company earlier this year. There was a photograph of him with that article, but if you can envision EVERY portrait of a CEO you've ever seen before, that was it. He was standing in an office, window partially shaded behind him and a reflective desk in front of him.

It was a fine photograph, but lacked the impact that makes a person LOOK at a photograph as opposed to simply turning the page.

Photographs, at their worst, are simply window dressings for publications. They fill space, they show you what the person looks like, they provide graphic design capabilities.

Photographs, at their best, give you an insight to the person's personality, they evoke a feeling, a mood, an emotion. They make the viewer actually LOOK at the photograph, study it for its nuances and maybe even come back to it after turning several other pages.

They have lasting impact.

That's not an easy thing to do when shooting a CEO. Many of them like their photos done in their offices, behind their big desks, with their awards on the wall behind them.

Jim Stroh was having none of that.

When I drove in to his office complex along US 19 north, I noticed that his building was way back off the road. A long roadway to get there was covered with a canopy of lush, green oak trees. I knew right away that's where I wanted to shoot him. The canopy would provide a nice, colorful backdrop and frame him so that there was no question as to who the subject of the shot was. The other thing I liked, visually speaking, was that the building was made of glass. I knew I'd also use that in the portrait. The shot of Jim looking up at me was made after he told me that there was a courtyard there as well. I found a location which would allow me to shoot down on him, as well as "hide" the umbrella and lights.

Jim was an amicable man, a former photographer who knew what I was looking for and more than happy to oblige me. Those things can make all the difference when photographing a person...a willingness to let me take control for a while. Him being a former photographer made it a little intimidating, but also gave us common ground to form a bond.

All of these photos were shot with a white, shoot-through umbrella triggered by pocket wizards camera left, exposure f 5.6, 1/250th of a second on a D200 Nikon.

Ron Krasuski, Male Model

2008-05-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Ron Krasuski is one nice guy. I first met him when I was still working in TV news here in Tampa Bay. He was a fill-in weatherguesser and we hit it off right away. We had a mutual friend: Julie Bologna, now a weatherguesser and author in Dallas. I had worked with her in Altoona, PA. Ron met her somewhere else in TV news. It may have been Pittsburgh.

Regardless.

Ron, like me, no longer had TV work. I went back to shooting still photos. Ron is looking for/and auditioning for, modeling, commercial and other TV roles.

These are a few of my favorite shots.

The headshot is natural light, with a flat, silver reflector under his chin.

The fish net throw is natural light, just as the sun hit the horizon.

He's getting calls, auditions and has two modeling agencies wanting to sign him in St Pete. There seems to be more agencies and work for models and actors here than many people realize. If you're thinking about trying it, do so.

I'll be here to shoot your headshots and comp cards.

Ron has three different comp cards from this series of shoots.

That fact pleases me most.

The client/friend loves his photographs.

UPDATE: May 13, 2008: Ron has landed his first national modeling gig. Ron appeared for two days on HSN modeling for Suzanne Sommers' workout machine. I got to watch my friend working out on the machine shirtless while Suzanne and host Lynn Murphy "ogled" him and commented on his body. He did very well...looked quite natural and had a good time from what I could see. If you need a male model, please let me know. I'll gladly put you in touch with him, although after that successful gig, his day rate may have gone WAY up.

Bruce Springsteen

2008-05-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

I got to shoot Bruce Springteen. It's a photographer's dream to shoot one of your heros/icons, but it's a lot of pressure too because you may only get one shot at it, so to speak. Actually, I don't remember how many frames I took, but it was over 350, I'm sure.

It was the first concert for the band since the death of their keyboardist Danny Federici.

The show began with a video tribute to him. with a dark stage except for a spotlight shinging where he used to sit.

It was moving and emotional.

We were told before the concert that the tribute would start the show, but we weren't allowed to photograph it. Of course, all of the still photographers obeyed the rule laid out by Springsteen's managers. No one, especially me, would wish to be kicked out for any reason.

During a concert shoot like this, you're typically only allowed to shoot the first three songs. It doesn't sound like much, but if you figure the first three songs mean about 15 minutes of shooting, a professional photographer working for a newspaper or magazine or photo agency can get what they need for publication. I ended up posting about 25 photos to Getty Images for distribution. These are a few of my favorites.

What were the first three songs? I cannot tell you. When I'm shooting like that, it's like being in a zone where you're so focused on focusing, lighting and other technical issues. It's impossible to actually enjoy the concert, even though I was loving being there. The crowd was insanely drawn to Springteen and he and his bandmates to them.

I actually snuck a camera into a concert of his in Tacoma, Washington about 20 years ago and came away with some decent photographs, but I've come a long way with my photography since then. These photos are so much better. Back then I was seated behind the stage, but Bruce is a great showman and had turned around to face the people in the cheap seats behind the stage.

He did the same thing this night too.

Shooting a concert poses some technical challenges. A photographer from Backstreets magazine who has photographed "about 40" of Bruce's concerts gave me some tips before the show. He was right on. Many photographers that you meet and mix with at events are very generous with their knowledge. There is a lot of competition to see who gets the best shot, but there's also a friendly acknowledgement of respect for one another when you meet in the field like this. Chris Zuppa of the St Petersburg Times and I chatted for a long time before the show. He's a great photographer and an even nicer guy and expressed interest in shooting for the www.heartgallerykids.org.

If you're not familiar with it, professional photographers volunteer to shoot portraits of children who are traditionally hard-to-adopt. It's a heartwarming program and successful too. More on that later.

These were shot at 1250 ISO, f2.8 at about 1/125 of a second with my Nikon D200. I was afraid of the possibility of lots of noise from the high ISO, but I think they came out pretty well. What do you think? The lens was a Nikon 300 f2.8. There were probably 7 still photographers there. We stood on a platform beside the sound board.

This is my favorite shot.

Thank you for looking!!

Tim

Grand Prix Party and Drivers

2008-04-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

Driver Vitor Meira

Driver Scott Dixon and wife Emma

Hi.
shot the 2008 Honda Grand Prix party at the St Petersburg Pier last week. It's always a great event with lots of fun, happy people who are VIP guests in anticipation of the Grand Prix Race downtown. It's on the TV as I write, actually.

If you're a fan of Indy Car Racing, you're both a smart and lucky person. Many of the drivers attend the party. There are a few press members there, but no too many that the drivers spend all their time doing interviews and not enough talking with and posing for pictures with fans. The drivers do lots of that, but are also often left alone to admire the views from the top of the Pier and their friends, families and staff who are also there.

Oh yes and sometimes fans have a very close encounter with a RealRockStar like the woman above who was lucky enough to have Gene Simmons put his hand around her neck. It was in fun and a great moment.

This is the second time I shot Gene at that party. He is one fine celebrity. He talks with ALL of the fans that approach him, takes photos with them, talks with them, listens to them, talks more to them.

He also posed for me. He was a class act and great for Indy Car Racing. So are the drivers: Very open, friendly, approachable.

I just heard that they've signed a 5-year extension on the races in St Petersburg. If you can get an invitation to this event, do it. It's full of great food, travelling entertainment, drinks and the chance to rub elbows, literally, with some great racers: Tony Kanaan, Michael and Marco Andretti, Buddy Rice, Vitor Meira, Hideki Mutohby, St Pete's Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon who were all gracious enough to pose for me. It was a GORGEOUS night, with huge, billowing, sunset-reflecting orange light that made for a stunning backdrop. I didn't get to photograph Danica Patrick this year though. I heard she was there but I couldn't find her. I'm normally quite adept at finding my shots, but she proved elusive.

I have shot lovely pics of her prior though.

MY pleasure photographing this group, including all the great St Pete people who were there.

Thank YOU for reading.
Tim, April 08.

UPDATE: May 28: I just realized that the first and second place finishers of the 2008 Indianapolis 500 are the two drivers' photos that I posted from this party. Mmmmmm...? Karma?
Either way, they were both very gracious when I asked to photo them. Congratulations!!! Let me know if you want prints from these photos. TB

Heuman Pregnancy Shoot

2008-03-09T10:56:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Josh and Aubrey Heuman and their beautiful son Landon about a year ago when Landon was only a few months old. All children are beautiful, but Landon was especially gorgeous with his huge blue eyes, incredibly sweet disposition and obvious joy that he inspired within his parents. Now, Aubrey is pregnant again and they asked me to photograph them together and with Landon and to also photograph Landon solo. When talking with them about the shoot, I also found out that Landon's handsome face hadn't gone unnoticed. He had signed with Ford Modeling and had shot his first layout for a Babies R' Us catalog. It will be out in April, Josh said. He is an absolute joyful child and I think I spent nearly as much time holding him (he liked me, apparently) as I did photographing him. This is one of the absolute joys of my job: Giving people heirlooms of their lives and loves and meeting the kind of people like the Heumans who treasure their lives, their loves, their children and want to document that love for infinity.

John Travolta and Kelly Preston

2008-03-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

The couple were in St Petersburg March 4, 2008 to promote the Sunscreen Film Festival and delighted the hundred or so people who had passes to get into the private meet and greet.
I've photographed a number of celebritites in the past five years but Travolta was going to be about the biggest. There's no doubt about his star power nor about his abilities to command a screen and a character.
I had a little anxiety while awaiting their arrival. I tested my flashes, my camera settings and set up a few umbrellas in the corner of the room. I had asked his handlers if I may get a few minutes to shoot him with umbrella lights that give a soft, portrait-appropriate light to your subjects. They said they would make that happen since I was on assignment for Getty Images. They know the company and said that they appreciated the work that Getty puts out. "We know you're not paparazzi," they said. We respect the work of the company, they added, and agreed to provide Travolta and Preston to my corner before the night was over.
I was told the couple would leave about 9pm and about ten minutes before I noticed security moving guests to the side to provide an escape route for them to get out the doors. I figured I was probably not going to get my few minutes with them and it didn't suprise me. Sometimes, you get promised everything and receive nothing.
This was not the case tonight.
When Travolta got closer to the exit (where my "studio" was set up), I started to tense up a tad. Would he hit the door, or would he hit my studio?
I motioned to him to come over to me.
He came.
I knew they wanted to leave but were being gracious for me and giving me my five minutes.
I asked them to stand in the location where I had positioned my lights. Kelly asked for a minute to touch up her makeup.
I only shot about 9 frames of the couple. At one point, I asked John to lean in a tad closer to Kelly. That's the shot you see here.
A fellow photographer who was there, Jimmy Stem, told me before the shoot that when I was done shooting, to just move over beside the couple and he'd pop a frame of me posing with them. He did. That's the other shot you see here.
Travolta and Preston were gracious, open, friendly and even told the TV media people there that they're "regular" people in the town of Ocala. "We shop at Walmart. Kelly has her nails done at Target," Travolta said. "We don't go there in the daytime, of course. We go at midnight."