Yesterday at Churchill Down I shot a corporate “Day at the Downs” event. On a little break I shot some of the horses after they crossed the finish line. I’ve had a few people ask if they can use the photo for their Facebook Timeline. I don’t have a problem with it, as long as my logo remains on the image…although Facebook has rule about not using a photo that is already being used on someone else’s cover, so that is between you and facebook 
If you want to use this on your facebook Timeline cover:
1. Click on the Image below
2. Right-click on the image and save it to your computer
3. Upload to Facebook! I do not recommend using the image that is already on my timeline cover as it will be compressed each time it is uploaded and degrade in quality. Enjoy Derby Week!
Here is the uncropped image (not for use on the Timeline cover).
Last night I spoke at the Louisville SmugMug Pro Group on Photoshop. We had large crowd with pretty varied experience levels, but hopefully everyone was able to get at least a little something out of it
As promised, here is the list of my favorite shortcuts. We didn’t get to discuss customizing them, so here is a link to a quick guide to customizing shortcuts.
You can easily get a list of all 7 billion (give or take) keyboard shortcuts by going to File/Keyboard shortcuts, and then click on “Summarize”. This will generate a documents with all the assigned keyboard shortcuts.
Shooting in bright sunlight can be difficult, especially with the limited dynamic range of DSLRs, and shooting toward the sun usually results in blown skies, desaturated images, and poor contrast. There are ways to work with the sun and get perfectly lovely images, like using scrims, reflectors, or avoiding it altogether, but these can sometimes result in artistic compromise. Yes, the sun can be a formidable foe and not easily overpowered. The solution? Bring your OWN light to the party.
The hardest part of lighting a scene in bright sunshine is the power required. It’s possible to use speedlights, but it would take many speedlights, with many, many batteries, to even come close, with questionable consistency and recycle time. A monolight with a portable power pack is perfectly suited for shooting in the sun. The Vagabond from Paul C. Buff has always been a popular choice for a power pack, and there many DIY solutions on the internet, but the additional weight (18.6 lbs!) is just a bit much to add to the gear bag. Enter the Vagabond Mini, announced by Paul C. Buff last September. My good friend Shanna Simpson had the foresight to order one early but it was on backorder for quite some time. It was finally delivered on Friday, so a field trip was definitely in order.
The Vagabond Mini is a pure sine wave power source, and weighs in at an unbelievable 3.5 pounds! It has two power outlets and a USB outlet, and can power up to four Paul C. Buff flashes. I took two Alien Bees: the B1600 and B800, and it had no problem consistenly firing them. Our playtime photos are below. We were too excited to bother getting a suitable subject…so we were our own models! As uncomfortable as it was being other side of the camera, it was a good experience to help to remind us how our clients feel.
All of these shots were taken between f14 and f20, with shutter speeds of 1/125 or 1/160, ISO 50, on the Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105L, with a split neutral density filter (although in hindsight I don’t think the filter was necessary). The B1600 was the main light, set on full power, with the B800 as fill at about 3/4 power. It was too windy on the river to use the softbox or umbrella and I was too lazy to bring sandbags. Our objective was to shoot straight into the afternoon sun and still get beautiful skies and great skintones. I was more than pleased with the results, especially for the first time taking my studio lights outdoors. The images required very little post processing.
Shanna rockin’ the shades.
The image on the left is straight out of the camera. The image on the right is with some minor Lightroom corrections and Photoshop work.
The sun was sun was so bright that day it was hard not to squint, even looking away from the sun.
Another one of Shanna.
In case you were wondering…No, I didn’t fall.
I know I really shouldn’t, but I love sun flare!
The sun dipped behind the building so this image was taken in the shade.
I’m definitely hooked. Since I’m pretty sure Shanna isn’t going to let me steal hers every time I shoot, I guess I’m going to have to break down and buy one for myself.
It’s time once again to vote for the best images from 2010. This year we will also have a portraits category, and the voting will be conducted by clicking “like” on the image on Facebook. These images will also be posted on the blog if you would like to see them in higher quality.
1. Images will be placed into one of two categories: “Weddings & Engagements” or “Portraits”
2. All of the images (selected by Tammy Howell Photography) will be posted to special contest photo albums on the Tammy Howell Photography page. Click to go to the album:
3. Instruct your friends, family, co-workers, etc. to “like” the Tammy Howell Photography fan page and then “like” their favorite picture (i.e. YOURS!)
4. The winner will be based on the total number of votes (“likes”) for each entered image. Votes are counted as likes on each individual image. A person must be a fan of the Tammy Howell Photography fan page to like a photo. Voting will be closed at 11:59PM on 2/18/11. The winners will be notified by email.
6. PRIZES:
The entry receiving the most votes each category will receive:
The second and third place winners in each category will receive a free 11×14 from the image of their choice from any 2010 session or wedding.
Any entry receiving 20 or more votes will receive a 50% discount on their next family portrait session.
View the images on the Blog here:
Best of 2010 {Weddings & Engagements}
Our 2010 weddings and engagement sessions were definitely the best ever. Here are some of my favorites from the past year.
Here is a quick look at some of my favorite portrait images from last year. I’m so fortunate to have the greatest clients!
Photography is where left brain meets right brain...a balance of art and science. Having both a technical and art background makes photography a perfect fit! I couldn't be happier that every day I get to create images that make people smile. And my wonderfully supportive husband and kids (AKA the assistants) make it all possible! 
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