Projects and Events

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To maintain and improve skills of any kind requires practice. In photography, this means taking lots of photographs on a regular basis. Being your own critic is of utmost importance as is having outside portfolio review; we all have certain attachments to photos which interfere with objectivity. Most pro photographers set up personal projects to improve skills. Not all of the photos in these projects will be portfolio quality, but a few may be.

Local events can provide a rich source of subjects for photographs. Several I recently photographed in Savannah include The Telfair Art Museum’s “Rooms with a View”, Isle of Hope’s “Art and Music Festival,” and SCAD’s “Film Festival” – all within a 3-day period of time.

Telfair’s “Rooms with a View” evolved from a previous annual event called The Artful Table. This is one of many events to raise money to support the museum. Eight foot by eight foot walled venues were constructed in The Jepson Center for the Arts and decorated and furnished by local designers, with the exception of the speakers for the event. The guest speakers at this event were Phoebe and Jim Howard, nationally recognized designers from Jacksonville, Florida. The opening preview party offered attendees a first-look at the venues, in addition to delicious food and drink furnished by local restaurants. A good time was had by all, including me, the photographer. These photographs are of the venues, along with their designers, and of the set-up and the party.

 

Isle of Hope’s “Art and Music Festival” has become an annual event that attracts hundreds of locals to see and purchase local art, eat good food, and hear good music. It starts at 10 AM of Saturday and runs until 10 PM that night. We were fortunate to have great weather in a beautiful local setting. The photos highlight the event with a few views of the location, the visitors, and some of the artists.

 

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Film Festival is “filled with cinematic creativity from both award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. Each year more than 40,000 people attend the eight day Savannah Film Festival. The festival is host to a wide variety of competition film screenings, special screenings, workshops, panels, and lectures.” These photographs are from the 2014 Opening Night in front of The Trustees Theater on Broughton Street.

All photos copyright  Dan Biggerstaff Photography. All rights reserved © 2014

TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS

A blog post long overdue. It has been a busy summer since I attended the Greg Heisler workshop. Mom passed in late July; and many photo shoots, and the needed editing, have occupied my time. In order to maintain or improve a level of proficiency, we must practice whatever we are doing, whether it be taking photographs, cooking, or playing football. I take lots of photographs to continue/improve my skills as a photographer.

Savannah Fashion Night was on September 4, an annual event in which Broughton Street is blocked off from Drayton to Montgomery Streets – runways for fashion shows were set up at each of these ends of Broughton. The stores along the street were open late and had much of their merchandise on sale for the event. Many local retailers, including two car dealerships, promoted their products along the route.

Art Rise Savannah is a non-profit organization that promotes local art and art education. Their venue was at the corner of Broughton and Barnard Streets. Throughout the evening, models posed so onlookers could try their hands at sketching, with assistance from the Art Rise volunteers. They even had a setup for those who wanted to foot paint.

These are a few of the hundreds of photos I took that evening. Many of the photos were taken with ambient light, except for those taken during the runway show. In low-light conditions, a monopod and a high ISO helped this style of street shooting. FYI, street shooting most of the time is more like photo journalism than fine art photography. The weather was warm and muggy, and a short 10-minute shower sent everyone scampering for cover. The runways for the fashion shows were wet which caused many of the models to go bare-footed during the shows. A group of SCAD students from Brazil asked if I would take their photos; also included are a few taken of the people on the street. Enjoy!

The best way to view the photos is to click on the first thumbnail and scroll through the rest.

All photos copyright  Dan Biggerstaff Photography. All rights reserved © 2014

To Post or Not

It is common knowledge that a photographer will be judged not on his/her best photo but on the worst. This can cause a dilemma when posting photos that are not in the fine art category but more documentary. These photos may contain flaws of lighting, background, expression, or composition. But they are still worth posting for their inherit value. The value may be only to one person or many. This is a whimsical photo from a recent shoot and an example of “learn the rules, then break them.” Notice the reflection of the umbrella in the sunglasses which I purposely left in the photo. To see all of the photos, go to Gallery/Events/The Artful Table 2012.

 

All photos copyright  Dan Biggerstaff Photography. All rights reserved © 2012.

 

A Great Photo

A friend recently said “I want to take a great photo.” He is a good photographer but has limited experience. My advice, basic knowledge is an obvious necessity, and then shoot and shoot and shoot. But when you are shooting, only take “good” photos. And, probably the most important ingredient is “have fun.” The photo not only shows the subject, but also the photographer. That great photo is not something that most of us can choose to take at a specific time but is something that happens with knowledge and effort.

Will and two grandsons are obviously having fun! How this photo should be categorized depends on who you ask; Will would say it is great.

 

 

 

 

 

All photos copyright  Dan Biggerstaff Photography. All rights reserved © 2011.

Farmer’s Market

Local events can provide a great opportunity for shooting street scenes, one of my favorite types of photography. Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah is the site for a farmer’s market every Saturday morning from early April to late November. The hours are from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors can purchase fresh vegetables, flowers, plants, herbs, pasta, breads, and meats from local farmers and vendors. Many of the foods are certified organic. The vendors are typically very friendly and helpful in making selections. Park benches provide a place to cool off in the shade, in addition to a place of solitude to read and relax. Frequently there are other activities going on in the park such as exercise classes, and on this Saturday, a rugby tournament. All in all, a good place to spend a Saturday morning.

When taking photos in varying light conditions such as bright sunlight and the shade, adjustments are needed to prevent people-pictures from being blown out (too bright) or too dark. If your camera permits, taking bracketed shots can make the process easier. For instance, I set my camera to shoot a 3-shot “burst,” the first correctly exposed, the second 1 f-stop under, and the third shot 1 f-stop over exposed. Another way to compensate for varying light conditions is to use the EV (exposure value) button that has a +/- on or by the button. This allows you to increase or decrease the exposure as needed. What ever you do, HAVE FUN!
Click on the image to view the gallery and the back button to return to the blog.

All photos copyright  Dan Biggerstaff Photography. All rights reserved © 2011.

Isle of Hope Street Scenes

As many of you know, I try to walk twice a day, for exercise and relaxation. Most of the time I have my camera with me. I love shooting photos of people, scenery, and animals, especially people. Many of the photos taken are deleted; I would never keep a photo that I felt was not really good. I prefer great photos and continuously work towards a few in that category. It is fun seeing people having fun, and that is what I enjoy capturing with the camera. If you see me out and about, feel free to wave or keep on doing what you are doing. I do not want to infringe upon anyone’s “happy space” and will put the camera down if I sense that I am. These photos will be updated periodically.

Click on the image to view the gallery and your back button to return to the blog.

All photos copyright  Dan Biggerstaff Photography. All rights reserved © 2011.