Military Ball Photo's

[Speed]

Actually, these were taken before the JROTC Military Ball at my house. I didn't have time to get out and iron my backdrop, so we just lined them up against the wall and shot them. (Did anyone catch the pun there?)

The first shot is of one of my son's friends, and my oldest daughter!!! Supposedly, he asked her as a joke, and was surprised when she agreed to go. They go to different high schools - rival schools no less.

Of course, the lovely Dawn thought this was so exciting, and asked me if I was excited about our daughter's first date. I quoted Garth Brooks: "I'm much too young to feel this damn old!"

:-O

The second shot is of one of my son's friend and his girlfriend. His nickname is Gremlin, and it's a minor miracle that I got him with his eyes open.

The third shot is of my son and his girlfriend.

[Charles Hess]

Wow, first of all, these are all fine shots. Another WOW ... your daughter is absolutely stunning!!! Tell her that the compliment is from a guy who has photographed 100s of models and who looks/observes/studies 100s of faces every day. :-)

[Speed]

Wow, first of all, these are all fine shots. Another WOW ... your daughter is absolutely stunning!!! Tell her that the compliment is from a guy who has photographed 100s of models and who looks/observes/studies 100s of faces every day. :-)

I will be sure to pass that on to my daughter.

Did I mention I have a small collection of firearms? And I made a point of showing her date the big, big guns, with the big, big bullets! :-)

Actually, he's a good kid, and I've shot 22's with him in the back yard.

I forgot to mention my gear, again! I must be getting senile. I know I suffer from CRS. Can't Remember Stuff. (That's the polite form).

N80, Sigma 28-70mm f2.8, NPS 160, SB-28. This was my first time shooting NPS. It's OK, but it didn't have quite the impact that Porta 160 NC has. I've got another roll, and I'm planning on trying some more formal portrait style shots next time. Or if it's nice out, I may try it on the beach.

Thanks again for the kind words. I do appreciate them.

[natatbeach]

Obviously your children have been "shot" into submission and into having those wonderful relaxed looks they have-lol

as for the other kids...well --- they may need a few more shots for comfort---what's up with the goofy expressions???

Technically you did a great job considering subject matter...

the shot of your son and his girlfriend is really nice and I agree with Charles ---your daughter is beautiful (you poor man---get ready for some more gray hairs) I'm shocked you broke general dating protocol of daughters (they're not supposed to date till AFTER they get married when they are 50 )

nice shots

[another view]

Nice work, Speed.

"Did I mention I have a small collection of firearms? And I made a point of showing her date the big, big guns, with the big, big bullets! :-)"

You mean you didn't just happen to be "cleaning" your gun collection when he arrived? You let him off easy!

[Speed]

Nice work, Speed.

"Did I mention I have a small collection of firearms? And I made a point of showing her date the big, big guns, with the big, big bullets! :-)"

You mean you didn't just happen to be "cleaning" your gun collection when he arrived? You let him off easy!

I may have let him off easy. But he's a pretty good kid, and I had already given him a copy of "10 Simple Rules For Dating My Daughter".

But I let him know, in my own way, that when it came to my daughter, he was the bug and I was the windshield!

An example follows...

[Speed]

Obviously your children have been "shot" into submission and into having those wonderful relaxed looks they have-lol

as for the other kids...well --- they may need a few more shots for comfort---what's up with the goofy expressions???

Technically you did a great job considering subject matter...

the shot of your son and his girlfriend is really nice and I agree with Charles ---your daughter is beautiful (you poor man---get ready for some more gray hairs) I'm shocked you broke general dating protocol of daughters (they're not supposed to date till AFTER they get married when they are 50 )

nice shots

For them or me?! ;-)

My children have almost gotten to the "not again" point when I get out the camera. Almost. As for the goofy expressions - they're goofy kids! No, really, they're teenagers, and they're at that age when they can be serious, goofy, mature, and childish all within a matter of minutes.

Yes, I have more gray hairs coming. The good news is I don't have many more coming. The bad news is, most of them are already gray! And you don't know the half of it. I've got three more daughters behind this one!

I guess Dawn and I are liberals by your standards. We've aknowledged that the children can get married when they are 25 and have permission from both of us, or after they get their PhD, whichever comes first. :-O

Thanks for the comments!

[I_Fly]

Holy Cow! That's your daughter!?! Are you sure? Your collection of firearms is only "small"? You may want to rethink that. Or hire some help.

Hey buddy, it's obvious you've been keeping in practice. And as someone's already commented on, it's apparent your kids have been "shot into submission". They both look very relaxed. I agree with Natalie that the shot of your son and his girlfriend is really good!!

The only "technical" beef I would point out is the reflection of your flash on the glasses in the first shot. Get him to tilt his head down? Or get a strobo frame bracket to raise your flash? Don't I remember you talking about getting one? Or am I mis-remembering?

They're still keepers! I need to start working on portraits again. Good job buddy, keep 'em coming.

[Speed]

Holy Cow! That's your daughter!?! Are you sure? Your collection of firearms is only "small"? You may want to rethink that. Or hire some help.

Hey buddy, it's obvious you've been keeping in practice. And as someone's already commented on, it's apparent your kids have been "shot into submission". They both look very relaxed. I agree with Natalie that the shot of your son and his girlfriend is really good!!

The only "technical" beef I would point out is the reflection of your flash on the glasses in the first shot. Get him to tilt his head down? Or get a strobo frame bracket to raise your flash? Don't I remember you talking about getting one? Or am I mis-remembering?

They're still keepers! I need to start working on portraits again. Good job buddy, keep 'em coming.

Yes, that is my daughter. She turns 15 in April. And she's gonna be a heartbreaker.

Yes, I'm afraid I only have a small, modest, collection. But I am proficient with them!
I am not a collector. Collectors put things away, and dust them, and look at them. If I can't use it, it's just in my way.

Glasses, the bane of photographers everywhere. I should have gotten him to tilt his head down. I do NOT have a strobo frame brackett - YET. It's on my list of things to get. Maybe I can convince the wife I "need" one. I'm shooting my brother's wedding in October, and surely she'll see that I need one to do a professional job. ;-)
They've got them at ASAP photo, and they ONLY run about $80.

Thanks for the comments buddy. And get Collette in front of the camera some more. As someone on this board once told me: "All it takes is practice."

[I_Fly]

Proficient! Hehe. Best way to be when handling weapons!

I purchased a strobo frame bracket a while back, but made the mistake of buying the one in which the camera flips. Big, big mistake. I hate it. It's wobbly, no way to tighten it that I've been able to determine. Avoid it like the plague!

And that phrase "all it takes is practice" sounds familiar. Hmmm. Weather permitting, I'm hoping to get outside and try some more natural light portraits this weekend. We'll see.

[Sebastian]

Hehe, you threw me off with your title..I just got word today that I'm hired to do a Military Ball/Reunion at the end fo this month.

The pics came out nice, can't even tell that's a sheet. Keep at it, practice, practice, practice...

[Speed]

Proficient! Hehe. Best way to be when handling weapons!

I purchased a strobo frame bracket a while back, but made the mistake of buying the one in which the camera flips. Big, big mistake. I hate it. It's wobbly, no way to tighten it that I've been able to determine. Avoid it like the plague!

And that phrase "all it takes is practice" sounds familiar. Hmmm. Weather permitting, I'm hoping to get outside and try some more natural light portraits this weekend. We'll see.

The brackets I've seen have the camera tightened onto it, and the arm holding the flash moves. I'll bet it is mondo agravating having your camera move! Now that I know they are made like that as well, I'll be especially careful to avoid that model. Thanks for the heads up.

Yes, all it takes is practice. I was practicing action shots last night at Tae Kwon Do. :-)
I've put 200 rolls of film through my N80 in the last 25 months. I'm definitely putting in the practice, so when do I get proficient? :-O

Oh well, keep practicing, and I hope the weather cooperates with you this weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing you post some more shots.

[Speed]

Hehe, you threw me off with your title..I just got word today that I'm hired to do a Military Ball/Reunion at the end fo this month.

The pics came out nice, can't even tell that's a sheet. Keep at it, practice, practice, practice...

You're a regular working pro buddy! Guys like you and Loren and Troy provide me with the inspiration that maybe, possibly, could be, I might actually get paid to take pictures one of these days. :-O
But in the meantime, I'm not quitting my day job!

MIlitary Balls, Dining Outs, and the like are really neat. Everyone is dressed up in formal wear, and it seems to be a little easier to compose your shots. Maybe it's the attire, maybe it's shooting couples. Be sure to post a few for us.

"Keep at it, practice, practice, practice... "
As I recall, a certain photographer in the Chicago area (an N80 shooter, no less) once told me: "All it takes is practice." Well, I've been practicing buddy!

Thanks for your comments and encouragement my friend.

[Speed]

Wow, first of all, these are all fine shots. Another WOW ... your daughter is absolutely stunning!!! Tell her that the compliment is from a guy who has photographed 100s of models and who looks/observes/studies 100s of faces every day. :-)

I showed my daughter this post. She didn't believe it. Then she asked me how much I paid you to write that. I assurred her that not only did I not pay you, but that you were in fact a professional in every sense of the word.

I think she found it a little overwhelming. The guy in the picture with her said he believed it though. Side note here: the guy in the picture has since asked me if her could officially date my daughter. He has got it for her - bad!

Here are some more shots of Jac. One is her by herself, and the other is of her and her brother. Grandma and Grandpa wanted lots of pictures of them dressed up.

[Charles Hess]

She is most definitely a beauty...great smile and beautiful eyes...what more could you ask for? Hope she has big pinky fingers, as she will have a long line of guys waiting to get wrapped around them. :-) NIce shots of a pretty young woman.