How I covered the President of Honduras for a day

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/50–Image stabilization on

Yesterday was a whirlwind for me and felt like a highlight reel. I was the official photographer for the President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández all day long.

This photo of him with former President Jimmy Carter was my favorite.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 5000, ƒ/6.3, 1/50

Maria Saporta interviewed the President of Honduras at the Georgia Chamber breakfast at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 9000, ƒ/5, 1/100–Image stabilization on

Edward H. Bastian, the president of Delta Airlines met with the president in their board room. It was a difficult picture to make of the meeting. I wanted to be sure to capture the warmth of the meeting. So I had to concentrate more on the individuals.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100–Image stabilization on

I think I got the expressions of the open and transparent discussions. But this isn't enough.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 6400, ƒ/5, 1/250–Image stabilization on

As you can see the table was huge and made them look far apart. But they were able to sit across from one another and sit eye-to-eye.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

I decided to make some photos that were just visually appealing to give to the client.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 5600, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

I just continued to look for ways to make it look interesting after I got the basics covered.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/50–Nikon SB900 off camera triggered using the PocketWizard Transceiver TT5, PocketWizard Mini TT1 and AC3 set for -3EV

While throughout the day I had photos of the president speaking at podiums even here I was looking for something different after a while.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 7200, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

I am shooting through plants on the corners of the room.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 2800, ƒ/6.3, 1/100

Again, I am looking for a different angle to make the viewer feel like they are there, or just peaks their visual interest. I am shooting like someone leaves breadcrumbs to lure you into the story.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/200

My point is not to go and shoot all the artistic angles. My point is to do this in addition to the standard shots you would expect.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 10000, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

Most of all remember that the best photo I liked was the first one, a good expression and moment between the two presidents.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 4000, ƒ/8, 1/40

This was the attaché with the President of Coca-Cola International.

Nikon D4, 85mm ƒ/1.8G and High ISO are great combination for bands

Nikon D4, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 12800, ƒ/1.8, 1/200

I returned to Swayze's Venue in Marietta last night with my daughter and her friends to see Say We Can Fly.

I put one of his most popular songs here so you can hear his music. Braden Barrie is the singer who grew up in a small town and feeling a sense of abandonment, he shows listeners that no matter what struggles we face, we always have the power to make it through.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/2.8, 1/60

Since I broke my foot less than a month ago I wasn't feeling like running around to setup lights. I decided to shoot the entire concert with available light.

Couple of things that become a problem when there is very little light in the venue. The major concern is bands are moving so too slow of shutter speed and they will be a blur.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/2.8, 1/60

This is why I love my Nikon D4 camera and combining it with the super fast lenses Nikon makes like the Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G and the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 51200, ƒ/2.8, 1/80

Since Say We Can Fly was the headliner for the night, I took the opportunity to try a few things early on to see what I needed to capture all this with just the lights on the stage. By the way that is only 3 household tungsten light bulbs lighting the front, which seemed to be in the 60 watt range with one as a backlight. The one in the back I think is for the drummer to see his drums.

I started shooting Like Mike band at ISO 51200 and realized that would work, but I decided to continue to compare the different ISOs. But with the punk band Like Mike I would have had to stay at ISO 51200 because they just bounced around the stage.

Nikon D4, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 25600, ƒ/1.8, 1/320

I would later in the set of Say We Can Fly shoot some of the photos at ISO 25600 because I wanted to shoot faster than 1/200 shutter speed.  Here you can see one of those photos.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/2.8, 1/60

I worked on moving around and trying to capture the small venue feel and show my daughter and her friends down front enjoying the concert.

I also like the fact that my daughter not only got to meet Braden but interview him for her YouTube Channel.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/4, 1/160

Besides getting some photos of her interviewing Braden I also got some posed photos of her and friends with Braden.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/5, 1/160

Now the most important photos to my daughter will be the ones with her friends and Braden. One of the front bands got my daughter and friends attention and that was Sanchez.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/4, 1/10–Nikon SB900 bounced with soft dome, slow sync and -1EV

Here they are with Sanchez.

While I was prepared to shoot low light concert photos, I also had my flash for a moment just like this with my daughter and friends. There was no light on them and the flash made this a moment to be held dear to her and her friends.

If I was covering this for a publication the photos of my daughter with her friends most likely wouldn't be included like this. I most likely would have shot a photo of someone taking a photo like this to show how this is part of the event.

Fuji X-E2 helped me to capture memories in Hawaii

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/3.2, 1/500

Back in June this year I was in Hawaii teaching 30+ students who were going to travel the world using photography as a way to engage with people.

While I was there I had my Fuji X-E2 on me at all times. This helped me to capture moments like this when on the last night of the classes before they departed for Panama, Turkey and Thailand they captured moments with each other.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/500

While I also own the Fuji XF 55-200mm, I found many times that the 18-55mm inside was long enough lens for many situations.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/4.4, 1/500

I did use the Fuji XF 55-200mm in situations where I needed the longer lens as here with the people on the stage.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/500

I also used it to compress the scene as I did here in Kona, Hawaii.  I love using the lenses with the OIS turned on because I am usually hand holding these when making most of the photos.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.6, 1/210

The dynamic range of the sensor is also awesome. Here you can see that the people are well exposed, but the curtains and the TV are not blown out. I was able to hold the details from the highlights to the shadows.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/6

This was my favorite photo from my entire trip. Getting this photo is just not going to happen with your smart phone. Again I am holding together from the very bright screens of the computers to the shadows of the chairs they are sitting in.

I love the Fuji X-E2 because it is small enough and yet I am not giving up the ability in low light that many other cameras do that are this small.

I love my Fuji X-E2 for my everyday camera with family

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.6, 1/70

I really love shooting with my Fuji X-E2 for family events. I feel like I can shoot available light and the images look just fine at high ISO settings.

This Sunday I was invited with my wife to a wedding shower for a young couple. I just took the Fuji X-E2 and the kit lens 18-55mm.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/110

One thing that surprises me the most about the Fuji X-E2 is the Auto White Balance. I am a stickler for getting skin tones just right and most of the time the Fuji system does a great job.

For this event I just left it on Auto White Balance, which I rarely do with my Nikon D4.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/30

I used the OIS to be sure in the low light and slightly slower shutter speeds that the images were as sharp as I could get them in this environment.

I was pleased with the results.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.6, 1/70–with pop up fill flash set to -1 EV

Now in this group photo I added the fill flash and did have to adjust the color. In Lightroom I put the eyedropper on the lady's color on the far right to get a better skin tones.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/35

Most of the time I didn't use the flash and just worked the room so I wasn't backlighting a subject. This is very important to understand for the beginner. You will learn over time that having a large window behind a subject indoors will create poor light on people's faces.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.2, 1/18

I don't feel like I am giving up anything when I use the Fuji X-E2 in situations like this, so I am always carrying the Fuji camera wherever I go with my family.

My wife and daughter call it my compromise camera. It is small enough that I don't have to worry about announcing that I am carrying a camera and I look more like everyone else at events.

Same model but different looks

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 200, ƒ/8, 1/160

I am not going to comment too much on today's blog of photos.

These are all of the same young lady and all shot in a couple of hours. We changed the outfits, makeup, and lighting.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 200, ƒ/8, 1/160

Notice how much of a different personality comes through by changing backgrounds and lighting.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 200, ƒ/8, 1/160

Bangs vs. No Bangs changes her face.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 200, ƒ/8, 1/160

I think without the bangs makes her face look narrower than with the bangs. I think changing the colors she is wearing helps change the mood.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 200, ƒ/1.4, 1/80

All I did here to change the setup was not use the strobes inside the softbox, but used the modeling lights. I custom white balanced using the ExpoDisc. I also opened up the ƒ-stop to ƒ/1.4 to give that really shallow depth-of-field which created a silky smooth transition from front to back in the photo.

When she put her hair in a ponytail she became yet another personality.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 400, ƒ/1.4, 1/125

Shooting slightly down at her and then shooting more eye level also changes the mood she creates for the viewer.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 400, ƒ/1.4, 1/125

Backing up with the Nikon 85mm and showing her shoulders and more of her hair let a little more body language into the portrait.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 400, ƒ/1.4, 1/125

Really taking her sultry look further was to play it up with outfit and lighting.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 200, ƒ/8, 1/200

Using a grid light on her face rather than the softbox created a harsher look and then adding red to the background helped me accentuate the red lipstick. I also brought the aperture back up to make her razor sharp from front to back.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 800, ƒ/1.4, 1/125

Same outfit, lipstick and by changing the background and using the softboxes without flash I was able to soften up the exact same person and outfit.

Nikon D4, AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, ISO 800, ƒ/1.4, 1/125

Lesson from all these photos is that you can do a lot if you have different outfits and mix up your lighting and even lens choice.

Think Story when shooting a Band Concert

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/60—Off camera fill-flash using the Nikon SB-900 & SB800.  The Flash is on the Pocketwizard TT5 and being triggered by the Mini TT1 on the Camera with the AC3 to control the output of the flash. 

Think Story

Too often I see people going to concerts and just getting the photos of the band playing. Hey I like doing this just as much.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/60—Off camera fill-flash using the Nikon SB-900 & SB800.  The Flash is on the Pocketwizard TT5 and being triggered by the Mini TT1 on the Camera with the AC3 to control the output of the flash.

I even work really hard to get close so the viewer is right there with the band. You need to do this if you are shooting any stage performance of a  band.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/60—Off camera fill-flash using the Nikon SB-900 & SB800.  The Flash is on the Pocketwizard TT5 and being triggered by the Mini TT1 on the Camera with the AC3 to control the output of the flash.

Now I backed up a little to show the bands audience. While it is a small group you quickly can see how an all boy band will attract mainly young women.

I rounded out the coverage with some detail shots like the one of the management reminding everyone that bands must play their original music to be legit and not breaking the law. You have to pay royalty fees to the songwriters who own the copyright if you perform their music.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 6400, ƒ/3.5, 1/60—Off camera fill-flash using the Nikon SB-900 & SB800.  The Flash is on the Pocketwizard TT5 and being triggered by the Mini TT1 on the Camera with the AC3 to control the output of the flash.

Now having people shopping and buying all the band's T-Shirts, CDs and arm bands would have made a better photo by itself, I find still needing just simple photos help. This is really true if I were to put this into a video.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/60—Off camera fill-flash using the Nikon SB-900 & SB800.  The Flash is on the Pocketwizard TT5 and being triggered by the Mini TT1 on the Camera with the AC3 to control the output of the flash.

While I would normally say this is more of a snapshot photo you take for yourself and not to tell a story, I think here is really communicates the small venue and how the young ladies enjoy being so close to their favorite bands.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, ƒ/3.5, 1/100

We arrived early for a VIP time where you get to hang out with the band before they perform. This is a way that the band can make a little extra money. But when you arrive early you quickly see this bands all do the work themselves. They set up and take down without much help.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 4000, ƒ/4.2, 1/60–Bounce flash with SB900

Here you can see how the band members just hang out with their fans during their VIP time.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/60–Bounce flash with SB900

The key to having a successful package is to be sure you have a WIDE VARIETY of photos. Don't just shoot the band on the stage.

Capturing my daughter's 16th birthday

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 8000, ƒ/4.5, 1/100

My wife and daughter planned a wonderful 16th birthday party. My daughter invited her group of friends. Some couldn't make it, so capturing moments so could feel like they were there was key.

I shared a gallery of images for her to share with her friends and for her proud parents to share with our friends.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/60

I chose to shoot as many of the images with my AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm ƒ/2.8 lens because to fill the frame you must get close. I think this helps pull the audience into the moments a lot more than a longer telephoto lens.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/9, 1/100

Occasionally I cranked the aperture up to ƒ/9 to be sure everyone was in focus. Here in this photo of my daughter Chelle on the telephone I wanted to be sure I captured my wife Dorie. Dorie had arranged for some of my daughter's favorite bands to call and wish her happy birthday. Here is Farewell My Love calling Chelle.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 12800, ƒ/9, 1/100

I wanted to capture how much fun all of Chelle's friends were having as well. What was really cool is they were all in on the surprise phone calls. What I was enjoying as much as Chelle's reaction was her friends being excited for Chelle.

Knowing my daughter is loved by more than her family and has great friends really makes you proud.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 6400, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

Chelle also had a phone call from Late Nite Reading early in the evening. However, we had setup in our living room the computer with Skype.  Late Nite Reading Skyped in and played three songs for Chelle and her friends. What is cool is even the band was excited for Chelle.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 7200, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

Here you can see everyone in the living room watching Late Nite Reading. In the years to come we will cherish the memories through the photographs.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 7200, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

I put a lamp just behind the computer to be sure there was enough light on Chelle so that Late Nite Reading could see her and her friends. This is just a tip in case you decide to do this yourself.

I encourage anyone who wants to do storytelling to learn how to capture your family events and capture them so that those who were not there will know the story and capture the emotions of the event.

We also setup a video camera to capture the Skype call. This was for her friends primarily who couldn't be there, but wanted to know what happened. Here is that video in case you want to hear my daughter scream and the excitement of everyone.