Blog Entry 8: Cameras in Church.

I am a (semi) practicing catholic so I have been to many different churches in my area, I used to sit in the pew and wonder exactly what it would take to photograph the church with the perfect lighting and exposure. Soon after a few semesters at harrington I discovered just how hard it was.

This first image was taken November of 2011 during a confirmation. a little history of the church: 

St Andrew the Apostle- Calumet City, IL was built three times. In 1892 while being constructed and built a tornado ripped through before being finished. In 1894 the church and school was finished and finally open for people but in 1918 it was destroyed by a fire. Finally in 1930 the Church was done and the structure is the same today. Given this history of this church it is kind of understanding why it is so hard to photograph in. Talking with photographers who have done many weddings in the church they said "no matter how many times you can come in this beautiful church, you will almost always have lighting issues." So when I tried for myself it was so tough, especially being that flash is not allowed during mass. I was able to come in an hour before and figure out the best settings but they changed every 20 minutes. Photographers have left the church scratching their heads as to why this happens but none the less you still get very beautiful shots in the end whether you need a little editing or not. This photo was one of the first few taken before major adjustments and the group shots and ceremony resulted well. Thank goodness. 

The second image was taken June 2012. St. Margret Mary-Hammond, IN

I was asked to come in and take images of the church decorated for a festival of a saint. The church built in the early 1900's has some historic structure to it. Originally built for candle lighting, it has leveled windows for more day light to poor in to light up the church bright during the day unlike st andrews who's windows are 25 feet high. Taking photos here are more easy to accomplish. Being that I made almost all my sacraments here I have photo proof that this church is picture perfect for photographers. 

The third and final image was taken May 2012. St. John Bosco-Hammond IN

The church was reconstructed in the late 1900's so it is a modern catholic church. Being why taking photos in the church were a breeze. While I had to deal with mama's shoving their photos in front of my camera I still was able to manage to get photos of my baby cousin during his big day. Their phone photos came out nothing like what I was able to achieve but a lot better that what people get in st. andrews.

To my realization the older the church the trickier and the more modern the easier. It's a great challenge to put what you learn in school to use. 

-Silvia Kay

Blog Entry 7: What is my strongest area in photography?

While I prefer to work with people i've been told by instructors I have an eye for products. I tilt my head like a dog being told "where's the squirrel?" and looked at my work again see there might be something there....so here is my working progress leading to today.

                                      My first attempt at shooting products...not to shabby eh?

                          Moving along to the next class challenges fun and almighty black glass

This was for a final project but the bakery that made the dummy for me used my images and I get contacted for new cakes images. :)

Finally what shooting products all about several images merged into one...aka layer masking -_- but looks okay right?

         A little more commercial using natural light for the chips and salsa and strobes for the boots.

Finally my recent but not current work. 

after showing this image I was able to score a small job for a local and small business photographing hair products for the new year. :) I think I still have a lot to work practice makes perfect....sometimes. 

-Silvia Kay

Blog Entry 5: iPhone 5S camera really close to DSLR quality?

I just bought myself the new iPhone 5S, It was time I upgrade from my little 4. 

After watching Apple's Keynote on the new phones I was really curious if what Tim Cook said about the new camera being almost DSLR quality. So I grabbed three iPhones and put their changes to the test. 

I used a pumpkin against a white sheet of paper under Tungsten light and these are the results I got.

If I must say the iPhone 5S is not all the cracked up to the hype. In my opinion the 5 looks a lot better than 5S. Then again we are looking at a comparison of Pumpkins. Being that I just got this phone I haven't had a chance to play with it much. I would like to try to put it to the test one more time but maybe next time I will use people and maybe another object with natural light, as well as a DSLR image. 

At this very moment to me the iPhone 5 is a lot better for those iPhone, still life, Instagram, Professional photographers out there. :p

Until next time!

-Silvia Kay

Blog Entry 4: Photographing little ones.

I have the best connection with kids, when I worked in a daycare the kids opened up to me quickly and put their trust in me. While it may seem easy to do with any kid you may know it is a lot harder with kids you don't know or have connection to. After working with little munchkins ages 2-6 I fell in love with the idea of basing my photography around children and families. I started taking images of them when I first got my camera and it was the best thing and over the years I can see a major improvement. Here is a little of my progress.

Silvia Kay Photography

In this image I used two house lights with daylight lightbulbs. The daylight lightbulbs had a blue tint to it and helped cancel out yellow tones. I took this photo in October of 2011 before I knew anything about speedlites and strobes. Using the basics of house lighting and sheets as a backdrop which was hung up with gaffers tape.

Silvia Kay Photography

In my second image I used my newly learned flash for a key light and daylight for my fill.

Silvia Kay Photography

In my third and final image for this blog post is taken with daylight and a flash set up to be like a strobe.  The flash was set on a light stand with a mini soft box over it. although I accidentally cut the tips of her toes it captures the pure happiness and excitement of the little girl.

Within these three images you can see the connection grow closer from a slight smile to a "i'm a silly girl and i'm not afraid to show you on camera" I have another great image take with strobes but I don't have a release for the internet to show it but it goes right into deep emotional thought. 

I love taking photos of children and families, they are a lot of fun to myself. 

Happy Shooting,

-Silvia Kay