Inspiration

Well I'm really excited about life today. I just got done with an extensive 2 day workshop with the boys over at Lighten up and shoot.com, and I came out of the workshop feeling more inspired than ever before. It was a 2 day workshop but Mikey and Andy are just two regular joes Gringo's that are currently living in Columbia, we met up on Friday night to share some artistic ideas at Dugans. Ok ok, we really just wanted to talk over a beer. Things started to get interested when talk of the Clairmont Lounge came up, I thankfully bailed before things got bad. HAHA.

It was a great weekend, there was a great mix of photographers, and not just from the Atlanta area. We were graced with photographers from Florida, Abalama, Haha, and even a photographer from Boston. The level of skill at the workshop was incredible. There were some amazingly talented photographers. I learned a ton from Mikey and Andy, but I even learned a thing or two from the fellow photographers.

I've struggled to call myself a photographer, I never thought I would, but after this weekend, I am confident to say that I am a photographer. I'll let the pre-fix of professional or amateur up to the readers.

I came out of the workshop with a TON of images that I am going to use in my personal portfolio. The boys covered more than just lighting techniques, they talked about the business side of the photography industry and it really got me to thinking about just what type of photography I want to shoot. I've been thinking long and hard and while weddings and senior portraits are great. I think my calling is in the arena of high-fashion and commercial advertising. I'm not against senior portraits or weddings, nor do I think I am better than photographers that specialize in that area. I just love the type of shooting associated with high-fashion and commercial advertising.

A couple months ago if you had told me I would be pursuing a career in the photography industry I would've told you that you were crazy. But oh how time can change a person. I'm incredibly excited about the future and the possibilities that could present themselves to me due to photography. I mean heck, I'm already getting to travel to Salvador, Brazil for 10 days. I might just have to get a connecting flight in Columbia to visit the boys of Lightenupandshoot.com!

Exciting things are happening, its a bit overwhelming a times, I'm reading as much as I can about the business side of the industry and trying to contact as many people as I can about shooting some material.
Who knows, maybe you'll see my work when you visit the Atlanta Beat's website one day, or a marketing brochure for the Loews Hotel chain.

Exciting things are in the works and I can't wait for things to take off. More than they already have!

If you are interested in having some photos made please don't hesitate to contact me at michaelknowltonphotography@gmail.com. I am incredibly excited about the future and would love to work with you. Whoever you are.

But, on to some of the photos from this weekends shoot with the boys of lightenupandshoot.com

We had 4 amazing models, without them, my photos would just be bland images of some interesting backdrops. My hat is off to the models!

  

Attention! Attention! Big news!

     After extensive thought and multiple tries of trying to design a logo for Michael Knowlton Photography, I finally decided to let the pros take over. And I am incredibly happy I did. I contacted Ryan at FOI Designs last Sunday around 9:00PM. Monday morning at 10:30 I had 10 different renderings on my desk to choose from. After a what seems like only a few revisions, we had what I had imagined in my mind all along. Fast forward another day to sleep on it, and I was receiving the final logo design. From start to finish, the whole process, which usually takes weeks, if not months, was completed in 3 days. And thats with my taking some time to really think about the available options.

Without any further ado! I present to you, the new official Michael Knowlton Photography logo!!

I think it looks great and much thanks goes out to Ryan at FOI Designs for some great design work. I don't know about you, but I think it would look killer on a T-shirt.

For more information, become a fan on Facebook or email me at michaelknowltonphotography@gmail.com

Phi Mu Jersey Day

A few months ago, a few young ladies from the Phi Mu Fraternity (Sorority) at Kennesaw State University approached me and asked me to shoot their "Jersey Day". Its a traditional day in which the newest members of the sorority are presented with their offical jerseys given to them by their big sister.

For this shoot, we went to the beautiful downtown Cartersville located about 40 minutes north of Atlanta. It was an excellent location and was able to produce some compelling images. The beautiful ladies didn't hurt either. :)

I've also been working on developing my lightroom presets to aid in the editing process. I've perfected one, which I use below. It is my version of a sun-flare.

Enjoy!

Be sure to become a fan on Facebook!

If you are interested in a photoshoot email me at michaelknowltonphotography@gmail.com

Starlight Drive-In

Well I am always lookin' for something new and exciting to do. Something out of the ordinary. And this week. I definitely found it. In the form of a terraced parking lot that was built in the 1940s. So me and 6 of my closest friends packed up the chairs, blankets, and coolers, and headed to the south side of Atlanta for some old-fashioned fun.

We had a great time and we will definately be going back.

Now, on to what you actually care about. Some pictures.

Exciting News!!

I have some new and VERY exciting news!

First off, I received my Westcott 28inch Apollo softbox in the mail this week! I bought the kit off amazon, with the lightstand, softbox, and adapter with cold shoe, but there was no adapter with a cold shoe! I gave amazon a call and they straightened it out though.

I took a few photos when I went down town to shoot the long-exposure light trail photo. I wasn't really happy with the results when I looked on the back of the camera. But in LR2 they came out better than expected. Even for the lack of color variety. Which is what I strive for.

Anyways, here are some photos.

More after the jump.

New Toys: New Dissapointments

Well I finally bit the bullet and ordered my soon-to-be favorite light modifier. The 28inch Westcott Apollo Softbox! Amazon and B&H Photo both have great sales going that put it in a kit. Combining a nice Westcott stand, adapter, cold shoe, and the softbox. I primarily order all of my photography gear from Amazon. Unfortunately upon inspection, it seemed as though Amazon left out the adapter when the items went out to shipment. But hopefully they make things right.

I didn't have time to test out the softbox, but I was able to downtown ATL in order to get a couple of shots I've been brewing in my head for quite sometime now. This is the first time using my 50mm f1.8 at an aperature above 1.8. The lens is pretty sure throughout its range. I was quite impressed.
My favorite picture of the day. This was a 30 second exposure, shot at f/22 @ ISO 200.

This was just a bokeh shot I played with. Maybe a background for the blog?

Be on the look out for some new test photos with the 28inch Apollo softbox!

First Post!

Well, I've finally done it. For ALL two of you reading this, hey mom and dad, This is officially my first blog post. I'm not quite sure what to write about, as I don't have any "Lighting 101" instructional videos like David Hobby, and I don't have a catch phrase like the guys at Lightenupandshoot.com, BUT each of them had a first blog post too right? And it probably wasn't all that great. So, the pressure is off.

A little about me. My name is Michael Knowlton and i am currently 20 years old. I am in school trying to obtain my B.B.A. in who knows what field. But the thing you all out there in the interwebz care about is photography. Atleast I hope. I began taking pictures probably when I was about 14. My first love would have to be automobiles. They allowed me to express my creative juices, and introduced me to some pretty cool people, all while bonding with my dad. When ever we would take on a new project, I would take pictures in order to document the process. Then, when we finished the project, I'd snap a few pictures off to show of the finished product. Whether it was to show off on the internet, or just put in a book to look back on one day. Then I started worrying more about the pictures, than the car in the pictures. I played around with aperature and shutter priority modes for awhile and then took the lunge and played with the settings on full manual. Keep in mind this was just on a Kodak point-and-shoot. I played with that camera for awhile, but when I graduated High School I treated myself to a brand new Nikon D40 as a graduation gift to myself. Thats when things began to really take off.

Fast forward about a year and thats when I began to get my second wind. I bought my first prime lens. The nifty 50, as they call it. And that really sparked my interest once again. After that I stumbled upon lightenupandshoot.com and started getting interested in using strobes off my hot-shoe. Although, I've never once strapped a strobe ONTO the hot-shoe. I've never wanted to. Fast-forward even more, and today I have a small arsenal of lights, stands, triggers, and modifiers.

Thats where I am today. I never thought of photography as something I could do to make a little money, but that quickly changed when I started to bridge the gap between the image I saw in my head, and the image I was able to create. Mostly thanks to being able to control light.

At this point in my.....career. (I never thought I'd say that) my main goal is practice practice practice. Whether it be with friends, or walking down the streets of Atlanta pulling people off the sidewalks to take pictures. I'd like to practice in order to do two things. Expand my portfolio, and practice. Whether it be client-photographer relations, or simply lighting techniques. I feel doing these two things will help me to be able to produce quality photographs consistently. Ones I would be proud to give a client.

As for now. I will leave you with a couple of my favorite photos I've taken.

Be sure to check back often as I plan to update this quite alot!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Thats all for now!

My Flickr Photostream