raymondvestal photography: 2011

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Happy Holidays

Whatever you may celebrate I hope you have an outstanding season and a great new year.

Friday, December 9, 2011

A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to shoot family and engagement photos. We had a very good time. The client was very fun and once everyone warmed up to the camera they really let loose. I really didn't have to do much posing at all. It's as if they did this for a living. I learned a lot from it. I really need to slow down and take my time. It was a very cloudy day which didn't help with lighting (a reflector would have been helpful) and of course after we finished the sun came out and the sunset ended up being outstanding but of course we were already done. Here are a few shots.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011, originally uploaded by raymondvestal.

Havent done much shooting lately. Been quite the slacker. Not going to get very far that way. Have some friends that have mentioned they would like photos taken but they aren't ready yet. I really need the practice to get over my fear of posing.

Happy Halloween

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Beach

DSC_7511.jpg, originally uploaded by raymondvestal.

I was in san Diego on vacation and got a chance to get a very mini shoot it. It was very cold and windy so we didn't stay out long at all but I think I got a few interesting shots.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Flag Football

DSC_7108, originally uploaded by raymondvestal.

Received all of the prints yesterday for the team photos. A couple mistakes but overall I think they turned out well. We will see what the parents think. Hopefully I get to do it again. I really did enjoy it.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Team Sports Photography

I have been given the opportunity to shoot team photos for a flag football team. This will be a first for me so it is pretty exciting. The shoot will be around sunset or a little before so the lighting may be a little tricky. Hopefully more will come from this shoot.

Today I am shooting a good friend of mine. She is giving me somewhat free range to do whatever I want so I should be able to get some good practice in on a few techniques I don't usually get to use. And of course she will get some good photos out of it.

Monday, August 22, 2011

I suck

DSC_6526.jpg, originally uploaded by raymondvestal.

Friday August 19th was World Photography Day. I didn't know about it and didn't even take one photo. So I suck.

On a unrelated note here is a photo I took a few weeks ago at a friends hockey game.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

raymondvestal.com

The new website is up. I'm sure it isn't complete but complete enough to share with the world. raymondvestal.com is live. It has a small but growing portfolio plus links to other social networking and photography sites.

hooooRay.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Hello Dollface in Flagstaff, AZ

Hello Dollface from Durango, CO had recently played a show in Flagstaff, AZ. I was there to photograph the show. Unfortunately the lighting was horrible. Not that lighting is ever ideal at a live show but this was horrible. 1 small blue light and 1 white light was really all there was. I did the best I could. The drummer was in almost complete dark and the guitarist was only in the light if he stood just the right direction at the precise angle with 1 leg in the air and a curled lip. Ok maybe not exactly like that but he spent most of the tim in the dark also.

Here are a few photos from the show. They are a great band. If you ever come across them check them out.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Not Much Of Anything

Home home on the range. Where the rattlesnakes play., originally uploaded by raymondvestal.

Haven't really had much to share lately. The website is coming along and hopefully I will have it up by the end of next week.

I had the opportunity to shoot a friends band live this weekend. I will get photos up soon.

I am looking forward to fall.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Drum roll please...

I have finally started work on my photography website that will hold my small but growing portfolio. Coming soon to www.raymondvestal.com.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Disappointing

On my way to work this morning and yesterday morning I look in my rearview mirror and see what would make for an outstanding photo. The sun rising from behind Four Peaks Mountain along with perfect clouds creating brilliant colors. How disappointing it is that I am driving the opposite direction towards the day job and away from the photo.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Nothing at all

P7310046, originally uploaded by raymondvestal.

I haven't really picked up the camera in awhile besides to photograph my niece and I am starting to feel the pressure to do something about it. The summer heat has finally hit and it is making it hard to push myself outside to find something to shoot. There are a couple family shoots i am waiting to shoot.

I found a post on Craigslist a few weeks ago from a band that was looking for a cheap photographer. Lets change that to an affordable photographer. I have never shot a band before so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try it out and to give the band great photos at an affordable price. I am guessing that since I don't have the experience they chose not to take a chance on me. I haven't heard back from them since i sent them the link to see examples of what I have done.

Although at the end of July I will get to shoot the band Hello Dollface live as they play 1 show in Tempe and 2 shows in Flagstaff. I am looking forward to that.

Slowly but surly I will get there.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

To Craigslist or not to Craigslist...

To Craigslist or not to Craigslist it is still the question. I just can't decide or maybe just afraid to jump and fail.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

the Rookie Photographer

It was Memorial Day weekend. I enjoyed the time off and time spent with friends. I have been debating if I am ready to advertise myself on Craigslist. Still don't have a lot of experience but if I don't get out there how will I get the experience.

I have been trying to figure out away to describe myself. I'm not a Pro yet, I think I have passed the Beginner stages. I heard someone describe themselves as a Rookie Photographer. I think I like that. I am a Rookie Photographer. Now I need to get out there and work my way up to a Pro. I just need to jump and quit thinking about. Go out and make my mistakes. Fix my mistakes. Learn from my mistakes. I guess if it was easy with no risk of failing everyone would do it.

To Craigslist or not to Craigslist.

There is a old cemetery close by that I have visited in the past with my camera. I wasn't happy with those pictures and have come a long way since then. Today I am going back to see what I can find and hopefully come away with some interesting shots.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Knights

DSC_5331.jpg, originally uploaded by raymondvestal.

So I had the shoot. It was a very warm day The Knights played hard but in the end they lost, oh and I learned a few things.

Going in I was already questioning the lens so I wasn't surprised with the slow auto focus. Something I didn't think about was the memory card. The speed of my memory card was not fast enough to keep up with rapid fire action shots. For the next fast paced event I will make sure to get a faster memory card.

My plan going in was to be able to have some 4 x 6 prints made and take them to the next game or practice in hopes to maybe sell a few and to point the parents to the SmugMug site so they could see more photos and hopefully purchase more photos. It didn't work out that way. Had a hard time getting a hold of the person I was dealing with to get the info I needed and by they time I did I wasn't able to make the game because other plans had already been made. I understand people have busy lives. So I told her about the SmugMug site so she could pass it on to the other parents. She was very appreciative of me coming out to shoot the game and I was very grateful for the opportunity.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

So this saturday I have been given the opportunity to shoot a Pop Warner football game. This is something I have never done so I am excited and a little nervous. I will post a few images here.

As of now I am sure i don't really have any followers on this blog. Hopefully as time goes on I will gain an audience and hopefully be able to help other people also just starting out. Not that I think I am "Mr. Joe Photographer" look at me I know all. I hardly know anything but I am learning and will continue to learn and maybe be able to help someone else as I learn from my mistakes and stumble on to new things.

There are many blogs and sites that I have been following for some time now and have learned a lot from those people. I hope to be able to give back.