Well the time has come to move to new servers on my hosting account.

It took awhile  because I just didn’t want the hassle of moving the site from asp to html (and php), reconfiguring all the email addresses and moving my blog.  The push came when I decided to change my phone service from Bell to Primus where I currently have my internet access.  Unfortunately, they don’t allow you to move a fixed IP address to the new bundled accounts.  As I thought about it I realized that the fixed IP address that I really needed before (since I was hosting sites on my own servers) wasn’t as critical since I could move all my sites to my reseller hosting account.

So, the first big move is done (DSMPhoto.com) and the second one should be done shortly (DSMHome.com) and I’ll be able to get rid of Bell Canada and their over-priced phone services and move over to Primus.

It’s been a long time since I shot an outdoor soccer game, I think the last time was an Ottawa Fury U18 game a few years ago.  Last night I had a great opportunity to get out there give it another go.  I had high hopes that all my other photography would have an impact on the images.  Luckily the skies stayed slightly overcast so I didn’t have to deal with harsh sunlight or even rain.  As it turned out, watching the shots upload to my computer proved that I have actually learned something over the years.  Upon review in Lightroom I found several shots that made me smile thinking that I “got it”.

As for the game, the girls put on a good show with strong play and end to end action but it turned out to be one of their rare losses.   Hopefully they and the parents are pleased with the photos and I’ll get an opportunity to shoot again…maybe even capturing their usual victory celebration.

It’s no secret that I’m lovin’ Adobe Lightroom for managing my workflow but where it really shines for me is in processing images with multiple effects.  Enter the awesome Steller Presets giving me the creative control I’ve been looking for.

I usually import and make my selections in Lightroom then touch up an image in Photoshop.  Returning to Lightroom I then make a virtual copy and apply a presets.  When I get the general look and mood I’m going for I start tweaking the settings.

Applied Presets

Lots of my recent pictures have been produced with the Steller Presets that are now available.  I really like the results I’m getting and I expect you will too.

Old Barn with Presets Applied

Head on over to http://www.stellerphoto.com/presets/ to check them out.

Steller Preset Samples

(migrated from my old blog)

I’ve been doing a lot of non-photography related research lately, about forum software, network configuration, site performance, WordPress, PHP…the usual computer geek stuff and I’ve come to the conclusion that I love photography.  There, I said it.  I truly enjoy the process.  It doesn’t seem to matter what is going on once I get the camera in my hands and I start taking pictures.

I’ve always know that I enjoy photography, whether it’s a studio session with a model, a sports event or out on a photo hike with my son I find that everything else just stands still.   Photography is about the moment, capturing it and being able to express my vision of what I experienced.  I feel lucky to have the opportunity to do what I do and share it with others.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to shoot more in the coming weeks since I have a backlog of people and ideas.   Maybe some will find there way here.

I had a thought that it would be nice to have some testimonials on my main website from models I’ve worked with. I’ve been very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with a few models a number of times. It’s always fun to shoot with someone you are familiar with but it’s also great to meet new people, try new styles and experiment. The thing about new is it’s risky. A model may not know what they are getting into when setting up a shoot with a photographer they don’t know.

Well, to make it a little more comfortable, I sent out a few requests asking if anyone would like to provide a quotable quote about working with me. The response has been good. I know people are busy and crafting something that they are happy with takes time.

I can say that the quotes so far have made me feel pretty good about the fun environment I promote at a session and the attitude I project towards the people I shoot. Will a new model read a quote and suddenly be totally comfortable with me? I doubt it, but if it helps ease their minds a little and make their selection easier then it’ll be worth the effort everyone has put in.

“This is your first post.”  No, actually it isn’t.  The other ones were lost in a freak database accident.  By accident I mean screw-up.  By screw-up I mean a frustrating episode with a MySQL database manager that made my blog database and WordPress setup go “poof”.

I’m now on my way to recovering the site and reposting some entries.  Others will be gone forever.  Luckily, I only had a few postings and even fewer comments.

Live and learn.