Josh Spray - Bridal Veil Falls, Utah
Lildvls - Pleasant Grove, Utah
Friday, January 29, 2010
Photo Challenge #1 - Ice
ce is the first Photo Challenge. Be creative and take your camera EVERYWHERE! You never know where you'll see the "perfect" object to take the picture of. It could be a nicely composed cup of ice, ice cicle, frozen tundra, diamonds...whatever has to relate with the challenge, the world is your playground. Submit your photos by Midnight on Monday, February 1 to ensure your photo entry.
Take The Photo Challenge!
If you are here, you probably found out about the blog through the daily Photo Challenge. The purpose of this challenge is to open participants and viewers up to the world around them, to take that "perfect" shot and to gain some great experience along the way.
I've had a few people ask "Why every day instead of once a week?" or "If I don't submit a photo every day am I out?". To answer both of those questions yourself, try it out and see the result! This is for viewers to follow on a daily basis to see who is posting the best and most creative photos of the daily challenge. We will keep a tally of every vote you get on your photo. You can earn your way to the top each day, week, month and year.
If you are interested in participating, simply email me your "username" and email address and you are ready to begin. Remember that this is a family friendly site so nothing suggestive please!
I've had a few people ask "Why every day instead of once a week?" or "If I don't submit a photo every day am I out?". To answer both of those questions yourself, try it out and see the result! This is for viewers to follow on a daily basis to see who is posting the best and most creative photos of the daily challenge. We will keep a tally of every vote you get on your photo. You can earn your way to the top each day, week, month and year.
If you are interested in participating, simply email me your "username" and email address and you are ready to begin. Remember that this is a family friendly site so nothing suggestive please!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Getting Started As A Photographer
Josh Spray -Photographer
When people find out that I'm a photographer they usually say something like, "That's great! I have always wanted to do that." or "You are lucky! I couldn't afford to get started in something like this." I usually respond with wide eyes and an enthusiastic "I love Photography! What's holding you back?" Then give them a tip or two on how to get started. You can still take phenomenal pictures with a "point and shoot" camera, with the right location, moment and or equipment. I used to own an iPhone (until I took it swimming...oops) and I was able to take some great pictures with the built in camera. I believe it was only a 3MP sensor, however these photos are great for the web!
Here's two important tips to travel the road of an amateur photographer:
1. Take your camera with you EVERYWHERE YOU GO! You never know when you'll need it AND with every click of the shutter means more experience. If you see something that meets your interest...take a picture and don't hold back!
2. Purchase a user friendly photo editing/organizing software. I recommend purchasing a Mac which usually comes with iPhoto, iDVD and iMovie which help you streamline what you want to do and look like a professional. Trust me. If you don't want to go the Mac route then purchase Adobe Photoshop Elements or comparable software and get used to the layout and powerful editing tools which they offer.
Once you are comfortable with your camera and the different settings and the editing software, then you can consider an upgrade to perhaps a better camera. I recommend purchasing a digital camera of 8MP or higher because they keep getting less expensive and more bang for your buck. The higher quality point and shoot's will run you a bit more money but will be well worth the purchase. Canon, Nikon and Leica make excellent point and shoots that actually turn out better than many SLR format cameras. If you want to do some research on camera's and software I suggest www.toptenreviews.com and www.bhphotovideo.com . Enjoy you daily journey's and let me know of your successes!
From the Lens,
Josh Spray
When people find out that I'm a photographer they usually say something like, "That's great! I have always wanted to do that." or "You are lucky! I couldn't afford to get started in something like this." I usually respond with wide eyes and an enthusiastic "I love Photography! What's holding you back?" Then give them a tip or two on how to get started. You can still take phenomenal pictures with a "point and shoot" camera, with the right location, moment and or equipment. I used to own an iPhone (until I took it swimming...oops) and I was able to take some great pictures with the built in camera. I believe it was only a 3MP sensor, however these photos are great for the web!
Here's two important tips to travel the road of an amateur photographer:
1. Take your camera with you EVERYWHERE YOU GO! You never know when you'll need it AND with every click of the shutter means more experience. If you see something that meets your interest...take a picture and don't hold back!
2. Purchase a user friendly photo editing/organizing software. I recommend purchasing a Mac which usually comes with iPhoto, iDVD and iMovie which help you streamline what you want to do and look like a professional. Trust me. If you don't want to go the Mac route then purchase Adobe Photoshop Elements or comparable software and get used to the layout and powerful editing tools which they offer.
Once you are comfortable with your camera and the different settings and the editing software, then you can consider an upgrade to perhaps a better camera. I recommend purchasing a digital camera of 8MP or higher because they keep getting less expensive and more bang for your buck. The higher quality point and shoot's will run you a bit more money but will be well worth the purchase. Canon, Nikon and Leica make excellent point and shoots that actually turn out better than many SLR format cameras. If you want to do some research on camera's and software I suggest www.toptenreviews.com and www.bhphotovideo.com . Enjoy you daily journey's and let me know of your successes!
From the Lens,
Josh Spray
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Life Through a Lens
Josh Spray - Owner/Photographer
This is my first stab at a blog about photography. I have no real goal or agenda, but wish to only share my passion and love for the arts through photography and sometimes other mediums.
After almost 28 years I have found my passions in life: Family, Country & Photography. I bring my camera and supplies with me wherever I go, just in case I see something rather unusual, beautiful or just want to catch that once in a lifetime moment from those around me. I suggest doing this because then you will never be telling yourself 'I wish I would have had a camera for this!'...trust me, it's worth it. Like most who delve into photography or art, I have always enjoyed looking at it and trying it out here and there since I was a lad. I really started to love photography in 2003 in Monte Lindo, Paraguay. At this time I was a missionary for my church. I was just transferred to this area with a new Missionary Companion who absolutely loved photography, always snapping pictures with his fancy Canon K2 35mm camera. Although it was an expensive purchase for him, the price of film and printing pictures was not because the currency exchange was great at the time. I was able to experience the wonderful culture and weathered faces of each man, woman and child we came in contact with...shooting along side my new comp. with my amateur film camera that worked for my needs. I will be scanning some of my favorite pictures soon from my sabbatical in Paraguay soon for you to see.
My first experiences with a true Digital SLR camera was with the 8 MP Canon Rebel wonder, of which my father-in-law owned. I shortly became familiar with all the basic functions and fell in love with taking pictures like a "Pro"...come to find out that there's MUCH more to it than the "green" Auto settings. At a wedding in 2005 we all gathered to take pictures with the family, I thought I should tag along with my father in-law's camera to get some experience, and if they turned out good I would give them as a wedding gift to the new couple.
It was a great learning experience. I learned to always jump at an opportunity to take a picture, no matter what the circumstance or where you are...you thank me later. I was so impressed with the pictures I took I decided to dive into this wonderful world and see if I 'have what it takes' to be a true photographer.
I started Epic Studios with my wife's cousin Kirk Kinsey, who also has the passion for photography and a natural talent for picking the perfect pose or scene. We started with taking pictures at a local Martial Arts Dojo I belonged to called Bushi Ban. Each year they hired someone from California or back east to come take creative pictures, superimposing the student doing a kick or punch onto a mystical backdrop of their choice. I had some experience with photoshop and photography, so I decided to see if I could do better! I bought an inexpensive VuPro Chroma Key green screen backdrop with stand and lighting umbrellas ($199)
, a Canon 75-300mm lens 
and a brand new 10 MP Canon Rebel XTi ($800)
. I also invested in a 15" MacBook Pro ($3,000) and Photoshop CS3 ($600) for photo organizing and editing. Because I had no real talent designing mystical backdrops I decided to turn to stock photography websites for ideas. I found www.shutterstock.com . For $199 (at the time) I downloaded over 250 hi-resolution backdrops and photos which are royalty free! I used these as options for these students to choose from. The set up was perfect, and it was a hit! We booked a larger venue shortly after at a National Karate Tournament in Houston, Texas where we set up our equipment and had ourselves a business that costed us less than $4500 and was paid off within only a few jobs! 
With each job you take...or do not take, you learn the do's and do not's. From there we booked a few more dojo's and decided to try weddings (much easier) with the same if not more of a pay off. Most wedding's don't require artificial backdrops, umbrellas and superimposing people (unless Uncle Eddie is too drunk to be in the picture). Our first real wedding gig was in Mesa, Arizona for our cousin's. We offered to do the wedding at our cost (no profit's were made...in fact we lost about $3,000 and all the reception pictures!). On our drive down, my Jeep blew the transmission ($3000) so we rented a car for the weekend. Since we were using two camera's to shoot the wedding we somehow mixed up the memory cards, didn't download the pictures from the reception and accidentally deleted all 300 or so! AHHHHH! What a nightmare! You can't bring back those memories through professional picture, only through cheap point and shoots which people don't really know how to use even still!
Thankfully we were forgiven, and life went on. We have shot several bridal's, weddings and receptions all with successes and only one with downfall. Now it was time to try out the family pictures. I quickly decided I did not like using the umbrella lighting unless it was in a natural setting in the great outdoors. With each family portrait we got better! Although not quite the money maker as a wedding, family pictures are simple in nature...you gather for about 1-2 hours in 1-2 locations...take under 100 pictures, go home and scrap the one's you prefer not to be seen, quickly touch up the rest and burn them to a CD and hand it over the same day or the next. Epic Studios was a suffering business because I was working full time, and Kirk was at school full time and we really treated it more like a word of mouth hobby with income opportunity rather than a business. Below are a few sample pictures of what we did as Epic Studios Photography. Remember, we only had a few months experience so bear with me here and enjoy.
This is my first stab at a blog about photography. I have no real goal or agenda, but wish to only share my passion and love for the arts through photography and sometimes other mediums.
After almost 28 years I have found my passions in life: Family, Country & Photography. I bring my camera and supplies with me wherever I go, just in case I see something rather unusual, beautiful or just want to catch that once in a lifetime moment from those around me. I suggest doing this because then you will never be telling yourself 'I wish I would have had a camera for this!'...trust me, it's worth it. Like most who delve into photography or art, I have always enjoyed looking at it and trying it out here and there since I was a lad. I really started to love photography in 2003 in Monte Lindo, Paraguay. At this time I was a missionary for my church. I was just transferred to this area with a new Missionary Companion who absolutely loved photography, always snapping pictures with his fancy Canon K2 35mm camera. Although it was an expensive purchase for him, the price of film and printing pictures was not because the currency exchange was great at the time. I was able to experience the wonderful culture and weathered faces of each man, woman and child we came in contact with...shooting along side my new comp. with my amateur film camera that worked for my needs. I will be scanning some of my favorite pictures soon from my sabbatical in Paraguay soon for you to see.
My first experiences with a true Digital SLR camera was with the 8 MP Canon Rebel wonder, of which my father-in-law owned. I shortly became familiar with all the basic functions and fell in love with taking pictures like a "Pro"...come to find out that there's MUCH more to it than the "green" Auto settings. At a wedding in 2005 we all gathered to take pictures with the family, I thought I should tag along with my father in-law's camera to get some experience, and if they turned out good I would give them as a wedding gift to the new couple.
It was a great learning experience. I learned to always jump at an opportunity to take a picture, no matter what the circumstance or where you are...you thank me later. I was so impressed with the pictures I took I decided to dive into this wonderful world and see if I 'have what it takes' to be a true photographer.I started Epic Studios with my wife's cousin Kirk Kinsey, who also has the passion for photography and a natural talent for picking the perfect pose or scene. We started with taking pictures at a local Martial Arts Dojo I belonged to called Bushi Ban. Each year they hired someone from California or back east to come take creative pictures, superimposing the student doing a kick or punch onto a mystical backdrop of their choice. I had some experience with photoshop and photography, so I decided to see if I could do better! I bought an inexpensive VuPro Chroma Key green screen backdrop with stand and lighting umbrellas ($199)
, a Canon 75-300mm lens 
and a brand new 10 MP Canon Rebel XTi ($800)
. I also invested in a 15" MacBook Pro ($3,000) and Photoshop CS3 ($600) for photo organizing and editing. Because I had no real talent designing mystical backdrops I decided to turn to stock photography websites for ideas. I found www.shutterstock.com . For $199 (at the time) I downloaded over 250 hi-resolution backdrops and photos which are royalty free! I used these as options for these students to choose from. The set up was perfect, and it was a hit! We booked a larger venue shortly after at a National Karate Tournament in Houston, Texas where we set up our equipment and had ourselves a business that costed us less than $4500 and was paid off within only a few jobs! 
With each job you take...or do not take, you learn the do's and do not's. From there we booked a few more dojo's and decided to try weddings (much easier) with the same if not more of a pay off. Most wedding's don't require artificial backdrops, umbrellas and superimposing people (unless Uncle Eddie is too drunk to be in the picture). Our first real wedding gig was in Mesa, Arizona for our cousin's. We offered to do the wedding at our cost (no profit's were made...in fact we lost about $3,000 and all the reception pictures!). On our drive down, my Jeep blew the transmission ($3000) so we rented a car for the weekend. Since we were using two camera's to shoot the wedding we somehow mixed up the memory cards, didn't download the pictures from the reception and accidentally deleted all 300 or so! AHHHHH! What a nightmare! You can't bring back those memories through professional picture, only through cheap point and shoots which people don't really know how to use even still!
Thankfully we were forgiven, and life went on. We have shot several bridal's, weddings and receptions all with successes and only one with downfall. Now it was time to try out the family pictures. I quickly decided I did not like using the umbrella lighting unless it was in a natural setting in the great outdoors. With each family portrait we got better! Although not quite the money maker as a wedding, family pictures are simple in nature...you gather for about 1-2 hours in 1-2 locations...take under 100 pictures, go home and scrap the one's you prefer not to be seen, quickly touch up the rest and burn them to a CD and hand it over the same day or the next. Epic Studios was a suffering business because I was working full time, and Kirk was at school full time and we really treated it more like a word of mouth hobby with income opportunity rather than a business. Below are a few sample pictures of what we did as Epic Studios Photography. Remember, we only had a few months experience so bear with me here and enjoy.
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