The Big 3-0 Evan's 30th Birthday
Evan Turned 30!!!
Evan getting ready to blow out the candles
Surprise... Evan had his 30th surprise birthday party this weekend hosted by Madeline, Caroline, and Ashley (his "sisters"). The set up was his "sisters" had planned to make him dinner for his birthday. As we waited for him to show, I actually text him just before and asked, "What you up to tonight?" He replied, "Wanna drive to New Orleans?" I told him, "Let's go!"
We saw his car pull up the road, and then, we all piled into the living room as he walked in. He was ready to eat homemade pizza that his "sisters" prepared. As he walked through the kitchen and saw the cake on the table, he looked over to his right and was completely caught off guard by a big "SURPRISE!" He had no idea.
Evan's surprise face
We all had a blast, and it was good to get out with great friends for a while.
Here are some of the photos from the night...
Adorable Alexander's 6 Month Photos
Today, I had the pleasure of photographing Alexander to mark his 1/2 birthday. We went to Old Concord in order to capture some adorable shots with his parents and cousin. Here is a sneak peek highlighting those special moments from this afternoon.
Video Production
Recently I have been producing some short films about travel and special events. I was finally able to get some of the equipment needed to produce these kind of films, and many of you have reached out to me to tell me how much you enjoyed them. I really appreciate the support for my passion. I wanted you all to know that I am offering this service to anyone who is interested in a short film such as these:
My email is juicebeats1@gmail.com
Video Production Techniques:
I am using the Sony NEX 5 system to film these events. These compact cameras pack a punch with their APS-C CMOS sensors. They are able to shoot in full 1080 HD. Here are the format specs below:
Sony NEX-5N Video Options
AVCHD Format (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 High Profile, .MTS files)
Resolution
Frame Rate
Average Bit Rate
1,920 x 1,080
(16:9 aspect ratio)
NTSC: 60 fps (progressive)
PAL: 50 fps (progressive)
28 Mbps
NTSC: 60 fps (interlaced)
PAL: 50 fps (interlaced)
24 Mbps
17 Mbps
NTSC: 24 fps (progressive)
PAL: 25 fps (progressive)
24 Mbps
17 Mbps
MPEG-4 Format (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 Main Profile, .MP4 files)
1,440 x 1,080
(16:9 aspect ratio)
NTSC: 30 fps (progressive)
PAL: 25 fps (progressive)
12 Mbps
640 x 480
(4:3 aspect ratio)
30 fps (progressive)
3 Mbps
I use several different techniques to get the video to look more like film when editing. I am currently using Premiere Pro for editing because the I think the workflow is much faster and it can be used with After Effects and Photoshop easier than other programs. After cutting the clips, color correcting, and putting them together on the timeline, I will render out the video to its full length so I can work with the full file when color grading and adding my film effects. Using a new sequence, i will use neat video to de-noise the video and get a cleaner look, then add gorilla grain to get that film grain look. Also will do some color grading to set the overall mood for the film. Once I have all my film grading done, I will check for anything that may need to be changed or see if anything will need to be added. This is just an example of my workflow. It could vary from project to project, but its a basic sample of what I do before I render out the finished product.
Leave questions or comments. Let me know your workflow on your video projects.
Weekend Trip To UNA
I decided to shoot my weekend trip to the University of North Alabama my Alma Mater. I have been interested in making documentary films and short films, so I took my Sony NEX 5 and started filming early in the morning before we even left Knoxville. It was my first trip back to the University of North Alabama in 5 years, so I wanted to remember some of the things that were still there. I was able to see a few of my old teammates, friends, and the people that took care of me when I was living there. I also captured some of the silliness of my family. My family and I went back to UNA for the Homecoming game vs. West Georgia.
For those into the technical aspect of making films... I will tell you a little bit about my setup for the NEX 5.
Sony NEX 5 18-55mm lens kit. Sunset profile, cloudy WB, manuel focus. Originally shot in 1080 60p because I thought I may use true slow motion at some point. I only used slow motion for 1 clip.
Used Premiere Pro for editing, and Mojo for very subtle color correction.
Interested in more information on how to make a documentary film? Check out the link here How to Make a Documentary
Music: Imagine Dragons - On Top of The World
LEAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW
JUICEBEATS
Wedding Photography
Some of you already know that I have recently added photography as a part of my production company. I have always had an interest in photography, but never had the tools and the time work on it. There is so much beauty that a picture can bring. The old saying, A picture is worth a 1000 words, is still very true. I enjoy the geometry, the science, and the artistic elements that go along with making a great photo. When I bought the Sony NEX 5, I didn't understand a bit about it and just knew from doing research on the computer that it was a good camera. If you are or were like me, when buying a camera we looked strictly at megapixels. Which camera has the highest? A professional photographer or even someone that knows a bit about photography will tell you that its not always the case. The sensor comes into play, the lens, shutter speeds, flash, etc. Over the past few months I have been learning these things and how they all work together to create a great shot. I am not a professional photographer by any means, but I think maybe one day I could be in a sense.
Last night I was able to practice a bit on some of my new learned photography skills at a wedding rehearsal. At first I was a bit shy in taking photos of some of the people I barely knew, mainly because I wasn't a hired photographer, but I knew that I needed to practice my skills and this would be a good test. I shot something like 200-300 pictures some bad some good. As I was taking pictures one of the brides relatives noticed what I was doing and we had a chat. He said that he did professional photography and he gave me a few pointers. If you know anything about lenses, I was using a 18-55mm lens last night to shoot pictures. He told me that for wedding photography you may need to use a bigger lens 55-210mm or 75-300mm. I asked, "Why?" He responded saying that the smaller lens will get you great wide shots with lots of surrounding room, but for wedding photography you really may want some tight close shots which is why you would use a bigger lens. I thought, wow that makes great sense. Most of the time when I see wedding photographers shooting they usually have a bigger lens on their cameras. It's great to know why now. The wedding is tonight, so I will definitely be bringing my bigger lens to take shots this time. Here is just a preview of last nights shots I took:
***Click the picture to view all photos***
Check out some of my other photos I have been working on at flickr.com/juicebeats
Juicebeats