iPhone as Camera and then Phone.

 The Apple iPhone 5S will rock as an everyday camera. The increase in pixel size gives a major increase in quality. It is not the number of pixels that matter but the quality of these pixels. There has been a megapixel war ragging in the camera industry for years. This was brought over to the smartphone industry and many individuals are buying phones for the camera thinking the more megapixels the merrier.  The larger pixels should offer lower noise especially in low light situations, where most smaller cameras have failed traditionally. In addition to this the new lens has a wide 2.4 aperture (really the hole in the lens that lets the light through) which should also help in low light situations. This new camera looks awesome can't wait to use it.

Canon et al are lucky I am not a flash manufacturer. The LED flash (two LEDs one warm on cold) on the iPhone 5S is something I have thought about for years. But since I don't manufacture hardware I have not done it (honestly). It is a great innovation. It allows you to balance the color temperature of the  flash with the ambient light color temperature of your subject. It would really be great if you could tweak it to get what you want manually. Feeling kinda strange leaving this up to the cameras brains. We'll see how it works out when the 5s actually comes out but the announcements do sound appealing and it think they will keep the iPhone as one of the most popular cameras being used right now. I think Apple has done a great job in the camera department here (Again!).

Sometime ago I did a shoot with talented and revered reggae artist Taj Weekes. We created some amazing images. A few of these images have been published in the London based magazine Kreol Magazine(Here). The article on Taj, "Taj Weekes, A portrait" starts on page 50.

I want to wish Taj all the best with his new album, 'Pariah in Transit' (check out HERE. He is such a talented song writer and singer. In my books he's up there with the greats like Marley, Tosh and Wailer. A live album is cool because nothing beats live performance. It has a vibe to it.

Here are the magazine spreads:

Ripples on glassy water

I am posting an oldie today. Many years ago I shot this at the pond in front the Auberge Seraphin Hotel. It was August 2008. Time flies... The bird, a water foul as it's called seems like it is floating on a sea of glass, with the foliage abstractly reflected. The presence of the bird sends ripples through the pond much the same way our actions send ripples through the lives of others. We were made to influence the atmosphere. What's the impact of your influence?

I had a great time shooting sunsets this week. I would like to share at least two with you. Monday's sunset was shot from the town of Gros Islet. Great place for photography. St Lucia is just filled with so many great places for photography. I love it. I also love that time of the day when everything seems to slow down - Sunset. Yet many of us seem to be so busy wrapping things up with work that we often miss these beautiful displays of nature. When was the last time you sat and enjoyed a sunset? Maybe these photos will encourage to you go out and enjoy the show that natures puts on every single day.

The second photo was taken today at Tapion. This is my place to just think, meditate and be grateful!

I do hope you enjoyed these.

Looking up...

It's always good to be looking up. On Sunday I did just that as I walked the Union Forest Trail on the beautiful Isle of St Lucia that I call home. I was in search of images of trees, more particularly, the cedar tree which is blossoming right now. I really had a fun time. Hiking is one of my favorite past times. I always seem to come back from this particular trail with beautiful images. So I'm still looking up...Enjoy

Fine Art America

I am on Fine Art America. Just another place where you could get a piece for your wall. Check out my images there:

I had a fun time photographing this wedding a few months. Just going through my catalogue of images and thought I should share.

If you book your wedding at least 4 months early, you'll get a very special gift.

My Fine Art Prints are currently available for purchase at Fine Art America. Check link below:
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/alvinus-melius.html?tab=artwork

There you can find a wide range of images in both Color and Black and White with a variety of print media and framing options.

These pièces will look great in your home or office and would be a great addition to any decor. They last for a very long time so they can be passed from generation to generation.

If you are a St Lucian living away from home contact me before August 15th  2012 for an extra special offer.

This will be a growing collection so please check back regularly.

Birds of a Feather

Birds are without a doubt one of my favorite subjects. They are so elegantly designed. The Master Designer must have really known what He was doing. And in addition to all that birds have going for them, they can fly. WOW! Shooting Photographing birds is an activity that I have spent many hours engrossed in. I've got quite a collection of bird images and it is still growing. This is why I am starting a gallery on my site just for these feathery creatures.
http://alvinusmelius.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Birds-of-a-Feather/G0000kU3cS2hzp6M/I0000.EI9m_GczCs

Brother's Wedding

I have photographed the weddings of all my siblings thus far (well all those who are married). These weddings are extra-special, special days. I love weddings not just because they represent the union of two hearts and lives but because they represent the union of families. And there isn't much more important than family. Any opportunity for families to spend time together is one to be grasped and savored.
My most recent sibling to marry is my younger brother. We had fun taking pictures after the ceremony and we had fun a blast at the reception.

Not What You Think..

Sometimes a photo is just what it seems. Other times it's a question of perception. The fstoppers  site this week posted some photos that will make you look twice and again....

 See if you can figure out these photos : look twice photos

Relaxing with the Reynolds

Sunday I had a great time on a family shoot with the Reynolds family. They're a cool bunch...And we made some beautiful images.Here's image of the guys...

Shoot with Beverly

Another natural light portrait

Portrait using window light.

I set up a shoot with Beverly, a friend and co-worker. She'd wanted to do this for a while but our schedules never seemed to matchup. when it finally did it was fabulous. We agreed to meet at Serenity Park for the photoshoot. I arrived earlier and began scouting the area for places to shoot. While scouting I met another photographer who informed me that there was a wedding in a few minutes. (Bummer!)

So we drove around looking for an alternative. Turns out it's all about the location.  We ended up a most unexpected place, which I will refer to as 'an abandoned government building', which turned out to be great! The light was amazing and Beverly was great! I spotted a few areas where the light seemed interesting, set up a single light took a couple shots then forgot about the flash because available light was just so lovely. I really enjoy using available light for portraits. Having to deal with the camera and model only really simplifies things (though there are times that your flash just can not be ignored. I did  use a flash for fill in some of the images.)

The three images in this post were converted to black & white after the shoot. I'm really experimenting with black & white conversions so I spent quite some time doing conversions and messing with the luminosity of various color channels to see how that would affect the different areas of the images. Changes in the red channel seem to be more important for skin tones. I will probably post something about that in the future.

This is one of many planned photoshoots. I'm excited about my next shoot as well.

If you're interested in doing a shoot with me just drop me a line and we'll set it up.

This is my favorite photo in the shoot. For this shot it's all available light. I use my 70-200 f/2.8 lens extensive for this session. Here I was probably about 8 feet away from her.

What I've been up to...

Well I've been spending most of my time learning these days. I have been asking myself two major questions: What can I do to better my skills as a photographer? What can I do to give my clients a better experience?

So I have been spending my time answering these two questions. And as a result some changes will be taking place on my website and my packages, so don't be surprised.

Did I Learn Something?

You bet I did. Just finished a webinar on Marketing Wedding photography with Rob Provencher (great guy!). It went on longer than planned but I'm not complaining. From this webinar I've come up with a project that I would like to work on. I am in the process of refreshing my portfolio. I will be planning one big shoot per week. Not a job, just a shoot that I plan and execute and get models and props, etc.

This will definitely have a focus on wedding photography and portraits. More information and posts coming soon.

Spotlighting the Bride & Groom

Very often when out on photo-shoots I come across great opportunities for creating beautiful imagery. This was definitely one of these situations.

This photo was the last one we made on this evening. I saw the mixture of light and shadows and thought it would make a great photo. I did not have all the equipment with me for this kind of shot (we were supposed to be out of there before nightfall but nightfall came and we were still there).

To get this shot done I used my off-camera cord with a flash with a snoot made from a sheet of bristol board which I got from the security office. My Wife ( trusty assistant) held the flash and directed it in place, whilst I took the photos.

We had a lot of fun and the bride and groom really liked the result.

I would love to get my hand on that new iMac with 27 inch display. Great for editing and for displaying images.

Bird's Eye view

It is dangerous to only focus on the details and not see the wider view of things. Whilst the detail view focuses on the now the bird's eye view sees the whole picture. It considers cause and effect, process and product. Both views are important but the bird's eye view helps you in better focusing on details that will be you to where you want to go.

In the same light, it is dangerous for photographers to only look at what they are doing and comparing themselves with a few other photographers. We live in an age where the industry is what we should be looking at. Chase Jarvis has been preaching this doctrine for some time now but there are still photographers who unfortunately have not caught.

I met a photographer yesterday who understood the wider industry and was willing to share techniques and such (Thanks Peter). Some of the techniques were put to use right away.

I had seen this image every time I looked at the leaves of this flower. Some how the light was never hitting it at the right angle. And in the days of film I never had any f2.8 lenses. I am very satisfied with this photograph. It just works. The light is amazing, the colors are dashing. I like the highlight at the very edge of the leaves in the front. It adds some good detail. The pattern of color in the background is very interesting and reminds me of painting. This is one of my favorite shots for this week.

I took this yesterday after a school's graduation meeting. Today myself and a friend will be making pictures at the graduation. I am just making sure every is ready for me to leave. Enjoy. Cheers.

Whoaaaaa! It's been almost two years since I dropped a line here. WOW! That's a long time in the blogosphere. The last time I blogged here Leopard was just out. Now Snow Leopard previews are out. This has got to change.

I just finished watching Chase Jarvis presentation at ADCD. A pretty inspirational presentation on the consequences of Creativity. It has me all pumped up and high on the thoughts of blogging more regularly and publishing my poetry. Yes poetry. It is time. A book should be out within a year. And I will be posting readings here on this blog.

That said, over the past two years or so, I have continued to contribute to the La Belle Helen tourist magazine here in Saint Lucia and I am looking for more such work.