Red Bird Photography » admin

At the beach

admin — Sun, 26 May 2013 21:02:30 +0000

I went back to my roots today to photograph one of the nicest, if not the nicest family I have had the pleasure of photographing in the past eight years in Hawaii. Here are three of the nine children

Gone, Not Forgotten

admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:54:36 +0000

Yesterday, local soldier Reid Nishizuka was laid to rest at The National Cemetery of the Pacific (aka Punchbowl Cemetery). (Punchbowl is a majestic resting place for fallen soldiers and visitors to Oahu would be remiss if they didn’t have it on their list of things to see. ) It was a humbling experience which I will never forget. And though I never met Captain Nishizuka, it was quickly obvious to me that he was well loved and respected. At times, frankly, I found it hard to lift my camera to my face. Photographing meant I would have to detach myself from what was happening, so I had to remind myself that I had an important job to do. I was there as a witness to what was, undeniably, a profoundly sad time for Reid’s family.

Japan

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 01:31:12 +0000

We recently spent some time in Japan and had a wonderful time. The people, the sights, and the food were just amazing. Anyway, I thought I would share a few collages I put together from shots taken with an iPhone (And yes, I did bring and use my workhorse 35mm as well.) Thanks for looking!

Suit and Tie

admin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:15:32 +0000

What I love about this business portrait is that it has a contemporary feel to it… in other words, it’s edgy.

A Little Aloha For You

admin — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 22:46:37 +0000

I have always found the spirituality and artistry of the Hawaiian culture to be incredibly inspiring. So, whenever I have the opportunity to photograph a hula dancer, I jump at it without thinking twice. This morning, I was blessed to have the opportunity to photograph this talented young lady.

Game Face

admin — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:04:16 +0000

I have a ritual of photographing my older son on opening day of baseball with his new uniform and this year was no different. What did change was that I decided to do something a bit different from the usual sports portrait. This look was part lighting/in-camera magic and part Photoshop magic and I think it works pretty well. Well, he thought it looked cool, anyway

Youthful innocence

admin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:53:29 +0000

Occasionally, I like to pull up old images and rework in them in Photoshop. Here is one from a session of one year ago, which I decided to play around with. I love how adding a texture changed the feel of this image.

A Little Philosophy On The Road To Hana

admin — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 20:46:26 +0000

This past month has brought numerous challenges to some of the people I know and love, and so when we were in Maui last month, I was struck by this little piece of unexpected philosophy on the roadside by a gorgeous little waterfall and had to share it with all of you. If you are reading this, I hope it comes to you at the right time and it helps you like it did me. It’s a reminder to live your life to its fullest potential even when life hands you lemons. Stay clear to your vision and be the best you can be, no matter what.

Black and White Fine Art

admin — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 03:33:13 +0000

I had the pleasure of heading out to Maui recently to do some fine art nature shooting. While the location I went to was incredibly beautiful (and I shot a TON of wide shots to include everything in the scene) – it was this particular isolated section of the location that caught my eye- specifically, the alternating contrast between the dark, rough texture of the lava rocks and the smooth, white water flow .

For Ladies: Looking Your Best For Portraits

admin — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:05:32 +0000

In my daily travels across the internet, I’m always on the lookout for ways to improve the experience my clients have when they work with me. Because I get a lot of questions about makeup use, I’d like to share with you something I found today. I ran across an article about eye makeup and what colors suit the most common eye colors. (Here’s the article from Allure in case you’d like to read more.) What does this have to do with getting portraits done? To answer your question, it has a LOT of relevance. (Yeah, some of you are ahead of the curve on this topic and I apologize if this is something painfully obvious to you.) As the old saying goes, the eyes are the window to the soul. Eyes also happen to be the primary focus target for photographers. When looking at a portrait, our eyes instinctively are drawn to the eyes of the subject (assuming of course that the subject was looking directly at the camera.) So, the lesson to be learned here is that you want your eyes looking their best and not like you were up all night. I’m not saying that makeup is always necessary because it depends entirely on who the audience will be and the purpose of the portrait. But, when it comes to business portraits and acting head shots, going without is not an option. The only variation will be the amount of makeup used, not if it will be used. Finally, choosing the right colors to make your eyes “light up” is key. Properly done makeup will liven up the eyes and brighten the face. First impressions count and this is the most important first step to making a good impression with the decision makers you are trying to reach.