2013... our first stateside halloween since 2008. The kids were so excited! Unfortunately, my oldest, who may not be at this much longer, was sick all week. But for Zach, my little guy, this was a night of nights! And then I started thinking about all the little newborns I've met this year. This is their year of firsts.... first halloween, first Thanksgiving, first Hanukkah or Christmas. So many new and exciting things for them to discover in these next few months. And not only for them, but for their parents. The way I saw , felt, experienced holidays was infinitely changed after my daughter was born.
So maybe it seems odd to be so sentimental on Halloween. I think it's this time of year upon us... the "Thankful" season. Maybe it's having been abroad for these past few years and rediscovering everything like it's the first time again. Whatever the reason, my wish for you and yours is that you savor all the firsts, all the little moments in the coming months. You'll never get these little milestones back and you'll be forever changed having been a part of them. Happy Halloween!
~E xx
Precious little Kallie! So I promised adorable newborns ahead in the last post and as you can see I was *not* exaggerating!! She was a tiny little peanut! Born 5 weeks early, but a strong one for sure! She came in at 4 weeks old, so still a week before her original due date. It was a pleasure to meet her mom and her grandparents!! I say it all the time, but I just love always getting to meet and chat with new people and this is certainly the perfect job to get to do just that!
I thought I would share a few more images from our session :) Look at her perfect little nose!! A shimmery angel!
I'll admit she was a tad more interested in whatever mom and I doing, than sleeping, but she did fall off eventually and we got these perfect little memories of her snoozing peacefully! I love these photo sessions because the images that result are such a sweet record for mom and dad. In a few short months, your child is awake more than asleep. This sleepy, snuggly, melt-in-to-you time is so fleeting. I hope I get to see this little one again, and I am very grateful to Chris Rager for the referral! I think it's awesome that someone living in Abu Dhabi is sending Maryland clients my way from all the way over there. Chris definitely gets the top referral guy award! Thank you, I really appreciate it!!
Shame on me! So behind on the blog!! I would be absolutely remiss to not share the beautiful Mel, a high school senior about to head out into the "real world"! I have no doubt this kind, funny and smart young woman will go far, far, far!!! I met Mel and her family years ago so it's pretty special to me that I got to shoot her senior portraits. We photographed on their family farm... such a fantastic setting... they should probably be ready and willing for me to randomly show up with other clients because their property ROCKS for a photo session!! On top of the barn, the pastures, the ponies, we had some incredible light. The sun was setting and the warm glow just washed over all our images!!
One of my favorites from the session! Mel and her sister!
Mel wanted her first "car" to be a truck. But not a brand-new truck... a proper retro farm truck. They found exactly what they were looking for one day driving down the road, stopped, called and a few days later she had her dream vehicle!! I have to say, I do love modern technology... my GPS and my bluetooth are non-negotiable, but this truck is pretty fantastic. My own daughter now also thinks she needs one! (Thank goodness we have 4 years to go to cross that bridge!)
She's just such a beautiful girl, inside and out! I was honored to be a small part in this time of her life!
Thanks for checking in with me! Until next time (be forewarned... some ridiculously adorable newborns coming up soon!)!! Take care!
~E
Miss Deanna's gallery has been sent off to Mom and Dad and it's time to feature her on the blog!! What a sweet girl, and such AAAMMMAAAZZZIIINNNGGG skin! To be honest, I am a little jealous myself, haha!
I have to say I was a *tad* nervous before she and mom arrived, because at 3 weeks already, she was my oldest baby so far. But it was all for nothing! Once she fell asleep, it was full speed ahead!
Never too early to start with the shimmer... Mom works at a diamond center so I have a feeling Deanna will be no stranger to bling!!
Deanna's was my first session where I needed mom to assist. My own mother was nearby the studio and she said it sounded like two old friends were in there laughing away! I have had the most lovely moms (and Dads!) anyone could ask for, especially just starting out with the newborns, and Nichole was no exception. Thank you Nichole, it was wonderful to meet you and you made my morning so much fun!
So much fun stuff on the horizon! The casting call ends May 15th but I am still waiting on several little models to make their debut! Can't wait to meet each of them!! And so, so excited to photograph an athletic series and a senior session later this week. Four shoots in the next 7 days... if you need me I will be lost in editing!! With the warmer weather upon us, I am booking up fast for outdoor sessions! So much to look forward to! Until next time...
So whoohooo my Facebook business page has hit 1000 likes! It's only fitting that little Blake be included in this post because my "likes" increased the absolute most in the shortest time they ever have when I posted him in his little plaid tie. Apparently people *really* love squishy little babies in ties and I do believe Mr. Blake pulled off the look like none other!
I can't remember how long after I started the website that I opened the Facebook page... a month or two maybe. What I can remember is looking at other photographer's pages that I follow and thinking... I will never, ever have that many page followers myself! I am pretty sure my first 50 likes shared some amount DNA with me, ha! I've said it before a million times but this journey has been such an amazing and life changing experience. I was probably in way over my head when I started but the surface is finally in view! 1000 likes to me... it is huge. It's an honor to get to capture and document important moments in other people's... strangers!... lives. And to have this numerical evidence that I'm working in the right direction is really encouraging. I am excited to host the giveaway to thank everyone who has supported me the last 17 months!! And after this, the sky is the limit!!
Enough about all that and on to the cuteness!
Jr. Executive of Preppy-ness taking a break!
I do believe his eyes are smiling too! Love that little face =)
Ok, normally I would *never* take a photo with the pacifier in... BUT we are in Raven's Nation and clearly this little guy is a Raven's fan already!!
Blake was such a chill little man! His photo session was a piece of cake and not only was it great to work with Blake but I also had my first opportunity to collaborate with fellow photographer Lisie Veloso. She was invaluable at this shoot! I LOVE to get to know and work with other photographers... we all have a different perspective and it's really cool to share with and learn from other people who love this profession as well!
Until next time!! (Hint... lots of ssshhhiimmmerrr coming to you next week!)
Also... just to remind everyone, the casting call is coming to an end on May 15th. If you know of any moms that are due in the next 3 weeks, please share the casting call information with them!
Well Easter has passed and things are settling down! This was our first major holiday in the USA since 2009 and it was great to be with family. But before all the peeps and bunnies were consumed, I finished up the gallery for Mr. Perry, a very handsome little peanut! (Good thing too, because editing in a chocolate coma can be very risky!!!)
Here are some extra peeks at our session! Dad definitely had the magic touch this day as you can see. I love a smile that lights up a face... Perry has a fantastic little grin!! 
The little guy perfectly content and soundly sleeping!
Throwing this one in because as much as I love color and creamy newborn skin, I do so love black and whites of the babes... it's simple and pure, just like they are!
Perry and his parents were a joy to meet and have in the studio! It's the best job to get to meet people at the dawn of such a major life change... all of the hope and possibility, & the birth of a previously unimaginable bond... it's amazing!! I can't wait for my next little client to arrive! I am still looking for babies born this month and early May to include in the modeling sessions. Click here for more details.
Meet precious little Juliana! She came to the studio at 8 days old with her super cute big brother, Jackson! I immediately converted this to black and white when I imported it because usually I favor b&w's with such a sweet simple image. However, once I saw their little faces together in color I fell in love!
Just a perfect symbol of the love and support she's been born into :)
And a couple outtakes from the session which ended up being some of my personal faves! Jackson was waiting for his lil sister to settle so I snapped a few of him on the backdrop! Such a great smile!
The last photo is of mom holding Juliana... at the very.very.very end of our nearly four and a half hours together (these guys were seriously troopers!). I said we were finished but then I saw that little face looking so content in mom's arms... I had to get *one* more!
This week saw some really exciting changes! To start, we finished work on my studio. I had a studio in Abu Dhabi but it was roving to say the least... first a guest room converted, then I cleared out and took over my dining room and by the end I was shooting in my living room. My family truly needed to look before they sat!! What was I doing with all those moves? Searching for the light... In Abu I just didn't have anywhere to shoot without studio equipment. I longed for a big bright space that allowed me the *choice* between natural and electric.
So I didn't get BIG but I definitely got BRIGHT! It's a great space and I can't wait to welcome many clients to enjoy it with me. 
My husband John did a lot of the heavy lifting... this used to be our formal living room, filled with dark, heavy furniture. I didn't even see it as a candidate for a natural light space because it always seemed so dark in there to me. John was able to transform the room right before my eyes. He is seriously amazing and my best supporter. 
We finished it on Monday night, and the first client came on Tuesday morning... it was like at the end of Trading Spaces when the people run around insanely as the other couple is walking through the door! Exhausting but worth it!
I am so so so grateful to have a this permanent, cozy space, that sometimes I have to pinch myself when I walk past it! I am thinking of having a grand opening party soon to celebrate!! My dream is to one day have a space that could hold art shows for other local artists and be a cool place to gather as well as a photography studio. This is the first baby step towards making that dream a reality.
And *speaking* of babies!!! Until this week I have not had a client under one year old. Mr. Jackson was my very first newbie customer and I loved every minute of it! At just 9 days new to this world, he was just a little peanut and a bundle of joy.
I've always been partial to b&w photos so it's no wonder that these two with Jackson and his dad are some of my favorite from the session.
I love that beautiful toothless baby smile!!
And one more of the little guy:
For a few more sneak peeks, you can visit my Eileen Earnest Photography Facebook page.
Later in the week, I was visited by the Adkin's family with their precious 8 day old Juliana & 3 year old son, Jackson! I had a wonderful time getting to know this great family~ after our session together I felt like they were friends rather than strangers. I'm starting work on their gallery today, I can't wait to see all the pinkkk!!!
All in all, it was a great first week in business here at home in Maryland! I am so grateful for all the support, encouragement and just plain amazingness of the people in my life, both virtual and physical. My dream is coming true because you've all convinced me to believe it can <3
Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking part in a fantastic Winter Fest at Fresh McKenzie farm! There was so much to do for kids and adults alike... bouncy castle, pony rides, carnival throwing games, plus helicopter rides and a massive bonfire!! The blue grass band playing sounded awesome and the food was delicious!! But the best part of the day was not what you could do but who you were doing it for. Ava Sophia Daniels is a 5 year old little girl who has been battling cancer since she was two. I have not had the honor of meeting Miss Ava, nor do I know her family, but she and her warrior spirit have clearly struck a chord with this community. Kudos to John and Stacey McKenzie for opening their farm and their hearts to this little girl with the great smile... I was so pleased to take in the atmosphere and document some of the happenings. I will pass on the majority of the photos to the organizers but I wanted to share a few of my personal favorite bits of the day! I can't wait to go back to the farm and take my own children! (FYI the McKenzie's have an Easter Egg Hunt coming up in March~ check their website as it gets closer for more details!)
Can you say ridiculously adorable? And tolerant... these ponies were poked at all day and barely heard a neigh out of them!! 
Abby bonding with Pete, one of the very patient ponies of Patti's Pet Parade!
All of the ponies giving rides yesterday worked hard for their supper & I have many photos of smiling kiddos as a result! Abby had a blast helping out. We were both so appreciative to have a tiny role in such an important day... the weather was cold but our hearts were warm.
I am about to show you my early work in Photoshop.... now, be nice! Ok, and maybe put on sunglasses cos I blew these images right out!!! Yikes! Why highlight (hehe no pun intended!) my bad work? I believe there's a huge benefit, not only for me to see my own progression, but for anyone who was like me, just learning PS, getting all jiggy with the sliders, to see just because you *can* doesn't mean you *should*!!!
So it all started when I read a blog post by the lovely Melissa Beattie about looking back though your images and finding lost treasures. I thought, "Hey I should do that!" I have no one to photograph since I haven't re-opened business yet, and this will be a fab way to calm my 'I-have-to-shoot-something-soon' jitters. What I found, however, was less lost treasures and more quite a few really, really bad edits. When I was a hobby photographer, photographing my kiddos and family friends, I hardly ever left Lightroom. Once I started photographing actual clients, I knew it was time to learn the beast... and so I have self taught/ learned loads from CreativeLIVE & various online tutorials, how to use Photoshop. Although I do have a love affair with LR, I have to say learning PS is like being a kid in a candy store!! So many options and creative elements... a girl could just go crazy. But, like too much candy can cause cavities, too much PS can ruin a photograph. I see it all over Facebook each day... and I see it all over my own early work.
As I looked though my library, I found two glaring examples of over editing... and THANK GOD both were in my personal project collection! I should give a shout out to shooting in RAW at this juncture as well... a million reasons why it's the bomb, not least of which it allows us to re-edit a clean image. So, for these two photos, I went back to my RAW file for this session and opened them in LR (I am on a different computer than I was when I shot these). I didn't do too much in LR other than a little exposure gradient in the top left of the drumsticks photo.
I opened the LR export into PS and began with my usual bits... whiter teeth, high pass on the eyes, removed some stray hairs. Then I added a warming filter, some light vignetting, tweaked the levels a bit, added a sliver of surface blur, etc. What I *didn't* do is the more important element here: I didn't bump the exposure to nearly clipping, I didn't then also add a center light action (seriously...it hurts to type it!) and I didn't add a sharp vignette. So goodbye little girl looking like a stand up comedian with a blown out spot light on her, and hello little girl looking like... a normal little girl!
Is the new edit perfect... of course not! Perfect is subjective so I try not to hold myself to that imaginary standard... but I like it. I'm more comfortable with this reflection of my work. I am happy with the reflection of the progress I've made in my editing education. I dedicate one day a week to a workshop or a book on some element of my profession. This week is graphic design for dummies. Ok, not really, I added the "for dummies," but it does appropriately describe my design ability! It's a good feeling to see the fruits of that effort, and worth all the times I've made my self stop bulldozing and just learn.
The moral of the story: #1, Keep your RAWs. #2, Never stop making time for learning. If you can't afford workshops or classes, go to youtube. There is ALWAYS something else to know in photoshop unless you're Scott Kelby. #3, Be willing to re-assess your own work. #4, Don't make fun of my original edits (haha, just kidding! Make fun, they're pretty bad).
Ok, here's example #1: 
And example #2:
I've always known that I am a person whose mood is affected by the weather, but never has it been so apparent as this week. Moving from Abu Dhabi, where the sun shines 264.5 days a year, to this East Coast cold & rainy weather has been a bit of a shocker! (Did we accidentally move to London??)
I will admit, I've been in a slump this past week. I dearly miss my buds and my lifestyle in Abu Dhabi. This life here in the USA is pretty nice too, and I've been so fortunate to have the best of both worlds for nearly four years. However, knowing we aren't heading back in a couple months is hard to wrap my head around.
Today I realized something else though... it has been eleven days since I've had a camera in my hand. In Abu Dhabi, I took photos of *something* nearly daily. So it seems these dreary days and the lack of my favorite snapping companion have gotten the best of me. I can't change the weather, but I can do what I love! I decided to take my camera with me to pick up the kids from school. I was determined to find at least one photo that showed the beauty in the dampness. Ironically, I didn't have to go too far to find any of these. (Note to self: must buy a macro lens!)
I have always believed in the power of choice. Today, I chose to see beauty instead of gloom. If you are reading this and are feeling that today is not your best day, I hope you will also choose to look for the beauty somewhere around you.
~E x
Thanks for visiting! You can read my other blogs or check out my galleries if you'd like! I love feedback too, so feel free to drop me a message! If you have enjoyed this blog, please help me share with others by clicking the Facebook button at the top or bottom of this screen. Thank you! x
Ways to reach me:
410.218.8938
or... follow me on Twitter @EileenEarnest
I have been so fortunate to start my photography business here in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I have been surrounded by the most amazing, supportive people. The UAE has no where near the number of resources I'll be sure to find in the USA but what they do have is Gulf Photo Plus, a haven for photography lovers, pro and hobby alike. Recently I had the honor of being featured in their monthly news blog. What a great way to leave this region which has given me my start!
I would also like to thank all my clients who have given me the opportunity to capture a moment in their lives. I have had the pleasure of working with some really lovely people and even a quickly rising star! More about that to come!
I can highly suggest these Abu Dhabi photographers as I have learned something from each of them: Kirsty Larmour, Rinnie Nelson, and for newborns, hands down: Jillian Greenhill. All three of these women are amazing in their own right, and are booked out months in advance, so plan ahead if you need them! x
I am so looking forward to resuming business in the United States!! I thought for my last blog from the UAE, I'd include some of my favorite Abu Dhabi and Dubai images that I've captured along the way. What an adventure it's been!!
Thank you Abu Dhabi! xoxox
~E x
Anyone who knows me well, knows I really love Facebook. If Facebook were a person, it might file a restraining order against me. I post loads of photos on my personal account, tell everyone what I am doing, where I am going. I am *that* user. But, to be fair, I have a lot of very social, put-it-all-out-there friends who are *that* user with me! I have always been a really talkative person and FB gives me a never ending conversation that I can pop in and out of to my hearts content. And I love that my FB business page gives me a platform to share some of my favorite images. I thought FB was the only social media outlet I really needed.
All of that began to change when, earlier this year, I was reading a book about how social media could help build my photography business (It's called Going Pro by Skip Cohen & Scott Bourne, and it's an excellent and easy read.) Up until then, I was feeling pretty good about how I used FB to further the reach of my name and my images. I had a twitter account but to be honest, never used it, had maybe 10 followers and 10 followees, all of which I knew personally. I never put the time into Twitter with regard to my photography because it felt like a pest... a fly buzzing around that never lands. No real conversation where everyone joins in... just a quick 140 characters to get it all out. Actually, the character limitation was probably my biggest issue because being brief is not my forte! Just before I read the book, I'd been to the Gulf Photo Plus conference where I attended a workshop with David Hobby, again, on the topic of social media. See my first ever blog about that experience here! Hobby also stressed the importance of Twitter, so I had already created a new account to focus mainly on my photography business. As I sat reading Going Pro, and it was telling me Twitter was crucial, I decided to tweet that I was reading it. I got a reply from one of the authors within a few hours and my jaw dropped. My interest in Twitter went up A LOT that day.
But from that point, it was a bumpy road. Some days I forgot to tweet at all and people dropped me. I had a lot of spammers, I felt like I was following 50 people for every one follow back. When a FB link gets 100 hits and a twitter link gets zero, the time wasted posting and maintaining Twitter comes into question. Still, I persevered. Eventually, I began to get some traction. I still get some spam but I have also discovered some amazing photographers, designers, computer geniuses, writers, artists and many other really interesting people that I would have never, ever known about otherwise! And I have received a decent amount of follows from people who do not share DNA with me, so that's encouraging! =)
One particular Twitter member that I've communicated off and on with is @PicSeshu. He is a wedding & children's photographer and the owner of tiffinbox.org. He has helped me with various questions over the past few months, including helping me get in touch with an author when I was missing a page from one of my photography books. Seshu noticed earlier this week when I tweeted to Scott Kelby that I read and enjoyed his book, Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It, on the plane from New York to Abu Dhabi. He asked me if I'd like to do a book review for Tiffinbox and of course I jumped at the chance. I really love to write... in fact, I enjoy writing nearly as much as I enjoy photography. Still, I've never written for any official purpose and I was literally chattering at the teeth! However, as I vowed in my last blog post, I am working on my confidence. To that end, I can say I am proud of how it turned out. I never, ever imagined six months ago, when I was tweeting my first real Twitter posts, that I would be published on a website for photographers today.
So my advice to you if you're just starting out as a photographer, artist, writer, or if you are just putting your big toe into Twitter and the rest of the ginormous world of social media... be patient! Be active. Put out small amounts of your best work. It will pay off in the end... I am proof of that. Being published in the company of very successful photographers that I have admired, is a huge mental leap forward for me in an arena that often leaves me feeling insecure. It can happen for you too, don't give up. Now, please go read my review of Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It over on Tiffinbox and let me know what you think!!
~E x
I am heading back to the UAE soon, feeling so invigorated and excited to get back to work. It's not just because I've had two months of nothing but fun and getting to see people that I love being around, but also because things have changed for me as a photographer this summer. Maybe some of these things I should have already known!
Ok, in no particular order, these five things have changed my photography self:
1. CreativeLive. Well, more specifically, Jared Platt's workshop on Lightroom. I have used Lightroom for a few years and I already knew it was an invaluable tool to the digital photographer. However, I was BLOWN AWAY with what I learned in this workshop. Jared is an excellent instructor... he is clear and moves through the material at a pace that kept me glued to the screen. And he's funny! I love funny. One of my biggest ah ha moments from his workshop came early on and it was to not "reject" every photo that I don't like, but to "pick" the ones I do like. It is a more positive experience to select my favorite 15 photos out of 100 than it is to reject 85. And positivity aside, it's WAY faster! As Jared points out, why click 85 times, when you can click a fraction of that for the same result. For me, there were a lot of times throughout this workshop that I banged my hand to my forehead (figuratively), thinking of all the inefficient habits I've developed over the years. Another big thing was the art of culling and how to get through selection more effectively. As an aside~ I think anytime a hobby photographer tries to make the switch to pro, the process of weeding out becomes such an important but difficult task. I only took photos of my family and friends for 2+ decades before I decided to make a business out my hobby. I had very little ability or desire to delete a photo of Dad just because he was a little blurry, because, well he is my Dad! Now it's imperative to have an eye for what must go. Jared's way of culling the photos (Yes, I was one who was switching back and forth between A & B trying to decide), and his advice to wait a few weeks to let the emotional connection settle, was a huge eye opener. These are just a couple of the hundred of nuggets I got out of this workshop. I've watched other CreativeLive workshops and I love, love, love CL as a whole (keep reading to see how else CL has been a factor this summer!), but this one definitely takes the cake! I've shot about 4 times with a significant photo yield since watching the videos and my time in LR is shorter and much more pleasant! See the links at the bottom to check out CreativeLive, the LR Workshop and Jared's blog.
2. Etsy. Ok, I realize I may be the last person, or at least the last creative type, on Earth to not have been to Etsy. I had heard the name over and over but I had literally never even clicked through to the homepage before. Now I have an account and a cart loaded up with enough stuff to give my husband bad dreams for a life time. The selection of backdrops is drool worthy, as well as loads of great props. I find my work mostly in corporate photography but after discovering Etsy, I am determined to incorporate a rustic chalkboard into my photos somehow!
3. Florabella Collection. I wrote a blog a few months ago about not using actions because I was teaching myself CS6 and didn't want to "skip steps." While I am glad that I learned the how and why of some of the most common editing tricks, I am literally jaw dropped at what these actions from the Florabella Collection can do. When I am on the road, I usually use PSE10. However, after I bought and loaded the B&W action set into PSE on my laptop, I was so impressed I couldn't wait to return to Abu Dhabi before trying the others. I downloaded CS6 onto my laptop and have since also purchased the Classic Workflow. My son turned 9 last week, so I wanted an official photo of him for his birthday. I used the Classic Color action with a touch of Sweet Tea on this one. As a fellow photographer pointed out, the really cool thing about these actions is that they are so adjustable that two people could make the same selection and yield a very different look. If you look on the Florabella Facebook page, you will find many of the photos are gorgeous, with beautiful sun and warm flowing colors. I used her actions on a darker photo but still love how her work makes mine pop! I can not wait to get back to my iMac and download more from her fabulous collection. Yes, I love learning the nuts and bolts of editing but what she has created adds a beautiful flare to my photos and her collection has a firm place in my workflow from now on! Florabella's link is also below.
Straight out of camera:
With Actions Applied (and a little cloning!):
4. My newest Canon body: a 5D Mark III. Ahh, friends, this is a biggie. I've graduated to full frame! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my 7D. It will be with me at sporting events and Abby's horse shows and the like. But the Mark III is something pretty spectacular.... The low light capabilities compared to the 7 are really, well, not comparable! I want to do a full review from the perspective of a relative new comer but I want to use it a little longer so I actually know what I am talking about. For now, I will say that I had a great experience out of the box, then I tweaked a few too many settings and was in slight pain with the focusing, but now have it exactly where I want it. The focusing on this guy is amazing once you determine what works best for you. Another plug for CreativeLive... if you purchase this camera or even rent it, it's worth watching the CL video by John Greengo on the Mark III. The workshop takes you step by step though every menu screen and button on the camera... something I wish I had done when I jumped from a Rebel to the 7D. The 5D menu is actually fairly intuitive, but I know I would have overlooked some important options if not for learning properly from John. The tutorial is $49.00 and I feel it was worth every penny. Click here to see some photos on my FB page that I took out of the box the night I got my 5D! Feel free to weigh in on our "color or b&W" debate on the last one!
5. The intangibile one: Confidence is not the evil demon I thought it was. Ok, so as someone relatively new to this huge and intimidating world of professional photography, I am pretty low on the confidence scale. Pretty much, I think most of what I do ranges from not completely horrible to barely ok. And to be honest, I thought that was sort of a good thing. I have seen some pretty God-Awful photography pages on FB with people praising their own "amazing" work and thought, if that's what confidence looks like, I want no part! I do believe it's hard as an artistic person to judge yourself accurately and to not become emotionally invested in your work. I don't know how it would be for a doctor after surgery... I guess he or she can't go back and look at the scar 500 times to critique the job, but as photographers, we can and oh, believe me, I do! However, over the last few weeks I have gotten some really nice compliments... not just from my Mom =) (whose opinion is very important to me but incredibly biased), but from respected fellow photographers and from people who have no reason to compliment (i.e., no bloodlines ;) and it has made me think, maybe I am on the right path. My motto has always been I want to be better at this craft tomorrow than I am today, but I have started to come to respect what I am capable of at this moment. It is not perfect, but it is a reflection of who I am and how I see things. How I shoot and edit defines me as an artist. I think that's pretty cool. I'm gonna run with that for a while...
So... there you have it, five things that have helped me grow in my profession. Ironically, I didn't work at all this summer (by choice), except for a quick family shoot for my cousin. I took approximately 3500 photos in the last two months, and all but those few were for me alone. Stepping away from the job aspect has helped me tremendously after I kind of jumped in feet first last year and haven't had time to reassess until this summer. It's a luxury not everyone gets and I know how lucky I am. Especially if you're a year or so into to the business, I definitely recommend finding some time or way to clear your head of the money side of things and focus a bit on the personal development every now and then.
Where to find everyone:
The Ultimate Lightroom 4 Workshop with Jarod Platt
John Greengo: Canon 5D Mark III Fast Start
Thanks for visiting! You can read my other blogs or check out my galleries if you'd like! I love feedback too, so feel free to drop me a message! If you have enjoyed this blog, please help me share with others by clicking the Facebook button at the top or bottom of this screen. Thank you! x
Ways to reach me:
+14102188938 in the USA
+971566131157 in the UAE
or... follow me on Twitter @EileenEarnest
Eileen Earnest Photography is officially launching our Corporate Gallery! If your company requires new head shots, exterior shots of your building, would like to feature a specific employee, or has any need for photography services, please contact us for a quotation! For many business men and women, being in front of the camera is a rare and uncomfortable task. We will work with you to make you and your team members feel as comfortable as possible, and you will look your very best in the finished product!
I have had wonderful opportunities to work with companies in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Please check out some of my work on the Corporate Client Gallery. I have a fully portable studio that I can bring to your location, or you may visit my studio located in Khalifa City A. I also have an assistant, Tamara Darling, who works with me to help make the shoot as smooth and as quick as possible, so you can get back to your work day.
Exterior shot of International Tower,
located in Capital Centre, Abu Dhabi:
Head shot for company website:
I would enjoy speaking with you about your professional photography needs and look forward to working with your team!
Contact Details:
Eileen Earnest
+971566131157
Follow me on Twitter @EileenEarnest
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
A year or so ago, my friend Casey Ryan posted a blog about being a tourist in his own town. This year, when I was looking for a quick trip (adults only!) I remembered that blog and thought it was a really good idea!
Years ago when I worked in the city... first on South Street, and then at Liberty Place... I was always in a rush to get to and from somewhere. Never really took in the sights, and definitely never appreciated how lucky I was to be a young twenty something single woman living in such an amazing metropolis! Going back twenty years later was really cool. The city is rich with photographic opportunity! I love Thomas Paine Plaza across from city hall:
The sun was rising over the city. I cranked up my aperture to get the beautiful sun burst. This photo is straight out of the camera, which is why the building is a little leaning. I was shooting with my 24-70mm lens. This plaza is so cool... there are chess pieces, bingo numbers, monopoly pieces, etc. Because men are always boys on the inside, John tried moving a game piece. I can now confirm that the pieces do not move ;) There is also a very cool sculpture of people squished together, holding each other up. The sculpture is called "Government of the People" by Jacques Lipchitz. At the base is a plaque that reads,
"Symbolizing family life, the wellspring of society, the hope of the future and the concept of government being of, by and for the people. This sculpture is dedicated to the people of Philadelphia."
The plaza is definitely worth a visit if you're sightseeing in Philly! To see a photo of the sculpture by Jacques Lipchitz, click the link at the bottom of this blog.
As we walked through City Hall, which I have shamefully never done before, despite being a Philadelphia native, I was struck by the peek of traffic and city life through each of the tunnels. It was early in the morning, and while the courtyard under City Hall was empty, the streets were already buzzing. City Hall itself is amazing. As the largest municipal building in the United States, I find it pretty phenomenal that one can walk straight under it! Here's a look at the view from inside the courtyard looking down Broad Street:
I loved showing my husband around town. I couldn't wait to walk over to Spruce street where my old apartment brownstone stands unchanged. Society Hill and Old City are my two favorite neighborhoods in Philly. I love the tree lined streets and all the great little shops and restaurants. This is a random house on Spruce that I thought was so homey and such a good representation of the homes in this area. This is also SOOC, as I was so busy vacationing this last week, there was little time for editing ;)
We had such a great time "visiting" Philadelphia! No matter where I live, whether a few hours down I-95, or 7000 miles away in the Middle East, Philly will always be home to me.
To see more of our city walk: http://eileenearnestphotography.zenfolio.com/p1028229392
Plus, you can check out my earlier entries here: http://eileenearnestphotography.zenfolio.com/blog My new posting schedule is every Monday (as if I had an "old" schedule, but it sounded good!). If you enjoy the posts, please click the FB, Twitter or G+ button... so many social media choices, so little time =)
Lastly, a big thanks to my friend Casey for the tourist in my own town idea!! You can check out his blog here: http://dreamtiming.blogspot.com/
One thing I love about summer in the USA is how much time we can spend outside in the lush green grass and the under the beautiful blue skies! What an amazing back drop for portraits! I've been taking both posed and non posed portraits this last month. Here's a quick blog about some of my faves!
What can I say about this frequently recurring little freckled face on my blog? I know he's going to be all grown up faster than I can imagine and I am so happy to be able to capture these little moments... he had just been on a jet ski and LOVED it! Pure joy!
A boy and his grandpa... not entirely posed but not exactly spontaneous. I wanted to capture the dock in the photo because for us, as soon as we see those planks, we know exactly where this was taken! Iowa is the land of outdoor entertainment and the boys were out fishing. I photoshopped myself out and added in the lake in the reflection on Mike's glasses, which was a fun little project!
My friend Meli was recently promoted to Independent Senior Director @ Thirty-One Gifts. Meli is one of the most positive, motivated and kindest people I know!! She needed a photo for the Thirty-One magazine edition which would be announcing her promotion news! I don't really have any of my proper equipment home with me, so we just did a few quick photos in my front yard. She's such a beautiful person on the inside and out that I barely edited at all!
Thirty-One has some fabulous stuff!! If you are interested in her very functional, durable and reasonably priced products, you can check out Meli's page at the link below:
http://www.mythirtyone.com/melihartsoe
Until Next Time!
E x
To read my other blogs entries, please click here: http://eileenearnestphotography.zenfolio.com/blog If you enjoy this blog, please share by clicking the FB or Twitter buttons! Thank you for reading!! xx
I like control. I like being the master of my own destiny! So... when it's time to go visit family that lives 1200 miles away, I could shuffle us all to the airport but actually, I'd rather drive!! Nineteen hours in the car with bored kids... not nice. Stopping whenever I want to, retaining possession of my luggage at all times, seeing interesting things along the way, VERY NICE!
Mostly though, it's the photographer in me that loves to drive across America. It's such a beautiful ride~ there are so many photos that I left untaken... solidified in my memory but not in print. I did, however, capture some that I can share with our friends in Abu Dhabi that show how amazing the American country side is.
This is in Iowa... about 6:30am and the sun is rising over the corn. This would be perfect for HDR but alas, I am not skilled in such processes yet! Still, I loved seeing all the windmills all over the midwest and this photo is how I will remember our drive out of Spirit Lake.
As we continued down I-90, we saw some more gorgeous crop rows with the sun just peeking up enough to brighten the whole field. This is somewhere in Minnesota:
I am really obsessed with sun flare lately... I've been purposely shooting into the sun for the last few weeks just for the fun of it! I love this one of the exit ramp just off I-90 in Minnesota.
I'll miss all this green and blue when we go back to the Middle East in September...
Finally, we were leaving the park area one night while we were in Lake Okoboki, Iowa... I looked over and saw this gorgeous sunset and couldn't resist!
Until Next Time!
E x
To read my other blogs entries, please click here: http://eileenearnestphotography.zenfolio.com/blog If you enjoy this blog, please share by clicking the FB or Twitter buttons! Thank you for reading!! xx
As expats, one thing we miss most is how holidays are done in the USA... we really know how to celebrate here in the states! The Fourth of July, Independence Day, is no exception, and of course, only celebrated on US soil. In Abu Dhabi the Fourth goes something like this: getting super excited to find real pork hotdogs and then BBQing them in 120 degree weather :/ No fireworks, no hoopla!
This year, we were in Maryland for Independence Day and we tagged along with friends to a local parade. The parade consisted of waving politicians, vehicles from nearby fire stations and many other clubs and school bands from surrounding towns. It was cute and campy and local... definitely not the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Bonanza but it was home, and it was very patriotic.
In the moments that we sat sweating to death before the parade began, I looked around at my friends, our kids and the others parade watchers gathered in a sea of red, white and blue and thought, "This is what I miss." As much as my heart is in NYC and other big cities we've been to around the world, there is just something about small towns. I love the feelings of comfort and easiness and familiarity I have when I am here.
We are so fortunate to be from such an amazing country. There were some fabulous photo opportunities at the parade, and I left with the satisfaction that I had captured a tiny bit of the pride and patriotism that the Fourth brings out in us!
Until Next Time!
E x
To read my other blogs entries, please click here: http://eileenearnestphotography.zenfolio.com/blog If you enjoy this blog, please share by clicking the FB or Twitter buttons! Thank you for reading!! xx
I've been thinking a lot lately about retouching. I've recently downloaded a new software that allows single heads to be edited with the click of a few buttons and the slide of a few rulers. It's cool and powerful, and ridiculously easy to use. The question I am facing is: should I??
As I've looked at a lot of other photography facebook pages lately, I've gotten loads of inspiration and great ideas, and overall I am very impressed with much of what I see. However, there are a few that pop up now and then, and I have to cringe. There seems to be a growing trend to "doll" out the eye balls on living, breathing people! Why is that? Honestly, when I see a photo that looks so overly edited, my first thought is that the photographer is new and overwhelmed with all these new tools at his/ her disposal! (I know that feeling well!) But surely that's not the image we want to project to the world on our public pages, is it?
For this post, I've taken 1 photo and created 4 different versions of it. Zach was helping me test lights one night (free labor is awesome!) and this is one of our shots from that session. So, number one is straight out of the camera, two and three are Adobe tweaks in Lightroom and Photoshop respectively, and the last is the new portrait "makeover" software that I have. Also, let me add that until a few months ago, I only edited in Lightroom 98% of the time. I love the adjustments in Lightroom and rarely felt the need to manipulate much further but now as a charging photographer, I accept the need to make the work as top notch and quality as possible, and certainly, PS offers many more choices.
So this first image on the left is straight out of the camera (SOOC). Of course I love my little guy just the way he is, but a little tweaking in Lightroom and his eyes will pop, we can fix the exposure a bit, etc.
The photo on the right is just Lightroom adjustments. I've upped the exposure by +55, contrast +20 and softened his skin a bit by decreasing the clarity. In the past, if this was just for me, for my wallet or desktop background, I probably would have stopped, as a hobbyist. However, as I've mentioned, clients are looking for whiter teeth, brighter eyes and more.
Now for the photoshop edit:
Once I was in photoshop, I decided I'd gone too bright in Lightroom so I made an adjustment layer to tweak the levels a bit. His eyes got a highpass filter of about 50%. His little chicklets were whitened using an adjustment layer and desaturating the yellows while slightly lightening as well. Then I used a combination of clone stamp and healing brush to get rid of the little saliva lines (yuck!). I know there are actions to download and super brushes to do a lot of this for me but as I am learning Photoshop on my own, I do not like to take shortcuts for now... I want to know exactly how, what, why! I am sure as I take on more clients and my editing time increases, I'll start taking advantage of those! I did not brighten his eye whites and he was a bit blood shot that night so please ignore that for now =)
Finally, I opened the photo in the portrait makeover software that I have. As I mentioned, it's very easy to use and really does A LOT! But how much is too much?? For the record, I would not use this on a child typically! For this little test, however, I wanted to keep the photos consistent. So, here's my boy all "Glamour Shots"! (Mid 80's mall photo joint!) To be honest, this just creeps me out! Yes, I've exaggerated the bounds of this program on Zachary's eyes, but look through Facebook and you'll find this look over and over and over. Some even more contrived than this! In this example, I had turned "off" all the skin altering sliders, but you can tell that he's still missing some freckles. When I look at these webpages, especially photos of children and definitely of graduating seniors and **I** can tell they don't really look like that in real life, I have to wonder, where the value is in having a photograph of your child that doesn't look like your child!? In addition, the software did a horrible job on his teeth compared to using a simple few clicks in Photoshop. That said, It's not bad software... if used correctly. I just want to make a banner that says, please do not slide all rulers to the far right!!! Look, I know myself, I've gone through really bad editing phases and I am a long way from perfect today. When I look through my catalog of 33,000+ images, I can see when I was really into over saturating, or totally over doing the blacks, or, on the other hand, completely desaturating anything and everything. You live and you learn... I just hope this doll eye trend fizzles out quickly!! Who is buying it?!
So, what do you think? Am I falling prey to it myself? Have I brightened eyes too much in the photoshop version?? Maybe only 40% highpass would have been better? Or are you a fan of the doll eye look and think I am way off base?? I'll be the first to admit I'm learning every day. Let me know your thoughts!
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
E xx
Hi! I wanted to share an Instagram photo I took in New York last week. Before that though, I have to talk about my birthday excursion! John and I flew out of JFK on the 10th, back to Abu Dhabi. As the thought of an 18 hour journey ahead was a bit mind numbing, my lovely husband agreed to take me to NYC early to spend the day at B&H Photo. The B&H Photo & Video Super Store is amazing. I have literally clicked through every page of their website (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/)~ for me, it is the modern day version of the Sears Holiday Catalog! So to actually step foot in this massive wonderland was a really big deal, and the best birthday gift ever! The store is run so amazingly well... I was in awe of the efficiency (especially after spending the last 35 months in the land of "inshallah"!) I poured over the studio lighting, the accessories, the printers, and all the bags! My mission coming into the store was to get a thinkTANK briefcase because when I go on jobs I feel a bit unprofessional carrying my red backpack. I ended up with a new travel bag and hiking bag from Lowepro (with a cool water compartment!) and yes, the coveted thinkTANK UrbanDisguise as well. I have a very patient and generous husband!! Then we got to play with the lenses. AHHHH!! I tested the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens, the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, the 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, and the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM. You know the expression kid in a candy store? Yep, well that was me, literally! The associate got me a pile of brightly wrapped candy to test the macros! I loved them all but I am still saving and hoping to soon get the 70-200. It's been on top of my wish list for a number of years but something keeps coming up and it gets bumped down!
Ok, so the Instagram photo! Well first, I have to say I love Instagram. I know that not all photographers are keen on iPhone photos but I really enjoy seeing what I can create with my phone. As much fun as the big cameras are, sometimes moments are missed just due to the nature of the beast. I can't always swing out my DSLR, but my phone is surgically attached to my hand most days!
So I took this in a brightly lit diner in New York, the Skylight. It's right across from B&H and we were looking for a quick bite before heading to the airport. It was delish, by the way, despite the wicked reviews on Yelp and some other NY review websites! Skylight Diner was named Best Diner in Manhattan in 2005 by the Daily News, as you can clearly learn from the large sign on the front of their shop, and I guess it's come under fire since. We, however, had an excellent experience! Ok, ok, the photo:
The reason I love photography, and why I love this photo is this cheesecake was sitting on a quite bright white table, in a decently lit diner, yet it looks completely different here. As the name of the diner implies, there was a large skylight above our heads. Although it was mostly cloudy that afternoon, suddenly a bright beam of sunlight filled the skylight and shone down directly on my birthday cheesecake! I took the photo from the left side as opposed to straight on, and what I got was this black background. In reality my husband, John, is sitting directly behind this and the table is shining white under it. Photography is a magical context changing art that allows one random beam of sunshine to transform a plain old plate of cheesecake into something that looks like we were busy doing a special foodie photo shoot in a studio somewhere!
We had such a great morning in NYC so I thank my husband for taking me and I thank B&H for being everything I expected and more! And by the way, the cheesecake was scrumptious!!!
Best City on Earth:
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
Hello! I missed my last weekly post and lack of material was definitely NOT the reason! It's been a crazy few weeks. First, the big news: The studio is open! I was held up by lighting, but have finally found what I wanted... I bought Lastolite 400s. Lastolight is a Manfrotto company and although I did buy them for lack of huge choice here in the UAE, I have to say, I have been very happy with them! Purchasing the studio equipment was your typical Abu Dhabi experience (for those readers without first hand knowledge, take everything that is convenient and well grouped back home, and forget it! Abu is the land of three supermarkets to *possibly* complete one shopping list!). After searching for over a month and nearly admitting defeat with a purchase from a UK online retailer (which means loads of customs fees!), I happened to stumble across a note on the Bowens website that indicated that Salam, a department store in the Middle East, carried their equipment. After multiple phone calls, I confirmed that, in fact, I could buy Bowens here! John and I trekked down to Abu Dhabi Mall only to learn that the Bowens were marked up something like 500GBPs... I couldn't do it! But they also carried Lastolites and so the rest is history. We also found seamless backdrops in a plethora of colors and lots of other hard to find equipment. It was easy to outfit the entire studio from this department store, which from the front, looks as though it only carries clothing and perfume! Bizarre. Another pleasant surprise in Salam was Paul Thomas, the sales associate. He was by far the most knowledgeable sales person I have met here in the UAE. A few weeks ago, I popped into a Canon store to look at their lighting options and the employee was asking ME questions about the equipment. From here to Dubai, I've gotten a lot of blank stares when I've asked any questions, so this Paul fellow was an absolute breath of fresh air! I highly recommend him if you're in the area... Salam carries Nikon, Canon and Leica. 
Yesterday, Abby popped in to the newly opened studio, and we took some test shots. Two things to keep in mind when you look at the photos of the session: 1. This is what my daughter was wearing when I asked her to come in. Apparently this is what a lazy Saturday outfit for lounging around the house looks like to Abigail... mesh gloves and all. 2. She also outfitted the dog. I walked into my kitchen the other day to find Sam sporting the rainbow scarf. I have to admit, he looks pretty cute in plaid, so we thought we would use it again for the shoot. I did not direct her for posing because I was more interested in working out the background lighting, so left that all to her. I think I may hire her for future shoots to pose my subjects! All she wanted was a jumping photo so we got a few of those in at the end! It was really fun to work with Abby together in the studio-slash-ex-guestroom!! I like to imagine what other studios look like behind the scenes when looking at the finished product. I love how photography takes things out of context to create a story. To see some other photos from our session, click here: http://bit.ly/IHgtPu
The other big project I have started on is taking PR photos of the International Tower in Capital Centre. International Tower is a new building just finishing the final touches of construction. The job has been a stretch for me, as I have not done architectural photography before. I've photographed the building at the crack of dawn, mid morning, afternoon and evening. I've learned so much about the sun doing this project, and how to use it to my advantage, rather than cringing at the thought of the Middle Eastern glare! I've been using a polarizer on my smaller lens but have just bought a new B&W polarizing filter for my 24-70 lens, thanks to a suggestion from my friend Lisie. I can not wait for it to arrive! My f/2.8, 24-70mm is by far my most used lens, and it's come in very handy, especially for the interior shots of the building. If you don't have a lens in this range, I strongly suggest one! You know when you buy a new pair of shoes, and you love them so much that you wear them every day and start to wonder what you wore before you had these shoes??? That's my 24-70mm =). I use it for portraits, action and now architectural work as well. (Dear Husband, if you are reading this, this does not mean that I don't still **NEED** that EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens that I've been drooling over for the last year).
International Tower with an exposure of 15sec @ f/22 pictured below. 
Over the weekend, my new friend Robert, from the Steve Simon workshop at GPP12, and I went to the Abu Dhabi Fish Market and the surrounding area. When I started processing, I was a pleasantly surprised to realize that of the 100 or so photos that I took, only about 3 of them were of fish! Once again, I go back to the professionals that I had the chance to learn from that week at GPP, and know that I came away with so much. I am sure in the past, I would just see fish, but now I am beginning to instinctively look beyond the obvious. I am looking forward to photo weekend later this year! Click here to see some other photos from our fish market outing: http://bit.ly/IxNGzh
Lastly, tonight I am off to shoot an event. I am really excited for that as well! Even though I am sometimes as nervous as could possibly be, that nervous energy is pushing me towards bigger and better things. I am taking on more and more jobs and the website has now gotten over 300 unique visitors and 1000s of page views. For this and for everyone who has taken a chance on a very new photographer, I am extremely grateful. Until next time!
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
~E x
Last week we left Sir Baniyas Island. We had a choice of heading to E-11 and the 2 hour drive back back to Khalifa City, or taking the "scenic route" through Liwa desert. Two hours, versus six hours, but it was completely worth the detour!
Poor camel! All his friends were inside the fence but somehow he had gone astray! He's following the pack until he finds a fence opening! (Good luck, Camel... we drove about an hour before we found one!). The guy in the back is checking us out :)
As we drove though the familiar white sands of Abu Dhabi, we suddenly approached a gorgeous section of green! Long before the town began, the grass and trees popped up. Gayathi, an oasis town in the middle of nearly no where, has a police station, proper neighborhoods, and at least two schools. We zig-zagged through town and saw a good deal of it. As suddenly as it came upon us, we were on the other side! A distinct edge of town, and we were back in the desert once again. On the other side of Gayathi, however, the sand was beginning to change.
The winds were very strong and the sands had obviously blown a great deal. The red sands of Liwa were mixing with the white sand. It made the coolest pattern! I couldn't even really capture the true beauty of it on film, but it will always be in my memory.
I love how the sand looks blowing across the road!
We drove up to the Saudi Arabian/ UAE border and back down though Madinat Zayed. Madinat Zayed reminds me of a military town in the southern US, minus the massive sand dunes on the outskirts of town!
This fence runs along the UAE/ Saudi Border... The red sand pattern is most evident here but in real life, the whole area looks like this. I remember on a dune bashing excursion one time, the driver said the best part of his job is that the dunes never look the same from day to day. The desert is like God's huge etch-a-sketch!
Sand patterns...
Just inside the Saudi border... the sand blowing off the top of the dune.
This is about a kilometer inside the UAE. We stopped and I was able to sit down in the middle of the road to shoot. If someone had told me 5 years ago that I would be plopped down on some asphalt taking photos within a click from Saudi Arabia, I would have thought they were completely bonkers! Five years ago, I was working in an elementary school, going to college full time, trying to get my education degree. When I thought of my future, I thought of classrooms and sticky tack and wall decorations! I truly hope someday to get back to all of that. But for now, I am embracing what life has brought my way. I'm living my dream of actually making money to take photos! I am getting to travel to places I didn't know existed before. Some people thought we were off our rockers to give up everything we knew back home and move abroad. I prefer to believe that, "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing!" ~Helen Keller
I love this photo... and I love that the road ahead of me is wide open!
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
~E xx
It has been a crazy week! The kids are home from school for the second week, I've just started taking a university course, I finally got around to choosing business cards and lighting equipment for the studio. My mom is here visiting from the USA. A very good, but crazy week. Needless to say, getting a blog up, moved down the priority pole.
However, I didn't want to pass up the chance to post about our mini vacation at Sir Baniyas Island. We've been there before but this time was different for us. Maybe because the kids are older, maybe because I was excited about the photography as I have better equipment now ;), or even maybe because we were showing the island to my mom... seeing something old through new eyes. It was a wonderful, relaxing few days but even more than that, we actually learned a lot on the trip. The island is founded on the premise of conservation. As shown, the beach at Baniyas is very rocky but the water is a beautiful shade of blue and the Northerly winds coming off the sea help keep the temperature considerably lower than mainland Abu Dhabi. These long man made levees help keep erosion of the island at bay.
The sun rising over the wildlife park... this was a beautiful morning!
The concept of the island is actually pretty spectacular in and of itself! Sheik Zayed the First imagined this island to be a way to "green" Abu Dhabi. He thought that if he planted enough trees and irrigated the island, that they would produce enough moisture in the air to actually turn the climate of the Emirate. The plan was well intended but apparently the mountains were not high enough to capture the moisture. In addition, he brought over Arabian Oryx to help replenish a near extinct population. Today, UAE has the 2nd largest population of Oryx, and the species is no longer on the endangered list world wide, in part thanks to Sheik Zayed. In addition, the island now is home to many species that have been successfully bred back from extinction. http://www.desertislands.com/en/Content/history.aspx
An Arabian Oryx, his white fur makes him quite capable of coping with the intense heat in the Middle East. The guide described the black patches around his eyes as, "nature's sunglasses."
How can you not love a giraffe?
While we were on the island, we took a safari ride through the enclosed animal park, tried archery, and Abby and I got to go on a fantastic horse back tour of the island. Watching my daughter canter down the beach at Sir Baniyas will be a long treasured memory.
Our son, Zachary, is only eight years old, but history and artifacts are more interesting to him than baseball or soccer! He wanted us to go on the tour of the Christian Monastary, uncovered on Sir Baniyas back in the 90s. It has recently opened to the public, and was not opened last time we were there. We went on the tour expecting little but we actually learned a lot!
It was such an interesting afternoon; Zach was in his glory, and the rest of us actually really enjoyed it as well. Our guide, Ted, made it all the more so engaging, as he was clearly well informed and interested in the subject. Check out this article to learn more about the discovery and the historical significance for the region.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/ancient-secrets-of-sir-bani-yas-island-unveiled
Zach found a piece of a clay cup outside on the of the dig sites. I think this was the highlight of his trip!
I think often we forget how tolerant the UAE is compared to other Middle Eastern countries. If I could meet any leader, dead or alive, I honestly think it would be Sheik Zayed. The more I learn about his visions for his country and his hopes of impacting the world in a positive way, I am more and more impressed.
Not only was it a fabulous family retreat, but I had so many amazing photo opportunities being on the island as well. We can certainly add this to our list of "only in Abu Dhabi" adventures!!
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
~E xx
Editing... ahhhhhh! I am horrible at this! So many times I say to myself, oh I know it isn't perfect technically but I love that smile, or that moment... I can't let it go! I am slowly learning that I must LET.IT.GO! Or at the very least, store it away in my personal archives.
This week I have been working on majorly editing myself. I have deleted about twenty photos from www.eileenearnestphotography.com. I had some new photos I wanted to add and when I started looking through my site, I realized there was a lot of dead weight: photos that had been on there since the beginning that needed to be swapped out, or photos that weren't technically as good as they should be. Every day that I pick up a camera, I get that tiny extra smidge more experience. With that experience comes the realization that what I once thought was amazing, was in fact only on par for my ability/ knowledge at that time. I've barely even started, the last thing I need is to become stale! I know I am not alone! The number one concern I heard over and over at GPP from my fellow classmates was that they weren't good at editing down their own work.
Here's a photo that I previously LOVED and that I have removed this week:
When I first took this photo, I was excited about it. We hiked about 11 hours the day that this was taken and I felt I really earned all the shots from that experience! I hauled (well, actually, my trusty assistant, the ever patient, John Earnest, mostly hauled) my 8lb tripod up steep inclines, and I had my full camera bag, another 15 pounds or so on my back. We hiked all the way up to Booth Lake (Check it out here: www.protrails.com/trails/view/391) which took us about 6 hours. We lost the trail for a while, the clouds were rolling in, we ran out of water... it was a proper adventure for two relatively inexperienced hikers, ill equipped to handle the altitude! But, we made it! No one can take that away from us and I was so proud that I was able to rise to the challenge. I am telling this story because when I look at that photo above, that's what I see. To everyone else, this is just a random stream, in a random woods. For me, it's a memory, a moment in time. This was taken when we stopped for our first break... we found a nice little shaded area in the trees looking over this rapid, rolling, brook. It was run off from the Booth Falls just above. Even though it was cool out, we were already really hot and gulping down water and snacks. (Had we known we would run short, we might have gulped less, sipped more!) I set up my tripod and tried using different shutter speeds to get this white blanket of water. Here are the details: 32mm, 0.5s, f/29, ISO 100, manual mode. I am happy with the water, and the clarity of the photo. However, I had set the metering to center weighted. WHY, WHY? I don't know what I was thinking... this should have been set to evaluative. As a result I've got way too much variation between the white water and the dark trees. My composition could really be better as well. In post processing, I probably over-did the saturation (I can't remember, maybe one day I'll go back and look at the raw file,) but I am thinking the green is probably not quite that vivid in real life.
I took that photo nine months ago! I have loved it ever since, and it brings back amazing memories a great day with my husband in beautiful Eagle County, Colorado! It has taken me *nine* months to distance myself enough to say... really? Is this my BEST? Should it be one of the first of my photos someone comes across if they don't know me? If I am honest with myself, the answer is no.
I am very lucky to be surrounded by unbelievably caring people. My support crew: my family, especially my husband, and many friends, are so excited for me to finally have this business getting off the ground. However, your support crew is *not* your critique crew, lol! These people are usually not objective enough to say yay or nay to your work. I am still in the process of distancing myself. I try to go on to the site each week and review my portfolios. I try not to overload from a certain event or of a certain person (this is really hard with regard to photos of my own children!). Lately, if I add a photo, I force myself to remove a photo as well. Even with these personal goals set, I still have photos on there that should probably be taken down, but I am not there yet. So... do as I say but not as I do! Try to see the photo as someone who has never seen the subject before.
I would assert that the best friends to a new photographer are thick skin, and a seasoned photographer who is willing to be honest! Everyone needs a sounding board. Finding this person is critical and can make all the difference. I've been lucky to have some excellent photographers give me tips along the way: Jillian Greenhill here in Abu Dhabi, (jilliangreenhillphotography.com/) and Lisie Veloso back in Maryland, (www.caughtbyaflash.com). I took classes from Tonya Colson,(www.tonyacolsonphotography.com) who is amazing and given me great advice as well! Three women who have helped me get through some of the difficult first steps of creating a business out of a hobby. Please check out their websites! There are also online "photo clubs" to join to get honest critique. I belong to fotothing, which is more of a sharing site, but people will comment and help to gauge the reception a certain photo is receiving. Another one of my personal, short listed goals are to join a proper professional group for critique.
The bottom line: Be tough when developing your portfolio! I know how hard it is.... I am living it daily! xx
These last two weeks since GPP I've become obsessed. No... not with Twitter or even more so with my ongoing iPhone dependency, thank goodness, but with light. Everywhere I've been in the last 14 days, I can't help but analyze the lighting. I'm finding myself staring at spots of sun and following them to the sky. Or skimming my eyes along the beam on a magazine sitting on a table and quickly spinning around to see where it's coming in from. I am noticing the halo glimmering off a head of blonde hair, as it's little owner is bouncing around at the pool. When I walk into a grocery store, gym, school, I am looking up to see what kind of bulbs are illuminating the area.
I am not reacting this way on purpose! It's become sort of this strange compulsion that I don't even realize I am doing, but probably will end up making me a much better photographer as a result! I'll happily deal with some odd looks I may get while I'm standing, staring mindlessly at sun spots, if it means starting to use the gift of light to it's fullest capacity.
When we were in the fabric souk area in Dubai, we were in an alley most of the time. The light was quite contrasted when it did come in... shot in like a beam rather than covering us like a blanket. I saw this flight of steps and was taken by how the light was so strong at the top... kind of like a beautiful and heavenly passageway, rather ironically located on a set of very filthy stairs!
I think the first time I *really* noticed light at the workshop, I had just walked in the fruit and veg market. I looked over and saw this beam of gold blasting thru display of various veggies. When I look at this photo now, I wish I had exposed better for the tomatos. On the other hand, the market is relatively covered and can be a bit dark in some places so I felt lucky to see this stray sunbeam!
And lastly, the squid. Or, I think they are squid. They were really wet and slimy and something I would not eat in a million years! But they had an ideal location on an outside aisle of the fish souk. The sun made it's way in and transformed something fairly ugly into something really glittery and almost abstract! All natural, no strobe or studio lights... just God given sunshine!
I've read a lot about light in the last few weeks as I am trying to set up my studio. Which kits to buy, what would work best with the room I have to work with, which radio transmitters to buy to set off said light. There's so much out there on created light, it's overwhelming actually. I haven't found nearly as much on natural light. I think it's because, in general, we take it for granted. Plus, everyone knows you probably won't get a great photo if you take it in the dark! So even someone who has just picked up a camera, knows something about it's relationship with light. Learning to harness the light that we typically see, without really noticing, is how to separate your self from the pack. Especially in Abu Dhabi, where the sunshine is so consistently bright, I will be investing a lot of time working on making it work for me the best I can. In all three of the photos above, the light makes them more interesting. An evenly lit veggie stand is not all that striking, and dirty, cracked cement stairs are far from interesting. Gross slimy squid are just that! Sunlight transforms them into the best versions of themselves. I love that photography and natural light work together to make something maybe less than glamorous, feel special in print!
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
~E xx
UAE... a place of severe polarization. On one hand, there are buildings constructed daily, each trying to out glitz, bling, shine the other. Jumeriah Etihad Towers... case in point. The wealth and decadence can be over whelming! It's a very, very easy life for locals and Western Expats alike, compared to other places in the world. On the other hand, there is extreme poverty. Grown men bunked on top of each other in cramped, hot labor camp trailers, with slim to no chance of ever moving up the chain. Women are brought in from all over, many from the Philippines and Sri Lanka, to work as housemaids. Some are promised much more but arrive to find they are cleaning a six bedroom, three story house for an extended family unit, while also caring for multiple children. Employers commonly confiscate employee passports. The work week is seven days for some housemaids, and laborers typically work six. Six days a week of grueling grunt work for construction workers, and part of the year, those days are upwards of 100F degrees. Add to this that many "blue collar" workers are here supporting, and separated from, their spouses and children still living in their home country. From the outside looking in, the lives of these men and women seem like a slice of hell to a Westerner.
I've been here for three years and yesterday, I decided to create a UAE photo gallery. Last week, I went to the fish/veggie/meat souk in Dubai, twice. Once with Steve Simon's workshop and once with David Burnett's. I have definitely never spent so much time in a fish market (and I have the smelly shoes to prove it).
After I settled into the mess and chaos of the souk, and started talking to the men who run the stalls, I realized these are generally happy people. At first glance, I had no idea how they can be happy! They were knee deep in the stench of raw fish, working all day long, being ignored as they tried to coax people to check out their inventory. I can.not.imagine ever even cracking a smile if this was how I had to spend each day. The adjacent meat market is covered with bloody camel and goat heads, deep red raw meat is hanging all over the place. I would expect a morose group of guys, but instead we were getting big smiles and invitations to take more photos!
The younger crew at the markets is markedly different than the older crew. I can literally see the toll this life has taken on the faces of the more senior men. The deep, wrinkled crevices in their skin are the first sign, but the eyes are the real window. Some of the older men are quieter than their younger counterparts; they've been doing this so long they probably can't be "on" anymore. The young guys are out there hustling, smiling, even flirting to a degree, to get us to try some of their fish! The older sellers just sit back and look as if, mentally, they are anywhere but at that market. I spoke to two dozen or so of the employees and some agreed to allow me to take their photo. I love the faces in these photos because they each tell their own story. I can't even begin to imagine what these eyes have witnessed in their lifetime.
This man runs the stall on the far corner of the fish market, right by the cars. He was extremely kind, and completely willing to pose for me! I told him I would do my very best to make him famous :) He explained each different kind of fish on the counter, even though he knew I wasn't buying. Many of the guys wanted me to come back the next day with a photo, but I had to say no, or inshallah... for him, I think I will try to get back there with a print.
I really loved talking to this man. He was so nervous to have his photo taken! I have a few outtakes of him, because he was flicking his eyes towards me and away, and repeat! In the end, I liked the one of him best when he wasn't looking. He's got a bit of bemused look on his face, as my friend Kate pointed out. I think he was definitely a bit tickled that I had an interest in him. His English was not very good, and my Urdu is non existent, so our conversation was very basic. When I look at his face, I wonder, how many children does he have? How many grandchildren? Do they understand the sacrifices he has made to support them? And on and on... this man has probably found himself in circumstances that I couldn't even begin to consider.
As his dress implies, the man in front is not a stall worker, but he's not top dog either. With the language barrier, I roughly worked out that he's middle management (my words, not his). The man behind him is his employee: a fish cutter, cleaner, seller.
And lastly, my favorite photo from the day. I did not talk to this man, and I wasn't all that close to him. But his hands lept across the yard at me. His oversized coat, a donation perhaps, and those hands.... I wish could sit with him for hours and soak in his stories. He was looking and waiting for someone, or something, to arrive just as I was leaving the souk.
There are so many issues I have in a day that pale in comparison to tribulations of the labor force in Dubai and Abu Dhabi... last week my *electric* toothbrush broke... many of these men have few teeth left in their mouth. My Sling Catcher died, so I can't watch Directv from the USA... these guys all hang out together after a long work day and play a game of pick up cricket or, on Friday, have a wrestling match, together! They don't worry about tv channels being slung across the earth! In fact, just about every anxiety, concern, strain, or struggle I encounter on any given day, is a pinprick relative to what they endure. The regular stall workers earn approximately one thousand dirhams a month. That's $272.00 a month, $3264 anual salary. In 2010, the poverty threshold in the USA was $11,344*: nearly 350% greater the annual salary of the fish sellers. What makes the disparity more glaring, is that the vast wealth in UAE is also unimaginable. Living here is like traveling in a time machine.... one day spent visting with men who exist on the very basics of life, the next day checking out the newest, futuristic hotel that has just opened. The common thread, however, are the men above and others just like them. They never enjoy the luxury of the lavish hotel rooms, but those rooms would not exist without them. They never ingest the seven course feast served at Ossiano in Atlantis, but the fish on the plate has probably passed through their hands.
I have a very new and improved outlook on the people who are really the backbone of this country, and photography led me to that revelation. I am grateful that they allowed me to record and share their faces, and small glimpses into their lives, with others. Maybe this post has nothing directly to do with the purpose of my blog: to follow my ups and downs as I try to make it as a professional photographer. But, it has everything to do with me realizing I have the ability to see through my lens, what I never bothered to see with my eyes. At the end of the day, that has to make me better at my craft.
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
~E xx
*Poverty threshold information: http://tinyurl.com/6opjr6l
First things first: Thank you, thank you, thank you to Gulf Photo Plus for an amazing week! UAE photo enthusiasts, check out: http://www.gulfphotoplus.com for other upcoming events! Also, check out David Burnett's Bob Marley "Soul Rebel" Exhibit at GPP through April 15th.
Last Monday, I attended the One Light Workshop with Zack Arias ( http://zackarias.com/) at Gulf Photo Plus. To say I *needed* this class would be a massive understatement. I am a natural light photographer. I say this not because I am a genius at natural light, far from it, but because until Monday I have literally never, ever utilized a flash while in manual and had a photo come out the way I like it! Never. So flash has been a bit of a scary and undiscovered world for me.
We used an umbrella, a softbox and a grid. I stink at the grid. Or at least I did on Monday. Here's a shot of one of my classmates taking his turn with the grid set up:
First, Khaled has some pretty bad shadows on him. I think my height vs his height did not weigh in my favor, as I was definitely not perpendicular with him, even tho he tried squat to make himself shorter for me! If he was a client, I would have had to stand on something to achieve a more flattering angle, or had him sit. There is no flash of light in his eye and in general his eyes just don't really stand out. It's likely that I accidentally refocused elsewhere after I composed (this is cropped by the way, for purposes of full disclosure... my composition was shocking!). As a portrait photographer, my ultimate goal is for everyone to be looking as healthy and hopeful as possible and there is definitely nothing healthy looking about flat eyes! Another thing I did wrong: I didn't take a deep breath and take my time. I was in a workshop, and I was nervous as hell. My hands were literally shaking, so really, I should be on my knees praising the inventor of image stabilization :):) I did not take my time, I wanted to get to my turn and get it over with as there were other people waiting. Plus, just being on the spot in front of strangers is something many of us struggle with. However, if I want to be a successful photographer, nerves are not an acceptable excuse! In truth, one of the major lessons I learned from this week at GPP had nothing to do with a camera or lens! I realized that I need to be more assertive and less worried about what everyone else is thinking. I need to r-e-l-a-x!!!
Here is an example of a portrait with much better eyes.... 
Zack set up this beautiful model on a wall outside the center and we each took a turn. I haven't edited this one yet and here's the metadata:
She's definitely a better example of "healthy!" The exposure is fairly good as well. I had issues with my synch speed on the 7D for some reason... 1/200th was leaving me with a dark top half of frame on most of my shots, so I slowed down to 160 and it worked a lot better. Zack instructed us to play with the flash power a bit from his original set up. I don't think it's possible to make this girl look bad, but even so, technically speaking, I did a better job on this shot than the photo above.
I was amazed at all the different effects one off camera flash can produce! I can't wait to open the studio, if for no other reason than to play with the lights! My favorite tool of the three we tried out was the soft box. I think I am drawn more to that soft look than to the drama of the grid, but of course they all have their time and place. I am going to start out with a basic starter studio kit when I open the studio... 2 stands with continuous lighting and a strobe.
Zack and all the photographers at the conference were so generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences. Steve Simon was inspiring and incredibly kind, and David Burnett shared many of his stories from the days of film and is literally a living legend. They all got better photos out of me this week than I could have ever produced without their influence. If you are new to photography or thinking of crossing over from hobbyist to professional, I highly suggest finding a workshop in your area. Many professionals teach workshops throughout the year and across the world so there is bound to be one near you soon!
Here are some other photos from the One Light Workshop with Zack and The Walkabout with David Burnett:
I will write a post about the Passionate Photographer, with Steve Simon in the next few days... the experience of that workshop will stick with me for a very long time. In the meantime, Steve has a book that correlates with the workshop: http://bit.ly/HxbaGn
Until then, have fun shooting!
To read my previous postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
~E x
Thanks to Zenfolio, I now have a new photo blog!
I've just come off a week of complete photography immersion at the GPP 2012 Photo Conference. I've learned so so so so much... in fact multiply those "so's" by like 1000. Maybe 10,000. That's how much I learned. And not only did I get smarter about photography, but I also met a ton of new people and hopefully some new friends and potential collaborators. I don't know why I haven't been camped out on the doorstep of Gulf Photo Plus before now, but I may forward my mail starting today. If you are a photographer in the ME, I strongly advise you to check out this conference next year, or sooner at the Photo Weekend in November.
Photographers I was lucky enough to work with and/or hear speak:
Zack Arias
Steve Simon
David Hobby
Martin Prihoda
Bobbi Lane
Joe McNally
David Burnett
Drew Gurian
Michael Cali
They all have webpages/blogs/twitter of some sort so look them up, and you'll see why I am on a high from being around such talented people. I can't wait to get out there and take some more shots.
So, I've started blogs before and have been pretty weak about keeping up! Hopefully this time I'll do better. I just hate making up the title. Why can't it just be like Microsoft Word and default to the first twenty letters of text?! Someday when I'm a super famous blogger, i.e. more than 2 readers (my mom and my husband), I'll have a title contest each week. Then someone else can come up with it.
Alas, David Hobby, extremely talented photographer and blogger, (Strobist & HoCo360) says photographers need a blog and twitter. So the blog is started! As for the tweeting... I'll open a new account, since the one I had and used for 40 seconds in 2008 is password protected from even me at this point (aka I have forgotten the password and email I used to set it up), but can my life really handle ANOTHER channel of communication? Time will tell...if my children come home with a family drawing and it's only the top of my head, I'll be a bit embarrassed. And I'll tell them to call David Hobby to inform him that Mommy is permanently lit with a soft LCD glow from underneath, thanks to his advice! Also, Saluki Sam is not impressed. He hasn't seen me for a week and he keeps trying to put his two cents in on the keyboard with his mile long claw. Or maybe he just needs to pee. Not sure.
So... amazing week at GPP, look for my rank amateur tweets coming soon, and hopefully I won't suck at updating the blog frequently. (Edited to add: Saluki Sam definitely needed to pee... strike one for blogging instead of letting the dog out).
P.S. This is Sam the rescue Saluki. I was gone so much last week at GPP 2012, he thought I was never coming home, thereby no longer needing footwear from my closet. That's why he ate my flip flops.
To read other postings, please click http://goo.gl/2BZ0O or to browse my photography, please click http://goo.gl/jLu5P. Thanks for visiting!!
~E xx