arizona jazz academy

[brandonwillis]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a376/90sfwillis90/doug1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a376/90sfwillis90/andrewsax1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a376/90sfwillis90/teddy1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a376/90sfwillis90/saxline2.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a376/90sfwillis90/saxline.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a376/90sfwillis90/mike1.jpg

[dandan]

they seem underexposed, the instruments are fine, but the faces are much to dark. They also seem a LITTLE soft, give em some USM.

Besides that they are very nice shots

[fotolode]

Too dark. Underexposed. The only thing I can see are the instruments. I guess it would be rude to have a big flash light up the stage when they are trying to set a mood which you would ruin if you had a strong flash.

[brandonwillis]

i dont ever edit any of my photographs.

and there where a total of 4 lights on on the stage, with nearly 30 people on stage, it was a very low light sutation, and things always seem brighter on my laptop since its highdefinition screen

[bikerider]

As others have said, these exposures are too dark and soft. The compositions are fine but the images need some life in terms of light and action.
Roger.

[DwightMcCann]

Roger, darkness gives a "mood", dude! Softness gives a mood. I think Brandon was conveying the intimate atmosphere of this ensemble ... I can almost smell the brass. What I don't understand is why he has his name printed across people's heads ... are these worth stealing?

[brandonwillis]

haha, yeah the watermarking, it was my "audition" for a gig to do this for them all the time, and he plans on printing them, and if hes not going to pay me for them, i want my name to be all over the pictures. i was just to lazy to resize some that werent watermarked, im sorry about that.

dwight, thank you for understanding the photographs.

bike rider- it was a late night jazz thing that played in a resturant, it wasnt at a venue, and even then jazz isnt really one of those "action packed" preformance, i dont think its supposed to be, jazz calms you down, and sooths your soul.

[René Damkot]

i dont ever edit any of my photographs.
Seems like a good time to start ;)
and there where a total of 4 lights on on the stage, with nearly 30 people on stage, it was a very low light sutation, and things always seem brighter on my laptop since its highdefinition screen
#2 and 3 are acceptable as far as exposure is concerned. (#2 is quite nice, actually) You could call that a matter of taste / personal preference. The rest is underexposed.
If your laptop shows different, it's time for calibration of it's display!
As far as low lighting is concerned: Thats what fast apertures and high ISO are for. Oh, and light metering :p

[brandonwillis]

im not going to start editing them, if i cant get it right the first time its my fault. and ill correct it next time. i think editing your pictures takes away from the whole photography aspect of it.

iso was 1600
and i dont recall my apertures, but next time ill play with that and see what i get out of it. this was my first time taking pictures of musicians, and one of the most low light situations

[Curtis N]

Not really Curtis N, but Becky N having to use his profile as we are burning 100 CDs for delivery tonight and can't switch profiles.

Anyway, before reading any of the other comments, my first thought was how much I like the exposure giving the intruments center stage, after all, it is jazz. After reading the comments, it proves how subjective this hobby is. Curtis N and I have a real difference in opion when it comes to exposure compensation on our theater pictures. He tends to like lighter expsosure since our customers are accustom to brighter pictures, I like the theatre mood a darker exposure gives. So he processes his pics his way and I process mine my way and once in awhile we follow each others suggestions. Don't know if the customers appreciate it, but; it keeps harmony in our house.

Becky N

[Curtis N]

im not going to start editing them, if i cant get it right the first time its my fault. and ill correct it next time. i think editing your pictures takes away from the whole photography aspect of it.When you get a chance, Brandon, do some research on a man named Ansel Adams. He was a genius with a camera, and a genius in the darkroom. And he taught the rest of the world that taking a picture is only one step among several in making a photograph.

Incidently, your pictures ARE edited. They contain exactly the amount of sharpness, contrast and saturation that Canon's programmers think they should have. Do you trust their judgment, knowing that they have never seen your pictures or have any idea of your intent?

[brandonwillis]

Incidently, your pictures ARE edited. They contain exactly the amount of sharpness, contrast and saturation that Canon's programmers think they should have. Do you trust their judgment, knowing that they have never seen your pictures or have any idea of your intent?

i never thought of it that way

[rutt]

The second to the last shot has a great composition. The enclosing darkness works very well. What if you increased the contrast a little, perhaps by pushing the light end of the curve a bit to get a real light point?