Holy Smokes. You guys see that gigantic visitor’s spike in my google analytics dashboard? That was on the day David Hobby, aka The Strobist, pimped me out on twitter. …his handle is @strobist for those reading this post who didn’t find me through him.

1,835! that’s how many people checked out my blog July 15th, 2010. For the most part they went to two pages: This one. and This one.

Thanks to all you folks who subscribed to my twitter feed. …I think it tripled! And I appreciate everyone who subscribed to my blog on their rss feed. I’ll try to do you guys right by keeping this blog filled with interesting images and I’ll give y’all a good explanation when I can remember my set up. hahahaha.

And of course, thanks to David Hobby! No wonder Time Magazine named The Strobist as one of the top 25 blogs of 2010. I wouldn’t have seen that incredible spike without him. I think my regular page views are up, too.

Sometimes photographing another photographer can be intimidating. …sometimes it can be annoying. But I felt neither emotion when I got to photograph David Hobby last week.

It was fun! It helped that we already knew each other.

(20 cool points to whoever can guess what David’s drinking.)

So, why was I photographing Mr. Hobby? Time Magazine named his blog, The Strobist, one of the top 35 of 2010 and The Howard County Times (where I work, and where David used to work before the Sun) is profiling him. I’m not sure the rank is in any significant numerical order, but he’s #18 on the list.

My original idea was to make a wall o’ lights. Like, bring out all of his strobes. Then I saw his backyard and realized it was too hilly. But I’m not saying I don’t want to try it at some other time — hint hint, David.

Here’s an extended caption: This image of David Hobby, made in his Dorsey Search backyard, Friday, July 9, 2010, was made with a Nikon D700, a Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 DX lens, and shot wide open with an aperture of f/1.8, with a 1/25th shutter speed and an exposure speed of 200 ISO. A neutral density filter (which belonged to David) was used over the lens. Five lights were used: three Alien Bee 1600′s — two off camera, one, on my right, modified with a beauty dish at 1/4 power, one to the far left, modified with a magnum reflector, at full power, and the one seen in the background, bare-bulb at full power — one Alien Bee 800, at his feet, at 1/16th power, and one Nikon sb-800 speedlight, on the right, for a little rim light, but mostly for show. The set up (except for the sb-800) was powered by two Paul C. Buff Vagabond II’s and the lights were triggered by a combination of Pocket Wizard II’s and utilizing the lights’ optical slaves. This info might seem like gobbledygook to most, but the followers of Hobby’s “The Strobist” blog know it as “Strobist Info.”  Former Patuxent Publishing Co. and Baltimore Sun staff photographer David Hobby’s blog was named by Time Magazine as one of the top 25 blogs of 2010. The Strobist blog demystifies off-camera lighting while maintaining a budget-minded populist ethos for the non-professionals who just want to make their photos better.

And since I love outtakes…

photo by David Hobby

we were having problems with his new Einstein strobe, seen right behind me. Notice how it’s not going off?

Flippantly testing the pocket wizards.

Here’s the final product/what I turned in.

and here are my CYA shots.

and here’s one he shot of me!

Brad Trent is super bad ass. Giving Credit to where credit is due, The Strobist recently pimped him out, discussing his regularly practiced fourth-wall-breaking “Artificial Portraits” series.

So, that’s where I heard about him. Now… I’m a big fan. and I LOOOOOOVE his wackadoo style. It seems like Mr. Trent just likes to have fun. In turn, I’m having fun looking at his stuff.

It’s a really good lesson to learn for all you shooters out there. Perhaps, like a smile translating over the phone, fun will translate through a photo shoot. …similarly, so might frustration.

Enjoy, and feel free to post your experiences when the emotions of a really fun or frustrating photo shoot translated on “paper.”

I made a video on the D300s. Its posted below.

Not that I’m claiming to be that cool, but these new backpack systems by Clik Elite my be the nail on the coffin for any shred of coolness I try to have. I look like the dorkiest dorky dork in the world, but the results and possibilities are pretty cool. I’m always afraid something like this will happen when I go to Service Photo. I’ve decided Clik Elite should want to sponsor me. Below is a video I shot using the The BodyLink™ Telephoto pack. It has an aluminum frame originally intended for steadying a telephoto lens while adventure photography-ing, BUT you can totally use it as a steady cam. Wearing it will guarantee your ability to capture the strangest of looks from people while shooting on the street.  I recommend getting at least a ball head. But If you couple it with a bracket or two, you can mount a microphone (or two!), drop a field recorder in the pouch, and fix that horrible “in camera” audio problem. You can look like Soundwave! You can also mount a flash head and any kind of modifier you want on your bracket system to be portable studio dork guy! Who wouldn’t want that title on their business card? Always remember, when wearing this super useful system to hike your pants up as far as they’ll go. It’ll complete the look. I’m about to buy one, so I can make bad-ass videos, and prove to the cool kids at school that I do have some merit!

Dorkiest of the Dorky from Matt Roth on Vimeo.

I know I know I know. the video’s really rough. But I’m super stoked about it. …because I FINALLY made one by myself. Sure, it was on iMovie, but I did most of the basic editing in an hour.

Personally, I would’ve rather unleashed a really bad-ass first video, but this is more like a quick n’ dirty product review.

A new playground for the abused and neglected children of The Ravens Courage House had an opening ceremony Friday January 20, 2005. For the children’s safety none of them are to be identified in the photo.

So, what do you do when you can’t show faces? — thank your lucky stars for the sun location, balloons, semi-translucent playground equipment and silhouettes. My buddy Patrick Smith did a recent post about how he recently succumbed to the temptations of silhouettes. I totally understand. I’ve recently been on a reflection kick, myself.

The way I see it, a gimmick’s only as good as how well it’s used. In this sense, it’s helping to keep these kids safe, while making a beautiful image, AND celebrates the new playground space.

The 10am Update is a regular blog feature showcasing some of the best work from my archives.

I know this sounds like I’m bragging — and well, I guess I am a little, but not in a cocky way. It’s more like a “super excited” kind of bragging.

I did really well in the recently judged September clip contest. The monthly clip contest doesn’t really go in order. December’s already been judged, for example, and we’re still waiting on results from November, August, and May.

So, In addition to winning 1st and 2nd in Feature/Multiple, I also placed first in Sports, and third in Feature/Single.

It was a good month for some of my friends, too. Fellow PPC co-worker Sarah Nix-Pastranna won 2nd in Feature/Single. Patrick Smith landed second in Sports, and Drew Anthony Smith grabbed 2nd and 3rd in Illustration. I’m 100 points — or two first place wins — away from tying with Kyle Green, the regional clip Juggernaught from The Roanoke Times. Fingers crossed!

below is a variant on the response I made on Tim Lytvinenko’s Tuesday Tech post on the Luceo blog.

I feel cheesy reposting a response as an article, but I think the topic of space association is important when talking about these new devices.

You know how you were told not to do your homework on your bed? …because either, you’ll fall asleep while studying? …or you won’t fall asleep when you need to because you’ve associated the mental rigors of studying with your bed SPACE?

Similarly, I find it hard to digest, or RECEIVE information at my workspace. As a photographer, I primarily use my laptop to CREATE work. It’s extra hard for me to finish online articles because I get antsy. My attention-span is way smaller than if I were to read an article in a dead tree magazine. Simply watching a movie or TV show at my desk has never felt, well, natural — like watching my TV. I can more comfortably watch videos on my laptop if I’m doing something else on my second monitor.

Simply put, it’s hard for me to RECEIVE content on my laptop. Further, I feel a nagging need to multitask. Before finishing almost every article I start, I succumb to the urge to jump from content source to content source to content source. I feel pulled in so many directions — which makes it hard for me to learn. Ultimately, I feel unproductive.

Having said that, I can spend several hours perfecting one e-mail. I’ll go blind toning photos from sun up to sun down. The point is, I can mono-task as long as I’m creating content.

And here’s where I hope the iPad, or any other e-tablet, will help with my Pavlovian response to work space inefficiency.

Should I buy one, it will create a new content-receiving space.  and from what I hear, the presentation of the new content should be awesome!

Obviously there are a ton of people out there who primarily use their laptops and workspaces to to primarily receive content. And I guess this article isn’t really for them.

So, Lets start a conversation. Do you guys agree/disagree with this article? What are your insights? Tell me about your iPad plans.

WooHoo!!! I cleaned up in the Illustration category for December’s NPPA: Monthly News Clip Contest.

Food is surprisingly a challenging subject to photograph. Well, it is if you wanna keep your chops sharp. I’ve learned a bunch of tricks when it’s food shoot season. Natural light, as usual, can be your friend. That’s what I used with the Iron Bridge photos. A dark table and gorgeous, window-lit fall-off, gave an almost seamless-black effect. But I’ve learned that white dish towels draped over speedlights, which is how I modified the Victoria’s Gastro Pub photos below the jump, are perfect DIY diffusers. And when you want to incorporate that cool stained glass window in a dark …uh, I mean ambiance-rich, restaurant, use a waiter’s hand (and the manager’s hand to hold another towel-draped speedlight).

bon appétit!

This is an overview photo of the ingredients and tools needed for making the Iron Bridge Wine Company’s cranberry bourbon and brown sugar glaze sweet potatoes. This is the Sensational Sides feature Iron Bridge Wine Company offered to make for the December issue of Howard Magazine.

Layer and slightly overlap the sweet potatoes in a circular pattern in a baking dish or, as seen in the photo, an oven safe dish. Cranberry bourbon and brown sugar glaze sweet potatoes is the Sensational Sides feature Iron Bridge Wine Company offered to make Friday, September 18, 2009.

Spoon the bourbon and melted butter glaze over the roasted sweet potatoes. Cranberry bourbon and brown sugar glaze sweet potatoes is the Sensational Sides feature Iron Bridge Wine Company offered to make Friday, September 18, 2009.

Victoria’s Gastro Pub won for Best Bar Food, Best Happy Hour, Best Burger, Best Late Night Dining, and Best Martini. Featured is the restaurant’s Roasted Veal Tenderloin and Jumbo Sea Scallop garnished with summer vegetable succotash and sweet corn butter. Wednesday, August 19, 2009.

Featured is a late night bar menu item, the Espresso Rubbed Pork Belly nestled in a bed of Anson Mill Farms White Cheddar Grits surrounded by a moat of gonzo porter jus. Wednesday, August 19, 2009.

Before the food came out I thought I would play with the light reflecting on this serving bowl.

Similarly, I played with morning sun casting on this pillar before the food showed up.

Featured item from the Maruha Sushi and Steakhouse is the seafood deluxe platter.

Featured is Baldwin Station’s Wild Boar Sausage made with cranberry port reduction and topped with a charred scallion salad.

Ben Bender linked to an article on Emotional Lighting when he commented on my recent post, Shoot the Emotion!

So, since I love to use lighting, I think it’s worth discussing.

Now, this may not be the best photo to describe emotional lighting, buuuut, it’s by far the most convenient. I shot it Saturday.

I gotta ask: is this photo emotional?

Well, it certainly doesn’t gush. But in this setting, with this lighting, I think we all get the idea that these ladies are not to be messed with.

I called this my mafia shot.

I’m using two lights in this “stage.” One is placed behind the frosted glass. There’s a bar back there. To avoid a huge bright spot and maximize the light spread, I’m bouncing it off the white ceiling. This serves as a rim light does double duty as a part-time ambient light. I also think it’s doing all the heavy lifting, lighting Lisa Troia Martin, in the upper right. The second light, shot through an umbrella, is to my left. I jacked it up to 100% to maximize its throw. It’s about 8 feet away from Carol Troia, the lady in red on the right, BUT it’s pointed right at her mother Elena Troia, sitting.

Deep shadows and high contrast light is a common Hollywood trick to visually describe something sinister. …you know, because villains dwell in the shadows.

But these women are NOT villains. Truth be told, they’re charming charming people.

So, this photo is an outtake. Turning this photo in would be inappropriate for the assignment — a wine dinner preview. Below is the

photo I turned in:

“Salute!” The three women of Cafe Troia, clockwise from the left, Carol Troia, from Towson, her daughter Lisa Troia Martin, from Timonium, standing, and matriarch Elena Troia, from Mays Chapel, clank glasses of Antinori wine for a photo shoot held in the restaurants dining room Saturday, January 2, 2010. On the 19th of this month, Cafe Troia will host a special regional wine dinner, featuring the Italian wine. And as a special treat, Alessia Antinori, the youngest member of the wine family, will be on hand to discuss the business.

I don’t necessarily need a story/caption to go along with either image. The “mafia” pick stands on its own. I also think it’s the stronger of the two images. — more visually arresting.

The “Salute!” photo is more obvious. It’s well lit. With the addition of another umbrella, to my right, everyone’s face is filled in. It’s a happier image. I’ll admit, the lighting is a bit sloppy, but over all, it feels happier, joyous, (and maybe a bit artificial.)

Comments are, as always, welcome. Thanks for looking and reading.