Congratulations to all the Flagler Technical Center graduates!! Good luck in your future endeavors. Here’s a link to view you photos from graduation night. If you have any questions or concerns about your photos please feel free to contact me via my website or phone.

http://purchase.photosbydwayne.com/gallery.php?gid=118

Believe it or not folks I am indeed here. I realize this blog has had very little activity as of late, but between family concerns and actually shooting my photography sometimes the “blogging” part of my world comes to a grinding halt. So rest assured I am indeed and active photographer so that limits my time for updates. I hope to have some new updates from the last two recent weddings up soon…

Sincerely,
Dwayne Fleming

I was looking back over some images searching for a particular photography and ran across my first paid job that “marked” a start to a paid professional photographer. It was for a mere $150 for a beach wedding. Say what you want about the pricing on weddings…a market exists for low cost beach weddings and someone has to cater to that in my opinion. Sure “Uncle Ed” can do them for that price, but for starting photographers it’s a good way to “get your feet wet”.

This was a beach wedding in Flagler Beach, FL a young couple on a small budget. I actually had fellow photographer Forest Egan with me on this shoot since he was “pondering” getting into the wedding photography. (He was already an awesome wildlife photographer in my opinion.) So both of us took are “version” of shoots for the wedding and burned everything to CD for the clients and gave it to them. (I know, I know….we can start the “CD Negative” debate all over, but that is what we did back then.)
The client proceeded to Wal-Greens eager to print photos from the wedding. (Even after being advised that they should use a professional photo lab.) So they tried to print them from the self-print kiosk and decided the photos “sucked” essentially. (dark, blurry, etc.) The bride called me all upset and after assuring her the photos on the disc would print fine I had an 8 x 10 printed and mailed to her at no charge. After a few days I called her to follow-up and told me she told me how great the photo I sent looked. I assured her all her photos could be printed properly if she took them to professional lab.
Then a few weeks later I got this from my bank….
Needless to say the client would not response to emails or phone calls.

I really had no recourse for this client since I had provided them with the negatives etc already.

Can you say…”Lesson Learned”….

Most of the website updates have been completed to allow a new look and provide more examples of my photography online. This is always a ” work in progress” since I’m the photographer, graphic artist and web designer.

I’m currently working on some blog and website updates. Out with the old and in with the new.

Well last Saturday marked a rare occasion for this photographer. A few months ago I had a friend who has become pregant so we started discussin maternity photography. She wanted some shots but to quote her “I thought about having you do them, but then I though how weird it would be be half naked in front of someone I work with every day.” I could understand how she felt, but my response was “Oh yea I know how you might feel…half naked in front of someone you KNOWN or half naked in front of a complete stanger”. Needless to say we had a nice chuckle about it. A few days later she let me know she had decided to work with me on doing a few shots. What makes this such a strange occurance is the same week we scheduled her photographs I was contacted by another friend who’s sister was looking for some maternity photos. I ended up booking one in the AM and one in the PM the same day on last Saturday. Here are the results….

Can you hear me now?

Earlier this year a fellow photographer and I (Forrest Egan) attended a Ed Pierce photography seminar up in Jacksonville, FL. The seminar was a standard photographers seminar of knowledge and sales pitches. (Hey everyone has to make a living!!) I guess the thing from that 3 hours that stuck with me the most was an organization called “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep“.

I know everyone deals with grief in a different way and I was touched by this approach. I know personally I made a choice (or maybe I didn’t and that was God’s plan) to deal with my heartaches “head on”. Today I made the decision that I wanted to give back by applying to provide this service through this wonderful organization. I know this will be emtional roll coaster for me personally, but hopefully my sacrifices, both time wise and emotional, will be providing something to a family that they can cherish forever.

Please go by and check them out. Bring some tissues…http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/about_us/ 

Sincerely….
Dwayne Fleming

The longer I continue to shoot photography, the more I begin to understand it is a life style just as much as something you “just do”. I continually shoot, edit and learn from my experiences dealing with people which can have a huge impact on my free time.

A prime explain was this last weekend here in Daytona when I attended a Rolando Gomez work shop hosted by Jack Watson photography. Two days of shooting, learning, and networking. There goes my”free” weekend, but I feel the relationships and interaction that comes out of these workshops is SO important to be successful. Much more important than actually getting any photos to add to my portfolio. (Of course the models Rolando brings are top notch and it would be hard NOT to get some great shots!) These workshops are like the “boot camps” of the Marines, Army, Navy, and well I guess the Air Force too.

 I know plenty of great photographers, which are great technical shooters, but lack the skills to interact with people. In my opinion whether it’s the person you are taking photos of or the perspective client communication is the most important aspect of your business.

Here is one of the shots from last weekend. Examples of Hi-Key photography and a concept the model “KT” asked that I put together. (What a FUN model!!)

While I never thought “photography” was really about being a graphic artist sometimes I wonder if we have to be a hybrid to survive. Well a few weeks ago I was asked to attempt to repair some photos that had been damaged from a cruise a couple went on. Of course these photos are not something they could go back easy to the cruise line and recieve a new copy. While this was my first attempt at repairing a photo I was rather happy with the results and hopefully the client will be as well.

I have inlcuded the example of the “before” and “after”.

Please bear in mind that the background “Screen” they use was faded and the cruise line REALLY should replace it.

Photo restoration example

Tonight I will be attending the 2008 Florida Hospital Memorial Foundation gala in the fight againt cancer. The 2008 Coastal Gala benefits the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute, and will be featuring the Beach Boys. This is a $175/plate dinner to raise funds for cancer research and also has a ton of items for a silent auction inluding an 8-foot surf board signed by the Beach Boys

The Official Event Website