S.F.Beehler Photo Blog

Congrats Kristalyn

2012-02-03T17:02:00.004-06:00

What a travesty! A lot has happened since my last post. It is my aim to make posts a lot more often than I have, and hopefully I will be disciplined enough in 2012 to post more regularly. As my first post in a very long time and my first official post of 2012, I want to congratulate my favorite model on her recent wedding. If you have been keeping up with my blog the last couple of years, you will have seen many photos of Kristalyn. She is a beautiful young lady who has been willing to be apart of many photo shoots as I build my portfolio. In January I had the privilege of traveling to Mexico and shoot her wedding photos. It was a blast, and it is always my pleasure to be able to shoot Kristalyn. She has a very natural presence in front of the camera and her husband Tim is a bit of a ham, which made for some real fun images.

The origianl plan

2011-05-23T20:07:00.010-05:00

Originally I had planned on spending my three day weekend in Winnipeg photographing skateboarders, but as the weather would have it I was rained out. Fortunately we had some good looking visitors that came up to Benito, MB (the town in which I live) willing to do a couple of photo shoots. Although mid-afternoon isn't ideal light wise, I managed to get some good shots of my sister-in-law and her two friends from Selkirk, MB. Later that same day my wife's cousin stopped in and let me take some photos of her (those images will come in a later post). Here some of the images from the shoot with Kristalyn and her friends.

Skateboarding Winnipeg

2011-05-20T14:20:00.006-05:00

It's been a while since any significant post by me, and as always I hope to rectify that very soon. In the mean time I want to let you know that I am looking forward to a fun filled May long weekend in Winnipeg shooting as many skateboarders as I can. If you are a skateboarder and in the Winnipeg Manitoba area this weekend look for me early mornings and late afternoon/evenings at the various Winnipeg skate parks.

Update: Due to rain in the forecast for the weekend, I had to postpone the Winnipeg trip.

Creative Live - Zack Arias

2011-04-29T19:29:00.003-05:00

Check out Zack Arias at Creative Live. Free 3 day photography workshop. To wet your appetite, here is a clip from day 1.

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2010 Northwest Roundup & Exhibition Revisited

2011-03-15T11:25:00.012-05:00

Last night whilst sitting at the computer around 12:00 am, I took some time to look over some old images of last years Swan River rodeo and play with them a bit. Here are the results of raspberry white tea and a late night Aperture surf session. I hope you enjoy these offerings as I know it has been a while since my last post.

Head shots

2011-02-11T12:35:00.003-06:00

It is my great fortune to have a very beautiful wife who is willing to let me take pictures of her.

Happy new year

2011-01-05T17:14:00.006-06:00

Happy new year. Now that another year is behind me, as the ritual goes, it is time to evaluate the year gone by and set goals for the year to come. My number one goal this year is to put together a kickin' portfolio. I am anxious to get out and start shooting many terabytes of images in 2011, however I can't forget the hundreds of unedited images in my library. So today I set myself upon the task of recovering, reviewing and converting many images, libraries, and folders in order to include the forgotten gems in my portfolio. As most of today I cleaned up folders and consolidated images, I did not have much time for editing and developing new images, however being winter I will share one image that I did get a chance to work on. This is a pic of Tim taking a break from the back flips that I have previously posted.

Enjoy!

Recent Family Photo Shoot

2010-12-28T14:44:00.005-06:00

While I was in Colorado at the beginning of December, I had the opportunity to photograph a young family. Here is a couple of those images.

Back from holiday ...

2010-12-08T14:57:00.004-06:00

For all you who didn't know, I was able to get to my home town in Colorado to visit my family. Most notably my new niece Kyliegh. I got to play with my lighting kits, and picked up a short family shoot while I was there. When I first started taking pictures I was not so concerned about the image as I was about capturing the moment. The challenge now as I focus on the more technical aspects of photography is not to forget about the moment. When I got my first SLR I took images of static landscapes and still life, as well as doing my best to be invisible for taking candid shots. Now that I am taking my art to the next level I find that as I add more to the process I am losing that invisibility that made my images lovely. I have never really liked to take the posed "cheesy" shot we all grew up with, but trying to avoid this when taking a portrait is very challenging. Sometimes I feel like I'm pushing it too hard, and I need to just get back to taking pictures. This is a journey in which if I am not growing I'm standing still, and although growth can be frustrating at times I must forge on. To get back to my trip, I know I got some great images yet there were many frustration along the way. As I sift through the images I am learning, and frustrated by moments lost.

New Baby

2010-11-24T08:43:00.003-06:00

Good for two weeks, and now I'm already falling behind. Exciting photo shoot coming up next week. I have a brand new niece that I get to take photos of in Colorado. I look forward to sharing those photos as soon as I can.

Northwest Roundup and Exhibition

2010-11-04T14:14:00.003-05:00

Last weekend of July every year brings the Swan River Rodeo, aka The Northwest Roundup and Exhibition. The event has long been a crucial part of the culture in the Swan River Valley. It has a long history and has been the source of many memories for many of the Swan River Valley residents of which I am one. This year I positioned myself along the fence (along with two other photographers) to capture the action. Below are some of the shots taken during the Saturday events.

I hope you enjoyed these. There are many more images of the rodeo on my website; www.alittlephotography.smugmug.com

Scott

As promised...

2010-10-27T13:19:00.003-05:00

Winter is here in Manitoba...looking forward to lots of ski and snowboard images this year.

Last week I promised that I would be better at making regular posts here on the blog. As mentioned last week I am taking the photography thing to a new level of serious. One of my inspirations over the last few years has been Chase Jarvis, check out his blog (http://blog.chasejarvis.com) if you haven't already. 18 October 2010 CJ's post was about the value of a portfolio vs. a resume. The basic point was that actions speak louder than words; people will know more about you as a photographer by what you have done than by what you say you can do.

Another CJ model is "create-->share-->sustain", simply shoot the kind of stuff you want to shoot, take the kind of shots you want to be known for and share them. Thirdly, do what you got to do to sustain an existence however necessary, until your creativity becomes sustaining on it's own. So this is where I start; shooting what I want, creating my voice, sharing it with any and all, and most importantly do the things necessary to sustain. For now I am content to seek local jobs, portrait and event work (weddings, family photos, etc...) as a means to being able to sustain the creative loop.

One last thing I wish to share is this; shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. It is real easy to get lazy and only shoot when you are getting paid to shoot, but that is limiting the creative beast inside, and allows for rust to build up on the "photographic engine" (the mind). Try new things, practice with all your gear lots, and continue to create. Creativity and skill will die if not repeated.

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2010/10/proof-of-a-portfolio-vs-promise-of-a-resume/#more-2218

Above link is to Chase Jarvis's 18 Oct 2010 post, enjoy.

SFB

So it begins...

2010-10-21T15:41:00.005-05:00

After a lengthy hiatus from blogging, I am back. My return marks my renewed commitment to sharing my journey in the world of photography. Since my last post I have quite my full-time job as an accountant, returned to graduate school to complete my masters, and officially started taking steps toward becoming a professional photographer. One of my key areas of focus has been on capturing the beauty of God's creation in the form of landscape photography. www.alittlephotography.smugmug.com has been up and running since the end of April of this year and I have started selling my fine art prints at a local coffee shop. In the future I hope work my way into freelancing for magazines and periodicals, and continue to sell stock and fine art through the website. My subjects of interest are sports (mainly baseball, football, and action sports), natural landscapes, wildlife, and commercial assignments. However we all need to make a living and from time to time I will be doing portraiture and weddings as requested. Stay tuned in the future as I renew my commitment to this blog and keeping you up to date on my journey.

Barn Photo Shoot Out Takes

2010-05-24T11:41:00.007-05:00

I was editing some photos from a photo shoot I did with my family a month ago, and found these great out takes. My parents came for a visit in late April, bringing with them my nephew "Z.". My mom, always on the lookout for great props/outfits for the kids to have photos taken with/in/wearing, wanted to make sure we got photos of the kids in their new Carhardt overalls. The weather in Benito, MB Canada was unseasonably warm right up to the time my family arrived from Colorado, but was fairly cold and miserable during their entire visit. What was initially envisioned to be an outdoor shoot in a bale of straw, turned into an indoor shoot in an barn on Jocelyn's sister's farm. Although indoors the barn was still very cold and the kids were miserable.
Z. was a real trooper and had a lot of fun despite the cold, and I was able to get a couple of good shots of him. Isabelle on the other hand was all kinds of cranky. Elizabeth's mood depended on which one of the two older kids she was closest to. When near Z. she was fairly happy, but when near Isabelle she would cry.

If you would like to see more from this shoot checkout my web site.
www.alittlephotography.smugmug.com

As always I love to read your comments.

New website

2010-05-23T17:39:00.002-05:00

For some time I have been contemplating taking photography to the next level. For sometime now I have heard, "you should be taking pictures for other people", "great stuff", and I have even had a local shop owner say "I would like to sell some of your prints in my store". This coupled with an opportunity to showcase my photos and advertise at a local spring sale for very little $$$, has given me enough confidence to see if there is any money to be made taking pictures. In getting ready for the upcoming sale I have been putting together a website to showcase my finished works and sell prints. Consider this your formal invite to check me out at www.alittlephotography.smugmug.com.

From now on I hope to use this space to continue to share what I am doing, up coming events, photo shoots and my continual development as an artist.

As all ways I look forward to hearing from you, so please feel free to leave comments here of on my new site.

Ohh Baby

2010-04-20T07:03:00.005-05:00

Thunder Hill Timmy

2010-03-24T20:53:00.005-05:00

18mm f/8.0 1/250 iso100

M&M Pirate

2010-03-18T23:17:00.004-05:00

50mm f/8 1/20 iso400

Flowering Maple

2010-03-16T22:05:00.005-05:00

88mm f/4.5 1/125 iso100

This image was taken using two off camera speedlights. One handheld camera right and the other bounced off white matte board camera left.

Now Tweeting

2010-03-16T15:42:00.002-05:00

You can now follow my blog via Twitter

Experiments in Light Painting

2010-03-15T14:46:00.006-05:00

24mm f14 manual exposure iso100

In my many tours around the "World Wide Web", I have frequently come across light paintings such as the above. The above is a product of a group of guys, a dark living room, a camera, a tripod, plastic wrap, a rainbow of Sharpies, two monkeys, three circus performers, a rabbit, nachos, a beautiful lady, and last but not least a small Mag-lite. I am anxious to exert a little more creativity next time I try this but in an effort to keep moving I thought it necessary to share even the most trivial of experiments with you.

FYI - the monkeys, circus performers, and the rabbit canceled last minute.

Water Drop Fun

2010-02-24T23:16:00.011-06:00

No trickey involved here, the drop is from a dropper directly above a silver cake pan. The colour comes from a Canon Speedlight (420EZ) bounced off a blue piece of paper behind the cake pan.

Jocelyn Rings

2010-02-24T21:33:00.006-06:00

200mm f/32.0 1/20 iso100

Being an accountant and living in Canada in the winter can be very frustrating for a photographer. I'm stuck working long hours in a fluorescent lit office during the already daylight starved days. Waking as I arrive to my office and sleeping before I get off, the sun continuously alludes my lens. However I still find ways to scratch the shutter with some product photography. I found myself playing with some off camera flashes and my wife's wedding rings late one evening.

2010-01-26T22:49:00.003-06:00

All I Want For Christmas

2009-12-01T11:09:00.003-06:00

The Colors of Fall

2009-11-27T19:47:00.004-06:00

Milk Junkie
40mm f8.0 1/160 iso100

New work space

2009-11-02T11:16:00.003-06:00

My lovely wife and I have recently began to redecorate the home office we share for our many creative and not so creative endeavors. Just a few finishing touches and I will be able to start developing more images. Here is what we have done...

What was:
---Upon moving into our house in Sept. 2004 our guest room doubled as a small home office. Painted two shades of creativity inducing orange, sporting a double bed and the small computer desk I used during university, this room was home to many projects and assignments.

---When it became clear that the kids would need a bigger room, the guest room was scratched and the office moved into the tiny 8'x11' cube that was the baby room.

---Being cramped and small with very little desk space, we decided that the office needed a face lift. So out with the old desk form university, and in with two industrial 3'x7' metal doors resting on top of four filing cabinets. Needless to say there is now plenty of real estate to work with. I now have room for my scanner printer monitor, and even a small macro/product setup if I so choose.

I'm looking forward to working in this redefined space and sharing more images very soon.

2009-10-08T20:53:00.004-05:00

Purple Petunia
50mm, ISO 100, 1/800 f1.4

2009-09-22T21:19:00.003-05:00

Jocelyn the night before...

Isabelle and Daddy

2009-09-15T20:34:00.002-05:00

I know it has a been a while since my last post, but you know how hectic life can get sometimes. This was a fun shoot, working with kids is an unexpected treat.

2009-05-19T22:50:00.008-05:00

The Pond
24mm f/13.0 5 iso100

I Flip for Food!! Backflip on Skis

2009-04-20T23:20:00.003-05:00

18mm f/5.6 1/250 iso200
Tim doing a back flip on skis.

Field of Gold

2009-03-31T00:23:00.002-05:00

31mm f/8.0 1/320 iso100

Please post comments

2009-03-26T23:15:00.004-05:00

When your visiting my blog and looking at my photos I encourage you (whom ever you are) to leave comments. There is a comment button underneath each post. Your comments will help me gauge interest in my blog and useful critiques will help me grow as an artist. If you are interested in my work on a professional basis you can also specify your interest in a comment. I check for new comments daily and look forward to hearing from everyone who visits the blog.

Thank you for your interest,
Scott

Blog List

2009-03-19T22:41:00.004-05:00

So I decided to share one of my greatest tools in my photography, that is I added a blog list to my blog. Please check out the blogs that I find extremely helpful and interesting.

Tim doing backflip on skis

2009-03-17T22:45:00.003-05:00

18mm f/8.0 1/180 iso1600

2009-03-11T09:03:00.007-05:00

55mm f/4.5 1/500 iso100

Frozen colour

2009-03-09T21:30:00.008-05:00

55mm. f/5.6 1/1250 iso200

Frosty Flowers

2009-03-07T22:36:00.006-06:00

55mm f4.0 1/200 iso100

More of my favs.

2009-02-26T22:35:00.006-06:00

2009-02-22T21:21:00.010-06:00

It has been a while since my last post, so I thought until I start a new project I would share a few of my favorite photos that I have taken.

They're here!!!

2009-02-18T09:37:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago now I purchased a couple of strobes. I acquired a Canon 420ez and a Vivitar. I also purchased a Cactus wireless transceiver and 2 receivers. They are sitting at the post office waiting to be picked up. I am anxious to get them home and try them out. As soon as I have had time to test them I will post photos and a review of each unit. I am esp. curious about the 420ez, because it was discontinued in 1989 and made specifically for 35mm EOS cameras. I however shoot with a DSLR Pentax K10D, therefore I am curious to see how this light works into my setup.

From time to time as I aqcuire new equipment I will do my best to post my impressions. More to follow...

Coal Harbour, British Columbia

2009-02-12T17:23:00.004-06:00

Although I'm still searching for the right tool to add watermarks to my photos, I thought I would go ahead and post a photo. I have had this photo posted on critique web site for about a year, and thought since it is already out there why not share it here. This picture was take in Coal Harbour, British Columbia circa Christmas 2007.

Enjoy,
S.F.B.

Lets get started

2009-02-12T09:39:00.010-06:00

Hello!....hello, hello, hello. Well web here we go. My journey as a photographer started sometime ago but until now has left very little if any traceable footprint. I have enjoyed the art of photography for sometime in varying capacities over the years. It began with various incarnations of point-and-shoot cameras, including a couple "disc cameras" (remember those?). I still remember one of my favourite pictures taken when I was approx. age 10 with a Kodak Disc Camera. We had an airshow that took place near our house every year and the whole neighborhood would set up lawn chairs and watch the spectacle unfold. My dad, who is very bald, stepped right in the bottom of the frame as an F-14 flew overhead. The sun bounced off his shiny head creating enough flair, virtually hiding the aircraft in the photo (I will have to see if I can find the photo and share it someday). Eventually I graduated to an early eighties Ricoh slr camera that was my moms. Incidentally she never really used it much and opted for a digital point-and-shoot as soon as they came out (a $500-$600 1.3mpxl olympus; oh how times have changed).

Being drawn to the creative control that the slr camera gave me, I quickly started experimenting. I took hundreds of boring photos of my sister's car, my truck, our dog, and in many cases nothing at all. Learning lots about how to use and manipulate the camera to take exactly the kind of picture I wanted, and the quality of picture was far better than any taken with my previous point-and-shoot models, however I started to realize that over time I lacked any pictures of myself. This isn't a huge problem, but when you start taking trips to Europe, and South America, and various other locations it is nice once in while to have some photos of yourself. So in the spring of 2001, the week before I left to visit my sister in Ecuador, I purchased a Pentax 35mm slr with auto focus. Explaining to people how to manipulate my completely manual Ricoh was not an option in a country in which I didn't speak the language very well. I considered at that time getting a dslr, but concluded that I would get better resolution for the money with a 35mm and a scanner than I would with what was currently available on the dslr market. As a bonus the Pentax and Ricoh shared the same lens mount and I was able to use the two lenses I already had with my new camera. As soon as it arrived I was off to Ecuador, and in the first week I shot over 300 photos (which by today's digital standards is not very many, remember poor student paying for developing). It was and still is a very good camera.

The five years that followed the acquisition of my new 35mm resulted in lots of fun and some great photos, yet photography remained a side activity to whatever I was already involved with. During the summer of 2007 I decided to take the next step and make photography an end in itself, so in September 2007 I bought the biggest and baddest Pentax DSLR I could find (the K10D). I love my K10D and have enjoyed many solitary moments in the last year and a half trying to find the perfect shot and learn more about the art of photography. I continue to learn a lot about digital photography every day and still have lots to learn. I hope this blog becomes a catalyst in my photography exploration as well as community builder of like minded individuals sharing a common interest.

In addition to opening myself up and sharing what I know and what I am learning, I will share my art. As I'm just starting to publish my work on the web, I have a few hurdles to overcome before I post my first picture (namely security/watermarks). So here in lies my first assignment; outside of nice and nifty comprehensive photo editing packages, I desire a useful tool to add watermarks to my photos. If anyone should stumble on this post, take this to be your first challenge. Help me find an affordable solution to the problem.

Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to read this post. I hope to give you many reasons to come back and visit this page.

Sincerly,
S.F.B