Double Ditch Jam

Vital BMX just featured my images from this years Double Ditch Jam in Albuquerque, NM. You can check them out by clicking on the image or link below:

Vital BMX: Double Ditch Jam

Summer 2009 Newsletter

I just finished up the Summer 2009 newsletter and posted it on my website. You can download it by clicking on the image or link below:

Summer Newsletter

I've been behind on the newsletter but I hope now that things are settling down since the move that I can get these newsletters back on track.

-Sam

Cityscapes

I've always loved cityscapes, but lets face it, downtown Albuquerque was never all that great for a good cityscape. So, one of the first things I wanted to shoot here in Denver was a good cityscape of downtown. Luckily for me, my girlfriend works at a facility that has a 14 story building which has some pretty awesome views of downtown and she was able to talk with the security guard and get him to allow me up top and on one of the balcony's after hours. As far as I know it is the tallest structure west of downtown Denver so it has a pretty unique view.


I wasn't able to get up top as early as I would of liked and I missed all the direct sunlight. So all the images were made after sunset, which at first I was a little bit concerned because I had missed the golden hour, but as the light slowly disappeared the some awsome colors emerged.





I am going to try and get back up there again sometime during a Rockies baseball game and while there is still some light out.

-Sam

Denver

So it's been about a month and half since I've moved up here to Denver, and I must admit I am enjoying it here. It's a beautiful and lively city and I am happy to be here. I've posted a few random photos that I've shot around Denver this past few weeks.

Denver, CO

The past month has been a very hectic one in many ways. I've since made the move to Denver, CO as I briefly mentioned in my last post. I've posted below a few shots from the past month or so of stuff I've been up to.

A few images from before I left.

And a few images since I've lived here in Denver.

Hopefully work will start flowing in soon, so I should have some new post soon. Oh, and on a side note, I joined twitter and you can find me here: SamAdamsPhoto on Twitter.

-Sam

Evening Road Bikes

So I know it's been a while since I've had a post on here. Things have been changing a bit, including a big move from Albuquerque to Denver in the next month.

So with that being said here are some recent images from a shoot I did with my friend Dorian just the other day.

Lighting set up is one Alien Bee 800 with a medium softbox with a 1/2 CTO gel at 1/2 power.

-Sam

Ahh Sh**!

Probably my least favorite words to say just before starting a shoot. It means one thing, I forgot something I needed. In this case it was my pocket wizards, I brought all my lights, stands, cords, etc. but I forgot my triggers. Now normally I have my car with me with at least 15 ft. of cable to trigger my flashes, but that day I had my girlfriends car since mine was in the shop.

So with no pocket wizards or cords to hardwire the flashes, it left me with one choice. Ditch the flashes and go with the natural light. Kind of a scary thought for me since I use flashes in almost all my BMX shots.


Which leads me to my point, lots of times as photographers we seem to get "fixed" in certain ways of photographing different subjects. Weather it be different poses, lens choices, specific backdrops or lighting set ups.

Sometimes having a fixed way of photographing subjects is good, it helps develop your own style of shooting. Other times, it can be a mental block which keeps you from exploring other possibilities with the shoot.

For me, not having my flashes, felt more like a mental block. I got kind of nervous, but after a little exposure tweaking and some looking at the scene I began to look at the natural light rather then think about where my flashes should be. I forced me to think outside of my usual box and look at things differently.


So, maybe Ahh Sh**! isn't the worst thing you can say at the start of shoot. Unless you forgot your batteries or memory cards/film, then your just screwed.

-Sam

New Years Resolution

I've never been a big participant in new year's resolutions, but this year I decided to have one. My resolution this year is to set up at least three personal photo shoots each month. So to start the new year off right then, here is my first shoot with my friend Wes.



The top photo is lit with the set up below, which is an Alien Bee 1600 with a medium softbox powered by a vagabond battery pack. The photo just above this is all natural light.


Along with the new year's resolution, I am also planning on updating here with each shoot.

-Sam

Forensic Psychology

Last week I photographed Alexander, a forensic psychologist, here in Albuquerque. The basic idea was to create professional business images to enhance his website for his new firm here in New Mexico.

With that in mind we started out creating some basic, clean, business like portraits in front of the metropolitan court house.


Once I got my basic shots done we decided to try some different, more creative ideas. Having a subject like Alexander who is open to trying some different and more creative ideas really helps with not only the photos, but the overall shoot.

Below are some of the more creative shots with some behind the scenes looks at the lighting of the images.









-Sam

Fall Newsletter

It's been a busy couple of weeks, between shooting and the holiday season. That's my lame excuse for my lack of posts.

If your interested in finding out a bit more about whats been going on be sure to download my quarterly newsletter available on my website at: www.samadamsphotography.com or click on the image below.

-Sam