El Amazonas - lightenupandshoot heads to The Amazon River!!!!!!!!!

Andy and I just returned from 10 days in the Amazon. Anacondas, mosquitos, indigenas people, jungle trekking, and awesome video footage of us teaching kids photography in the rainforest. Stay tuned for a series of videos that will be sure to inspire you to break out the camera and take a trip to the Amazon River Basin. ENJOY THE SNEAK PEAK AND AS ALWAYS: LIGHTENUPANDSHOOT!!!

Lighten Up and Snoot : The Envigado Shoot, Bar La Sierra

Alright people it's time to learn a thing or two. So Mikey and I head out to what we think is the coolest bar in all of Envigado, La Sierra which is owned by our good friend Carlos Mario. It's a tiny and I mean tiny bar with some of the coolest atmosphere you can ever imagine. It is true what they say, good things come in small packages.

We went out with Gaby as our model and we wanted to play with a snoot technique we wanted to share with you. We love snoots! Unbelievable creativity in something so simple!

More info, photos, and brand spankin new Lightroom Presets after the break

6 Months of Lightenupandshoot!!

A quick video to show what lightenupandshoot has done in the past 6 months. We love this rollercoaster we're on, and we hope it never ends!!

Thank you for being part of it!! Share it with everyone!! Lightenupandshoot.com is not about Andy and Mikey, it's about a photographic lifestyle!! It's about living life and capturing moments that would normally slip away!! It's about feeling like you've changed someone's life with a quick press of the shutter button!! It's about being you!! Not what some camera company wants you to be!!

Thanks again!! And stay tuned for more!!

Andy and Mikey

New Addition to the Backpacker's Studio

The new Strap. We know a little expensive for a strap but I'm telling you its like Tivo (DVR thingy), until you get it, you don't know how you lived without it! Trust us on this. It's freakin awesome!

Buy from Bhphoto.com by clicking here or Buy from Amazon.com by clicking here!

Mikey and Andy

Lightenupandshooters!!!! THANKS FOR COMING OUT!!!!!

Andy and I invited photographers from Anaheim, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville to shoot with us over the past three weeks.  The turn out was more than we expected and we can't thank everyone enough.  Stay tuned for more lightenupandshoot videos and events!  Until next time, Lighten Up and SHOOT!!!!!!


Mikey

PS  Andy and I would love to see your pictures on our flickr and facebook pages.

*** Lightenupandshoot will be in Jacksonville, FL March 5 - 6 ***

Andy and I have three awesome events this weekend and a special guest appearance from our favorite lighting company!!!!!

1st Street Photography Shoot in downtown Jax.  No model provided because we are going to hit the streets in search of a model to shoot.  3 pm March 5th

2nd  Creative Lighting Workshop at Lastminutephotostudio.com.  We will cover studio lighting tips and tricks from 9:30am -  1:00pm.  This is limited to a small group of photographers with knowledge of flash.  Check lastminutephotostudio.com for details on how to sign up.  Or visit our facebook to see how to sign up for the event.

3rd  Photo-Shoot-Together which is open to everyone at 3:00pm at the Pier in Jacksonville Beach.  The last two Photo-Shoot-Togethers have been awesome.  We cover anything you want to go over during a shoot with models.  Everyone goes home with an awesome shot!

Lighten up and come see us!
Mikey

Meet the coolest president of any camera company!

Meet the coolest President of any camera company: nedbunnell.blogspot.com not only because he likes us...his vision on photography really is in line with the lightenupandshoot philosophy!

Photoshootogether in St. Pete/Tampa, FL - Feb. 28th, 2010

Ok, so after the great turn out we had in Anaheim, we decided to do a round two in Florida. From one coast to the other...lightenupandshoot style!

In any case, here's the scoop! We have a couple models, we have a lot of time and we have a lot of desire to meet you people...so what better thing to do, than do a photoshoot and invite everyone that wants to go and make this all FREE! (Ok, not everyone but about 20 people max I would say).

HOTEL info too!!!!!

Also!!!!!  We will be in Jacksonville Saturday March 6th...Location TBD

More info after the break..

Aperture Controls Flash Exposure - PLUS Behind the Scenes - lightenupandshoot.com

Andy and I cover the basics of how aperture controls flash exposure. Simply put, aperture controls the exposure of whatever your flash is hitting. For example, if your subject is over exposed by one stop at f5.6 you are going to close down your aperture to f8.  Andy and I demonstrate how to get proper exposure of our subject while taking pictures of a model in the studio.  Also,  shutter speed controls the ambient light or any continuous light source, i.e. sun, candle, light bulb (watch the Speed Light Series on this site for more detailed information.)  As always,  lightenupandshoot!

Photo examples after the break!

Backlighting with the Sun - Shutter Speed Controls Ambient Light - Lightenupandshoot.com

Here's a quick walk-through of two scenarios where I use the sun to to backlight my subject. I usually start with a natural light shot before I resort to using a flash.  Using flash will give you the ability to control the background/ambient light (shutter speed controls ambient light) while properly illuminating your subject with flash (aperture controls flash exposure.)

Photo examples after the break: