LA84 & Nike Events

PLANET PROGRESS - Running on Shoes: Nike & LA84 Foundation from iNDIGO PROjECT on Vimeo.

I love working with Nike- it is always fresh and new and fun. First it was an in store (Niketown LA) with Trevor Ariza- starting forward for the world champ LA Lakers. Then on Fathers Day (My 1st Father's day as a Dad!) we did the dedication of the brand new P Rod skatepark in Pacoima. The Nike Skateboarding team did a demonstration and then they let the skaters lose. It was crazy & chaotic the perfect opening for a skatepark.

See much more on ESPN: http://espn.go.com/action/skateboarding/blog?post=4278543

I provided the audio visual for both events through my event company JKP Events. I also took a couple pics. Please note these are quick snapshots some with my Iphone.

Custom Prints Demystified

What is a custom print, why do you need a custom print?

I deliver all of my images ready to print on the disc- always. They have been color corrected and adjusted for optimal exposure, contrast and sharpness. On top of that I always include at least 20 custom black & whites and extra touches like vignettes. So you can make your own prints.

A Custom print goes a step further. I touch up blemishes and smooth out skin (air brushing), I brighten eyes and whiten teeth. I can also do custom color effects like sepia or selective colors.

Josh
Joshua Kline Productions
www.jklineproductions.com
626-676-4458

Photo Processing Demystified

Without Processing/ Processed



The most important part of making a great photograph happens when the photo is taken. The post production (Processing) of the photo is very important also. Good post processing of a photo can make a good photo great and sometimes even a poor photo can be made great.

Many photographers, especially those in my price range do not process their photos. They take the photo as a jpeg in the camera and put it on a disc and are done. I always process my photos- for every hour of shooting I spend on average 45-60 minutes on the computer. A JPEG is a processed photo, the camera captures much more information than is present in the JPEG. If a photographer shots JPEG they are relying on the settings they have entered into the camera. The photo is taken and the processor (the computer in the camera) makes the JPEG. All the other information is discarded. I shoot in a raw format that preserves all the other information so that I may control the creation of the JPEG later. Maybe one photo needs different settings than another. A shot of the brides face should have less sharpness than the details of a flower for instance. I also have much more latitude in the photo to adjust the exposure and color to get the photo right. Note the picture on the top, the color picked by the camera was a little too blue so I warmed the color and added some additional contrast to make the image pop.


I also always provide some extra special color and black and white images. A standard black and white that you get at the photo lab just removes all the color information. A custom black and white adjusts all the color channels individually to control contrast. I also adjust the exposure and total contrast and brightness. See the difference for yourself:


Standard/ Custom

Here you see the same photo in three styles: Antique Sepia, B&W and Sepia.


This was a high contrast shot with strong backlighting. In order to make the image pop I oversaturated (pushed the colors) and went with strong contrast.


Joshua Kline Productions
www.jklineproductions.com
626-676-4458

Terri Lyne Carrington: More To Say

About two years ago I documented the recording of Terri Lyne Carrington's album: More to Say. The album has finally been released. I videotaped and photographed the recording of the album in a Los Angeles recording studio. You can see the video here. One advantage that I offer my clients is the ability to shoot video and still photography. On this project I was able to effectively document the album recording process through photos and video saving the producers thousands of dollars.

About 50% of the video and photos are mine, I did not edit the video. Some of my photos are in the liner notes but the cover is not mine. It was a very interesting and fun project for me seeing behind the scenes and I was very impressed by the skill and professionalism of the musicians.

Josh
Joshua Kline Productions
www.jklineproductions.com
626-676-4458

5% of your gross booking to Nothing But Nets to help fight malaria.

Book your wedding package in the month of June and I will donate 5% of the gross to Nothing But Nets. A $2200 package represents 11 potentially life saving mosquito bed nets.

I discovered Nothing But Nets a couple years back and have donated a little over the years. What I love about this charity is that it is a simple and very effective use of my money. The other thing that is very important to me is that 100% of my contributions go to the end beneficiary. The administration is already funded by Ted Turner. Many charities eat up lots of their contributions just on running the charity.


Malaria kills over 1 million people a year and infects half a billion! The good news is that malaria is easy to prevent and cure, yet millions die in the developing world. One crucial tool is a simple bed net with training. Nothing But Nets provides a bed net with delivery and training for every $10 donated. See more at the web page: http://www.nothingbutnets.net/



Josh
Joshua Kline Productions
www.jklineproductions.com
626-676-4458

My uncle has a great camera, he'll shoot my wedding free!

I shot Andrew and Lelian's wedding two weekends ago, they are a wonderful couple and had a great group of warm family and friends. They also had an army of photographers! Everytime I turned around there were 4-7 family members shooting away. Some of them were serious amateurs with thousands of dollars in equipment. Which all begs the question- why hire me?

I will go over a few reasons why a seasoned wedding photographer like me is worth the investment. I will also go over a lot of the common mistakes I see in amatuer photography.

As a photojournalist I do my best to get great shots without inserting myself into the action. I want to work quietly most of the time and capture real moments and real beauty. In this manner I capture the event without being obtrusive and in the way. Many times amateurs plant themselves right in the way during the ceremony and frequently flash away at key moments. I use highly sensitive lenses so I do not need flash during the ceremony and I always try to find great angles without blocking anyones view. This comes from shooting over 50 weddings and

having a good sense of where to be when.

Move! As a photographer I am constantly moving, amatuers many times find one or two spots that they think are good and stay there, usually shooting at standing height. My back and feet ache after a wedding because I am always moving around scanning looking for great moments and unique perspectives. I might put the camera on the floor I might hold it high over my head for a few frames, sometimes during the reception I even jump and I am always climbing on the furniture!

Details & Close ups. Amatuers usually see just the single frame one at a time. This is normal logic for most and has to be unlearned by the pro. I am always seeing images in series to tell the story. An amatuer will certainly get the bride and groom at the altar and close ups of each face. They are unlikely to capture the hands clasped together or a tear on the Father of the Brides face, or a best man snapping away with his cell phone... I look beyond the typical shots and try to capture all the small details. I get the important typical shots too but I try to find the less cliche as well. The amatuer will many times try to crame everything about the story into ever frame and miss isolating the small details and moments.

Experience. Weddings can be very challenging, they are designed to be special for the guests not for the photographer. Photographers have to be ready to make beautiful images with very little control of the lighting or positioning of people and objects. There are no re-shoots we have to get it right the first time. Nothing substitutes for experience, great gear is good but knowing how to use it is crutial. I learn more and more as I shoot weddings, this wedding for example had very harsh noon lighting. I had to get creative and find shade, then I had to use special processing techniques to get the most out of my lighting. Amatuers will sometimes buy a great camera but ignore all the little accessories and items that pros know are crucial. One or more of the "amatuer" photographers may have even been professionals in another field of photography- nothing substitutes for actually shooting weddings.

See more of Andrew & Lelian's Wedding here.

-Josh Kline
http://www.jklineproductions.com/

Meredith & Jason Wed

Meredith and Jason met working at Bubba Gump Seafood Restaurant. Say what you want about themed restaurants but I love the food at Bubba Gump- if I have to endure Forrest Gump for the 40th time to get some great seafood I say bring it on!

Hailey is Jason's daughter and Meredith worked to make sure that Hailey was a part of the big day as well. The wedding was at Shanghai Red's in Marina Del Rey. See the highlights here.

Josh
Joshua Kline Productions
www.jklineproductions.com
626-676-4458

Anaverde

I am trying to make more time for some personal photography. Recently I went out to document the mortgage crisis in my own development. My wife and I live in a large newer development in Palmdale, just north of LA. The development is beautiful but it has been hit hard by the mortgage meltdown. Entire neighboorhoods have been abandoned, some right before being completed. It is sad to see a big beautiful houses just rotting away. The photo above is an entire cul de sac of exactly that. See more from this series here.

In the above photo I desaturated the color and boosted the contrast, I then added three layers of textures to the image. I have not used textures much in my work but I plan to try to incorporate them more often in the future.


Josh
Joshua Kline Productions
www.jklineproductions.com
626-676-4458