In addition to the main site I also have a makeshift store where you can purchase prints of some photos. It’s actually been up for some time, but I felt no need to announce it, haha. But now that I have a real site up (and not just this lame blog) I may as well make you more aware of it. If you see a photo in my gallery that you like which isn’t in the store, feel free to get in contact with me and I will gladly work out something with you if you wish to purchase.

Keep an eye out for new things going on sale… there are already a couple original art pieces in the works.

http://www.blakeruggles.com/

The Store
http://store.blakeruggles.com/

To give a little history on this event, Bimmerfest is a large gathering of BMWs from all over the country and is held in Santa Barbara, CA. In past years it was held at the Earl Warren Showgrounds, but this year the nice people at the Santa Barbara Polo Club let us have the show on their fields. This was nice because the dirt was kept to a minimum and the heat (aside from the nice weather) was much more bearable without the hot tarmac beneath us. This year 3,200 cars showed up for a new attendance record for the event (last year 2,700 attended.) So all-in-all it turned out to be a great event; much improved.

This also marks my debut into IR (infra red) photography! I had just gotten my old camera modified and returned to me the night before the event, so I didn’t even get to practice before trying it out here. So be gentle, haha.

So crazy, unmentionable stories aside, I’ll get straight to the good stuff!

Enjoy!

So first up… the new lens. Not too long after my last update, I started looking into telephoto lenses. More specifically, Canon’s 70-200mm. I was already certain I wanted the L glass because I have yet to buy any and really wanted to be part of the club, haha. First step out of the way. Next up – IS, or non-IS. For those not in the know, IS stands for “image stabilizer.” There is some nifty gyro gears inside the lens that help keep the subject in view steady from a shaky hand. This comes in handy when your subject is a significant distance and any slight movement is magnified. It’s also great for those times when a longer shutter speed is needed and going free-hand is your only option. Well, I decided I needed that too. And up to the next price bracket I go! Lastly, f/4 or f/2.8? This is a double hitter… with the extra stops, not only do you get that extra separation of subject and background (which is always very pleasing to the eye), but you also get more light into the lens which means a faster shutter and thus a less blurry image when shooting low-light or moving objects. So by the time I got to the end of the list, I was at the highest price bracket with this lens – and my wallet felt it, haha. If you haven’t guessed already, I ended up with the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS… it is AMAZING! You will see the results shortly, I promise.

Also new was my introduction into the art world. I was invited to my first art show in San Diego hosted at the Ivy Hotel on March 20th. Beyond nervous and unprepared, I was accompanied by Jill who was kind enough to come with me (she also kinda loves me too, lol) She was a star too though because I brought along the picture of her with the pink boxing gloves, haha. As I said, I was unprepared. I had a shortage of photographs and brought a giant picture of a flower as one of them. Mind you, it was an OK shot, but quite frankly, I find flower shots very cheesy. Anyone can take a shot of a flower with the aperture wide open to get a pleasing shot. But I was asked to bring a 24×36 print and that was the only photo I was willing to go that big with. I digress… I also brought along with me a digital illustration I had done some time ago. It was a bit personal so I was reluctant to show it but was urged to do so anyways. Within the first hour of the show someone came up to me asking to buy it! Who knew? haha. The other prints didn’t sell, but buzz from some of the others managed to make their way back to me, so I was both surprised and happy about that.

The second show was held April 29th at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego on the rooftop. Hosting 17 different artists, this event was much larger. There was even a live band and DJ playing on either side of the place. Jill once again accompanied me and this time took all the attention as my main subject in my photos I put on display. This event was a benefit for the Keep-A-Breast foundation so we did a couple special pieces with that theme in mind. I don’t like standing by my own work so we cruised around the place looking at the other work and hung in the lounge area. Later in the night my other friend came to the show. We went back to my stuff to replenish my business cards, but this time I had my friend walk up to do it. We joked around, “Maybe someone will come up to you thinking you’re me!” Sure enough, as soon as he turns back around, two people snag him asking if he was me! We got a laugh at their expense, but the gentleman was admiring one of the photos and said he would like to buy it. I was ecstatic. This was the first photograph I’ve sold to date! And a portion of that money went to the foundation, so it was a pretty nifty deal. The guy was really cool too and even wanted to get a picture with Jill and I standing next to the photo. (If you read this, I would greatly appreciate it if you could email me a copy!)

So now I’m off to trying more things. One of which is IR (infrared) photography and I’m looking forward to trying my hand in that. The pictures Jill and I did for the benefit have also given me ideas for other pieces that I hope to try. And while brainstorming for the last art show, I have even drawn some inspiration to get into painting and drawing again. I have already started a new piece and have more ideas to put down, so I am looking forward to sharing that here (even if this is mostly dedicated to photography, haha.)

So please stay tuned. I’m not giving up on this thing, just hit a speed bump! I’ll be back VERY soon with more work.

We got up the first hill up by the power line towers and found a full-on universal gym! The only thing wrong with it was the dirt and rust; otherwise it was in perfect condition. Why someone would put something like that up there, or even HOW they got it there (those things weigh a ton!) is a complete mystery. There was also an old shattered scanner, a smashed-in TV, a car battery and a number of other random things. Strange, strange place, haha.

But I digress…

We continue up the hill through the impossibly thick brush (because we like to the the impossible, lol) and get to the top. Once we get there we spot more trails off in the distance and a couple guys riding a motorbike and a quad. At that point we were panting and shaking our fists in jealousy. As our eyes followed the paths we spotted an unlikely structure on top of another hill. Finished in slate and fancy wood beams, this thing looked like it belonged in the backyard of a newly built, expensive model home, yet there it stood in the middle of nowhere. We were determined to get there.

We went back down the hill to the trail, followed it BACKWARDS (the trail led around another hill before it went in the direction of our destination,) and walked for 15 minutes before finally getting a peek of the pseudo-patio again. There were a number of seat/table-looking things that stood about three feet tall lined up on the ground; almost as if a stage was being built but only the seats were finished. We (I…) set up the tripods and speedlights then went to work… or whatever you wanna call it, haha.

We ended up getting there a bit late, so all the photos were taken at sunset and it was interesting learning how to light it. I even experimented with gels for the first time (they were mailed to me that day actually) as you can see some of the shots were shot with a CTO gel (creating a color similar to the setting sun) on one side of Johnny.

And if you were wondering about the rest of Jill’s photos from the last shoot, I’ll have those up soon (hopefully.) I’ve been slacking and haven’t really been able to get to the rest of them (although I do have a handful ready to go.

I am also experimenting with a new way to post photos so expect to see some changes in the next few posts and keep an eye out for a new “Gallery” link at the top of the page. I am creating a page that will have all my photos in one place so you can browse photos without having to search for old posts. And please register (click the link at the top of the page) so you can receive updates on when I make new posts!

*NOTE: If the enlarged image appears to be cut off (like vertical pictures) you can click and drag the image to view the rest of the photo.*

My first step was to find equipment. Being the poor student I am (and one who tends to not save as much money as I should, haha) I didn’t want to spend much. So I got myself a pair of Nikon SB-24s, a couple 8ft lighting stands, two shoot-through/reflective umbrellas, and a set of AlienBees CyberSync remotes. I tried those out for a while on myself and couldn’t get enough. I later ended up making myself a ringflash, buying a third light (SB-28 this time… more on that in another post) and I was REALLY in business!

But I still only had myself to take pictures of.

That’s where this amazingly beautiful person comes in (I’m such a suck-up, I know) Being the awesome friend that she is, she let me use her to practice on. (Not that she doesn’t enjoy it too, haha) I tried several different lighting setups and just started shooting. But that wasn’t really a good idea. I wasn’t thinking enough about the shot. So we moved around some things, tried a different arrangement and I finally started to get somewhere! The shots were getting better, and she was getting more beautiful (if that’s really possible. Ok, that’s the last one, I promise…. in this post anyways, haha.)

So bare with me on this one. Not only did I try different lighting setups, I also delve into different post-processing styles so there is little (if any) consistency in these shots.

Enjoy this first half of our little shoot…
(You can just click the enlarged photo to cycle through the rest of the photos…)

But that brings me to an argument I’ve been making for quite some time. We all know glass is more important when shooting than number of pixels, and even a lens can only take you so far (a lens is a tool to achieve MORE, not necessarily better) but what about the camera? People are ogling over the big boys with the full-crop sensors that are twice the cost of the most expensive cropped-sensor cameras, yet some of those same people can’t shoot worth a crap with the camera they’ve got. I’m sure those people would argue “That’s because I need the better camera to make better pictures!”

I say NAY!

I’ve seen people take incredible shots with a point-and-shoot camera; shots better than some of those shot with a decent SLR. Those that wish to hop into photography should not spend $2500 on their first camera (well, unless they’ve got money pouring out of both pockets… I want money in both pockets) but instead buy a reasonable starter camera and invest in better glass. Hell, the kit lens that comes with most cameras is MORE than adequate for learning! To prove my point, I figured I’d take this time to post some pictures I shot in late 2007 during my trip to Europe. And keep in mind I was still learning at this point (although, do we ever stop learning?) and most of these weren’t processed aside from some level adjustments. All pictures shot with the kit lens (18-55mm.)

And that brings me here. If you want it done right, do it yourself (or so the saying goes anyways, haha.) I’ll be using this blog to post updates on various happenings and works and also use it as my primary gallery until I figure out what I’m doing with the main site. (And if anyone wants to volunteer their services, I’d be greatly appreciative. I don’t intend on spending much, if anything on this site aside from the hosting and such)

I’ll try to keep this thing updated as often as I can. So excuse my mess while I get everything sorted out and filled up.

-Blake