Darren Spurgeon Photographer Blog

Amy & Steve Married | Fort Lauderdale, FL

Tue. June 30, 2009 Posted in Weddings

Oh my gosh, Amy and Steve’s wedding was so cool. Every detail was accounted for…from the golf balls with each guest’s name on them to Amy’s monogrammed wedding shoes! One of the more unique moments at the ceremony was the blending of sands from Florida and Australia, symbolizing the joining of Amy and Steve. I can’t wait to get the album put together!

I also want to take time to thank Jeffrey Scott French, a terrific photographer who came over from Florida’s west coast to help out. He grabbed some great pictures and made my day a whole lot easier.

Lastly, I want to thank the folks at the Ritz Carlton Fort Lauderdale for an excellent venue and LMG Events for organizing the day. When you get a chance, also check out work by Valerie Stanley (makeup), Barmey Ung (guitarist), James w/ Vision DJs, and Forget Me Not Flowers.

Tags: Fort Lauderdale, Ritz Carlton, Weddings

by Darren

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Star Shooter & How You Can Help

Sat. June 27, 2009 Posted in Talk

I want to take some time to tell you about an important program: Star Shooter. This non-profit organization’s mission is to equip children around the world with a tool for expression using photography. It’s potential is limitless and I’m excited to be telling you about it. For some children, it will be therapeutic; for others, it will simply be fun; and for a select few, it will unlock a hidden talent that will surely be magical.

I encourage you to help sponsor this program by giving whatever you can to help these children. You can donate here.

See the Video

by Darren

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Ivan & Kryssandra Engaged | Delray Beach, FL

Thu. June 18, 2009 Posted in Engagements

I had such a blast with Ivan and Kryssandra this past weekend. They’re so good together, funny, and just a great couple. He’s on his way to becoming a renown podiatrist, I’m sure, and she’s a school teacher which, let’s face it, is one of the hardest, most important jobs on the planet. Congratulations, you two! I can’t wait to shoot your wedding a couple months.

Tags: couple, Delray Beach, engagement, Florida

by Darren

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Poolside Portrait Retreat + Fill Flash

Sun. June 14, 2009 Posted in Gear, Personal Work, Portraits

This post is a little techie, but I’m excited about it. I just finished watching Nikon’s Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting with Bob Krist and Joe McNally. These are two great, experienced photographers. Now, most of what was in the video was more refresher than anything else…and one long ad for the Nikon flash system. Still, it was great to watch Bob and Joe for inspiration.

So, as the family took our Sunday afternoon dip in the pool, I had a thought: I can play around with a little fill flash! (OK, you brides out there, if you’re still reading…well I love ya because you’ve hung around this far for a very “un-wedding” gear post.) Back to the story…

The concept of fill flash eluded me early on in my photography days, and it still gives me trouble from time to time, but not today. Today, it took me all of 3 minutes to set up and shoot what you see below. I called over Liam, soaking wet from the pool and perfect for the part of a poolside portrait. Thankfully, he was more than happy to oblige.

Shot 1: No flash. I exposed properly and then stopped down one stop because I wanted to saturate the color and enrich the background. I knew I was going to fill on the next frame. Settings for this and other frames: 1/6400 at f/2.0. Pay attention to the face here and on the next shot.

No Flash

Shot 2: Fill flash. SB-900 about 45-60 degrees from camera, with Honl 1/4″ grid set to manual and 1/4 power. I actually did two test shots prior before I found the “magic” power setting I wanted. I tested this before calling over my subject.

In the comparison, you should be able to tell an ever so slight difference, and that’s the point if you’re looking for credibility in your light. I didn’t want it to appear lit.

With Fill Flash

Comparison

Shot 2b: Correctly adjusted in Lightroom, at about +0.67 stops, black +1, brightness +40, contrast +45.

Adjusted in Lightroom

Finally: My artistic interpretation.

Liam-poolside-under-tree-edit

There you have it: a quick poolside portrait. Thanks again, Liam, for helping out! …very proud.

Tags: family, lighting, personal, portrait

by Darren

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Is vintage fashion back in style?

Tue. May 26, 2009 Posted in Talk, Weddings

I came across an article today entitled, “Brides shouldn’t rule out choosing vintage fashion.” It got me thinking because I’ve seen a few other references to this recently. Is this a trend or a fad? Have we gone from 70s & 80s retro fashion to way, way back 18th & 19th century styling? Eh, likely not, or at least not directly. Vintage refers to many eras.

If you’re one of those brides (or grooms) looking to stand, going vintage is definitely an option. In the South Florida market, you don’t come across this as often as some other parts of the country. For a photographer like myself, it’s definitely exciting. Let’s face it, having clients that appreciate being unique is a lot of fun and opens up a lot of opportunity to have those moments we all dream of.

So, if you’re thinking about a vintage wedding, or even one styled a bit differently, give it a shot. Here are a few resources for you adventurous brides out there.

by Darren

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Personal Work | Tree Tops Park

Wed. May 20, 2009 Posted in Nature, Personal Work

A few days ago, my friend, Marc, called to tell me he was “looking” at a Canon 5D MkII. Now, we photographers know that’s code for, “It’s as good as bought.” The conversation started out innocently: “Do you think it’s a good camera? Would you buy it?” Blah, blah, blah. Yeah, he was looking for validation.

So, I did what any decent photographer friend should do. I said, “Eh, the camera you have is good enough, so don’t buy another one unless you think you really need it,” which is basically code for, “Buy the camera already so we can go shoot!” Besides, as any self-respecting male of our hapless species will tell you, when a friend buys something really expensive, it’s almost a free pass to make a purchase of your own down the road. Thanks, buddy! (Note to self: your wife reads this blog. Delete last sentence.)

Long story short, my friend did buy the camera and we were off to play last weekend. After much hemming and hawing on where to shoot–studio or location–we headed out to Tree Tops Park here in South Florida. It’s been a while since I shot some nature stuff, so I was excited to get out there and shoot. No gig. No pressure. Just good conversation and casual shooting.

Actually, from the first frame, I had this idea to shoot and style the whole day like a botanical excursion with pictures that you find in a dusty old textbook. Not that I’m much of a naturist, or is that naturalist? Oh well, either way, it was fun. Below are some shots from the day. Kudos to my new friends at the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research who helped me identify some of the flora, for which you can see common and scientific names on several of the images.

Tags: Florida, Nature, park, personal

by Darren

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Islamorada 2nd Shoot

Sat. May 9, 2009 Posted in Weddings

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to 2nd shoot for a fellow photographer, Amy Anaiz down in Islamorada, FL. We had spectacular weather and the wedding went really well. See the teaser below.

Thanks to Amy for letting me come along. She’s a terrific photographer and I encourage you to check out more images from the wedding at her blog.

islamorada_postcard

by Darren

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Amy & Steve Engaged | Miami, FL

Wed. April 15, 2009 Posted in Engagements

I couldn’t wait to get this post out. Amy and Steve are such a cool couple. Both work on the PGA tour and, while I don’t really play golf, I’m certainly jealous of all the different places they get to travel. They were up for most anything, so we ventured out to Miami’s South Beach area for the shoot. We created a bit of a buzz at one point because I was shooting paparazzi style–guess which photos. Within minutes, people were asking me who the famous people were. Yeah, I know famous people!

amy-griffin-01