30 min for Brainstorming
30 min for Setup
2hr 15 min total shooting time
30 min for breakdown/clean up
1hr 10 min post productions/upload

So, the concept was easy as I had already obtained several of the items because I had wanted to shoot this for about 6 months, but never actually got around to it. This assignment was just what I needed to get this done. And now, of course I have MORE ideas I like this that I want to try!
The biggest issue was that I had originally wanted to shoot in daylight and see how creative I could be with just a few modifiers...but I started later than I should have and lost the sun very quickly.
I wound up using my Canon 430EX Speedlite with an orange gel as my light. Then I got lucky and my roommate came home and was willing to do some photo assisting, which allowed me to stay loose creatively and work faster than if I were forced to do everything myself!

All in all I am surprisingly pleased with the results. I hope you are too!

LE: Canon 40D Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG MACRO 430EX Speedlite fired with Pocket Wizards and gelled orange behind my 5 in 1 diffuser as the only light mods.
1/200 f/2.8 ISO 100

I met Randy in the park. He was riding his bike and as he passed me we had a friendly "Hello" nod and then he was gone. A short while later he saw me again. This time he was simply standing under a Ramada. He called out to me "You sure do get around!" and that opened the door to a very brief but friendly conversation in which I just asked if I could take his photo. He said "Sure! What's if for?". I just said it was an assignment where I had to take a photo of someone I didn't know.
After the shot, he asked to see it (Everyone is so used to seeing their pics on the backs of camera's these days!).
While we were looking at it I offered to send him a copy. He declined, but I don't think it was because he didn't like it. I just think he's OK with not having a copy. We shook hands and off he rode.
One shot was all I got. It was all I needed.
Thank you Randy!

LE: Just Natural Light and the Fill Flash of my Canon 40D.
No other modifiers of any kind
Sigma 24-70 Lens
1/100 f/5.0 ISO 100
Just a leeetle Photoshop work on the levels and the edges of the image for a "framing" effect.

The first finished image from the photos I shot during
Mark Greenawalt's body painting demonstration at MythosCon 2011.
Comments are always appreciated! (hint - hint)

The model is Denae MM# 55871

LE: 1/160 f/5.0 ISO 100. Marks AB 800's in large soft boxes. (He had 2 of them on set, but this shot was done with just 1 of them firing from Camera Left. I have no idea what the settings of the light was...)
The lighting rig and body paint is Marks creation...all I did was push a button on the camera! Oh...I did the post production as well so I suppose that's worth something.

Background image used with permission by: ArwenArts

Dropbox. It goes to 11...
I added both Evernote & Dropbox to my computers and Smart phone. When I did it, I KNEW they were evil! Now, Dropbox is enticing me to SHARE stuff with you! Can you believe it?? Well...if you ARE so inclined, please use the link above.

That way I will earn a little more storage on my free account.
I knew you would understand...
===Steven===>>

This is mainly for myself, but I know that making these kinds of statements publicly might add a bit of accountability to it...and I might need that as time goes by.

Here's the thing I am talking about. There is a photographer here in Phoenix who is a bit of a Mentor to me, even if he's not fully aware of it. He is starting a year long photography project called 52 that I am making a pledge to participate in. At the moment there exists only some details...such as a rough outline of what the year's projects might be and how the assignments are to be done. But there are still more details to be worked out so I am anxiously awaiting the coming post this Wed where Don (WizWow) answers some of the questions he is getting in the "comments" section.

In the meanwhile I am trying to get set up with a few of the tools he's recommended to help me stay in touch and on track with the assignments.

This posting is part of that attempt. I hope to be posting much more frequently in 2011 as I want to make THIS the year I truly push my Photography forward. And this boys and girls is as close to a New Year's Resolution as I am likely to be making...Mark the day on your calendars. (Or Crackberrys or 'Droids or whatever...!)

If you would like to check in on my progress, please subscribe to this blog in the "Subscribe Via Email" box on the main page.

I hope to get some good feedback from folks as I go along this new path.

Thank you to all of my friends who have shown support. I hope you will continue to do so with open, honest and real critical feedback, and also to spread the word of the existence of my Photo Blog along to your friends & family.

Drop me a line, leave a comment here, let me know your mind.

I hope you have a Happy New Year and many more to come!

===Steven===>>