Brown patterns

Google+ has been a great place to meet other photographers and see a vast array of images that inspire me to want to be a better photographer. There are also things like scavenger hunts and daily themes that help with pushing you out of your safety zones. One of the most popular events on Google+ for photographers is the Chrysta Rae Scavenger Hunt. The hunt is limited to the first 500 people who sign up and there are 10 categories to do. You have a month and then all the photos are collected by Chrysta and given over to a group of "photography celebrity" judges to vote on. The above photo was for the "Brown" category and was taken when I was in Indianapolis for a conference. It didn't win but I was happy to have found something that I thought fit the category pretty well. It's interesting to see all the different ways people interpret each category. I'll probably not do the scavenger hunt again but will still look forward to the reveals for those who continue to do them.

Sexy Flowers

strawflower3, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

There was a time during my 365 Project that I told myself that photographing flowers was boring and not very manly. I know I know...kind of a stupid thing to think.

The funny thing is some of the best flower photographers that I know, personally or online, are burly manly men. From an outsider perspective I would think it would be kind of funny seeing a group of guys standing around some flowers taking photos of them as if they were scantily clad female models. :)

I'll take flowers over models any day...I think flowers are sexier.

Allen Hummingbird

hummingbird1, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

It was incredibly fun trying to photograph these hummingbirds the other day. While it was fun it was also a bit frustrating. Frustrating more in the sense that to truly do birds, wildlife, landscape and so on you need really expensive lenses to get the tack sharp images you see in the magazines.

Don't get me wrong...I like how these images turned out and I've gotten past the point of caring how my images compare to others. What I lack in expensive gear I make up in pushing what I have to give me the best possible image. My gear limitations have also helped me discover my enjoyment of experimenting with abstracts and blurs. Which has really become my favorite style of photography.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

I drove up to the Santa Cruz Arboretum this morning to meet up with a few people I've met on Google+ and spend some time photographing flowers and hummingbirds. It was a fun morning.

This was my first time trying to photograph these little birds. I always assumed you needed a really big lens but was informed that my 55-250mm would be just fine. My new friend Barry told me what settings he uses and off I went.

minimum 1/1250, f/7.1 and whatever ISO you need to keep a fast shutter speed (in my case today between 400 and 640).

Mother's Day Special

IMG_1311-Edit, originally uploaded by Rob Weiher.

One of the questions I got asked fairly often back when I was doing my 365 project was if I planned on selling my work. At the time I would always answer...eventually.

I hemmed and hawed over this for a couple of years before getting a Zenfolio account a little over two years ago. I never set it up...I was stuck on what to charge. With all of the books, blogs and magazines that tell you how to take photos, how to edit photos, how to ...and so on, there is really no place to go to find information on how best to price, market and sell your fine art photography. My biggest issue was figuring out how to price my work and along with that how to market without spamming my friends and family with "please buy my work" e-mails.Well a year went by and my Zenfolio account went unused.

A year or so later I thought I'd try again with Smugmug, which I liked because they use Bay Photos as one of their printers and they are local to me. This time I succeeded in putting up my site, I finally priced my work based on reviewing a bunch of other photographers and going with the average. I still fail at marketing and have yet to sell a print. My account expires in June and with Smugmugs price increase I doubt I'll renew. So...if you would like a print of mine for say, a Mother's Day gift, you can use the following coupon code to get 25% off on photos in the Flower Gallery.

Coupon Code: MomDaySpecial

Rob Weiher Photography
Flower Gallery