Blog | Pat Wright Photography

Beyond the Click

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:36:00 -0500

This week reminded me of a valuable lesson, I’ve learned time and again along the way. A photographers work extends beyond the click of a shutter. Whether the darkroom or the computer, the beauty of a final image finds completion in our post production.

I recently shot for a talented band called, The Lovely Few. They needed promos for an ethereal and spacial themed ep. I came into the shoot with some large ideas, a few new techniques, and diagrams. We shot everything I needed and then some takeaway shots, I never intended to use, beside a metal railway housing.

Four weeks into post, I realized all the shots I had diagrammed, laid out, and schemed were falling flat and I wasn’t at all happy with what I was creating. In an email, Mike mentioned that he was excited about the potential in those throw away shots, so I figured I’d humor him and work on one. This is the orignal image:

The first step in my post process is to go through and remove any distracting spots, lines, or tell tale signs of a late night or long shoot. This step really starts the “knocking the dirt off” process of an image and can quickly tell me if I should go further. For this, the content aware, patch, and clone tools are invaluable.

After cleaning up the image, I saw some great potential. The random metal box look was now a nice textured background. An SNL skit this past weekend about Greek gods was fresh in my mind and the idea of a heavenly glow and almost godly portrait shot, started forming. From here, I smoothed the skin tones and added depth to the eyes using a combination of surface blur, high pass, and my brush tool.

From here, I really wanted to start bringing out that Greek god stature. With a neutral density layer and dodge and burn with the brush tool I brought out each members strong lines and added depth to the crowns for a slight shimmer.

Now that I had the content where I wanted it, it was time to focus on the color tone to achieve the glow effect and bring it all home. I wanted an antiquity feel, but didn’t want to compromise my skin tones too much, so before using an exclusion filter to slightly crush the depths of my blacks, I amped up the master saturation.

Now there were many ways to add the warm glow I wanted. At first I played with some fill color layers with a few different blending modes, before finally deciding to use the photo filter mode to warm the image. This allowed me to get away from degrading the line fidelity with additional color layers and better custom tone the warmth I was adding.

After finding a tone I felt gave the sun glow I wanted, the image felt good but a little airy. A slight curve adjustment brought some needed contrast and depth. I had isolated space on the right for copy, but the left negative space still wasn’t really working for me. I decide to use a simple trick to border the image. Using the flat fan high bristle brush, I simply painted a border that added subtle texture and helped anchor the image. I went heavy on the left side of the image to close off the negative space, and stayed light on the right side to not take away from any future copy and to add some visual relief. Tip: to paint a straight stroke in PS, click where you want your stroke to begin, then holding shift click where you want it to end, PS does the rest.

The final part of the process was all about editing. I had ideas for adding some shimmer and other textures to the background, but forced myself to walk away from the image. Coming back, I was confident I didn’t need to go any further. Know when to stop yourself!

So there you have it, an image destined for the scrap heap ends up becoming the signature image for the shoot. If you have any questions on any of the steps I mentioned above, feel free to drop a comment. Also, take a moment to check out The Lovely Few and their awesome ep, The Perseids. And download a high-res final copy of this image, here.

I hit the road to a little Kentucky town just outside Nashville...

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:41:22 -0400

I hit the road to a little Kentucky town just outside Nashville this past weekend to shoot an amazing wedding. Sweden was a bridesmaid in a previous wedding and I was incredibly honored when she chose me to capture her day. It was a perfect fall day and the barn they renovated was truly something incredible. You’re welcome, Pinterest…

View even more over at my FB page.

It's all about progression...

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:00:00 -0400

The other day, I was retouching an old photo while jamming to Jay-Z’s “On to the Next One,” and there was a line that really summated one of the biggest lessons so far in my career.

“…don’t be mad cause its all about progression”

I took this image almost two years ago. I was about six months into teaching myself photography and every friend willing, I gladly made my subject. This was one of my first forays into directing a model and using off camera lighting. Everything I wanted was there: chiaroscuro effect, highlight detail, perfect model form, and yet I was so disappointed it didn’t look like the Vogue covers Testino and Meisel were producing—it’s OK, I laugh too now. So I stashed in it the catalog and pined for the day I’d have the really expensive camera to make my photos look amazing.

So a few months ago, as I scanned the archives for new site worthy images, I come across this testament of scrappy days with a temperamental Canon 10D, some borrowed Lowell lights, and a determined heart. I saw some potential, so I decided to have a second go to see if I could breathe some life in it, and I’d say it was for the better.

Turns out, I didn’t need a fancier camera or better lighting, what I needed was the knowledge to know how to make good from mediocre. That knowledge comes from experience and the desire to keep learning.

I’ve spent the majority of the last two years shooting, reading, asking, following, researching and I’ve learned that the true genius of photography is not just showing what’s there, but bringing out what it could be.

I sent my before and after to a mentor* for a kick at the progress I’ve made along the way, and as mentors are supposed to, he sent it back with a lesson on dodging and burning and ways to make it even stronger. So I gave it another go, and again, I come away amazed at what subtlety can bring out of a photo.

Here’s the gist: photography, as most things in life, is about progression. You can’t settle for where you are, constantly strive to better your talents. Otherwise, what’s the point? I’ve done that in two ways I hope I never become ~~dumb~~ ”good” enough to stop.

Self-motivation: When I’m not shooting for assignment, I try to consistently shoot for myself. Shooting, reading, asking, researching helps me learn new techniques like skin retouching, proper lighting, etc. There are some great resources available, some even for free, to help you move to the next level, but you have to want to get there.
Mentoring: The moment you think you know everything there is to know, hang it up. LaChapelle gleaned the outlandish from Andy Warhol. Testino mastered Beaton’s window light. No one started out knowing everything, and it’s more than OK to admit you’re still learning, we all are.

So next time you’re frustrated about what you don’t have or what you can’t do, remember it’s all about progression.

*Thanks to my mentor, Rick Smoak, for always having an answer or a resource for my many questions.

Hendricks Wedding

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:00:19 -0400

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of two really good friends. The night before, Jay and Liza, kicked off the weekend with some close friends in anticipation of a beautiful wedding day.

The chapel was beautiful and Jay and Liza made for a stunning bride and groom.

Jay and Liza decided to get a sneak peek of each other before the ceremony. It was such a sweet moment to witness.

The ceremony was such a great look at true love between two amazing people.

And this crowd closed the night in rare form, this was definitely the party to attend!

Hamilton Wedding

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:04:02 -0400

Last year, I met Miriam when she contracted me to shoot some promos for her music project. We quickly became friends and admirers of each others work. A few months later, Julius contacted me to help with his proposal. You can read more about that proposal over at The Knot.

After pulling off a successful proposal, it was time to capture Julius and Miriam’s wedding day. Miriam made for a absolutely beautiful bride.

The wedding came and went without a hitch. It was a real privilege to be apart of the Hamilton’s special day!

awesomefolder: Wow. We are excited to see this film. Geek out....

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:16:23 -0400

awesomefolder:

Wow. We are excited to see this film. Geek out.

Via Grain Edit: Production recently started on The Sign Painter. The new documentary on sign painting will include interviews with several of the artists that still practice this age-old craft. The directors, Sam Macon & Faythe Levine, were recently in San Francisco to capture footage of Jeff Canham, Bob Dewherst, New Bohemia Signs, and Jimmie “the saint” Collier. You can find more info on the film at the website and official Facebook fan page.

Can.Not.Wait.

skobos: Inspirational. This is Pete Eckert and he is a blind...

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:06:44 -0500

skobos:

Inspirational. This is Pete Eckert and he is a blind photographer.

Awe inspiring while extremely scary. Going blind is my worst nightmare.

Will Work for Change

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:14:07 -0500

There have been a lot of things on my heart and mind lately, most pertaining to life and how I live it. My folks were God-fearing people who always taught me to leave things better than how I found them. It’s something I can’t shake. I think about the world and when I finally bow out, and how I’d like to know I bettered it and not stripped it. That just makes sense to me.

I was tweeting back forth with a famous photographer I admire and we were talking about the existence and prevalence of child sex slavery. He made a comment about how could such a terrible thing happen and how could we have gotten here as a people. I told him that the way I see it, such evil has always existed, it just seems that the ones willing to abate it have grown few. Society has become about the I and not the us, so evil runs amuck.

I’m guilty of that. I’ve spent countless hours of energy fighting to one day become the next star photographer. Hoping to be able to stick my camera in the face of celebs and starlets on the regular, as if that’s what the world needs. As if these famous people we idolize need their story told even louder.

Four years ago I sat in a landfill in the Dominican Republic. I had come with a mission team and our journey had brought us to a Haitian village burrowed among the refuse. I’ll never forget watching one of the kids pull a rotting mango from the trash and eat it, and moments later he was all smiles as he banged away on a drum fashioned from an old oil can.

Days like today, I wonder what would happen if someone flying aboard their private jet, browsing their iPad came across my work. And what if when they did they were able to see what I saw that day, would it break their heart too? And if it did, could it possibly move them to action? And what if even just some of the people they influenced were motivated to action as well? And so on and so forth. What if I cared more about telling the story of that kid then capturing the curves of Scarlet Johansson? Is there a way to have both?

Right now, I have more questions than answers. But gratefully, I have more resolve than questions. I will find these answers. I will grapple with how to really make my work count for something. I really don’t see another way.

Here’s a video on LOVE146 and how they got their name....

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:22:58 -0500

Here’s a video on LOVE146 and how they got their name. Reblog!

PWP and Love146: Making Images Count

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 13:54:00 -0500

One of my favorite moments of each wedding day is watching the ring bearer and flower girl tumble (sometimes literally!) down the aisle. Their innocence and joy seem to perfectly encapsulate all the wonderful feelings that compose such a special occasion. Maybe that’s why one of the saddest realities for me is that every minute, two children are robbed of that same innocence and joy as they are sold into sex slavery. And this is not just a reality of the undeveloped world. Even here in the US, over 100,000 children are forcefully engaged into prostitution and pornography.

But there is hope. Hope for a better future, hope for a return of innocence and joy to the lives of countless boys and girls comes at the labor of those diligently working to stop this injustice. LOVE146 is a Connecticut based non profit that specializes in the aftercare and prevention of child sex slavery and exploitation. They are a transparent, global workforce making huge strides with all the resources they can muster. They build and run recovery homes which aid in counseling, loving, and empowering victims of sex slavery as well working with law agencies and creative collaborations to prevent slavery and exploitation in the US and abroad.

It is my absolute privilege, starting February 2011, to partner with LOVE146 in the fight against this crime against children. From here out, 5% of every wedding I shoot will go directly to fund the work of these diligent laborers. And hopefully as my work grows, I will be able to give even more. Please take a moment to watch the video below about LOVE146 and visit their website for even more info on who they are and what they do.

For me, I look forward to watching those little ring bearers and flower girls march down the aisle now, because I know that wedding will have helped some child regain the joy that has been stolen from them.

Thank you in advance for helping get the word out.

PWP and Dust of the Ground

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:29:00 -0500

In what is sure to be the start of something beautiful, 2011 begins with a major collaboration between PWP and the talented guys of Dust of the Ground Media ! Together, we will be providing full high end productions to both the wedding and commercial market. Check out some of their work below and view more here .

A new year is here, which means we all find a little motivation...

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:21:00 -0500

A new year is here, which means we all find a little motivation to tackle those things we’ve put off since last February. A week in, and this year has already brought so much my way. For PWP this will be a year of collaborations, inspiration, and giving back. So here’s my list of things to tackle before 2011 makes it bow. Feel free to leave your own resolutions in the comments and I’ll send you a mid year checkup!

1.Website Overhaul! I am so ready for this. The designs are being finalized and development should start in the next couple weeks.

2. Updated Portfolio. With the updated site will come a flood of new work, some never before seen. And I promise to keep the new site fresh with content!

3. Strategic Partnerships. 2011 is going to be full of collaborations with insanely talented people across a variety of disciplines and one particular partnership, finalized last week, is dear to my heart and will give my work an importance it has not yet known.

4. Upgrade Equipment. Let’s just say Canon might have to send me a Christmas card.

5. Finish mourning the departure of Anna to bigger and better things, and find a new assistant to fill the giant hole she’s left.

6. Establish filing system, keep receipts, improve accounting practices. Pray for me.

7. Realize 6 will fail miserably, hire an accountant.

8. Get published in a major publication. Mail to mother for her fridge.

9. Pull off something huge. This is already underway, not being able to share kills me.

10. Travel. CA, IN, NY, MI, TX, FL, TN, and CO you’re already on the list. Leave the country.

11. Shoot more for the heck of it. Compile catalog of 1,000 photos taken on a whim.

12. Meet/woo a cardigan clad cutie with a free spirit, a few tattoos, and good teeth. Bonus points if she is crafty and a whiz with a Wacom.

13. Relocate to a major city.

14. Be able to identify and articulate strengths and weaknesses of my work. Eradicate weaknesses.

15. Live.

That’s the list. I’ll scratch these off as the year goes on. Hopefully I’ll knock them all off and be able to look back on this year with pride. Encouragement, inspiration, and prodding welcomed!

Rahshawn Merrick

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:11:00 -0500

A few weeks ago, I shot some new promos/cover art for a local upcoming rapper. Rahshawn is Christian hip hop artist whose music is gaining some traction around the country.

For the images, Rahshawn wanted standard studio shots which is not my mainstay. So the task was to inject my style into the ultimate of minimalist. There’s not much you can do with an infinity drop.

In the end, I decided to add a little smooth and umph by some color overlays. That combined with some great wardrobe, I think really gave Rahshawn the simplicity he was looking for while allowing me to maintain the fashion vibe and jazzy feel I desire out of my images.

*Fun note: Sometimes I crop as I shoot. Which sometimes proves beneficial in the time saving processing department. And then other times it means I have to build a head, a back, or in the case of the second shot an elbow. Maybe more is more.

First things first, major kudos to all those photogs who find the ability to post regularly and...

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:50:00 -0500

First things first, major kudos to all those photogs who find the ability to post regularly and keep up with work. I will know I have arrived when I can make that happen. To make amends, here’s an in depth look at one of the many beautiful weddings I shot this year.

Josh and Lesley are an amazing couple with refined tastes. They decided to set their wedding to the backdrop of a beautiful fall day in the hills of Lynchburg, VA near the college where they met. From the moment I arrived, I knew I was in for a treat. I seek to bring a fashion vibe to my wedding captures, and this wedding was right out of a J Crew catalog!

The bridal party was a blast to work with. Straying from traditional wedding photography and the routine of jumping pictures, recycled poses, and forced smiles, I keep only two rules. Make sure you can see me so I can see you, and be yourself. This group brought tons of fun and class.

The ceremony took place under a slight breeze and a golden sun. The mood was so picture perfect and it was evident that these two will share many more sunsets.

And with that, two families were joined and two people were bonded in a forever kind of way.

Which, of course, called for a celebration!

And, naturally, a proper send off.

Congrats to Josh and Lesley, not only for a wonderful wedding, but for being selected as winners for the 1st inaugural Wedding of the Year Award!

Justice-McCann Wedding, Columbia, SC Stay tuned for more recent...

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:06:13 -0500

Justice-McCann Wedding, Columbia, SC

Stay tuned for more recent work posts!

As wedding season ends, more and more random projects come...

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:52:00 -0400

As wedding season ends, more and more random projects come tumbling in. A fine chocolatier needed a new seasonal catalog which meant four hours of trying not to take bite out of the subject and capturing of some really great looking pieces of chocolate. The catalog direction was minimalist and elegant, it was a departure from my typical work, but was a fun challenge to see if I could bring my eye for fashion and elegant lines into the food world. Here’s a few pre-post shots to see what the day yielded.

P.S. the best thing about shooting a chocolate catalog? Packing up the extras. I could really get use to this.

Vannoy-Spencer Wedding|Lynchburg, VA

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:22:00 -0400

Vannoy-Spencer Wedding|Lynchburg, VA

Sneak Peek: Kraft/Moore Wedding, Greenville, SC

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:48:51 -0400

Sneak Peek: Kraft/Moore Wedding, Greenville, SC

Sneak Peek. Kraft/Moore Wedding. Greenville, SC

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:10:05 -0400

Sneak Peek. Kraft/Moore Wedding. Greenville, SC

Good help is hard to find...

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:48:00 -0400

Anyone whose ever led a team, ran a business, or done anything requiring more than two hands, knows that it’s hard to find a good pair of hands. Photography is no exception. Every photographer knows that firing the shutter is only about 10% of producing images, especially quality ones. Between planning themes, sets, props, lighting design, setup, and execution, it’s easy to lose track.

I’ve been fortunate to score a pretty sweet set of extra hands in Anna Hodgson. A visual communications major at the local university and a budding photographer and illustrator, Possum as I know her, helps keep the bulbs flashing and the creativity flowing. Here’s three simple, but huge ways my right hand whoa!man saves the day and things to keep in mind as you search for someone to help you reach the next level:

1.Two creative brains are better than five regular brains. It’s easy to find someone to hold a light and pack your gear, but an assistant that has creative compatibility is invaluable. It’s great to have a fellow createur (i made that up) to help get the juices flowing when you’re brain blocked and looking for some inspiration. While the buck ultimately stops with you, know how to use a different set of creatives eyes to your advantage. Bounce ideas, get feedback, find an assistant that knows when and how to lend a thought or opinion and help keep you organized and on track.

2. Get toned. Every chain has a weak link and every person has areas of strength and weakness. To push yourself to the next level, be proactive about identifying your soft spots, but don’t stop there. Surround yourself with an assistant that is strong in those areas and watch your work flourish! I tackled the long put off task of redesigning business cards the other day and Illustrator, as it usually does, was giving me a headache of a time. In comes Possum, a jackpot designer and illustrator, and my frustrations were immediately relieved!

3. More tools in the utility belt. I am a terrible drawer. I was going to post a sketch as proof, but such quality would surely call in to question my ability to create anything… it’s pretty bad. But that’s where Possum comes in. The photos included are from a test run for an upcoming engagement shoot. The client wanted art, colors, and something fun natured which lead to chalk art. Were it not for Possum this idea would either have been canned or I would have to outsource, meaning more time and money. Instead, Possum saves the day with her steady hand and the client is absolutely satisfied which in turn leaves me absolutely satisfied. Find assistants who can deepen your services by either adding to or taking existing ones to a higher quality. It worked for Batman.

There are many more ways having a quality assistant can increase your peace, potential, and profitability. Sooner or later, two hands just won’t cut it and when you reach that point, don’t settle! Take the time to find someone who compliments yours skills and watch as you are freed to become more creative, less crazed, and your work reaches new heights. And when you find a great assistant, pay them well, thank them often, and hold on to them for as long as you can, because good help really is hard to find.

*I gave Possum five minutes, little direction, and a tub of street chalk.

*We’re also part-time musicians.