 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
what's new / links
about daniel j
I am very much drawn to things that sparkle and shimmer
- like a crow who picks up shiny buttons and spent tinsel. Much of my effort,
from planning a shoot, to framing a shot, to developing the images, is directed
to teasing out those flashes of beauty in a way that others can see what
I saw.
My first photos with a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) were taken in tenth
grade, while living in Tehran, Iran. It was there that I learned to
shoot and develop black and white film, and fell in love with photography.
My parents bought me my first SLR - a Fujica St605n, which I only just
recently gave away to my nephew. That camera - and the enthusiasm for
photography - went with me to Athens, Greece, where I finished high
school; to Austin, Texas, where I went to college, married, and had
a wonderful baby girl; and finally to Missoula, Montana, where I fell
in love again with mountains, rivers, glaciers, and lakes, and where
the Fujica and I finally parted ways.
In 2004 I bought my first digital camera - a Canon A75. It had been
a while since I'd been enthusiastically preoccupied with photography,
but the digital age reignited my passion. Since 2004, I've owned three
other point-and-shoot digital cameras, and I'm currently on my second
DSLR - a Nikon D80 that is my friend and beast of burden.
I use Lightroom to process all of my images. I shoot in RAW, and almost
always use aperture priority setting. I use two lenses currently: an
18-55 zoom, and a 55-200 zoom with vibration reduction. I have a UV
filter on each.
I take full advantage of a large memory card, and will take as many
shots as possible. I am mostly a spontaneous shooter, and very few
of my shots are formally set up. I use natural light whenever and wherever
possible. I recently started using a Speedlight, and have gotten great
results with it where the interior ceilings allow for bouncing the
flash. In some situations - shooting a band in a nightclub - instead
of using a flash, I've relied on high ISO, a steady hand, a short focal
length, and gracious musicians who allow me to get close.
I take great care when shooting, especially when shooting people, and
I accept the honor extended to me in getting up close in order to photograph
them. This is especially so when my subjects don't know my work until
they see the results of our participation with each other.
The bulk of my work consists of architectural, landscape, and formal
and informal event photography. I am looking forward to learning more
formal fashion photography, and to try my hand at photojournalism.
And always, I'm learning and rejoicing in surface, image, form, and
infinity.
