Posts Tagged ‘Alien Bees B1600’
Saturday, November 6th, 2010
As the end of 2010 grows nearer each day, I’m starting to reflect over this year’s accomplishments and failures (which there are plenty of both), and I feel that I’m a little bit closer to my goal, not as much as I would like to be, but more than I was in 2009. And a lot more than I was in 2008. Some of the things that I’ve learned this year have started to shape the path that I’ll forge ahead on next year, and each year after that.
For one, I’m not as sure that I want to continue doing weddings, the past couple of years, I thought that that would be an area that I really wanted to make a major focus in my business. This year I really experienced what I would like to refer to as “wedding photographer lite”, I second shot 5 weddings for a studio. And while they were fun, they were physically demanding on me, and this was just doing it part time, not as a full time gig. I couldn’t imagine doing 15, 20, or 25 weddings. And I’m glad I found out about it the right way, assisting someone else. Who knows, I might try and work my way back in it again, but as of right now, I’m shifting my focus to other areas.
I’m seeing a future with film slowly creeping its way back into my life! I’ve run across alot of film shooters who are 100% film and I’m loving their work. I want to get to a point where I’m 60-40 Film to digital. Digital has it’s place, but I don’t think that anyone can deny the beauty of film, and now is the time to stock up on film cameras. Almost all the cameras I dreamed of one day owning back when I was in high school and college are available for pennies on the dollar! Well….all except for Hasselblads. And it seems that Ebay is just full of people selling lots of film these days…not just like “3 rolls of Fuji 400H”, it’s more like 10 pro-packs of Fuji 400H. And I am looking forward to relearning, unlearning, and learning to be a film photographer again!
And I’ve found what I believe to be my light modifier company for life! Creative Light, which is a division of the MAC corporation (which has little known companies such as Mamiya, Profoto, Pocketwizard, Sekonic). Light modifiers for anyone living the Strobist hot shoe/white lighting / alien bee lighting lifestyle are pretty important. We’re all getting by on modest means so what we shoot with has to be dependable as well as affordable. Which Creative Light is both. I only have a few of their products (two white/silver reflectors, one small softbox and a 3ft Octobox), and then I have speedrings for my AB1600 and then a Speedlight adaptor, which I absolutely love shooting with. And Creative Light’s customer service is nothing short of awesome. Twice I’ve emailed them for replacement parts for this ring:
I lost the cold shoe that attaches to it. Emailed Creative Light. “What’s your address Mr. Stevenson?” and a couple of days later, brand new shoe.
I stripped the screw that attaches the ring to the lightstands. Emailed Creative Light. Couple of days later, I get this in the mail:

A little thing to some, but this type of service is the kind of thing that builds loyalty. Some companies would have charged a small amount for the replacement part, or if they didn’t charge for the part, they would have charged for the shipping.
Hmmm…I see a couple of more speedrings, and striplights, and grids in my not to distant future!
Tags: Alien Bees B1600, creative light, Film, Fuji NPH, Laidric Stevenson, Laidric Stevenson photography, Nikon D700
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Friday, August 13th, 2010
I recently met up with Cameron and Clint from Born Famous in Downtown Fort Worth to shoot some images for their upcoming website, great shoot, fun couple of guys, here are some images from our shoot.



Tags: Alien Bees B1600, Arlington Tx music photographer, Fort Worth, Laidric Stevenson, Laidric Stevenson music photographer, Laidric Stevenson photography, Nikon D300, One light pony, Steven Sow, Steven Sow loves Music!, Steven Sow Photo, Stevensowphoto, Tamron 17-50
Posted in Music Photography | 2 Comments »
Sunday, April 11th, 2010
Josh Hurt Rocks. The Nikon D700 Rocks. Beauty Dishes Rock. That is all.

Tags: 35 F2D, Alien Bees B1600, arlington tx, Arlington Tx music photographer, Beauty Dish!, Dallas Tx music photographer, Josh Hurt, Josh Hurt Music, Laidric Stevenson, Laidric Stevenson music photographer, Nikon D700, Steven Sow loves Music!
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Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Okay, this is going to be a list my reso–actually, I’m tired of saying that word, let’s substitute goals. Here is a list of goals that I want to accomplish this year. Not in any particular order. I know that we’re three four months into the year, but I’ve been late with a lot of things in the past; it’s how I rolled:
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I didn’t get a cell phone until 1999, and I never had a pager; if I wasn’t at home you were going to talk to my answering machine
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I didn’t start using digital until 3 years ago, and I bought a old D1X(which was 6 yrs old at that time)
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I waited until age 33 to actually get serious and try to make my dream (photography for a living) a reality, why didn’t I try 10 years ago?
My 2010 Photography goals:
1. Get physical with my imagery – Since these days so much is done digitally, alot of my photos just end up on my hard drive, or on this blog, nothing like the old days, when you had physical results from taking photographs. You took photos,
You ended up with negatives or slides. Some of those ended up in the form of prints

I want to make something physical – maybe put on my own show somewhere; something small, but something where I have an end to go along with the means. Maybe I’ll do a photozine or a book, but something that I can hold in my hand, and in turn hand to someone.
2. Film – A while ago me and my wife were watching Kalifornia, in that movie Michelle Forbes is a photographer, and she spends the movie shooting with a Nikon F3 (I believe) and she asked me if I missed shooting film. Even though I tailed off shooting film seriously over the last 10 years, it took me a little by surprise. I did miss film somewhat, I recently ran a roll of slide film through my F4, I had forgotten how colors pop on slides! So, I’m going to shoot more film this year, I’ve collected enough of it over the past 5 years that I haven’t shot

And I’ve accumulated more than enough film cameras…they need to be shot with.

3. Get project oriented – Come up with some projects that interest me, and then make them happen, not sitting around saying “I wish I could shoot, blah,blah, blah, maybe I’ll get to do that someday…” Why does it have to be someday? And when I start it, finish it. What good is a project that you start, attack with full steam, and then just give up? Even if it doesn’t work out like I envisioned – at least I can say, I finished….
4. Keep a creative journal – this I’ve actually started:

and started: and started: and started
But it would be nice to keep it going, not write a page, or couple of pages, but actually have a book that I can come back to for inspiration. And when I put ideas down in it…actually come back and try some of them
5. Take more personal photos - life moves so fast it seems these days, the only way that we can remember the little details is to write it down, video it, or take pictures. Like these of my wife and my niece decorating Easter cookies.
Something little now, but how are they going to feel about this moment looking back on these pictures in 10 years? 15 years? How am I going to feel?
6. Network – get myself out there to other photographers, become part of the community. It’s how you learn and how you find and create opportunities.
7. And probably the most important thing on this list; getting comfortable with at some point I’m going to have to tell people that I’m a photographer. Saying that phrase is heavy; there’s so much expectation attached to it. You can read the books, take the workshops, the classes, do the TFCD work, do the photo zines, the 365 projects. All that is so you can live it. You can love it, because it’s what you are. The moment you say that phrase, it’s what you do.
Tags: 50 1.4, Alien Bees B1600, arlington tx, Beauty Dish!, D1x, Film, Holga, Konica, Laidric Stevenson, Laidric Stevenson music photographer, Laidric Stevenson photography, life, Lubitel 166, Nikon D700, Nikon F3, Nikon F4s, photography
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Sunday, February 28th, 2010
As I’ve been working on developing my music portfolio, I’ve been replying to ads like crazy, it’s what you gotta do sometimes! Marktavious was one of a couple of responses that I recieved; so on a recent cold and gray Sunday, we took to the streets of Dallas and shot some photos….First we stopped at a downtown parking garage and went all the way up to the 11th floor, the security guard that rolled up on us was pretty cool, he was just making sure that we didn’t jump off!


I totally think that the one on the right could be an EP/Album cover photo….not tooting my own horn or anything, it just has that feel to it. After these, we made our way into Deep Ellum where I had seen this awesome red brick wall and I knew that it would make the perfect background, especially when I hit it with a 20 degree Grid spot….

This was a great shoot, Marktavious brought energy from the moment that I told him “Stand right here” and snapped the first test shots. Looking forward to working with him again in the near future…hmmm…maybe we’ll get in the studio and throw down on the white seamless!
Oh, yeah, if you want to support local artists/music; Marktavious has a single for sale on Itunes, check it out right here.
Tags: Alien Bees B1600, Arlington Tx music photographer, Dallas Tx, Dallas Tx music photographer, Laidric Stevenson, Laidric Stevenson music photographer, Laidric Stevenson Music photography, Laidric Stevenson photography, Steven Sow, Steven Sow loves Music!, Steven Sow Photo, Tamron 17-50
Posted in Music Photography | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 26th, 2010
Tags: Alien Bees B1600, Arlington Tx music photographer, Dallas, Dallas Tx, Dallas Tx music photographer, Deep Ellum, Laidric Stevenson, Laidric Stevenson music photographer, Laidric Stevenson photography, Marktavious Edwards, marktavious.com, Nikon D300, Off camera flash, One light pony, Steven Sow, Steven Sow loves Music!, steven sow music photography, Steven Sow Photo, Stevensowphoto, Strobist style, Tamron 17-50
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