Carl Weaver Photography

I was recently given the assignment of photographing these lollipops from the Melville Candy Company. They really are that beautiful and they taste great too. Of course, one of them arrived broken so I had to eat it to put it out of its misery. Go check out the company and see some of the great stuff they make!

Do you need your products photographed? Let me know. I’d be glad to help you out.

And finally, a single calla lily for you. And in case you were wondering, that thing in the flower that looks like a banana candy really is a banana candy. Great creative use of other candies, in my opinion!

I have been given an assignment to photograph the past high priests of the local Royal Arch chapter. It’s a particularly interesting assignment, as I get to meet a lot of the senior members of this esteemed order as I do so. Getting to hear stories of times gone by and names of others who have passed this way before me is quite inspiring. So far I have three done but more are on the way, slowly but surely.

I have really been enjoying my recent candy photography assignments. For one thing, candy is just plain fun – fun to eat, fun to look at and fun to photograph. The bright colors are exciting, especially since they are not really found in nature together in the area where I reside.

Here are some more candy photos I did recently. I will be doing more shortly and will post those as soon as they are ready.

Technorati Tags: candy, photograph, colors

I often get questions from people who say, “Why should I pay a professional when Uncle Joe has a perfectly good camera?” The bottom line and the question you have to ask yourself is what you want your final product to look like. Maybe Uncle Joe can do a sufficient job for what you want, but the little touches a professional adds to the job can make a world of difference in the final print.

If you need a portrait to represent you in your business, what you are projecting is a personality and one of the things you will want to do is project the best possible image. This should be a current image, reflecting how you look today, and should show you in a positive light. In short, the professional touch can make a world of difference when it comes to getting the perfect look for whatever your industry may be. Your image is everything. Invest wisely in how people see you.

Likewise, if you are hiring a photographer for a life event, like a wedding, retirement party or something else that carries great meaning for you, think about the pictures you want to look at and pass on to friends and loved ones. The amateur ones may show all the people but the professional knows how to get the right angles and capture all the relevant elements in an artistic way. We all have our snapshot albums that we rarely look at. Why not invest in a quality image that you can hang on a wall and that brings back the memories every time you look at it?

Be sure to check out my line of services and let me know how I can help you.

Technorati Tags: portrait, image, photographer, party, professional

My friend Don asked how I like my new phone – the Nokia N95 I bought from him. In truth, there are a few things I would change, but they are minor. As a used phone with all its capabilities, however, the price is right and I am still excited to have it. It takes 5MP photos, which makes it an excellent pocket camera and does pretty good video as well.

One of the coolest features of this phone is the ability to do live-streaming video. When I saw Don the other day, I had to show this feature off. I am using Qik, which isn’t exactly fast or great, especially when uploading through the cellular lines, but it’s a giant leap forward compared to how things used to be. This combination of hardware and software allows me to be a roving reporter and capture anything in real time.

Here is an example of the result. It’s not great for production value but it captures the moment wonderfully. And let’s face it – do you want to capture that moment when it happens or do you want to miss it? This setup helps you get what you need.

Do you want to get set up doing streaming video? Let me know and I will help you get everything in place to make it happen.

Technorati Tags: Nokia N95, camera, video, streaming video, production value

My friend Alex came by the studio a couple weeks ago to get a picture done.

This was not the photo we had intended on shooting but was an extra I did just as a quick aside. As it is, it turned out better than we expected, especially since I essentially said, “Sit down and look over here.” I had a friend hold up a reflector for a moment, snapped the picture that was that. It ended up being a great executive portrait of a fellow who is a local rising star in the company he works for.

Do you need your portrait done for a brochure, business card, web site or anything else? Let me know and I will take care of you.

Technorati Tags: studio, picture, photo, executive portrait, portrait

I was recently approached by a new Masonic regalia company and asked to do some catalog photographs of their products, including gloves, aprons and tiny lapel pins. I did not think twice about and gladly accepted the assignment. A bunch of photos, I thought, some time in the studio and then adjusting things in Photoshop and I will be done in a flash.

Little did I know that this assignment would find me climbing on a ladder, bending and stooping, and leaving me soaked with sweat and sore for a couple days. The issue was trying to get all the corners of these aprons square. Shooting from an angle – in fact from any perspective other than straight on – made them look more like keystones than squares. I found myself, in my own way, having to scaffold myself and bend down, over the items in my light tent so I could get a decent view of them. In the end, after I was satisfied and got everything properly adjusted in Photoshop, I noticed that even the originals were not even quite perfect, deviating ever so slightly!

The pins were especially challenging, as some of them were coated with a resin or something that made them super reflective. Usually with reflective items, it works to simply aim the lights at an angle that will reflect the hot spot toward a different direction than the camera. In this case, the resins formed almost a dome over the image on the pin, so a tiny reflection would be evident no matter where the light source was, unlit the pin were back lit, which would have gotten rid of any detail in the image. In the end, I am happy with the results, and so is the client. There is a benefit to leaving that little edge of glare in the picture. It rightly shows the pin to be reflective. Imagine buying something whose picture does not adequately represent what it is. That would be far worse than seeing a tiny bit of glare.

Need something photographed? Give me a call and I will take care of you. Whether for your catalog, documentary purposes, for insurance or maybe just to hang on the wall, I can handle it. Photography is my middle name. Maybe not literally, but you get the point.

Technorati Tags: Masonic, photographs, photos, catalog, documentary, insurance, Photography

I got to do the photography at the installation of officers at a Masonic lodge recently and have the best photos online. Entering the line of officers is quite an honor and really a big deal, especially as you progress toward becoming Worshipful Master. John Clair, this year’s Master, asked me to get some photographs at this event. It was a fantastic, moving ceremony, encompassing many different facets of emotion, from pride and celebration to sadness and remembrance. Check out the photos:

Technorati Tags: photography, Masonic lodge, photos, Worshipful Master, photographs

I was asked to do portraits of the new 2008 officers at Cherrydale Lodge #42, AF&AM. This is a fine group of men and were a lot of fun to photograph. Check out some of the pictures below and be sure to look at the gallery to see all types of pictures.

Later this week I will be covering the installation of these new officers, so be sure to check back soon.

This is the stuff I love to do – portraits and events. Some photographers love shooting pets, weddings, even forensic scenes, but the thing I love to do is portraits. The dynamic that comes from interacting with an individual or a small group is much more interesting to me than most other forms of photography. To each his own, I suppose. I know others who hate doing portraits.

Here’s to doing what you love, whatever that may be!

Technorati Tags: portrait, Cherrydale Lodge, photograph, pictures, events, photographer, photography

Yes, you read correctly. I am pledging to give 10% of my sales, not profits, to the Stewart Wilson Miner Scholarship Fund. This fund provides money for young people to go to college, helping to defray the high costs of education for them and their families.

That means that if you come for a $100 portrait session and buy $50 of prints, totaling $150, I will give $15 to the fund. If you hire me for $100,000 of work next week (okay, maybe that won’t happen but stick with me here), I will give $10,000 to the scholarship fund. It’s that simple.

Remember – Carl Weaver Photography is the right choice for your photography, corporate blogging and web design needs. What’s more, I funnel some of the money back into the community. And no, my prices are not increasing to do this. Same great service, same affordable pricing.

About the Stewart Wilson Miner Scholarship Fund. This fund is administered by the College Scholarship Committee of Cherrydale Lodge #42, AF&AM in Arlington, VA. It is volunteer-run and every penny donated goes into helping people achieve their dreams of higher education. If you would like to make a donation directly to the fund, please contact me and I will put you in touch with the right people to make that happen. We appreciate your support.

Technorati Tags: Stewart Wilson Miner, Scholarship Fund, education, photography, corporate blogging, web design, Scholarship, Cherrydale Lodge, AF&AM, higher education