Jym Davis and I both shot video of her performance and over the last five months he edited together this great video. It features live footage from the show intercut with stock images courtesy of NASA. The stock imagery was shot through various organic filters such as a Lensbaby, water, and oil. In fact, other than simple layering of video clips, no digital effects were used – it is all in-camera techniques that we worked on together.

Julianna Barwick Live Music Video is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

In my talks I showed several of my own photos and videos made with Lensbabies as I talked about how the various uses I find for them in my work. Here are some of the images I showed. If you’d like to see some examples of how I use Lensbabies for video, check out the “The Blue Indian Presents” series I’ve done.

The plastic optic gives a soft & hazy effect in harsh light.

Another effect the plastic optic enhances is lens flares and chromatic aberrations.

The double glass optic is tact sharp.

My wife took this shot with the star aperture from the Lensbaby Creative Aperture Kit. It is of sunlight coming through the leaves in the woods.

Here you see me taking the image below. I include this shot so that you get an idea of the INSANE perspective the 12mm Fisheye provides.

Shot with the Lensbaby Fisheye optic at f/11

One other benefit of the fisheye optic is it’s incredible macro capabilities. This magicicada is a mere 1/2 inch from the lens but the 12mm fisheye provides a wide field of view revealing the background.

As you close up the aperture of a Lensbaby optic the “blurry” effect is minimized. This shot was made with a Lensbaby Composer and double glass optic at f/8 with off-camera flash.

Without an aperture disc, the Lensbaby double glass optic functions at f/1.8 which is great for capturing action in low-light.

When using selective focus, there’s no question as to where you want the viewer’s eyes to go.

Photojournalism work prohibits the use of post-production filters and effects. A Lensbaby is a great way to get a specific look “in-camera.” This shot was made in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake of a man with a sick child waiting to see a doctor. It captures the emotion of a parent whose only concern in the world is the well-being of his child.

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup there was no shortage of photojournalists with cameras. Having a Lensbaby on hand gave me a unique perspective that was unlike anyone else’s.

One of my favorite uses of my Lensbaby is for concert photography. The effect it has on all the lights is stunning!

Talking ‘Bout Lensbaby is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

That’s great news, but the problem is promoting three back-to-back shows. To help out, I created a series of 30-45 second promos featuring music by different musicians performing at the shows.

LOST IN THE TREES – Thursday, January 20th (more info)

Video edited from footage by Jym Davis
[youtube id=8OSNefJS53I]

AMY GODWIN – Friday, January 21st (more info)

Video edited from public domain footage on archive.org
[youtube id=W8C0KalrozA]

AUSTIN CRANE (VALLEY MAKER) – Friday, January 21st (more info)

Video I shot on salt flats in the Mojave Desert
[youtube id=ReXR603_DCM]

MOLLY PARDEN – Saturday, January 22nd (more info)

Video I shot with a Lensbaby at Lake Wildwood in Macon, GA
[youtube id=-wyGfEpiUfA]

MATRIMONY – Saturday, January 22nd (more info)

B-roll footage from a Junior Boys music video I shot with Kenny Jensen in Florida
[youtube id=tNxZ3PL3DD4]

If you live in Middle Georgia, I highly recommend you catch as many of these shows as possible. They really are incredible lineups of talented musicians and tickets only cost $7.

Macon Concert Video Promos is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

I’m hoping that by compiling this “gifting guide,” I can help you make another photographer really happy this holiday!

Micro-Fiber Cleaning Cloth Pouch – $2.99 & up

When I discovered these little gizmos, I didn’t know how I had lived without them. They are simple micro-fiber lens cloths with two great features: 1) they scrunch up into an elastic pouch and 2) they have a plastic clasp that lets you clip them onto about anything.

These things are the perfect stocking stuffer for all levels of photographer. I recommend tossing a couple in your Amazon.com shopping cart the next time you order something (if you simply order the $3 lens cloth you’ll pay three times that in shipping – better to combine it with another order).

Bonus feature: they work great for glasses as well, not just camera lenses.

dSLR Camera Rain Sleeve – $8 (for two!)

This is one of those rare “too good to be true” deals that is actually true. For a mere $8 you get not one, but TWO rain sleeves that have drawstrings, an opening for the camera’s view finder, and an extension for an hotshoe flash.

If you’ve ever shot in the rain and tried using an umbrella or plastic bags to stay dry, you know it’s a nightmare. This rain sleeve by Opteka makes shooting in the rain something you don’t have to worry about (as long as you don’t mind getting wet yourself since it only covers the camera).

Tip: You can also use this sleeve when shoot at the beach or in other sandy/dusty locales.

Extension Tube for Macro Photography – $12 & up

Macro photography is a cool niche area that requires expensive, specialized equipment to accomplish. A 100mm Canon macro lens will set you back over $500! Why do you need a special “macro” lens to photograph tiny things? Those lenses are designed to let you get within inches of your subject and keep it in focus.

Extension tubes replicate that minimum focal distance effect by simply moving your non-macro lens farther away from the sensor in your camera. They are a much cheaper alternative for beginners who want to test the waters of macro photography without dropping half a grand.

There are a few drawbacks to extension tubes: 1) images aren’t near as sharp as real macro lenses and 2) you loose control of your lens’ aperture when shooting on an extension tube.

Bonus: Check out some video footage I shot with an extension tube on my Canon 7D.

Collapsible Reflector – $13 and up

When doing portrait photography, a reflector is a must-have. It lets you control light by reflecting or bouncing it onto your subject. I probably use it most to reduce harsh shadows on the face under the eyebrows, the nose, or bangs. If I’m shooting a closeup of a person, I’ll have them hold the reflector perpendicular to their chest (like a shelf) and it will bounce light up from below.

A simple $3 piece of whiteboard from the store will do the trick, but these cheap collapsible reflectors are much more easier to haul around and keep clean (they come with pouches).

For my Macon readers, I bought my reflector at Coke’s Camera downtown where they have several sizes availalbe.

Monopod – $15 and up

Tripods are great. There is no better way to keep your camera stable and maximize the sharpness of your image. However, tripods aren’t the most portable tools of the trade. The good (and expensive!) ones are heavy as all get out and you can sometimes miss a critical shot by fumbling around with the three legs of the beast. Also, a lot of places (museums, aquariums, stadiums, even some parks) have restrictions on tripods.

Monopods are the perfect compromise for the photographer who wants to keep the camera stable(-ish) and not have to haul around 4lbs of weight. You can even find some monopods out there that double as walking sticks (perfect for hikers!). Finally, many of the places that ban tripods will allow monopods (as was the case when I took the photo of Willie Nelson to the left).

Gary Fong’s “Puffer” Popup Flash Diffuser – $20

The pop-up flash on your camera is terrible. It’s not just your camera, it’s my camera as well. Actually it’s every camera’s built-in flash that is terrible. The main reason is that it creates a harsh light source directly over your camera’s lens which does not provide flattering light.

Gary Fong, one of the world’s top ten wedding photographers, has invented several flash diffusers to help create more flattering light. The Puffer simply slides into your camera’s hot shoe and places a curved, semi-opaque plastic in front of the pop-up flash. This diffuses the light making it softer (aka no bright oily spots on your subjects’ foreheads, cheeks, and chins) and creating less harsh shadows.

If you aren’t planning on making the jump to one of the expensive external flashes (they start around $200), then the Puffer is a must have accessory in your camera bag.

Gary Fong’s “Lightsphere” Flash Diffuser – $50

For photogs who do use external flash, Gary Fong’s world-famous “Lightsphere” is the ulimate flash diffuser for them. I like to joke that it looks like a ramen noodle bowl, but this thing works miracles.

Take a look at this photo to the left – I took that in a room in West Africa with virtually no light. Seriously, the room was pitch black and my hotshoe flash with a Lightsphere on top created all the light in that photo. Pretty incredible how natural it looks, huh? That’s why Fong has sold over 400,000 Lightspheres in the last six years.

50mm f/1.8 Lens – $100 and up

Most amateurs with a dSLR camera have the “kit lens” that comes with it. Often that lens is something in the range of 18-55mm and has a minimum aperture range of f/3.5-5.6. Those lenses are fine, especially for the cost. However, if you want to step your game up the 50mm f/1.8 is the most affordable, fast glass out there (fast glass means the aperture goes below f/3 allow more light in and therefore performing much better in low-light situations).

Every camera manufacturer has an inexpensive (relative to most lenses’ cost) 50mm available. Canon’s is a mere $100, Nikon’s runs around $125, and Sony’s is about $125 as well.

Not only do f/1.8 lenses do better in low-light, but they are incredibly sharp when shooting at f/4-f/8. Most importantly, when shooting “wide open” at f/1.8 you get insanely shallow depth of field. Take a look at the photo of the boy to the left. Notice how his eyes just seem to POP! It’s because they are in sharp focus and everything around them slowly fades into a blur. Even his shoulders, which are a mere 3-4 inches back from his eyes, are blurry!

Lensbaby – $100 and up

For the photographer who has everything, a Lensbaby is the ultimate gift to get them. I guarantee they don’t have one and they’ll be thrilled to receive one*.

What is a Lensbaby? Wow, that’s a difficult question to answer. It’s a sort of tilt-shift lens, meaning you can manually move its plane of focus causing certain areas of the image to blur. Take a look at the photo to the left of John Legend – notice how things seem to blur away from him, especially on the right.

There are several different flavors of Lensbabies. In fact, it isn’t just a lens, it’s a whole kit. You can swap out the type of glass (or plastic) in the lenses for different effects. You can get fish eye lenses, wide angle converters, and even tools to manipulate the bokeh (those blurry dots when things are out of focus).

Gift Certificate to Local Camera Store – Name your price

Still undecided as to what to get your photographer friend for Christmas? Or did you simply not understand a word of the geeky gadget talk above? There’s always the gift certificate option.

I know, I know. You’re thinking “but gift cards are so lame.” Here are several reasons why a gift certificate to a local camera store isn’t lame:

1. The fact that you got them a photography related certificate shows that you are supporting their hobby and art. That means a lot.
2. Especially if they are beginners or amateurs, they will benefit greatly from walking into a store and talking to a knowledgeable photographer behind the counter.
3. In these tough economic times, it is good to support your local, small businesses.
4. Your photographer friend just might use the gift certificate to print out a photo for you as a thank you. Oooo, win-win!

In my town of Macon, Georgia, I highly recommend F Stop Photography at 3780 Northside Drive (phone# 478-254-2310). They not only offer great printing services, but have loads of great gear (such as camera bags, tripods, books, and more).

Ten Gifts You Can Buy a Photographer for Christmas is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Here’s a little promo we made:

Ribbit Rabbit Promo Pics is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

I recently acquired the “top of the line” Lensbaby – the Composer. Where the accordion-like Muse has to be constantly controlled manually, the Composer features a ball and socket joint that can be adjusted and then locked into place. This allows for the lens to be used on tripods and steadicams and even for HDRs.

Below is my first video experiment with the Composer, followed by some of the first photos I took with it.

Lensbaby Love is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

For the occasion he wrote and recorded a new song entitled “Unanswered Questions”. The song is a nostalgic look back at each member of his family and the memories he has of them from his childhood. We filmed at the house he grew up in Smyrna, GA and also recorded some old family home videos of his (some over 20 years old).

Here are a few photos I took of Danny on the day we filmed. You can see the finished music video on YouTube.

Video Shoot for Besides Daniel is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Heidi: You going to take photos of the eclipse tonight?
William: There’s an eclipse?
H: Everyone is talking about it on Facebook.
W: I think that’s the movie.
H: Oh. There’s a movie?

The kind of fanaticism that accompanies such huge pop culture phenomenons often provides some interesting photographic opportunities. So I decided to actually go out and photograph not an eclipse but the fans of Eclipse.

I know the films involve werewolves and vampires so I was expecting fans decked out in costumes and makeup. Instead it was just a huge line of hundreds and hundreds of ordinary (and nice) people lining up to simply be a part of what everyone was talking about. To quote a local movie reviewer:

There will come a time when we look back on these films and wonder what sort of mob insanity drove their success, and we will laugh and shake our heads and pretend they were never really that popular.

Twilight Eclipse Mania is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

2010 World Cup: USA Team Practice is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Looking for slightly unconventional portraits, they were good sports and put up with bugs and poison ivy in our back yard in order to get these late night photos. In typical Haun photoshoot fashion, some smoke and a gas mask did make an appearance.

TBI Founder Luke Goddard is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

If you’re that dude that proposed, drop me a note via the Contact page. I’ve got a couple shots of you and your (now) fiancée as well as some video.
***UPDATE*** The engagement dude did contact me and I’ve got the shots headed his way! Congrats Brent!

Frightened Rabbit @ The Masquerade is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Here is a short video I created to promote the event. Feel free to share it with your friends and family.  I’ll post more details about the show in the weeks to come.

Upcoming Exhibit at the Douglass is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Following the photos below is video I shot of the last song of their set. Apologies for the terrible quality, but the lighting was really, really bad.

Video of Coyote Bones performing live at The 567 Cafe in Macon, GA

Coyote Bones @ The 567 is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Josh McGinty @ The 567 is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

The concert was great and full of energy – the best dance party Macon has ever seen. The lighting was incredibly tough to work with for photography but with the high ISO capabilities of my Canon 7D and the new noise reduction features in Lightroom 3 I was able to get a few decent images. The video was mostly shot with a Lensbaby Muse but also with a 50mm f/1.8.