Hardly Trying

I've been here all the time....  I know you've been wondering where I've been but LIFE has been kicking my butt lately but it's all about persistence and growth right?

I am all caught up from my editing and am now going back and posting shoots from the summer.  I shot a fashion show this past summer at our local Macy's and in the process of working with the coordinator looking for models, we ran into Ruby.  From the minute we saw her we wanted her in the show but Ruby was headed to India for a wedding and to visit family.  Well I'm pretty persistent so I finally caught up with her to see how the trip went and for a quick shoot.  We found some shade in an alley and then I had her play in the sunlight and really enjoyed how she lit up each frame.  We will hook up again when school slows down for her but for now enjoy part 1 of my experiences with Ruby.

David

Some of my Most Compelling Closeups of All Time

Getting ready to finish my last bit of editing from 2010 and get ready for a BIG shoot tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some of my most compelling closeups of all time..

Frances Jane Beasley

On Friday November 19th in the early hours of the morning in a little town in Northern New Jersey, I lost my biggest fan; my Mom.  It was a very unexpected loss for us that came with no warning and still to this day has me shaken to the core.  Like some, I did not lose or question my faith but leaned on it and my family/friends to make it through a very tough time. 

My Mom, pictured in this collage below with my Dad, was a Nurse who lived a life that aligned with the oath each Nurse takes to all she came in contact with; she was a caregiver.  I heard many of those stories and others (wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend)  during her homegoing celebration and continue to hear more about her life as my family bands together to cope with our loss.  BUT, I had to understand two things in order to get through this and put things into perspective.  1) She belonged to God first and that He took her back home to be with him so that has helped tremendously.  2) She IS still with us in LOVE and in SPIRIT and although she's no longer here physically, she lives on through those who knew and loved her.  I can still hear her voice in my head telling me it's going to be ok and that she will see me soon. 

I am writing all of this not as closure but as part of my journey.  An early part of that journey was to be transparent within the Facebook community as to what I was going through.  I couldn't express through the 420 character "status" limit how much the support I received through Facebook meant to me but I can through my Blog.  We all know the bad rap Facebook takes as some people have chosen to tell all of their personal business in that venue but we don't talk enough about how people have been blessed through the support of the Facebook community; family and friends.  I was blessed tremendously by their support through my journey back to the East Coast and travels up/down the highway from North Carolina to New Jersey and back again.  I didn't get a chance to respond back to every person who posted on my wall, who sent me a personal message or just prayed for me/us but I want everyone to know that I read each and every note.  Words truly cannot express how much it all meant and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

Getting back to my passion of photography is proving harder that I thought it would be.  I have made some small steps with plans for two January shoots because it's what my Mother would have wanted.  My Mother never saw a lot of my work so I plan on putting together a slideshow of my favorite pictures from the last few years as a tribute to her.  I am what I am today and have achieved what I've achieved because of both of my parents pictured below.  Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers...

God Bless...

David N. Beasley Jr.

P.S. I have a major backlog of all the shooting I have done over the last 4-5 months and will be blogging about all of the shoots very soon.  In the meantime, please go to my website at http://www.davidnbeasleyjr.com/ to see the new content across the entire site.

The New "Station 220"

Several weeks ago, I did a shoot for the new Station 220 restaurant which is the old Central Station in downtown Bloomington. I met Steffan Block who was returning to Central Station to help re-invent and re-brand the restaurant into Station 220.  A key to that rebranding was the acquisition of Executive Chef Rick Sipovic who brought in a new menu of exciting and very tasty dishes; this isn’t your old Central Station folks.   I was asked by Steffan to be part of that rebranding through what I could deliver with my camera and I was more than happy to help out. 

So I trotted over to Station 220 one late afternoon with my white satin shoot through umbrella, Alien Bees, Pocket Wizard and started shooting.   Shaista Hussain, another very capable photographer, helped me arrange my lighting, suggested angles, did some shooting herself and also helped sample some of the dishes after we were done.  The entire experience was very surreal for all of us as I shot tethered using that new feature in Adobe Lightroom 3 and a very loooong USB cable attached to my camera.  Shooting tethered allowed Steffan and Chef to see the pictures right as they were coming off the camera and provide me with immediate feedback.  At one point we had the staff from the restaurant and some of the guests engaged with the shoot as they wondered what we were doing.  It was an awesome experience for all of us and getting immediate feedback was also awesome. 

I just finished the job this week and you can see some of my pre-work on their new Station 220 website.  If you haven’t been to the new Station 220, I highly recommend it as they have and continue to make changes to the restaurants ambiance

as well as the menu.

Btw, you can wipe the drool off your computer screens now!!! J

got Inspiration, giving Inspiration

Two simple question to my blog readers domestic and abroad, onshore and offshore, PC or Mac, Adult or Child, Man or Woman; doesn’t matter if you populate this Big Blue Ball we call home than you’re included.  Very simply, 1) Where do you draw inspiration from?  2) Who do you inspire?  Respond in the context you feel most comfortable with, respond using your blogger profile, respond anonymously, I don’t care as long as you respond…..

For me, I draw my support and inspiration from above; first and foremost.  I’m never let down, disappointed and it gives me the conviction to do better in spite of myself.   I am a “giver” by nature and have been told that I can at times be inspiring and insightful.  I am drawn, by nature, to people that are inspiring and for me it’s people and things that make me “think”.  As I look around the planet with these new eyes of mine, I am intrigued and inspired by everything that has been placed here to meet our needs, dreams, hopes, etc.  It’s amazing when you realize how perfect it all works together once we get the right pieces and place them right where they belong.  Even when the wrong pieces collide it can be quite awesome and inspiring if we just open our mind…..  That’s the perspective I come from.  From a day job perspective it’s Malcolm Gladwell, Tom Peters, Rhonda Byrne, Marianne Williamson and FastCompany magazine and not necessarily in that order.  From my other day job perspective it’s Ross Oscar Knight, Carlos Baez, Zack Arias and Art Wolfe each of who have a specific gift for capturing “all the pieces” of the puzzle in their exquisiteness and getting them to make sense, “fit”, defy the odds, keep you wanting to see more and challenge your paradigms… 

Who do I inspire?  That’s a little trickier because sometimes I/we never really know.  It could be “all of you” or “none of you” who view my work on this Blog, my travel Blog or my website?  It could be all or none of the people I photograph for weddings, lifestyle sessions, family portraits, fashion, etc.  It could be all or none of the people I mentor at my “day job” on a monthly basis who provide me with just as much insight and drive as I hope I give back to them.  It could be all or none of the photographers I’ve opened up my mind to over the last 12 months as these photographic concepts are finally sinking in.   It could all of the above or none of the above which makes realize I have room to improve, “do more” and “do more better”.  Conditionally I’d like to stipulate a sincere ‘thank you” and “pay it forward” for the people I engage BUT a “gift” with conditions isn’t a gift and inspiration should be “free of charge” right?   

So, please respond from the context that makes sense for you.  Respond as  “you” or “anonymously “; I don’t care I just want to have a conversation with the Blog community on the topic.  Don’t wimp out on me U.S. as this Blog has been visited by each US State.  Offshore/abroad, I know you are reading as well as I’ve gotten hits from each country except Greenland, Central Africa and South Central Asia.   So read, reflect and respond…

Be blessed…..

No Place Like Home

I have returned from my travels back home to the East Coast to visit my family and shoot Mr. Kenneth Hitchens.  There are about 7-8 different and distinct stories to tell about my travels (NY/NJ/MD) of which I will be blogging about in the near future with the accompanying images.  I had a great time and the highlight of my visit was seeing my little (22yr. old) daughter Nichole.  I had a great time hanging with her and her boyfriend Kyle and I am hoping we can all see each other again real soon. 


David

Chris and Erica - Sweetest Somebody I Know

I met this couple a year ago at a wedding reception that I shot for Twyana and Darnell who will be celebrating their 1 year anniversary in a few days. I met Chris and Erica while walking around the reception hall taking pictures of couples while waiting on the bride and groom to arrive. After the wedding I connected with Erica to get their picture to them from the reception and found out that they were engaged and that the picture I took was the BEST picture they had taken together. It was at that moment that they decided that they wanted me to shoot their wedding which would take place in a little less than a year.

We all got busy as we do in our daily lives and we went back and forth with schedules trying to coordinate their engagement session. We finally got a date down and a beautiful house for their shoot and I took the first picture below which says a lot about the couple, their story and what would be the foundation  for their marriage ahead.  Well their wedding was this past Sunday at Kickapoo Creek Winery and as I was uploading their images to my computer, I came upon the second picture in this post which now becomes one of the best pictures I have even taken at a wedding. Enjoy this sneak peek for now.....  

Beas...

Finding North

I haven't blogged about my goals in quite some time and I thought it would be a good time to get back to this practice. Although I am still learning Photoshop and didn't officially get published in 2009, it was still an outstanding year!!!!! I did 4 weddings and several other shoots that have really helped me grow as a photographer and in my ability to engage clients. I got a chance to travel and do a wedding in Negril-Jamaica, Spokane-Washington and a couple weddings closer to home. I met and photographed a two tour Vietnam Veteran, Ms. Island Mokihana 2010 and shot a slew of other people who graced my camera with their presence. It was a very good year and I am excited about what’s next for me and the business.


There are way to many professional photographers and other people to list here who have helped me along the journey. They all know who they are, I have already thanked them personally and will forever be in their debt. As you can see, I am back from my blogging hiatus trying to catch everyone up from the work I’ve done this year. Stay tuned for more; you can also find me and my fanpage on Facebook at www.facebook.com/davidnbeasleyjr


I’ll be Blogging you…


Beas..


1. Consistently pray before getting out of bed, starting any shoot and ending my day – In progress


2. Shoot two weddings (1- second shooter and 1 primary shooter or some derivative of the two) – Done; shot four wedding in 2009; one down and two more scheduled for 2010


3. Do a shoot with another professional photographer – Done; Bloomington Shootout and Macy’s Fashion Show


4. Streamline client meetings – Done


5. Identify someone with marketing and graphic design experience that can help me with plans, logo and designs for website, Blogs and print materials. – Done and still in progress.


6. Develop logo, branding and other marketing materials for business – Done


7. Develop new business cards with new logo and theme. – Done; rebranded my old one a bit


8. Develop theme for business – Done (“FOCUSing on what's most important!”)


9. Add new innovative and creative elements/offering to the Blog – Done but accomplished through my website. www.davidnbeasleyjr.com/flash


10. Identify opportunities for small impromptu shoots – Done and have leveraged to diversify my portfolio


11. Improve comfort level with on/off camera flashes, strobes and umbrellas. – Done; thanks Carlos Baez and Zack Arias


12. Refine my photo editing processes in Lightroom and Photoshop – Done and I am still growing


13. Refine process for managing (archiving/backing up)images – In progress but I am in good shape


14. Get work published in print (book or magazine) – In progress and I have had several pictures that are magazine quality right out of the camera


15. Make time to post to other photographers Blogs – Fell off the wagon on this one a bit.


16. Start new innovative project leveraging photography - Done “The Model in You – The Beauty in Diversity”


17. Start new Blog – Done  http://www.themodelinyou.blogspot.com/


18. Consistently “Thank God” for giving me the inspiration, ability, creativity, insight and strength to pursue photography and bless others through my work! – Done, he is present is all my accomplishments and carrying me through all my struggles.

Macy's Fashion Show - Sneak Peek

Did you get em off the hard drive???  My Best Friend/Frat Brother (Dr. Willis Lonzer III), and I have a long standing joke started by his wife about getting our work off the hard drive; but I won't go into that right now...  I just finished uploading all the photo's from all the Macy's Fashion Show practices and event to my computer and I have over 4,500 shots.  That's a lot of pictures to backup, edit and get "off the hard drive" to all the wonderful models.  Whew!!!  I am headed to rehersal and dinner for a wedding I am doing tomorrow but wanted to leave you guys with a picture from the show of one of our "still" models; the lovely Nickki O. 


Be blessed!!!

Beauty and Elegance Becomes Her!!!

This is one of my favorite shots from a wedding I recently finished editing. I tried something new with my editing which almost doubled my editing time but I learned from that experience and a little about double RAW processing photos to get detail back in a brides dress. Live and Learn!!!


David