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 | SUMMER'S END
2009
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Greetings!
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I hope that your summer was as exciting as mine. If we are fortunate, there are those times in life when if you have worked hard, and you happen to be at the right place at the right time, good things happen.
As many of you know I was invited to Kenya this year for the formal unveiling of a portrait that I did of President Mwai Kibaki last year. Getting to travel in Kenya, see its wonders, and meet its people (like the restaurant owner I met in Mombasa) was a gift beyond measure.
The opportunity to see and photograph the tremendous flocks of flamingos at Lake Nakuru was the experience of a lifetime, and I wouldn't give anything for the above picture of me and the Director and Manager of the Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya.
I hope that all of you took plenty of photographs this summer. With today's technology, everyone has the ability to easily record the events of life and share these images with family and friends. Remember that the more photographs you take, the better photographer you will become.
Here at the studio, many people have taken advantage of the flexible summer family schedules, the kids being at home from college, and everybody's healthy "summer look" to have their portraits done this summer. The kids are growing up fast, Grandma is getting a bit older, and there will never be a better time than now to have your family portrait created. Give us a call at the studio, and we will be happy to set up an appointment just for you.
Jay Fletcher
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EDDIE TAPP ON FLETCHER PORTRAITS
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Here's what Eddie Tapp has to say about portraits done by Jay Fletcher.
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PHOTO TIP - LOW LIGHT WITH NO FLASH!
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 Summer weather encourages us to take advantage of those decks, patios, and picnic grounds to spend time with our friends outdoors. Unfortunately, we all get caught by the "auto" mode on our cameras and end up with evening pictures of our family and friends with that "deer in the headlights" expression.
This is your chance to show off your new talents with the camera. DO NOT USE A FLASH for these images. Set your camera to the manual mode, and set your f-stop to wide open normally f2.8 and set your shutter to around an 1/8- 1/15th of a second. Be sure you use a tripod or something steady (in the above case I used a table),  and encourage your subjects to stand very still. Set your timer, et Voila! You have just created an image that contains emotion and a sense of the viewer's being right in the image it self.
Try setting your camera up on your patio or by a campfire and just experiment. You will soon notice that using available light in low-light situations can be tricky, but the images that you can capture will show you the world in an entirely new way. Remember, if you're shooting with a digital camera, and the shot just doesn't work, DELETE and try again!
If you are feeling really creative, you can even use your computer and image editing software to "tweek" the effect a bit. Always keep in mind, though, that the best photographic tool that you have is your eye. While some times you can make a good shot better, rarely can you make a bad shot any good at all. Be creative and dazzle your friends.
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Jay Fletcher
Fletcher Portrait Artist
3500 Peachtree Rd
Atlanta GA 30326
404-842-9445
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