MangoTree Photography Blog

Details, Details!

Wow, where did the time go?  Sorry for the delay in posting.  It has been crazy busy, since coming back from destination weddings on the Mainland and Mexico.  Have a few weddings to post but think I will hold off as we are getting ready to launch our new website, www.mikeadrian.com

You can stop by the new blog as thats where I will be posting from here on out. http://mikeadrian.typepad.com

I thought I would still post a few detail shots from the last wedding at the Four Seasons Maui.

Thanks for checking in and see you at the new Blog!

Price vs. Value, or both?

Had this discussion at our last Hawaii Photographer's meeting on Tuesday night.  Today, I stumbled upon this article from Author Seth Godin viewing our friend JSandifers Blog.  This article sums up my thoughts, and our recent discussion exactly.

Two halves of the value fraction

By Seth Godin

In a down economy, marketers fret a lot about price. We think that since times are tough, people care about price and nothing but price.

Of course, people actually care more about value. They care about value more than they used to because they can’t afford to overpay, they don’t want to make a mistake with their money.

Value = benefit/price. That means that one way to make value go up is to lower price, right?

The thing is, there’s another way to make the value go up. Increase what you give. Increase quality and quantity and the unmeasurable pieces that bring confidence and joy to an interaction.

When all of your competitors are busy increasing value by cutting prices, you can actually increase market share by increasing value and raising benefits.

Over the past six months, our studio has increased focus on our customer service and quality products to our clients.  We feel that providing our clients with a even higher quality of Service and products has been the catalyst to our studio's continued growth during this down economy.

A note to photographer's feeling the pressures of the failing economy. Stop playing the pricing game! This only devalues your services, and your livelihood. Take actions to start providing amazing customer service, and the best quality/Value for your clients!  

You owe it to yourself to be paid for your talent, Your clients deserve to have the best Service/Quality/Value your business can provide.

Mike

Lahaina Portrait Session, Monica+Dale

Monica and Dale were recently engaged.  Two of the nicest people you could meet, ready to take their commitment to each other to the next level.  So we set up a shoot, and I got a chance to hang out with both of them in Lahaina Town last week for a really fun session.  

I love shooting in fun and interesting places, and Monica and Dale were game to just see where the afternoon took us.  

Congratulations Monica and Dale! Looking forward to the wedding this fall...

I also had a group of photographers join us to help photograph Monica and Dale, the photographers can use the images the shot, to build their portfolios.  The Photography group meets up each month on the second Tuesday of the month.  If you are interested in joining us stop by the webiste for more info.  I will post some of the images from the other photographers who joined us soon.

Below is a sample of some of my images from the afternoon.

Aloha,

Mike

iPhone pano images, and tips

I have been on a iPhone photo kick the last few months, and since posting images or emailing them to friends, I have gotten quite a few questions regarding the images.  Many people ask if the images I send them are really from the iPhone, because they look like they were shot with a more fully featured digital camera.  Since the comments have been a plenty, I thought I should give a little tutorial on capturing images with the iPhone.  

Tip #1

The iPhone camera is not a DSLR.  So don't try to make the camera do something it can't.  There is no flash on the phone so remember that you are working with a slow shutter, and available light.

Tip #2

The camera captures images when you release the photo button, not when you push the photo button!

Tip #3

Hold the camera steady until the shutter has released and the photo has been taken... By following just the first 3 tips, your images should be quite a bit better.

Tip #4

Buy 2 apps.  Camera Bag ($4.99), and Pano($4.99).  Both these apps will let you make very creative images from your phone.

Below is the results of tips 1-4, using the app Pano.  I hope you enjoy the images and this inspires you to take some really cool images with your phone.

Upcountry, Maui.  Shot with Pano, using 4 frames

 

Winters, CA  Shot with Pano, using 3 frames.

 

Lake Berryessa, CA Shot with Pano, using 3 frames.

 

Lake Tahoe, CA Shot with Pano, using 5 frames

 

Pictage Directory Listing for MangoTree Photography

Here is our studio's new Directory Listing on Pictage.  You can check out the listing by going to Pictage.com and selecting the, Find a Photographer Tab.  We are located in both the Hawaii Directory, and the San Francisco/Wine Country section.  And if you book through the Pictage site you will qualify for a $50 dollar gift certificate.  We are also very proud to offer our photography services to the greater Northern California Region.  We will be specializing in Napa and Wine Country Weddings starting this summer.

Mike Colon Experience X, Maui, Hawaii

Recap of Day 1, so much great information that my head feels swollen!  No joke, Mike workshop is the most info loaded of the workshops I have attended over the past few years.  We also have great shooting environments to practice what we are learning.  The picture here was from the photo shoot on Front St. in Lahaina.  

I am really excited to be here and be a part of this experience.  Mike and I met back two years ago when I was just getting into wedding photography.   Mike encouraged me to go out and become a photographer who not only just took great photos, but to become a photographer who learned and applied what I learned to help others just like myself.  

I will keep everyone posted over the next few days, and put up some more images of the workshop.

Aloha

Mike

New Images on the MangoTree Website!

We have just updated the website with fresh new visual inspiration from the past few months!  Stop by and check it out.  

Oh yeah, BTW, we have a few spots left during next weeks holiday break.  For those of you who haven't yet gotten images for your holiday cards and mailers, what are you waiting for!  And, for those of you who are oh so lucky to be in Maui for the Holiday weekend, drop us an email so we can schedule you for a relaxed lifestyle shoot during your stay.  

Aloha...

Dane Sanders, Fast Track Photographer

The last time Dane Sanders and I spoke, was at the Pictage Partner Conference in LA.  He had just given a great lecture on how to create a successful wedding photography business.  I thanked him, for all the wonderful pieces of information and tips he has given to me through his lectures, talks, emails, and now his new book, Fast Track Photographer!  The book is a must read for both new photographers, and veterans alike.  You can find Dane's book on his website Fasttrackphotographer.com.  

Photography at the Summit Workshop, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

What a week!  The summit workshop was definitely a great place to become inspired.  I loved the time in the field shooting athletes and lifestyle images until my memory cards were full.  If you get the chance to join next years workshop, I highly recommend it.

Here are some of my favorites from the week.

A special thanks to all the instructors, staff, models,and new friends!

The Canon 5D Mark II Released Today!

My first day off in the past few weeks, I was just cruising thru some blogs and came across the official release of the 5D Mark II.  I knew this was going to be released soon, as Nikon and Sony have recently added cameras in their lines to compete with the 5D.  Wedding and portrait photographers will be all over this new version of a their trusted camera.  Below are the key features.  enjoy.

Key features / improvements

• 21 megapixel CMOS sensor (very similar to the sensor in the EOS-1Ds Mark III)
• Sensor dust reduction by vibration of filter
• ISO 100 - 6400 calibrated range, ISO 50 - 25600 expansion (1Ds Mark III & 5D max ISO 3200)
• Auto ISO (100 - 3200) in all modes except manual
• 3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
• DIGIC 4 processor, new menus / interface as per the EOS 50D
• Image processing features:
  • Highlight tone priority
  • Auto lighting optimizer (4 levels)
  • High ISO noise reduction (4 levels)
  • Lens peripheral illumination correction (vignetting correction)
• RAW and SRAW1 (10 MP) / SRAW2 (5 MP)
• RAW / JPEG selection made separately
• Permanent display of ISO on both top plate and viewfinder displays
• AF microadjustment (up to 20 lenses individually)
• Three custom modes on command dial, Creative Auto mode
• Image copyright metadata support
• 98% coverage viewfinder (0.71x magnification)
• 3.0" 920,000 dot LCD monitor with 'Clear View' cover / coatings, 170° viewing angle
• Automatic LCD brightness adjustment (ambient light sensor)
• Live view with three mode auto-focus (including face detection)
• No mirror-flip for exposures in Live View if contrast detect AF selected
• Movie recording in live view (1080p H.264 up to 12 minutes, VGA H.264 up to 24 mins per clip)
• Two mode silent shooting (in live view)
• New jump options in play mode
• HDMI and standard composite (AV) video out
• Full audio support: built-in mic and speaker, mic-in socket, audio-out over AV (although not HDMI)
• IrPort (supports IR remote shutter release using optional RC1 / RC5 controllers)
• UDMA CompactFlash support
• New 1800 mAh battery with improved battery information / logging
• New optional WFT-E4 WiFi / LAN / USB vertical grip
• Water resistance: 10 mm rain in 3 minutes