admin, Author at TNG Photography Blog

Photos in the dead of night

June 26, 2014 admin
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Being that my mind is drawing a blank today and can’t think of anything else to write about, here’s a “how it was done” segment! Enjoy.

This portrait was created just after the sun was down. It was a simple two light set up. One to camera left to illuminate his face and another about 135 degrees to the subject aiming a little behind his left ear. Why did I do this? The main reason was to illuminate the rocks behind him and add texture there otherwise it would be completely black behind him. Another reason is that it added a little skim of light on the outside of his body and on his jaw for background separation. Now for the fun little tidbit that most photographers wouldn’t think of! While the light behind him looks very cool colored and blue, no color filter/gel was used on that light at all. How did I do it? Scroll do the next photo for more of a breakdown:

You can now see my two lights used. The main light actually had an amber gel filtering the light to give it a very warm color. By adjusting my camera’s white balance to 2500K (more tungsten) instead of the daylight balance of the background light (5500K), it neutralized the color on the subject (keeping him look more normal) but made the background/kicker light more blue.

Can your neighbor with a nice camera do that? 🙂

Thanks for reading!

-Nate
Las Vegas Artist : Wil Cormier and the Silverton Casino / Bass Pro Shops

June 18, 2014 admin
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Here’s a recent session I did of the very talented artist, Wil Cormier. He has an exhibit outside of Bass Pro Shops inside of the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas. What a great guy! His paintings are superb and filled with immense detail. The colors are really breathtaking. Head down there as soon as you can and visit his website here: http://www.WilCormier.com

By the way, it’s quite difficult photographing around a dark aquarium! It was a fun challenge.

CALL (702)809-9763 TO HAVE QUALITY IMAGES OF YOU AND YOUR LINE OF WORK! http://www.TNGphoto.com

Las Vegas artist Wil Cormier

1- Tell a little about your business:

I started as a commercial illustrator back in the late 1970s. I started with editorial and book cover illustrations which led later doing movie posters and ads.

2- What inspired you to start your own company?

I always wanted to have a business of my own and I thought that the art business would be a lot of fun for me because my passion is creating paintings that people admire and appreciate.

3- What do you feel is the biggest appeal of your business?

Meeting a lot of interesting people which leads to opportunities and also working with my wife, which I enjoy.

Silverton Artist Wil Cormier Gallery Paintings

4- What do you consider your big break or turning point?

My turning point is when I decided to become a fine art artist. I was invited to have my work represented by galleries in different parts of the country.

Silverton Artist Wil Cormier Gallery Paintings

5- Have anything special planned for 2014?

This year is when I plan on launching several new Cormier fine art products.

Silverton Artist Wil Cormier Gallery Paintings

Silverton Artist Wil Cormier Gallery Paintings

Las Vegas artist Wil Cormier

VISIT WIL CORMIER’S WEBSITE HERE: WWW.WILCORMIER.COM
Sharing the Fun

May 9, 2014 admin
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Forgive me for not blogging lately! I wish I had a good excuse but…actually, I have a lot of good excuses! They all culminate under the umbrella: “I’ve been super busy!” You’ll forgive me right? Say it’s not over between us! 🙂

Before I go on, let me share a Youtube video of a song I haven’t listened to in years that is playing right now over my speakers. The first 4:30 minutes are all I care about really.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvMKsgVBzMo[/youtube]

Now! Onto the fun stuff! I have been cranking out the senior portraits for several weeks now and having great times with great people! If you want to share in the fun, contact me here: http://www.TNGseniors.com

Here are a few that I really liked. If you are graduating soon and haven’t had senior portraits (or you have but thought they could be better), give me a call at (702)809-9763 or go to my Las Vegas senior website here: http://www.TNGseniors.com

http://www.TNGseniors.com

http://www.TNGphoto.com
Las Vegas Senior Photos — Tips to Decide Which Photographer Is Right For You

March 6, 2014 admin
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If you’re a high school senior and you’re ready for the very best senior photography in Las Vegas and Henderson, check out TNGseniors.com and call or text (702)809-9763 ! Your Instagram followers will love you…

Every now and then, I check out Google (have you ever heard of them? I think I’m the first one to use that site.) and read certain helpful lists that I come across. One of these lists is usually from a wedding planning site and it usually has a few tips on “What to Ask Your Wedding Photographer” or something along those lines. Oftentimes, the advice is good but other times, there is just some plain ol’ terrible advice! I saw one tip actually recommend that a bride should hire her relative to photograph the wedding but not skimp out on the most expensive cake in town. Anyway, I decided to write up my own little list but for senior photos! Enjoy!

1) Yearbook photographers aren’t REAL photographers.

Yep, you heard me! Yearbook photographers get contracts with schools to photograph their yearbooks and want you to think you don’t have any other options for senior pictures. While you do have to go to them for your yearbook photo, you DO NOT have to use them for anything else. You might think it’s convenient to take the photos with them since you’re already there but this decision will only be more hassle for you (you’ll probably not like how they turn out and end up calling me). How do I know? Once upon a time when I was freshly graduated from high school I worked for a local yearbook photographer. They had me take all these pictures when I had absolutely NO training whatsoever at the time. Do you want photos in the prime of your life that will be seen by hundreds of people as well as be heirlooms for future generations done by someone with NO training, NO experience, and NO vision? Or would you rather have a photographic artist who specializes in creating unique and long lasting senior portraits that will make you say, “WOW!” It’s a no brainer guys! Check out: TNGseniors.com

2) It’s not OK to look like a statue.

Look at the portfolio of the photographer’s work and if you think looking like a Civil War portrait from 1864 is what you want then great. Otherwise, don’t settle for the other boring and downright bad posing that other photographers abundantly display. Go here and rest easy: TNGseniors.com

3) Senior photos are the best!

Your senior photographer should LOVE taking senior portraits. I’m talkin’ having crazy, unhealthy and almost unbelievable love for taking senior photos. You DON’T want a photographer who is in it for a quick buck and just going through the motions. If you want to know what that would be like to have an unenthusiastic photographer, imagine being photographed by Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. Not fun.

HEY! Did I mention that senior portraits are my absolute favorite line of work? 🙂 Check out: TNGseniors.com

las vegas senior portraits

Class of 2014: Get the best senior portraits in Las Vegas here! www.TNGseniors.com
More photography techno-babble… learn the secrets of the guru… :)

February 26, 2014 admin
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I thought it would be fun to go over a few images I created and describe how they were achieved on a technical level. I have done this on an older blog post so I thought I should resurrect the idea. Fellow photographers will probably understand many of the terms I use in these descriptions but for those of you who aren’t photographers, I hope you can appreciate the effort and thought process that went into each of these images.

Leave a comment with your thoughts or any questions!

This is a friend of mine who is a talented artist and photographer. I asked him if I could create a portrait of him in his workspace for my own personal work of local artists and photographers. The room was not very large so I decided I would use a long lens to compress the background and showcase only a few key elements. This man is a hunter/outdoorsman so I chose a painting to place on an easel stand that had a similar tone to his skintone so it would not clash with the subject’s face. He was lit with a gridded beauty dish, reflector and a bare bulb speelite to add a highlight to his arm and nose. Another speedlite was manually zoomed into 135mm and aimed at the painting behind him.

I decided to switch to a wide angle lens to showcase more of a story. I exchanged the painting in the background for another that still would not clash with the artist’s skin tone and I liked how the bird’s face is turned and looking at our subject. I then liked the idea of having a bird painting in the foreground as well. The wall behind him was normally bare and dull and for a wide angle portrait, I felt it necessary to occupy the space somehow. So, we took one of his hunting trophies and mounted it on the wall behind him. The lighting was the same set up for this image plus another light on a stand, raised up to ceiling height and controlled with barn doors (to make sure not to effect the lighting on the subject), aimed at the antelope to bring out more detail.

My goal for these portraits was to showcase my friend’s passions–hunting, the outdoors and his art. I am pleased with the results.

las vegas photographer

I consider myself quite the lighting aficionado. I am quite versed in it and extremely confident while working with it. I see a lot of other photographers being self described as ” natural light photographers ” and I cringe oftentimes when I see the work they produce. While yes, they work with natural lighting only, they lack the knowledge it takes to manipulate it for the highest quality possible. There are principles of lighting that need to be considered to flatter the subject but they throw this out the window. I don’t consider myself strictly a natural light photographer. I use the tools needed to get the job done right and if it’s natural light, great! If it’s a strobe or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5… off camera then great! Anyway, this portrait was all natural light. No electronic flashes used at all. The sun was behind her, creating a beautiful rim light around her hair and shoulders and I used my 6 ft. tall reflector to bounce and feather the light back into her face to make sure she had proper modeling to the face along with light in the eyes. I used a bush in the foreground for added feeling of depth in the portrait.

I was updating this realtor’s headshots at her home and decided an outdoors setting would be fun. This, like the previous image, was created with natural light only. The side of her home was lit by the sun which added a beautiful light to her face but I added my 6 ft. reflector give it a little extra pop.

This family wanted something edgy and different for their home to match their style and decor. While I did create a few “safer” family photos to get a nice variety, this ended up being their favorite. The low angle is definitely not traditional. The color tone is cool/blue which is a fun departure from my usual warm, vibrant and inviting colors that a lot of my work includes. The wide angle lens made the two kids in the front look gigantic in comparison to the group which is something I usually make a HUGE priority not to do in my most of my more classical family portraits.

The lighting was 3 lights—one key light to camera right to light the group and two lights behind the group (one aimed at the family to add highlights to them and the ground behind them and another aimed somewhat angled at the ceiling to create an interesting bright light behind them. Smiling with teeth would not have fit the mood for this portrait so I asked them to be a little more intense. 🙂 So much fun!

I hope that was helpful! Thanks for reading!

Nate

– Your favorite Las Vegas senior photographer 🙂
Senior portraits: why you need them and why you’ll love them more than your phone…

January 30, 2014 admin
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Dear Class of 2014,

It’s not quite February yet but at some point in the next few weeks, you’re going to have to decide who you are going to trust with your senior photos. Big deal right? Actually, YES! This is a HUGE deal! Aside from your future wedding photos and maybe a jail mugshot or two (I kid, I kid 🙂 ) there is no other set of photos or images of you that are going to be seen by more people. I repeat: A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SEE HOW YOU LOOK. This was true before the internet and it’s even more true these days with Instagram, Twitter, Facebook (a.k.a. MomBook), phones, and ultimately, your final prints that will be displayed until an angry mob has to force your mom to take off her wall one day.

So………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

DO YOU WANT TO LOOK GOOD OR WHAT???

las vegas senior photos

las vegas senior portraits

las vegas senior photos

las vegas senior photos

Here’s what I promise you:

You’re going to look better than you ever thought you’d look in a portrait. No joke. Your mom is going to cry (happy tears of course) when she sees these and you’re gonna be showing everyone how great you look. I don’t ever want seniors to all look the same — BORING! I’m going to make sure you look amazing and you aren’t going to look corny.

I know your busy so head over to my Las vegas senior site here: http://www.TNGseniors.com

The first 6 seniors to call or text (702)809-9763 , mention this blog and get 2- FREE MOVIE TICKETS when you book your session!
Las Vegas Family Photographer . . . a “real photographer” speaks

November 13, 2013 admin
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I had an interesting e-mail the other day. It was a simple inquiry about family portraits. Without a phone number to call, we exchanged a few messages where I gave a few helpful preparation tips and I answered a few questions . In one of the messages, the statement arose, “Sounds good. You must be a real photographer!”

I was a little confused at first by the statement. “Of course I’m a real photographer,” I thought. Quickly though, I realized what she meant after re-examining some of the messages. Amidst all of her questions, she mentioned how she has been unhappy in the past with how her family photos have turned out. I think I must have put her mind at ease somewhere along the way. But still, the line, “You must be a real photographer,” continued to make waves in my mind.

http://www.TNGphoto.com

TNGphoto.com

I have been in this profession for 11 years now. It’s so much fun meeting and working with great people that I rarely feel like I’m working. I feel very blessed for that fact! In the passed 11 years, I’ve noticed how quickly the trends change in my industry and how many copycats there really are and how many, for lack of a better word, wannabes there really are too. Oftentimes, my wife will show me a few pictures on her phone while perusing Facebook.

“Are these good?” she’ll ask. Sadly, not many of them are (in my humble opinion).

“Notice how the lighting is yadda yadda yadda and the lack of care with the clothing yadda yadda yadda and how unflattering the body position is yadda yadda yadda,” this is when my wife usually zones out and thinks about what she wants me to buy her for Christmas or what she’s going to wear for work the next day. Who knows.

I guess my main point is that in the photography industry, the number of “photographers” out there is simply HUGE. So huge that I think the public’s perception of quality has been brutally attacked and the people taking photos aren’t any different really. Forgive me if I seem like I hate every other photographer in existence; that isn’t so at all. There’s a lot of talent out there and much to be inspired from. I do not wish to bash anyone out there at all. The sentence, “You must be a real photographer,” I think just further revealed to me that it is NOT easy for the consumer to find a quality, professional photographer these days.
So I got thinking, what is it the amateur photographers lack that true, quality professionals do not?

Could it be knowledge? Knowledge of the nature of light, proper body positioning, refining and posing, customer service/experience, proper display options, etc. etc. I think those all count but I think if I could point to one glaring difference: VISION.

As I said before, my wife shows me photos on her phone that pop up on her Facebook news feed. I can’t remember many times where the imagery was recognizable as one specific photographer’s work over another. The amount of copying and replication for what someone else did is never ending. I have never wanted to be the next Drake Busath, Van Frazier, William McIntosh, Monte Zucker, Clay Blackmore, Jeremy Cowart, Tim Schooler, Greg Gorman Fuzzy Duenkel……. even though these are all photographers in the U.S. that I admire very much. I can only be me. Nate Grant. I think that’s definitely one thing that separates myself from others in town. When you have a portrait created by myself, you know it’s from me. My portraits…are me. 🙂

FAMILY PORTRAITS ARE UNDERWAY! CALL (702)809-9763 FOR CURRENT

SPECIALS!

TNGphoto.com

Las Vegas Family Photographer
3 FAMILIES ENTER…1 LEAVES….CONTEST!

October 25, 2013 admin
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With the Las Vegas family portrait rush about to get going, I thought I’d spice things up a little bit with a quick CONTEST! Here’s how it works:

1st place Grand prize: $250 portrait credit, 10% discount on order and a $50 gift card to the Grand Luxe Cafe in the Venetian!

2nd place: $10 Starbucks Gift Card

3rd place: 2 FREE RedBox rentals

Obviously, you want to be the 1st place winner! Here are the rules:

1) Only 3 families will be accepted. TO BE SELECTED, TELL ME WHY YOU’LL BE THE RIGHT FAMILY FOR THE JOB!

2) Your family will be photographed for no session fee and no obligation to order anything!

3) After the session, your portrait will be displayed on Facebook

4) The family who refers the most sessions to me by December 1st, 2013 wins the grand prize!

SEND ME A MESSAGE HERE TO SIGN UP! DON’T FORGET TO TELL ME WHY YOU’LL BE THE RIGHT FAMILY FOR THE JOB!
The Las Vegas Realtor You’ve Been Waiting For!

October 4, 2013 admin
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I’d like to showcase the very kind and lovely, DaLea Ellis. DaLea and I have known each other for a few years as I periodically bought advertising space in the local magazine she used to own. Well, she decided it was time for a change and is now following her goals and has become a realtor here in Las Vegas and she is excited for what lies ahead. DaLea reached out to me and told me of her new welcomed changes and I told her I would love to feature her on my blog.

Check out her website here: http://www.northwestlasvegashomes.com/

las vegas realtor photographer

DaLea Ellis, a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty, has been married for 23 years and is the mother of six children, four daughter-in-laws, one grandson and one grandbaby due in the spring. Having raised a family of her own, she understands that the needs of each family are different and ever changing. She is ready and excited to help clients find their perfect home.

las vegas realtor photographer

las vegas realtor photographer

There is no place like home and the ability to provide the perfect home for your family is priceless. Having a career that allows her the flexibility of meeting her families needs while building a successful business is her ultimate reason for choosing Real Estate. Meeting new people and creating great relationships along the way are the bonuses to this business.

DaLea is very involved with her church and family. She has a flair for creative decorating, crafts, sewing, scrapbooking and loves spending time with her family. She’s a runner and enjoys a good morning workout. She has eight years experience as publisher of a monthly magazine.

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT: http://www.northwestlasvegashomes.com/

By the way, can you believe DaLea is a grandma?!

-Nate

http://www.TNGphoto.com
Family Portraits in ZION NATIONAL PARK: 2013– DATES ANNOUNCED!

September 12, 2013 admin
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As you all have probably seen on this blog, each year I schedule a day to photograph families in Zion National Park. This has turned into one of my favorite traditions every year. We always make a trip there for family portraits because the canyon is filled with beautiful fall colors (that’s one thing we sure lack here in Vegas) and the busy summer season has died down and the park is quite secluded so it is very relaxing and easy going.

I’m excited for this year’s PORTRAITS IN THE LEAVES! If you’d like to make it on NOVEMBER 2nd (even if you are unsure if you can make it or not at the moment) click here

Here’s a quick dad story:

Earlier, I made myself half a turkey sandwich and put a few Cheetoh’s (a.k.a. the most addictive -and salty- snack ever devised by evil chefs) on my thin paper plate to join in on the action.

“Something is missing,” I thought about saying but just thought instead. Okay, that’s a lie. I actually spoke this aloud. I talk to myself all the time.

BINGO! There on the cold fridge door was a nicely chilled bottle of something especially delicious but only Las Vegas and Arizona natives can attest to. MACAYO’S SAUCE!

Other smooth sauces just cannot compare to this Las Vegas legend. Feeling somewhat elated that I bought a few bottles at the store on my last trip, I drizzled a few generous squirts onto a lonely part of the paper plate. Ready to eat my meal, I walked over to the chase lounge of our couch and sat, watching an SNL skit on Netflix. But I was not alone…

This is my son, Owen. He’s not happy here.

My 20 month old (only four more months until I can just say, “He’s 2” and not have to give specific months) saw my food and engaged his tractor beam. In a flash, his big blue eyes peaked over my plate and his big-little hands began their Cheetoh stealing work. Defeated, as usual, I allowed my little clone to share in the snack. He wanted more though. More. More. MORE! He then started his ascent up my foot then up my ankle to try to climb onto my leg when it happened…

SPLAT!

The left side of his face fell onto the thin paper plate, propelling the crunchy Cheetohs into the air with Apollo 11-like thrust. Not worse for wear, my boy stood up, looked up at me again and there on the left side of his face was a puddle of smooth, rich Macayo’s sauce dripping from his temple down to his cheek.

I was frustrated at first due to the cleanup but quickly realized that it was too funny to not laugh at due to it being Owen’s personal karma for always stealing his dad’s (me) food. I’m also quite sure that was his first time tasting Macayo’s sauce. I think he liked it.

– Nate

TNGphoto.com