Tampa event photographer

PER Conference 2013 at Moffitt Cancer Center USF Tampa Florida Event Photography

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Speaking about melanoma at the PER 2013 Conference at USF Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 2000 1/160th (no flash)I was a USF student in the 1990s.  I have not been back to the campus much since, but I spent over eight hours there on Saturday photographing the 2013 PER Conference on melanoma at the Moffitt Cancer Center.  It was a very weird feeling to hear so many talks, in English, and really not having any ability to put into context the stats and treatments they were talking about!  However, in the end I did start to decipher some of it.  I now know about "ippy."

Inside the 2013 PER Conference at Moffitt Cancer Center USF Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/4 ISO 2500 1/60th (no flash)I was given some specific instructions for this conference, the most concerning being that I could not use flash, at all.  I had to only hope there would be enough available light to get decent enough exposures, and thankfully there was.  You will see though some very high ISO settings I had to use!

Break time during the 2013 PER Conference in the Moffitt Cancer Center USF Tampa Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/4 ISO 2000 1/60th (no flash)There were also specific shot angles needed.  By the second speaker I had pretty much dialed in my settings for each part of the conference room.  I used three lenses to photograph each speaker to cover all angles.  The light and the subject matter was not changing, so once I established my settings and angles, it was a matter of making sure the speaker was not blinking or caught frozen in the photo making a funny face mid syllable.  

Festivals of Speed Luxury Lifestyle Jet Port Reception 2013

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McLaren MP4-12C Spider at the Tampa Jet Center - event photography - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDR imageI received a media pass to the Festivals of Speed Luxury Lifestyle Jet Port Reception 2013 to go in and make all the photographs of supercars I wanted.  This was my second time shooting at the Tampa International Jet Center, which is an outstanding location for Tampa car photography, although since it is an event for people, most cars were rather surrounded and close to each other.  Therefore, I looked for the best partial angles most of the time in composing my car shots.  One benefit of the formal event going on was that there were numerous colorful lights flashing across the space creating vivid backgrounds.  It seems everyone is getting a McLaren MP4-12C Spider nowadays as the white one above was the second one I saw in as many weeks.

Aston Martin DBS painted like a kaleidoscope at the Tampa International Jet Center - Tampa event photography - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDRAn Aston Martin DBS is normally an understated supercar that looks both fierce and classy at the same time.  I would not want to try to describe how this kaleidoscope painted DBS looks, so that's why there is a photo of it for you to form your own thoughts.  

Fisker Karma parked beside a private jet at Festivals of Speed Luxury Lifestyle event 2013 - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDRThe supercars at this event were parked along a variety of luxury lifestyle items, even private jets.  The photo above suggests one could step out of their private jet (huge environmental impact) into their Fisker Karma electric vehicle and perhaps offset using so much jet fuel to transport so few people.  

Classic motorcycles at dusk - Tampa International Jet Center - event photography - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 13 sec single exposureA line of classic motorcycles fanned out onto the tarmac at the Tampa International Jet Center.  That is not the sunset in the background, just a large flood light, but I chose to overexpose the shot to look like it was.

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder with engine cove open at Festivals of Speed Luxury Lifestyle 2013 event - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDRI spent an hour looking for shots at this event, trying to find suitable backgrounds and to use the existing flood and strobe lights to compliment the mostly HDR techniques I was using to make images that evening.

Sweet & Sassy Tampa Birthday Party with Juliana

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Juliana lying across the laps of 25 of her friends at Sweet & Sassy Tampa - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 in brolly to frame left & SB-600 in shoot through umbrella to frame rightOn Saturday I ventured to a most unusual place in Tampa called Sweet & Sassy to photograph Juliana's 9th birthday party.  Juliana and her family are returning clients.  I photographed her 7th birthday party and also made beach portraits of her family.  At Sweet & Sassy she was joined by 25 (!) of her friends for a spa treatment and runway fashion time.

Juliana celebrating her 9th birthday in a most unusual way at Sweet & Sassy Tampa Florida - Nikon D80 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/100th SB-600 hotshoe mounted at 1/4 powerApparently having mud put on your face and cucumbers on your eyes is something done on purpose.  I am not sure if I would ever willingly try it, but it sure makes for an interesting photograph of Juliana that her mom can no doubt use to embarrass her at her 29th birthday party!

On the runway during her birthday party at Sweet & Sassy Tampa - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 in brolly to frame right front & SB-600 in shoot through umbrella to frame right backAfter the spa treatment and makeovers, it was time to hit the runway.  Each girl got several changes to walk the runway and strike a pose.  There was just enough space for me to set up two of my speedlights to get a strobist shot like the one above, which allowed for soft and directional lighting.  With the speedlight on camera, this of course would not have been possible.

Karaoke singing at Sweet & Sassy Tampa during her birthday party - Nikon D80 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/100th SB-600 hotshoe mounted at 1/4 powerAfter the runway out came the mic for three karaoke songs.  To my own embarrassment, and a blow to my punk rock cred, I knew all three!  I believe the first was called "You Don't Know Your Beautiful," the next was "Call Me Maybe," and the last was a new catchy Taylor Swift song about never, ever getting back together, apparently.  

Juliana with glitter makeup during her birthday party at Sweet & Sassy Tampa - Nikon D80 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/100th SB-600 speedlight hotshoe mounted @ 1/4 powerThere was sparkling glitter everywhere!  So much that I had to be careful what I leaned up against and where I set my photography gear down.  Juliana can be seen in the above photo with a glitter tattoo as well as a hairdo covered in glitter.  

Mother and daughter during her 9th birthday at Sweet & Sassy Tampa - Nikon D80 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/100th SB-800 hotshoe mounted @ 1/4 power

Mom and daughter together for a quick portrait before Juliana went back to having a blast with her friends helping her celebrate her 9th birthday.  I am thankful that I continue to be her family's photographer for their life events.
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    Cars & Couture 2012 Tampa International Jet Center

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    Ferrari 458 Italia & Ferrari FF at Cars & Couture 2012 event in Tampa - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDR tripod mounted with cable release

    • If I took your photograph at this event, CONTACT ME for your portrait!

    I was given a media pass to the Cars & Couture 2012 event at the Tampa International Jet Center that was held to benefit the charity Autism Speaks.  Being an avid supercar fan, I was very excited to have the opportunity to photograph some of my favorite cars in a cool setting.  In the above photo, you can see my absolute current favorite car, the Ferrari 458 Italia on the left.  This was also my first chance to get to see the new Ferrari FF (on the right) in person.  I thought the FF looked smaller than I thought it would being a 4-seater with ample cargo space.  

    An Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione looks out over the Tampa International Jet Center airfield - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDR tripod mounted with cable release

    I arrived at 6pm as the sun was getting low in the sky allowing me to catch some of the sunset mixed with the hangar location of the event as seen in the above shot of a very rare Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.  I like the design of this Alpha quite a lot.  It was given the best spot, perhaps because it arrived late!

    Cars & Couture 2012 in Tampa featured private jets too! - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 7-exposure HDR tripod mounted with cable releaseI must say that an airplane hangar makes a great venue for showcasing cars and allowing guests to have both an indoor and outdoor experience, especially when there is a big view of the Florida sky at dusk as a backdrop.  It was a little hot inside the hangar though as even this late into October Florida refuses to acknowledge that it is in fact autumn.

    NASCAR was even represented at Cars & Couture 2012 in Tampa! - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 9-exposure HDR tripod mounted with cable releaseI had a great time at this event and am very thankful I was given a press pass.  My supercar itch, is for the moment, somewhat scratched!

    Florida Governor Rick Scott at Office Depot Foundation children's event in Tampa

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    Florida Governor Rick Scott at Office Depot Foundation August 2012 - Nikon D80 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/100th SB-600 @ 1/2 power hotshoe mountedPeriodically as a Tampa Event Photographer I get to photograph government officials and politicians ranging from the Mayor of St. Petersburg all the way to the U.S. Secretary of Labor.  This afternoon I had the opportunity to photograph Florida Governor Rick Scott when he appeared at the Office Depot Foundation event celebrating its charity work giving away backpacks full of school supplies to Tampa Bay area children.

    Florida Governor Rick Scott back row left with school children - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th SB-800 @ 1/2 power hotshoe mountedThis was my third time photographing an event for Office Depot who I am very glad to continue to have a very good business relationship with.  Shooting these events helped me to learn the real world efforts Office Depot puts forth that directly help the local community any particular store is in.  

    Young Tampa girls getting to meet Governor Rick Scott of Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th SB-800 @ 1/4 power hotshoe mountedPeople of all ages were excited for their chance to shake hands with the Governor and have a little chat with him.  I was frankly surprised that these girls showed up early to the event just for their "grip & grin" chance as it is called in the industry.

    Everyone in attendance with Florida Governor Rick Scott (center back) - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 800 1/60th SB-800 @ 1/2 power hotshoe mountedIt was a bit of a tight fit, but everyone honored at the event was able to be fit into a single photo.  I stood up on a chair to be able to make this shot, guessing that standing on the floor right in front of them may not be enough.  The event took place right in an Office Depot in a small area prepared for less people than the many that actually came!  It was nice and cozy though.

    Everyone competing for Governor Rick Scott's words.I was by no means the only photographer there.  Plus, there were several camera men.  So I had to compete for space and positioning most of the time at the event, as well as predict where the best angle to photograph the Governor would be as he mingled throughout the store.  It was a fun challenge and kind of cool to be around the local press and media.  Thank you again to Office Depot for the opportunity!

    UPDATE:  see me (left side) in action in a photo taken by the Governor's official photographer