Friends, Family, Fun and a Farewell

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Hanging out with friends last week, we said farewell to a very special person to me.

Back in 1999 an overzealous Morehouse student was seeking a career in Electrical Engineering. After a failed interview attempt and some advice from a friend, he went back to the drawing board. Instead of staying in Atlanta, he went to Huntsville, AL and worked for NASA and then to Toledo, Ohio and worked for a summer in the automotive industry (GM Transmission Plant - 3rd Shift) to diversify his background in Engineering. He wasn't ready for the big leagues yet but in 2002 it was a different story. He exercised patience and finally had the experience under his belt and the business/engineering acumen to match. Good thing his friend was still around...

If you are wondering, that student was me.

People are placed in our lives for a certain reason. Some for a season and others for a lifetime. I am glad to have some lifetime friends that have watched me grow and I, in turn, have watched them do the same. They know who I am talking about and I hope reading these words lets you know the special place you hold in my heart.

Here's to all my friends in your quest for personal, professional, and spiritual development! May all of our steps continue to be Ordered in the direction that will surely lift us all as our natural gifts propel us to future success.

special note: if you are wondering why I am always wearing the same hat for the last month in every picture, its my hat of the moment - given to me by my older sis. with love.

- KNIGHT









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Wedding Registry and My iPhone

Saturday, January 26, 2008

What does Crate & Barrel, Best Buy, Target, Williams & Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond, and the iPhone have in common with me? - the answer later in this post.


When I first bought my iPhone I was pretty happy because I did not have to lug my huge Canon 5d or 30d everywhere. It's decent to take a few shots if you have enough light.

Since we were getting our wedding registry (help!) done I decided to document the process. All on my iPhone. The battery on the thing died a few weeks ago so before we got started at the mall, I stopped by the Apple Store to get it fixed. Turns out they had to give me a new one. I'm not complaining. Those Genius Bar people are very helpful. Walk into an Apple store and you will know what I'm talking about. I was feeling pretty cool at this point walking around setting up all my custom features again.

We went to about two different stores and I was snapping away. Taking pictures was keeping me sane during the whole process. Turned out to be fun picking out things for the house (by faith - new house). When I got home, I plugged up my iPhone and did the unthinkable. I was so excited that I synced the phone with my old information without backing up the new. This something that would never happen if I was using my regular camera because I use different software. I have a workflow!

All the pictures are Gone! Gone! Gone!!!!! A disaster, but I still have the memories. and we still have two more stores to go. Bet that won't happen again.

I will tell you this, the whole wedding process has given me new found respect for brides across the globe. I shoot weddings all the time and I meet with couples everywhere so I totally understand the process. But now its my turn! Woohoo. Stress is a test and the future Mrs. KNIGHT is passing with flying colors!

Here is a funny little thing that happened. I went to a photographer party the other day and the host was making fondue. I walked into the house party and past everyone standing around, straight to the kitchen. I started naming everything she was cooking with by name, brand, and expense. This wedding thing is on the verge of domesticating my life!

So that's what all those stores have in common. I am finally learning that there is more to a kitchen than my grill on the deck, more to a living room than my couch and t.v., more to a bedroom than my king size and shower, I am learning how to create a home. The Bachelor pad is coming to an end but I'm really excited about turning my house into a home.

Next up - Where in Atlanta is KNIGHT, get ready, stay tuned, subscribe if you must, there's some free stuff I'm giving away!!!


- KNIGHT
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New Technology for KNIGHT Clients!!!

Friday, January 25, 2008

Ross Oscar Knight Photography stays on the cutting edge of style and function, now offering the choice of iPod Touch proofing. Your iPod Touch proofing is in addition to your online proofing with Pictage!

If you’re just not a traditional proof-book-toting-type of couple, then this option is for you!

A cool slideshow will be available on your new 8 gig iPod Touch after we post your images online. Slip it into your purse or pocket to share with friends and family on the go! We can even deliver your digital negatives on your iPod Touch instead of a DVD. We’ll also post your slideshow online so you can send the link to anyone you choose. Enjoy the use of your new iPod long after your Wedding or Lifestyle Session to listen to iTunes music, set appointments, watch YouTube, and browse the Internet!

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Youth vs. Wisdom?

the KNIGHT nephews - Ready for the Cameras?

So I've been thinking that I am determined to get cameras in these fellas hands in the next year or so. I'm waiting on that "throw everything in my hands as far as it will go" phase to be over. On second thought maybe we will have to wait another 2 - 3 years.


I was in Florida last week and no trip would be complete unless I got to see the young ones. They always remind me about how precious life is and how innocent kids can be.

I also got a chance to visit with my grandparents. They are two of the funniest people I know in the entire world. I believe that my grandmother could have been a stand up comedian! I really appreciate how candid they have both been with me as I have grown older. My grandmother is the one who entrusted me to so much family history a few years back when I took all her pictures to make copies.


As I talked with both of them, then thought about my young nephews, I had an interesting question pop up.

Would I rather have Youth or Wisdom? If I could only pick one...

How about you?

By the way, I know what Solomon is all about! But I thought I would ask anyway.

- KNIGHT
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Shooting For Fun - 10/07

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

This was a fun portrait shoot and a learning experience also. The location was on point and the colors were just right! Check out the images below...





- KNIGHT
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Cleaning Out Old Files...

Saturday, January 12, 2008

I am still purging files from last year and I discovered a hidden folder with some images taken last year. Why am I so excited?? I forgot about this location that I wanted to shoot. I took this picture last Summer to remind me to shoot there this year. I cannot wait!! Any takers?

For Beginning Photographers: Study the composition and think of where you would place your subject. Its all about the light!


- KNIGHT
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The Proof is in The Details - For Beginning Photographers and Hobbyist

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

I've had a lot of emails from beginning photographers about my style of photography and the details that I capture. One thing about shooting weddings is documenting all the important details of the day. Think about it, the bride, groom, and their families have put so much time, energy, and money into this special occasion. You have to honor that by making sure to notice everything! And I do mean everything! Not just something new, something old, something borrowed, something blue.

Back to the Future: When it was time for me to graduate from high school, all of the students purchased these special little books that you were supposed to decorate with all of your high school memorabilia and chronicle your life up to that point. I had a few problems.

1. I had no money to buy the book

2. I had way too much stuff

3. I didn't like cutting paper and gluing images

4. If you didn't have a book you couldn't get your friends' signatures - the uncool kid :-(

5. Most of the guys at school could care less to carry around a memory book

(note: don't worry, I'm taking this story somewhere - keep reading)

So I devised a plan. I went to the local Walmart and bought a huge album for like 10 bucks. Remember the albums with the acid pages. Who ever thought it was a good idea to use the type of sticky pages that would eventually eat through your images in a few years? Come on, you know you still have some of your pictures in those old albums and you can't peel the pictures off now without tearing, right?

Anyways, I created my own book. I had hundreds of pictures, receipts, pendants, award certificates, report cards (dating back to Elementary School), fabric (from proms), newspaper clippings, programs...you get deal. I was a pretty huge pack rat. No need for a year book, I could make my own. Or even lend them material.

What I realized when I started doing photography professionally is that I was never a pack rat. I appreciated history and documenting my past. I was creative in ways to display my view of life and what I wanted (or wanted to forget) for the future. I loved details and I noticed things that others overlooked.

The same is still true.

As a professional photographer, now I get paid to document the lives of others. How cool is that! Not only am I keeping up with my own history, now I get a chance to play a part in capturing the history and future of others. Someone 100 years from now (?? guess I may be somewhere else by then) will look at one of my images or flip through one of my books and appreciate (hopefully) what was happening during that time. This may all sound pretty basic to you but it totally excites me. Yet another reason why "...the key is to love what you see." I have no clue who or what I will influence in the future. As long as I show love for what I am doing, I am completely satisfied with where I am going. Was that a quote?

Back to the post and ending my mid-day rambling.

So since I shoot so many weddings and you get to see those details on the site all of the time, let's look at something different. Here is a sneak peek into a portion of what I will be teaching in the workshop.

Take this room:


Nothing too special. It's just a hallway and a room, right? But there are some really important details. And actually some pretty extraordinary photographs that could take place if we added a person there or simply take a closer look.

When thinking of details, you need to figure out a way to capture them and display them in a way that shows appreciation (and love) for the thought of the person and existence of the item.

Here's one view:


And another:



And another:



And yet another: (sorry 'bout those shadows!)


The options are limitless. I could stay in one 10x10 room for a month shooting different details. They are everywhere. Honor your clients and/or your subject material by capturing the details in a different way. Don't just go out and copy what you've seen before. That's what I strive to do and what I always hope my clients appreciate - me paying attention and capturing something different. More on this at the workshop.

The Proof is in The Details because it shows that you have love for what you do and the people that you are privileged to work with.

By the way, I did become the cool kid with my custom high school memory book. It did weigh about 10 pounds but I had more pages than anyone else to sign (when others ran out) and I had more images to back up my stories (that people thought were a figment of my imagination). I still have the book and about 5 - 6 others from college. The next book will document my time in Corporate America.

Back to the Present: So interesting how your past comes back to help you in the future.

- KNIGHT
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Simplicity - The Right Mix


Here's a shot from last year that I absolutely love. Believe it or not there were about 12 other people standing around but with the right mix of shutter speed and aperture I was able to make them disappear.

The shot was done outdoors and it was almost 30 degrees outside! We were freezing but not before I captured this shot. If you can't tell, that's the model standing with her hands in her pockets. She was a real trooper.

- KNIGHT
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2007 - 2008 Still The Same Source of My Success

Monday, January 7, 2008

2007 was truly an amazing year. I knew back in January 2007 that I was really ready to make progress in my personal life and my business. I made a list of what I wanted to accomplish and had to start over by the summer. I never knew what God really had in store!

2007
I got Engaged!!
197 Photo Shoots
Unlimited Plane Rides
234 New Friends
2 New Websites (1) (2)
2 New Photographers
2 Sponsorships
1 New Camera
4 New Lenses
1 New Business Plan
Expanded Blog
The Atlanta Tribune
The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Oprah.com
Metro Atlanta Arts Feature
PARADE Magazine
VAKNIN Gallery
Jezebel Magazine
ENCORE Magazine
WeddingChannel.com
TheKnot.com
LEAD Atlanta
and that's not all....


2008
I'm getting Married!
3 New Workshops
8 New Publications
3 New Radio Shows
5 New Articles
1 New Sponsorship
Website (Just you wait!)
10 New Countries
1 New Airline
Start 1 New Book
1 New House?
Breast Cancer Initiative
Run 1 Race (or 2)
more on this list later...

Some of you may be thinking that this entry is written to brag. Not completely. It's actually written to brag about where my blessings come from. Up ABOVE! I'm nothing without the vision and mission given to me every day and at every photo shoot by my spiritual guidance.

I do not take lightly being able to wake up every day of my life with the realization that I am living my dream. That I have found my purpose in life. That I am doing exactly what I was made to do. And its not Photography. Its to give praise through my gifts and talents.

- KNIGHT



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