Lake Las Vegas

Monday, April 28, 2008


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One Image That Explains It All...


Just made it back to Atlanta from Vegas today. Now I'm trying to switch my mind and body back over to Eastern time yet again. It was really hot out there and I made the mistake of not wearing sun block the first day during the engagement shoot and wedding rehearsal. Luckily the day before the wedding on Friday, Mrs. KNIGHT arrived with 50 spf and I was good to go. No more red cheeks or ears! Gotta love being married.

The first thing I do after shooting a wedding is to come home or back to the hotel and go through every single image one by one. I'm usually dead tired but when I walk through the door there's a bit of weird excitement that comes over me. I can't rest until I find the one image that has really captured the essence of the day. Sometimes its a unique shot of the couple, or a proud parent, or the wedding party. Other times its the dress, or the rings, or the bouquet.

For this wedding, I posted the image above. It wasn't just about the details of the shoes. Its what the composition shows when you look further. I had both shoes with me in the bridal suite before any of the bridal party arrived and I just couldn't figure out how to place them. So I left the room in search of better light. Soon I found an open balcony with an amazing view of the golf course. The golf course didn't really help but the pattern on the balcony floor did. I set the shoes down carefully as to not scratch or dirty them. Its then that I noticed my composition formed the shape of a heart. How cool!

The image of the heart sums up not only the wedding but the entire 5 days I was out in Vegas with this couple. The outpouring of love from the family and friends in attendance was truly evident. I consider it an honor that this couple asked me to shoot their wedding as personal friends. I felt like family the entire time. The best way I knew how to show them how honored I was? Work tirelessly to shoot their wedding with the love God has given me for His creations. After the wedding, some of the guests commented to me about my flexibility. With some of the positions I get in to shoot, pretty soon my stretching will allow me to do a complete split!

I still have a couple hundred images to sort through but I will post more images from this sweet wedding soon.

- KNIGHT
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Terry + Bernadette | Las Vegas, NV - Sepia Love

Friday, April 25, 2008

Since many of my clients become true friends of mine, celebrating their weddings and other special moments in their lives become personal to me. Terry and Bernadette are a true example of this. I met Terry back in 2003 when I moved 40 minutes south of Atlanta to save money to purchase my fist home (2004). Terry was a friend of a friend and we were introduced briefly not really knowing that our paths would cross again and again. Fast forward to 2006 when Terry contacted me about a wonderful young lady that he met in Las Vegas and had been dating for some time. He wanted me to document his proposal to her at The Chateau Elan Winery. That's when I met Bernadette. Since then, we have become great friends and get to hang out when we're in the same city.

Today both of them were feeling the stress of the wedding. Check out the first picture below. Friends and family were still arriving in town, suits being delivered, dress to be picked up, and there are events planned every night up until the wedding. So I decided to get them away from their cell phones and out to take a few pictures. Luckily, the beautiful Lake Las Vegas Resort complimented this equally beautiful couple perfectly.

We were shooting during mid-day so the challenge was the harsh light outdoors. I worked creatively to capture the couple's personality and use compositions that matched their style. Oh yeah, that checkers game was not a set up. It was real! Check how serious Terry was thinking about his next move.

Terry - ever the dapper gentleman

+

Bernadette - with her gorgeous smile

=

Classic Sepia Love


- KNIGHT



















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Touch down!

Thursday, April 24, 2008


I wrote this blog entry last night and forgot to hit the "publish" tab before I fell asleep.

I just touched down in Vegas and I am gearing up for the engagement session tomorrow at Lake Las Vegas and the wedding this weekend at Dragon Ridge. When I left Atlanta I wasn't looking forward to the 4 hour flight to the West Coast. Lucky for me I was upgraded to first class on Delta so I slept like a baby the entire way out. After so many bad airport experiences and airplane landings it was a relief to be welcomed by short security lines and a smooth ride. This is my 2nd trip out to Vegas this year and I have have 2 more to go. I rented a car this go around and now I actually know where I am driving while off The Strip!

Look out for the pictures of the engagement session tomorrow. I've got some cool ideas I want to try.

- KNIGHT
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In the Mix - Let's Get it Started!

Friday, April 18, 2008


Starting next week Wedding Season will be in full swing for me. I'll be traveling non-stop for a few months. The only break will be my July Workshop and my Honeymoon (woohoo!). Anyways, what I love about wedding season is that I get in a zone. A real zone of creativity. It's like being high on life. Sure I get tired sometimes, I miss home (which is why my wife travels with me on weekends), and I miss southern cooked meals, but I always keep in mind how blessed I am to be pursuing my passion as my career. Not just photographing people and events but connecting with my clients and building relationships that will last a lifetime. I visualize every event differently. Like a blank canvas (heard that one before I am sure). But it's true, I clear my mind before walking into an event or starting a shoot and prepare myself to be immersed once I first look through my camera lens. I then use what's available to paint my images. The people, the emotions, the sounds (yes the sounds...), the colors, the light, the atmosphere, the scents. Am I describing a rock concert? How do I capture sound without audio? I'll leave the answer to the latter question for another post. This is not a concert. Just a few things that go through my mind as I am snapping away.

First and foremost I'm known as a "lifestyle photojournalist." I love being in the mix. At weddings, in particular, I work super hard to document all of the excitement and joy from a distance. I get a few weird looks every now and then but after setting the scene with photos from afar I like to blend in as part of the crowd. That's what the the photo above is about. Everyone was having a great time during the reception and so was I. I've been known to be mistaken as a guest at some weddings because I enjoy building a rapport with my clients and their guests before the event.

This photo is of the bride, her mother (arms in the air), and the bride's sister having the time of their lives. Most would think I was standing on a chair to get this shot but I wasn't. I was on the dance floor cheering just like everyone else. Instead of being too fully engulfed in the moment, my eyes were still on the prowl for a unique shot of these 3 wonderful ladies. At last, her mom raised her hands in the air right in front of me and then her sister moved a bit closer to fill the bottom left of the frame. The shot came together as if orchestrated by a movie director. With the camera above my head and the use of AF assist I was able to capture this shot and even include the surrounding guests. Look closely and you will even see the groom off to the camera right with his back turned. The easy way to get a shot of the three ladies would have been to jump in the middle of the dance floor, disrupt the fun, and ask them all to look at me and smile. Now how boring is that!

Well that's enough for now. When I start getting too technical, I know I'm writing too much. Next thing you know I'll start telling you about other angles that I would have used to bounce light on the other side of the tent and reflect back lighting on the subjects. No need for that. That's what my workshops are for. You can probably tell that I'm anxious to get back in the mix and create some beautiful images this year. Look out for Vegas wedding showdown next weekend just before I turn 29!

- KNIGHT

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Keeping Me Honest - 1st Quarter Check Up

Wednesday, April 9, 2008


At the beginning of this year I did a post titled, "Still The Same Source of My Success." During my workshops this year I have continued to stress the importance of setting goals and actually achieving them. Without the stretch goals and business plan that I put together 5 years ago, my goal of leaving Corporate America to become a full-time photographer would have never been actualized.

So to keep me honest this year, I am keeping up with some of my goals (quarterly) publicly as they happen. Wish me luck!

2008
Pray (Every Day!)
I'm getting Married! (Married!)
3 New Workshops (2 Done)
8 New Publications (5 Done)
3 New Radio Shows (1 Done)
5 New Articles (1 Done)
1 New Sponsorship (Pending)
Website (Just you wait!)
10 New Countries (1 Done)
1 New Airline (Booked)
Start 1 New Book (Started)
1 New House?
Breast Cancer Initiative
Run 1 Race (or 2)

Feel free to share some of your goals and we will keep each other honest!

- KNIGHT

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experience KNIGHT - 2 down - 1 to go!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

We just completed our second workshop of the year this weekend! I'm pretty worn out right now from teaching but I am feeling totally inspired after hearing the stories of my students and seeing their growth. Hour after hour I watched as they eagerly digested the information I presented and put the learnings into practice. We laughed and cried, some did the "slip and slide," and at the end of the workshop we all left as great friends. We learned so much from the 1st workshop (love you folks!) back in February and we were able to implement a few new ideas to enhance the experience and maximize our time.

This workshop was very special to me and there was a moment when I got a bit emotional. When I first became serious about my business a friend contacted me about doing her modeling portfolio. Back then I had very little equipment and my assistants were anyone that would lend a helping hand. Well, my first model returned to help us out during this shoot! The class had immense fun with she and our other outgoing, sassy model (soon to release a music album!).

Here's a few of my images below from the workshop. I'll post up some student images after we get them edited. If you are interested in attending a future experience KNIGHT workshop - send us an email at workshops@rossoscarknight.com.

- KNIGHT










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Shawn + Roni | Their Story

Tuesday, April 1, 2008



- KNIGHT
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experience KNIGHT Workshop #2

We're all set for our second workshop of the year this coming weekend. Our participants are coming from DC, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Georgia!

Here's a short clip from the February workshop:

(Click the center of the picture to play show)



Our office will be closed Friday and Saturday but feel free to send us an email and we will respond on Monday.

- KNIGHT
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