I charge hourly rates or can bill by the photo for certain subjects. I currently provide services to the Empower Your Future program (gratis), David Tuthill Custom Stained Glass Windows, Museum of the American Railroad in Dallas, Texas, and try to make as many races as possible for the Central Motorcycle Racing Association.
I use all Nikon digital single lens reflex cameras such as the D2Hs high speed sports camera and Nikon's current finest camera the D2X. I only use Nikon professional series lenses. While many consumer camera and printers now provide very good results, the Nikon digital SLRs are still another step up. But not having to fool with or worry about the pictures is worth considerably more than the price of the equipment. I know how to frame picture, compensate for lighting, and provide the always necessary post processing to insure the best possible results. Even the finest cameras still don't provide pictures exactly as the human eye sees them and pictures still require a bit of touch up for the best possible results. I am an award winning photographer and recently won Best In Show in the Museum of the American Railroad's Photo Competition. I have also had photos published by Road Racing World magazine.
By charging hourly rates and providing you with a CD/DVD of your pictures, you can then decide which pictures to print and how to print them and you retain control over your pictures. Many people now have printers that provide photographic quality, and you can take the picture CD/DVD to almost any hourly photo store for printing. I can also make prints and provide them at a reasonable price. I try to hold on to offsite archives of your pictures should your CD become damaged or lost. Here are some examples of my work:
I have concentrated on two main areas of photography: Wedding / Event Photography and Motorcycle Road Racing. Having been a motorcycle road racer myself, the draw to the photography was almost automatic and doing the photography is almost as much fun as racing without the wear and tear on the operator! As for wedding photography, I have shot many weddings and have many happy clients who have provided me many referrals. Click here to learn more about my wedding photography.
Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, General Celebrations, Corporate Parties, Quincieras, you name it... The photo on the left was a low light level action shot from a production of The Nutcracker. The picture on the right is an engineering photo of the steering knuckle from my 1959 Chevrolet 1 Ton truck. Note how the bushing was spun during the installation reaming and the lack of grease make king pin renewal nearly impossible. The additional highlight pointers add clarity to photos intended for the non-technically minded.
This picture is used in the "Empire State Railway Museum's Tourist Trains 2004 - 39th Annual Guide to Tourist Railroads and Museums." I took a low light level night shot of the west end of the Age of Steam Railroad Museum and then touched up the photo to remove the van, scaffolding, and even the ugly chain link fence in the foreground! The black and white picture on the right is the final version, the shot on the left is the original. If you have an old picture you would like corrected, or if you would like your own portrait improved, I can provide those subtle touches to give you photos you'll treasure for years to come.
Often people will have an old treasured photograph that maybe in quite poor condition. With the tools now available it is possible to repair these photos, and also duplicate them without harm to the original photograph. You can see an example of a recent photo repair and restoration job. Two things are required to do these jobs and the first is quality software and the second is the patience and artistic eye and hand to perform the adjustments. Take that favorite photo and have it restored. The photo will make a wonderful remembrance and gift for all family and friends.
Here are a couple of examples of the kinds of graphics I can put together for you. They make wonderful custom gifts that are completely unique. These same skills can be applied to any kind of photo project.
The shot on the left is for a CD Album cover of Amy Roberts. The center shot is my self portrait from the 2002 CMRA awards banquet when the 2002 World SuperBike Champion Colin Edwards, and the 1993 MotoGP World Champion Kevin Schwantz were inducted into the CMRA Hall of Fame. On the right is a Quincieras portrait.