New Blog site

This is just a message to let you know that I am no longer using Blogger as my Blog page.  My updated Blog can be found at www.kevinpepin.com/blog  I've moved over all of the old stuff to my own site instead of having another 3rd party host involved.  Just a little re-organization to help me control things a little better.  I'll keep this blog up for a few months but there will be no new content posted here.  All the new stuff will be at the new site.  Thanks.

It's a lot like work...

The blog posts have been few and far between lately, and I know, so have the new photos.  There is a simple reason for this. Photography, as a business, is a lot like work!  I've been busy drafting model releases for photo shoots, setting up the accounting software, designing new business cards, filling out tax paperwork, creating terms and conditions for image licensing, and so on and so on.
In between work, work part 2, and holiday shopping, I haven't had much time to actually pick up my camera.  Things are starting to slow down a bit.  I only need to set up a few more forms, and maybe another online brochure directed more towards commercial clients.  Hopefully, after the holidays, I will have a little more time to set up a make shift studio area for some stock photography.  That's the one great thing about the winter in New England, When the weather is bad outside, there is more time to stay inside and make images.
Since the company will officially be in business starting January 1, 2010, I want to make sure to dot my t's and cross my i's... strike that, reverse it.
I just can't wait for Santa to hurry up and get here so I can go out and buy some new company equipment that he may have forgotten to get me!

Happy Turkey Day!

I just wanted to post a quick Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  I hope you have a safe and happy holiday.  Since everybody knows that Thanksgiving in the United States is all about over indulging on a huge meal, then passing out on the couch while watching football... Oh wait a minute, It's supposed to be a time to spend with your family and maybe reflect on the things you are thankful for.

It's been a good year.  I have a lot to be thankful for and thought I would share a few of them with you.  First, the obvious stuff.  I'm thankful for having a roof  over my head when there are so many in this country that do not.  I'm thankful for having a job in this tough economy when many companies are down-sizing.  I'm thankful for having the freedom to do, pretty much, whatever I want to do (like this silly blog), and say whatever I want to say.
I'm very thankful for being able to wake up every day next to Jen.  She is too good to me.  I admit it, she spoils me, takes care of me, and pretty much puts me in my place when I need it.  Just don't tell her that because it might go to her head.  I'm thankful that I can lay down at night next to her, knowing everything is ok.  No matter how bad thing may get, she's always there.  We never fight, just a few mild arguments, and we never go to bed mad.  We act like a couple of kids (primarily because I refuse to grow up) and play around a lot. To quote (or paraphrase) Oscar Wilde "Life is far too important to be taken seriously".

I'm thankful for my family.  They are kind and supportive, and I miss them every day.  I get to keep in touch with them through facebook, but I wish we were closer.  My brothers and sisters helped make me the man I am today, and because of that, I am thankful.

Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
-- Brad Henry 

New Site

This weekend, I started working on my new web site. www.kevinpepin.com is now up and running (well, crawling at least).  I'm still trying to work out a few technical bugs, and trying to decide on a better design, but it's a start.  If you try going to my old address, it will just bring you to the new page.  To view photos, click on the gallery link, it will bring up my photo host.
I'm also working on a catalog for the buisness.  It's tough trying to fit all the products I offer in it and still keep it fairly small.  When it's done, I will make it available for download in pdf format.
That's all for tonight.  I have to go and re-design my products to reflect the new web address.

Congratulations Jessica and Nick!

I just want to say that today, I really feel like an old man.  My oldest nephew, Nicholas Peterson is now engaged to Jessica Wilbur.  It seems like such a short time ago, he was just a baby.  Now, he's is all grown up and about to journey into the next phase of his life.  I want to wish you both success and happiness in your future together.

Here is a video of the engagement.



I was a bit choked up when I watched the first five times, but I'm better now.

That Nick is one smooth character. So calm and composed throughout the whole thing. I just want to know what he said to Jessica. Let's see the rehearsal notes (I'm sure you practiced what you were going to say for weeks)

Good Luck, Best Wishes, Many Years of Wedded Bliss!

I love you guys!

Uncle Kevin.

Happy Birthday to me

I just want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes on facebook, the cards, and the like. Yesterday was a great day! My honey made me breakfast in bed to start the day off. Work was just another day, so I'll skip that part.
I was treated to an awesome dinner. Steak and lobster, how can you beat that? I put my birthday presents to good use by purchasing some new photo gear (of course!) from B&H Photo (that place is the best!).  I ordered an Elinchrom Skyport kit and a few other things.  That package is due to arrive tommorrow!
I got two books that I've been wanting to get.  The first is "Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction (5th Edition)" by Dan Margulis.  I've wanted to get his books since I saw him do a class on Kelby Training.  I just liked his style and he made some pretty amazing corrections to photos.
The other book I got was "Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision" by David DuChemin.  I've been reading his blog for a while now (PixelatedImage) and have purchaced three of his e-books.  I'm not quite sure which one I want to dive into first.

That's all I have for today. Buy my prints, help support a starving artist (just ignore the steak and lobster part you read earlier).

I was bored

While cruising the web today, I found myself looking at funny t-shirts.  I stumbled on the zazzle web page where you can make your own t-shirts and stuff so I gave it a try. Here is a link to my zazzle store, I haven't done anything creative yet but I may play around with it some more.  If you ask me, the prices for 1 item are a little high, so be sure to order in bulk for the best savings!


make custom gifts at Zazzle

Looking forward to the weekend

Finally, the weekend draws near.  Only one more work day until freedom.  I haven't really decided on a location to shoot this weekend, but I think I'll figure something out.  Now that sunrise is much earlier, it's going to be tough.
This week there has been a few things floating around twitter.  One is a phishing scam.  I guess a bunch of accounts were phished and are sending out bogus direct messages.  If you get a link in a DM, don't follow it.  Another item floating around the photog online social community is a story about photographers being targeted for theft.  You can read the news article by clicking here.  Keep an eye on your gear, try to be aware if you being followed, and hold on to those memory cards!  Insurance will cover the gear, the moments captured will be lost forever.
As always, if your interested in photography, check out the blogs I have listed over on the right.  There is a ton of online knowledge just waiting to be read.  I'll update my blog list as I find new stuff and I'll only list what I read on a regular basis to try and filter the junk.
Hopefully, I'll have some great shots from this weekend to share in my next post.

Creative slump

For the past few weeks I've been in a bit of a creative slump.  Maybe it's the stress at work or something else but I'm just not into photographing some of the things I have before.  It seems like the subjects are the same and I'm having a hard time finding new ways to capture them.  This weekend, I plan on finding something ( or somewhere) different to go and try to make some decent images.
I've read some great ideas on a few blogs and I think I'll try some new things.  I'm hoping to get some good results with some new locations.  Maybe I need to take a "Photo Vacation" where I just take some time away from work and just go out with my camera (ok, Jen can go too) and see what I come up with.  If you have some suggestions, go to my discussions page on facebook and post them there.
Maybe I'm just being picky or maybe I'm just not happy with my latest results, I don't know.

Random Friday Stuff

After having a look at my blog and seeing the ads that are automatically placed by Google, I realize that I need to post something different!  There are a ton of Christmas Ads!  OK, I'll try to ramble on about photography.  Maybe if I mention photography enough times, my ads will bring up photography related sites.  Again, support the sponsors, support for them means support for me, just keep in mind, The ads are generated automatically and I may or my not actually support what is being advertised here (if that makes any sense).

Today is the last day for 15% off Mpix orders.  It was a 2 or 3 day promo because they were having system problems early in the week.

I read an interesting article online today.  Check out the links Here , and Here to see details.  Apparently, someone purchased glass negatives at a garage sale for $45 that may be from Ansel Adams and worth millions of dollars.

Scott Bourne has a great article up on his blog today called "Five Things You Can Do Right Now To Grow Your Photography Business".  Have a look, it seems pretty basic, but but some stuff you may not have thought about.  Scott always has a ton of great advice.  I suggest following his blog at PhotoFocus.


I think that should just about do it.  Photography was mentioned a few time, and even a couple of Photographers and a Photography blog.  There was even a Photo Printing Service mentioned.  Lets hope the Google ad gods will be kind and reward us with Photography related ads.


Please visit the sponsors!

OK, I've been slacking...

Yeah, I know... I haven't posted anything in a while. I know that is bothering both of my readers.
Here are a couple of images I've been working on this week

You can see larger version on my site. CLICK HERE.

OK, that's all

Dear Santa...

We all know that the Christmas season seems to start earlier and earlier each year.  Pretty soon, the stores will start to display Christmas decorations on July 5th.  I've been getting spam e-mails for a few weeks already from a few companies with Christmas specials.  The Sears tool catalog that came in the mail about a month ago was Christmas themed.  Enough is enough!  Let the mad rush begin the day after Thanksgiving like it's supposed to.  Not the Canadian Thanksgiving which was just a little while ago, the good old fashioned USA Thanksgiving.  The mad rush of trying to find just the right gift for everyone in just about a month, that's how it's supposed to be!

OK, that's my take on the whole thing.  What do I know, I hate shopping.  Well, I hate going to the stores anyway.  I'm a big fan of internet shopping.  I get to check on prices from hundreds of stores, and buy from which ever store I want.  No lines, no crowds, no screaming kids with upset parents, no driving around the parking lot looking for a spot, in short, my kind of shopping.  With that being stated, I've decided to step up on the bandwagon (not jump) and post a bit of a Christmas Wishlist.  Now, I prefer that nobody sends me anything.  I had a friend say something to me once that pretty much summed it up. "How about I give you a $20 bill for Christmas, you give me one, we shake hands, say 'Happy Holidays' and call it even"  That works for me!  It's not about the gifts.

No Blog Friday!

No news from me today, went for a walk after work and worked on some photos, like this one.

Tune in next week.

Gear Geek Week

This week, it seems like a ton of new photography products were announced.  This is why I have been many a "twitter blackout" lately (see yesterday's post for definition).

Canon released the new EOS-1D Mark IV camera.  Check it out here.  I read a pretty cool pre-review (I guess that's what you would call it) here.

Lensbaby released two new lenses which look pretty cool.  One is a fisheye and the other is a soft focus lens.

The one that is a big buzz, Adobe released the Beta version of Lightroom 3, which you can download here.  There are a ton of "First Looks" at the new release like this one, or this one, or this one.  I watched a very informative video put on at Kelby Training by Matt Kloskowski on some of the new features.  If you're a NAPP member, you can watch the video here.  If not, why?  Please use my link on the side to join!  If you do, you will get great discounts on a ton of stuff (not just photo gear).  You get a great magazine, tons of online photoshop info, and most importantly, if you use my link, I get a free month added to my membership!

Anyway, enough shameless plugs, back on topic... There is a ton of gear out there now that can help you do all sorts of things with photography. There is one thing that you need to remember, the gear doesn't make the photo, the photographer does.  Check out David duChemin's blog and download his e-books.  Read TEN (10 Ways To Improve Your Craft. None of Them Involve Buying Gear.) and TEN MORE (10 More Ways To Improve Your Craft. None of Them Involve Buying Gear.).  Both are great and have a lot of tips that can help you see things differently. Have a look at Scott Bourne's site, in particular, this blog post, and this one.  These two guys have a lot of good insight on photography and it's worth the clicks to check them out.  Heck, follow them on twitter, I do!

No, nobody is paying me to mention any of the above links (that's what the ads are for, support the sponsors!)  The blogs are things I find interesting or informative and I want to pass on to both of my blog readers.  So if either of you are interested in photography, check 'em out.  You too can become a twitterholic and spend ours reading tons of blogs!

That's all for today.  I have to be at work at 4:00 a.m. in the morning (I hate when people say that!  a.m. is morning, there's no need to say it twice!) but I get out at 12:30!  Plenty of time left to go shooting.

Hi, my name is Kevin, and I'm a twitterholic.

This is getting out of control.  I turn on the computer to check on the days tweets on twitter from the people or companies I am following.  The next thing I know, hours have passed.  I call it a "Twitter Blackout".  I just start clicking on these links and reading information on new camera gear, or a photography blog, or tutorials, or whatever.  Once I reach the top of the twitter list, I refresh my browser and there a bunch more new tweets.  This site should come with a warning.  "Caution, tweet viewing may cause loss of  time".  Why does everything have a video!  I can't stop watching!  There must be a support group... I think I'll look for one on twitter!

Thank goodness I have to work for a living or I would never stop.  Please feel free to share this on twitter (button on the right side) or follow me on twitter, here.

The 10 minute photo shoot I did as a favor yesterday, turned into a paying job today.  Granted is was just a small gesture, but it felt good to actually be paid for doing something I really love to do.  She said the photos came out great and was happy with the result.  At first, I refused the money but it was one of those:
Her: "here you go."
Me: "Oh, no please, it was nothing." 
Her: "Just take it!"
Me: "OK"

You know, I'm not going to turn it down but I don't want it to look like is a big deal either.  So, again, today was a pretty good day.  On top of that, the man in brown delivered a B&H Gift Card to me today.  The gift that keeps on giving!

Well, that about wraps's up my blogging for the day.  I'm off to read some of the other Blogs I follow (see list on the right).  If you're into photography, check some of them out.  There's a lot of great stuff in these blogs (well, the ones listed on the right hand side of this one at least).

Medical Photo Shoot

Well, it wasn't much of a photo shoot.  It took all of 10 minutes.  I'm not sure what the test was but the liquid started out clear and it turned red on the index card.  If you are completely lost at this point, see yesterday's post.

That's all it was.  A few drops of the mystery substance on the card, swirl it around for 3 minutes, little flecks appear.  I know, exciting right?  I used my 180mm Macro with a 2x teleconverter and a 12mm extender.  All that jazz let me get really close so I could get all the little flecks.  The circle is only about 1 inch around.  A little photoshop to add the blown up detail.  If this really excites you, feel free to order a print at my gallery site.

I told the people in the lab that I could take photos for them through their microscopes after I saw them and realized that my t-adapter is the right size.  Some comment was made that I would probably want to charge a fortune (jokingly... I hope) and I went on my merry way.  That one event actually made it a pretty good day at work today.  I guess you never know when an opportunity will knock.

You take pictures, right?

There I was as work today thinking "Well, it's Monday... only 5 day until the weekend".  You see, the daily grind is starting to take its toll on me.  I've been on the same project for a year now.  That's a pretty long stretch for me.  I's usually a couple of weeks (or days) here or there, then off to the next job.  It kinda keeps things fresh and different.  It's the same type of work, put at least the scenery and faces change.  With that being said, A year looking at the same place and same faces, day in and day out kinda wears on me.  I need something different!

The day started out like just another work day.  Work, work, work, gripe about whatever, work, work, work, joke about something, and so on.  In the middle of the morning, a lady from the lab comes in is looking for me.  "Oh great, what did I do now?  Did I turn the power off to something I wasn't supposed to?"  She walks over to me with a stack of papers in her arms.  "You take pictures, right?  Didn't I hear you say something about your camera?" she asked me.  I told her that I did and then she pulls out this index card with six circles on it.  It's blank, with come company name on it and six circles.  "We need someone who can take a photo of this."  In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, "OK, what's wrong with a photocopy?  Stick it in the copier and and press start."  She then goes on to say "This is a (whatever, technical mumbo jumbo) test, and when it tests positive it (insert more mumbo jumbo here).  It looks like little flecks of pepper."  OK, that much I understood.  "Do you think you could do that?"  she asked.  "Sure, I'll give it a try"

Nothing to report...

Just another rainy day.  I toyed around with some photos today, that's about all.  Here's an idea I was playing with.  Hope you enjoy.

Selective Color Foliage

The weather is holding... for now

When I woke up this morning, I was expecting it to be another nasty, rainy weekend, ruining any possibilities for photographing scenery. To my surprise, it wasn't half bad out today! When I started out this morning, the sky was changing from patchy clouds to a solid grey sky. Could the weatherman be right? Is it going to rain all weekend? Fortunately, not. The clouds started to break and the sun came streaming in. While I was out on a trail, I spotted a white tail sprinting through the woods in the distance. I swapped out my lens to my big boy (which is actually not a very long lens) but, Bambi was gone.

First Blog Post Ever (well, mine anyway)

This is it. My first venture into the world of blogging. This is spectacular, amazing, a modern miracle... wait, who am I kidding? I'm just another guy on the web publishing my ramblings about my little world.

Basically, I'm just a guy trying to show off his work as a photographer. I hope to someday be semi-famous or at least fairly financially rewarded for my work. I'm really just starting out in photography with only about 2 or 3 years behind a camera. I primarily shoot landscapes and nature because it's something else I enjoy. Lately, I've just been like a sponge when it comes to photography. I'm always reading up on the topic, searching the web for new ideas, other photographers, equipment, or pretty much anything related to photography.