FEBRUARY /  by Glenn Fajota

January flew by so fast! With trips to the mountains, Shot Show and new branding for 2016, it has kept us busy and not to mention we had our first workshop of the year, which was a blast! We were flooded with emails and messages the next day with great feedback as well as those who weren't able to attend, asking what and when is the workshop. As you saw from the pictures, we had a full turnout, just like all our workshops so make sure you reserve your seat early!

That leads us to this month's workshop, Studio Lighting! This may be the most informative workshop for any photographer using lights. I will show the difference between light outputs from softboxes, beauty dishes, and even speedlights. There is a lot of 'loose' information on what brands work best, how many lights, etc but I will clear all that up at the workshop.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be uploading our environmental headshots. Anyone can shoot on a backdrop so we kinda skipped uploaded those headshots. We like to put our clients in their world, in their element. From the presidents of the local colleges to tv personalities, they always trust our vision.

Check us out on Instagram @glennfajota for BTS images from the last workshop as well as the new Lowepro Streetline 250 which we were lucky to get before its release last week (=

 

#HIREGFP /  by Glenn Fajota

WELCOME TO THE NEW SITE!
We are still uploading our favorite images but there are a bunch in the food gallery. The food gallery is an opening to our first workshop of the year which will be held on Sunday, January 31, 2016. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER :  Food Photography

WEDDINGS
For any wedding inquiry that I receive, I get real happy since all are from wedding referrals. I don't advertise and have never posted a wedding gallery on the website and yet I still average 25 weddings a year, which tells us me, the GFP team is doing something right (= Although I shoot a majority of destinations weddings, I still shoot a select few here in the Virginia/DC area. I approach all weddings with a flair of fashion, editorial and travel, which you can see in the wedding gallery (=
(coming in the next few weeks)

WORKSHOPS
There are photographers of all levels that message/email me about photography daily. Some schedule a private lesson at our studio and some even travel with me to assist and get hands on experience. Even though I answer the same question over and over, I don't mind it all. It's all about giving and watching growth in another individual sharing the same interest as you. I feel bad when I can't reply to everyone's email, tweet, YouTube comment because I simply don't have time since I travel a lot.

To combat that, each month I will be hosting a workshop at the end of the month where I will cover a different topic. We have great success during our summer week-long workshops which always sells out and go way over time, haha. Sharing 15 years worth of knowledge over a course of 5 days is just not enough so we are going to break it up over a course of 12 months.

The structure for the workshops start with instructional time and then hands on shooting where each photographer gets to participate in a live shoot and walk away with portfolio ready images. Lowepro, B&H Photo and The Pelican Shop, our sponsors are VERY generous by giving tons of products for prizes and giveaways and are usually more than the registration fee. Also everyone leaves with a prize (;

#HIREGFP
To see where we are in the world, what we are shooting or what gear we are currently using, find us on the internet with #HIREGFP
 

Here comes 2016! /  by Glenn Fajota

Hello!

2015 is a wrap, well almost. I have a few more weeks of travel left in December, then I can finally take a break. Traveling 4-5 days a week for most of this year, really put me to the test in trying to make deadlines, make time in front of the computer but most importantly, finding time to myself. And on top of the work schedule, after 10+ years having my office in Downtown Norfolk, I moved to Virginia Beach where I work closely with the students of TMSSR. However, the office move did not stop the demand of my clients, since 90% of my work is travel based. On the few days that I was in office, I was teaching workshops and photography courses. If I was few days late in replying to you, most likely I was high up in the mountains or in front the classroom. December is my catchup month (=

Over the years, I have picked up more and more travel/tourism projects and clients which had a big part in Glenn Fajota Photography's rebrand. The 81% black and the current HIREGFP logo will still appear until I slowly phase it out later next year and that's where I'll introduce the full rebrand throughout all the collateral (letterhead, website and client list). GFP has a pretty full schedule in 2016 and will be limiting our wedding bookings after 2016. So if you or a friend are getting married in the next couple of years, better send us an email to make sure we get the date locked in!

As we prepare for the next calendar year, what better way to do so then with our annual Glenn Fajota Photography Travel Edition calendar! Proceeds will to go to World Wildlife Fund and National Park/Forest Services which will safeguard and educate the general public. Makes a great stocking stuffer!

Thank you to my current clients for being patient and understanding my demanding travel schedule. And to my future clients, let's go do some work!

2016 GFP TRAVEL CALENDAR

http://www.glennfajota.com/store/2016-calendar

 

Your photographer,

Glenn Fajota

 

HIKING GEAR : Osprey Kestrel 32 /  by Glenn Fajota

I have been using this bag along with others in the crew over the past few months and its great. Its a perfect pack for an assistant carrying the non essential camera gear on a hike. We can also strap on the Lowepro Toploader on the front for photography trips. Thanks to our sponsors Great Outdoor Provisions Co and Osprey.

www.instagram.com/glennfajota

www.instagram.com/nowthatsfresh

www.greatoutdoorprovisions.com

www.instagram.com/trusty_vabeach

All from Great Outdoor Provisions Co. except #2 and #4

Osprey Kestrel 32
Vargo BOT
Luci LED light
Pelican 2740 Headlamp
Turf Mat, Daiso | Japan
Camp Wool sleeping socks, Urban Outfitters
Champion base layers, Target
The North Face fleece
Black Diamond Z 120cm trekking poles
Cocoon Pillow
Small cuben fibersack, Z Packs
Waterproof sack, Sea to Summit
ENO Single Nest Hammock
Waterproof sack, Sea to Summit
The North Face Furnace 20 degree down bag

GEAR : Aerial Photography Tips /  by Glenn Fajota

Im lucky to be one of the few commercial advertising photographers in the region that's trusted and hired for aerial photography, which allows me to up in the air a few times a year. I would love to take all my photo and video gear up there but for this particular trip, I was hired to shoot still images of 4 locations for the City of Hampton, Virginia. Since this shot list wasnt calling for close details, my camera settings were enough to yield sharp images in which the final products are going to be 8' foot prints. If I were shooting architecture or detailed shots, I would have plugged the gyro/stabilizer to the camera. But of course these images still have to super sharp, so after I take 10 or so shots, I preview the image on the LCD and zoom in as much as I can to make sure the images arent soft.

Flying an aircraft above residential and commercial areas, the pilot has to work with the FAA and fly at a certain height. They are also in constant contact with the nearest flight tower and for this shoot, it was the guys over at Langley Air Force Base, since they were the closest. We cant hear his conversations in the headset but when he needs to talk to us, he has a button to switch over. The headsets are needed up there because it gets so loud sitting just a few feet from the rotor so it muffs the noise and also allows the passengers (art director, photographer, client) to talk amongst each other. 

With any shoot, a reshoot is not an option. A professional should get the job done the first time especially with aerial photography. The average cost for an hour flight time is about $3000-5000 (helicopter and pilot) so if I didnt get the shot they wanted, Id have to pay for that time again to go up. Actually, I wouldnt be hired again and I would be blacklisted, haha. 

Here comes 2015! /  by Glenn Fajota

Hello!

The end of the year is near and if you have been following me on social media, you noticed that I was traveling everywhere from the mountains in California to the beaches in the Caribbean and the rivers of Europe on assignment. 2014 has been the busiest year in my entire career and it hasn't been a smooth road, well nothing is, because if it was easy, it wasn't worth working for. I'm only home a few days of the month and during that time and in between, I have to make time to edit all these shoots all still within deadline. It's very challenging trying to find a balance with my personal life, sleep and running a small business. Often, plane seats and hotel rooms were my offices or even in my tent in the backcountry. The recline feature on the plane and the hotel beds were very tempting but work had to be done first.

As we approach a new calendar year, I use this time to approach a revised, better business plan. Part of the plan is to reflect and correct everything that I missed and improve on it for the upcoming year. Topping this list, is for me to work just as hard BUT work even harder in keeping those relationships around me — Faith, Family, Friends. I've kept them under a blanket when I should have been giving them more of my time because those relationships were the ones who supported me and pushed me to where I am today and I finally realized that. It takes A LOT of patience being around me and working with me and very often, I have disguised their time as if they owed me their time. When in fact I owed them. I owe them. 

Over the next few weeks, you'll see some changes in the website, the Glenn Fajota brand, the social media outlets and most importantly, my time for you. Thank you to my current clients for being patient and understanding as I continue to deliver your photos and videos to you. And to you my future clients, let's go do some work!

Okay enough, I have to get back to these edits! With that said, I'll let you get back to your holiday shopping but one item you must get for your loved ones is the 2015 Calendar, Glenn Fajota Travel Edition, with places I have photographed from around the world. A portion of the proceeds will go to the World Wildlife Fund www.WWF.org

 

http://www.glennfajota.com/store/2015-calendar

 

Your photographer,

Glenn Fajota