An Olympus Get together in Iowa? Yes It actually happened 6 Olympus photographers got together with what was probably the largest collection of Olympus gear in Iowa including any camera shop. We went out armed With 5 digital Olympus cameras, 8 OM Cameras, and 27 lenses. 27 lenses in one location right in the middle of Iowa. A site that few ever get a chance to see. In fact it was the first time I had ever seen any thing close. We went to the Spalding Factory to start the Day of photography and socializing off. Then we were off to Silver Creek Which is a preserve for wild flowers, grass and many verities of prairie grasses. Silver Creek is Maintained by the Audubon Society. This is one of the many different kinds of Flowers. I shot this one with My Olympus E3, 12-60 lens and a FL50R (with a stoffen cap for diffusion) fired off Camera. It is one of my favorite set ups to go out shooting with. Because with a pair of cargo paints I can carry enough gear to cover so many different situations. It was also a great Day to try and practice on some Bee in flight skills. A area of photography that I have not quiet mastered, however I am getting better at it. After Silver Creek we were off to Rock Creek Ia State Park. Rock Creek has recently added this Section of preserved prairie land. Rock Creek as you can see is another great location for wild life and flora galore. With such a rich photographic area I never even made it off the main path before it was time to break for lunch. However before we went to a late lunch we had to get a group photo. I set up the E3 on my tripod fired it by wireless remote, with a Metz 54 to camera right on a stand with the Glad Box for diffusion Fired wireless with my Elenchrom Skyport. Here is a photo of the six of us, From left to right Paul, Joel, me, Gordon, Ken, And Michael. To See more photos that I took on our outing just got to my Gallery HERE Thank you for Reading and as always Comments and Questions are Always welcomed. God Bless, Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)

Last time I discussed how passion for your camera can tie in to the passion of a photographer. In part 2 I am going to discuss your photographic passions and putting them to work. How does a photographer use their passion to make money? A lot of professionals become professionals because they have a passion for photography. However, not many professional photographers have a passion for the photography they do. (I know this sounds confusing but stick with me.) Most “professionals” do not have any passion for the field of photography they try and make money in. Have you ever seen a wedding photographer that can charge $5,000 + per wedding? (Yes) How about the photographer charging $500.00 to do weddings and giving all the photographs on a CD for their client? (yes) I can tell you that the average bride hiring a photographer would love to know why one photographer can charge 10x the amount than the other guy. The answer is fairly simple. A photographer charging 10X the amount has mastered something the other guys have not. The funny thing is, it is not all skill that makes the price increase. In fact the technical skill level between the two is not that big of a gap some times let alone a 10X price gap. Just because a photographer is doing weddings or portraits or what ever their money making photography is, does not always mean they have a passion for that field . Does this mean that all photographers who do not have a passion for their field are bad photographers? (NO) What it means is some/(Most) photographers find an area to make money to support their passion. Lets go back to the wedding photographer that charges 10X the amount and why this is justifiable. The first reason could be that their passion of photography is wedding photography. Another reason is they have managed to establish their passion and incorporate it into their wedding photography. The latter here is harder to find, however, they are a very skilled and diverse photographer. Just because some one is passionate about photography does not mean that they are a successful photographer. On the contrary, most people who have a passion for photography ever become successful. Realistically most fail. It can become a stumbling block when all your focus is in an area of photography that you have no passion for. However, the photographers that are passionate and successful look at things in a different light. I will use my self as an example to help illustrate what I am trying to say. I do a lot of portrait, life style and environmental photography to make my money. However, I am passionate about landscape scenery and in the moment people photography. The reason people hire me to do their portraits is not because I am a better portrait photographer per-say. The reason is I have to include my passions into all of my photography to be able to produce my best photography. Here is an example. This is an on location portrait. This is another taken on location. So what makes these photos special? It is the style. I am not only taking a portrait. If you look at the first photo I am taking a landscape photo that happens to have a portrait in it. Since landscape photography is one of my passions I always try and mix my passion with my business photography. If you look really closely to the very first photo in this article, to the family portrait, you will notice that this is the same location. This is also one of my favorite spots for wildlife trails and scenic photography. Most people who visit this location never see it the same way my photographs show it. The is because I am mixing my passion with my work. I am willing to shoot at dusk and dawn because I know at those times what kind of scene will come out. One of the tricks to being a passionate and successful working photographer is to incorporate your photographic passion into your"work" photography. If you can not incorporate what you love about photography into the type of photography you make a living with; you should go out and shoot at least once a week just for yourself. Why shoot once a week for yourself? Simple, to keep doing what you love and to keep growing in the area of photography that you love. This in turn will make it easier for you to find a way to mix your passion with your work; making your photography natural and something you love to do. Your clients and future clients will see this and want to work with you just for those reasons. Thank you and God Bless, Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)

I really like location portrait shoot. well I should it is how I make a living. But some days you get to a shoot that is really great and would have no problem taking a few hundred portraits. Well Today was one of those days I had a family portrait shoot that included two Chow Chow dogs. Some times pet photography can be a huge challenge in it self however today the owners of these Chow Chows show their dogs so they were very easy to work with. ( both the owners and the dogs) Even the pup that is just over 3 months old was already showing good sings of being a very good show dog. As you can see He is very loved as well being very playful, He is still just a pup. The older female does not get shown any more but she had no problem posing for us as you can tell with these two photos. Even all together they just make one happy family and photogenic family. I really do enjoy the challenges and rewards with on location portraiture photography. It is not like in the studio were every thing is set once and usually stays fairly close to those parameters . That kind of photography can be very repetitive and become boring. I mean if the studio is already set up with very few variables almost any one can take a photo and make it look ok. Look at Walmart and JC Pennies. I really like the sense of achievement when a client says "I want my photo here" and being able to give them just that and make it look good to boot. If you would like to see more photos from this shoot in a larger size you may go HERE

I shot a small intimate concert this Past Saturday and One of the bands that played was Morning will break. They are a five person band out of Lake County, Illinois. With Daug Weier playing Guitar, David Rosing playing Bass Guitar, Chelsea Troemel Playing Violin, Luke Bowman on the Drums and Skyler (Sky) Herman pulling every thing together with lead Vocals. As a young Band they are showing some skills that will give them an edge. They bring a great attitude backed with good energy, making for a rather enjoyable stage performance that should just keep getting better with each performance. Morning Will Break brings some well rounded musical skills, With David Rosing not only being the Bass player he also has a background in piano and is not shabby at all. Chelsea Troemel has be developing her violin ability's with the education of classical violin, A very hard area to master and she has shown that her time has not been wasted. Speaking with Daug it does not take long to see that he has a real passion for his friends and his band. He is seems to always be looking for ways to make things better and more prepared. I did not get to spend much time with the band and I feel like I missed a lot by not being able to. Despite their young age I think they have a lot to offer. You can check out their music and more about them on their Myspace . If you would like to see more photos please go to the Gallery I shot from Saturday Here . I will try and post a little bit about the other two band that were there as soon as I can. Thanks and God Bless Corey Brown

Bella is growing up so fast it is hard to believe. At least she lets me take all kinda of photos to keep the memories. If The scenery does not look familiar it is because these photos are taken in a exclusive location in between Marshalltown and Tama / Toledo Iowa. She loves to play in the dirt and get dirty. Thats my Girl Lost in those Child's dreams Yep still playing in dirt. Fine I will be lady like if I have to and put my legs together. Thanks for looking and God Bless. Corey Brown

Pilgrim Heights Camp and Retreat Center has extended an invitation to me to teach a Photography work shop October 17th and 18th. I happily accepted the invitation and will be opening up registration By next month. ( August ) There is limited openings and this will be handled first come first served. The registration is only $75.00 and will include meals, room, and board which are being provided by Pilgrim heights. Zone-10 will also be helping sponsor the workshop by providing curriculum, materials, and some personal assistance. Zone-10 has a strong foundation aimed at helping up coming photographers with necessary resources to teach and develop their Photography into a craft and an art giving the photographer the opportunity to be able to embark into a successful working career. Please take the time to visit Zone-10 web page at http://zone-10.com/cmsm/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 And see what they are about here. Please stay tuned for more information on times and registration. Thanks and God Bless, Corey Brown

The Original plan was for a lake side photo shoot but the weather changed that. However I think the end results turned out well for the impromptu  lets turn a small Beauty salon into a studio for an hour on the fly.