David B Hoffman | Blog

Light Speed...

2009-08-05T10:12:00.007-05:00

I decided to take a few photographs at the airshow here in Sioux Falls a couple of weekends ago. It was surprising how much I enjoyed the process and challenge. I found that I am rusty at keeping a good even pan going so I was shooting with a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. Like all things a little practice would have solved my panning technique but ISO 400 1/6400 @f3.5 did fine at taking care of the shakiness.

The Airforce's F-22 demonstration team put on an amazing show. When the plane made a pass with it's bomb bay doors open I got the image below and flipped it vertical to make an interesting composure. The white in the background is a cloud but it gives the appearance that the plane is sitting on a sheet of seamless.

I had a really fun time out there and got a wicked sunburn too boot.

I was reminded how much I like photographing these kinds of subjects and I'm glad I brought my camera along. More images to come soon. I need to get caught up with some posts.

Putting it behind me

2009-04-24T09:21:00.002-05:00

I would like to thank everyone who has followed my blog. I know I have not had much to say in quite some time and I apologize. I have been dealing with some serious health problems and I have decided to put David B. Hoffman photography on a back shelf for a while. It's hard to make such a decision when I love photography and specifically photographing weddings as much as i do. I love all the couples I have worked with and I thank all of you for inviting me to experience such a wonderful part of your lives with you.

This marks a transition for this blog. I don't plan to stop blogging, but to instead use this as a place to share my personal photographs and experiences. Call it photo therapy.

If you are a prior customer your images will still be archived.

Thanks again to everyone for your support and understanding. I look forward to sharing many of my images in the coming years and intend on rebuilding my business in the future when I am feeling more up too the task. -David

Some New Stuff

2008-12-08T09:46:00.005-06:00

Haven't forgotten to blog... Just haven't had time.

2008-07-21T04:50:00.002-05:00

I've been really busy lately. I have all kinds of images to blog. This image is just one of many more to come. Hope everyone is having a great summer. :)

Tori & Dustin Engagement Session...

2008-06-30T04:31:00.007-05:00

I feel so blessed to get to photograph this couple. They are so open to my experimenting and I think it really paid off. We went a little long on the session even by my standards. At one point during the session Tori was really feeling the energy and excitement caused by really great light and she was saying "this place rocks!".

See I told you it was totally Gap ad... :)

Look at those mosquitoes, the things we endure for great images...

Love you guys. Your wedding is going to be so awesome.

06.21.08 Erica & Brian ...

2008-06-30T01:38:00.007-05:00

What an awesome pair of people. I just can't say enough. This wedding was a lot of fun. Brian & Erica are such laid back people it made the event a low stress day for the family & me. Everyone was having fun and the weather was perfect. I travelled all the way to Marshall, Mn. and was assited by Matt. We found a nice band shell to shoot in. And these two have such a classic style that it reminded me of the wedding portraits of the 1940's.

Thank you so much for allowing me to photograph your wedding. And Congrats Brian & Erica. Don't forget to "Smile Big". :)

Dwellings At Last...

2008-06-02T00:13:00.001-05:00

Ok so I'm finally moved.Or at least my stuff is all in boxes on the floor of the new place. Just so you know I don't have total internet access yet, only with my pda phone right now so I won't check email for a couple of days.

So I totally underestimated how much it was going to take to move. Without the help the of my friend Katie & some wonderful guys from my church I might still be working on it next week. I feel so blessed to have people in my life that are willing to help. I've never been good at asking for that whole help thing. I guess I should get over it. Anyway.

Thanks to: Katie, Carl, Austin, Scott (and his sons), Jeff, & Brian. I really feel blessed by your help.

Habitation Relocation....

2008-05-28T23:53:00.005-05:00

Yep, I'm moving to the other side of town. Moving can be so stressful. Especially if you wait till the day before you move to sign a lease like me. My phone number will stay the same and all mail can still be sent to the post office box listed on my website.

Thank you to everyone that reads my blog on a regular basis. It's nice to see that your out there. I would love to meet some of you. Leave a comment, don't be shy. If you have questions or just want to say hi. You can never have to many friends. If you want, you can befriend me on Myface.com or Spacebook too. By the way I updated my music playlist with some new songs and moved it off to the side of the blog so it doesn't bother the folks that don't really want to listen to my eclectic taste of music.

Oh yah! I almost forgot. I'm looking for model type persons to be the subject in a couple of shoots. if you know someone that will work for prints let me know. I'm looking for someone with a strong sense of style and uncommonly good looks.

No one does the sprinkler like Mr. Bendo...

2008-05-28T23:43:00.004-05:00

Doesn't it look like Mr. Bendo's doing the sprinkler.. For those of you who have not been lucky enough to have witnessed someone doing the "Sprinkler Dance" look it up on Youtube or something. :)

The Big Show...

2008-05-20T03:43:00.004-05:00

Did an engagement session over the weekend with Brenda & Dan. It was a lot of fun. We happened upon this really awesome wall mural that was begging for some camera love.

Lost in the Forest...

2008-05-13T01:52:00.015-05:00

I know it's been a while since I posted last. There are a few projects that I have been working on. Can't wait to finish them so I can show the world.

Checkout this rock star! Ok it's my cousin. Hope you enjoy them. :-)

***Update. I've gotten a little bored with black & white lately. ***

Youth Escape...

2008-04-01T13:54:00.010-05:00

For several months I have wanted to checkout the youth service at Faith Family Church. Dustin & Andy had invited me to stop by to take some photos. Finally had a chance on Wednesday night last week and I wasn't disappointed. The youth of this church are on fire and it was amazing. The music was great. Hey they're looking for a drummer by the way.

They have a pretty elaborate lighting set up that made for a little drama in this series. Even with all the lighting it was really dark shooting conditions. These are all at 1600 ISO and very slow shutter speeds hand held. I love dark shooting conditions if there's some drama in the lighting.

I've gone with black & white again. This time with a cool tone and a treatment that imitates Scala chrome film. You just can't argue that film is still the standard.

This image is a little silly, but hey I kind of like silly.

Morning Light...

2008-03-10T08:50:00.005-05:00

Morning is a reminder of the continual renewal of a new day. Today is a new day...

Tea for Three...

2008-03-09T05:25:00.010-05:00

Last Saturday I met with Shannon, her mother, and her grandmother. They were in town to do a little shopping and enjoy each others company. Shannon had scheduled this time to photograph the three of them several months ago. She wanted to have some keepsake images of her grandmother. As you may remember I shot Shannon's wedding last year and she is also the jewelry artist behind Almost October as well as being a new friend.

It was fun to find a good place to do the shoot. This time of year in the Midwest it isn't as if I can stage a shoot outside. I decided to go to a restaurant here in Sioux Falls. The owner Doug treated us all to a nice corner spot with a couch and chair. It was perfect. The dessert menu was awesome. I had a piece of chocolate cake with a French raspberry liquor sauce.

Some Date....

2008-03-09T03:31:00.016-05:00

Ok, so we all know that dating can be brutal. That's why I don't do a ton of it, or at least that's one of my many excuses. Tonight I was at dinner and as often happens when your dining alone I started to overhear parts of the conversation from the next booth down. Ok, it was impossible to not overhear it. This poor fellow was on a first date with a women that I have to assume he met online judging from how the conversation was coming together. It started out with the usual salutations of online daters. You know, "wow your taller than you look in your picture" and the like. Then some small talk about family and so on.

So you may be wondering what made this date interesting enough to write about. This fellow apparently was nervously making jokes and his date was nervously "Cackling". No really it was the worst sound I've ever heard. The type of laugh that could clear a room, it would make Woody Woodpecker stare in silent disbelief. Then she decided to make nervous jokes too, only hers were more like a cross between the in your face style of Don Rickles & the innuendo of one of those redneck style comedians. When she started making cackling jokes about the fact that he had never been into a 'Victoria's Secret" or a "Fredrick's of Hollywood" I could tell he was ready to fake a stroke or just bolt for the door.

So about the time I was ready to ask for a table somewhere far away from the cackler a table of ten was just starting to get loose in the bar area. Who would have thought there could be three obnoxious cacklers in one restaurant. It was a trio in surround sound. Isn't the fire code enforced "Max occupancy 250 diners & 1 cackler". It was unbearable. Apparently it was all a little too much for this guy he suddenly came down with all the symptoms of Rubella or Bird Flu or something and felt he really should skip desert and get going.

Now we know that there is someone out there for everyone of us if we're patient. So if your reading this Nervous Stuttering guy & Cackling gal don't give up. Oh and if it happens to work out I would be happy to photograph your wedding. :-)

Bright Eyes...

2008-03-08T05:17:00.009-06:00

Hello everyone. Boy it's been a while since I posted anything, Sorry. Just been really busy. Since I'm slacking here in the off season I thought I'd post this family session from last fall. And I've got some other stuff to post later this weekend as well. This is the Clemen family and they're such awesome people. I met them at church a year or two ago. I really enjoyed the kids. They are all so polite and happy. It was very cool.

Guess I better say happy birthday to my Brother & Dad too. Love you guys...

Big Prints...

2008-02-27T00:58:00.004-06:00

Printer technology has gotten better since I bought this Epson stylus 2200 a few years back but it still makes amazing prints. Can't wait till I can upgrade to a large format printer down the road a bit. As if 13x19 isn't large format. :-)

New Image...

2008-02-10T03:26:00.001-06:00

Matt "Matteo" Stirling stopped by this afternoon. I've been telling him that his profile pictures for Facebook & Myspace needed a little pro touch so I took these for him. Matt has recently gotten interested in photography and will be assisting me this summer. I think he has a natural eye for creative photography, it will be interesting to see what he can create in the coming years. He's only nineteen and is still working out his choices for the future.

Canon 5D EF 135L f2 @ f2.8, 1/160th sec. flash & Tungsten lighting

Pole, Poll, Paul, Pale....

2008-02-05T03:04:00.001-06:00

Share your thoughts... What are you looking for in a blog. If you have a good idea write in your answer. I would love to hear from all of you. Or... Just one of you. :-0 Don't let me down Maria...

Workspace...

2008-02-05T01:50:00.000-06:00

Picked up a new desk set this weekend. I'm so excited! I've needed a place to get my work done and get organized. Ok, so it may end up a finger print nightmare but it looks good now.

I've had a lot of fun talking photography with a few newbies over the last couple of weeks. It's so fun to talk about the art and technique of image making. It's funny most new photographers are really worried about the tech side when it's really all about the art. Well maybe not all... about the art. If your a photographer that is interested in learning more about making interesting engaging images please don't hesitate to contact me I would love to offer my knowledge. I'm all about new friends. Leave a comment or send an email. I'm usually pretty busy but I'll get back to you. :)

Hey, forgot to mention. I'm still booking for 08 weddings so if you know anyone that is getting married tell them about me and my work. I'm available nationwide and I really love photographing weddings. Later. -D

P.S. Anyone having trouble with the images loading on my blog? You may have to refresh the screen. Sorry...

Two steps forward...

2008-01-30T11:21:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone.. Again I've let time pass between posts. I guess it just takes a lot of time to get over being sick. Oh well. I'm used to set backs and the show must go on. This time of year in the Midwest can be a tad on the chilly side. Last night it was -11 and the wind made it feel like -25. I consider that a very good time to just stay inside and avoid prolonged exposure to the elements. I personally have underground parking and the heated seats in my VW help as well.

So a while back I was talking about a new website. It's still in the works. And a few other changes as well. Can't wait to get it all done.

This spring I'm going to be getting myself back in to shape. My goal is set and I'm going to do some before and after pictures. Who's with me? If you are waiting (like me) for motivation I have something to tell you. Motivation is a total crock. It doesn't exist. Forget about motivation and do what it is that you are dreaming of. I think that I need to get a tattoo saying that to remind myself of that truth everyday. "Motivation is a fig newton of your imagination".

My stats have recorded a few interesting visits to this blog lately. I've had visitors from: Sweden, India, Argentina, Denmark, Germany, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, England, Netherlands, and Mexico. Welcome to all. Thanks for stopping by. I'll have more pictures in the next few posts. Bye... D

Please pass the tissues...

2008-01-18T04:58:00.000-06:00

I have never been so sick in my whole life. I'd like to make a shout out to Chicken soup, Tissues, Codeine, and Antibiotics. If it wasn't for all of you I wouldn't have made it the last two weeks. I love you guys... Oh yeah and I can't leave out Oatmeal. :-)

Something to inspire you...

2008-01-18T04:30:00.000-06:00

I don't watch American Idol or the like but this fellow's story & talent are blow your mind inspiring. This clip left me in tears. Dane Sanders had this on his blog and makes a few really excellent points about the power of practice. Check out his blog. Hope he doesn't mind me using this piece. By the way this clip is from the British version of idol called Britain's got talent and this regular fellow Paul Potts won. -D

It's A New Year...

2008-01-03T12:40:00.001-06:00

Hope everyone is having a happy new year so far. I know that I am. 2008 is going to be a wonderful year. It's funny that when you turn on the television news this time of year there are always people predicting how bad the year is going to be. Then by the time the next year comes around we have forgotten the gloomy outlook they gave us the year before and we listen to them again. The truth is that we have a lot of control over how good or bad are year goes. Most of our outcomes in life are based on our decisions. So this year might have some bumps in the road but it's still going to be an awesome year, let's plan on it.

Merry Christmas....

2007-12-25T00:29:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. I will be over eating this year. That's the plan anyway. -David