uh... THIS will probably be the last post here...

If you want to see photos from my other classmates you can check them out here. Our school leader just put up this website.

I miss living in community.
jim baker

back home

hey everyone...

i'm back home and am not to impressed with the cold and cloudy weather.

why can't i see the ocean in the horizon? all i see is dead trees...

i'm going to be streamlining all of my blogs soon but thank you for tuning in and checking out the things that I've been doing over this past three months.

for now I'll be posting back at...

http://www.jimbakerphotography.blogspot.com

see ya there,
jim baker

03.22.08 - its all over...

Last night we had our exhibition of all of our work. Here is a picture of my display. We had a couple of hundred people come through last night.

I'm working on debriefing and trying to process everything I learned on all levels and also start the cleaning and packing process.

I fly out Wednesday night back to the east coast. Lets hang out soon.
jim baker

03.20.08 - another slideshow

an slideshow of my work from the past 3 months.

enjoy...
jim baker

Latvia Documentary

Discipling a Nation


If you remember last spring I went to Latvia with Seth Rainwater and spent a week shooting video for a documentary on the lives of Chris and Lydia Bischoff, two American missionaries in Latvia. Here's the finished product.

1 week left here in Hawaii...
jim baker

p.s I miss Latvia a lot...

a day in the life of Phil Cunningham

When we had photojournalism week we had to shoot a photo story. I originally wanted to do my photostory on Phil but part of the assignment requirements was to get off campus.

So this past Friday we had a free day to work on the final assignment so I took the morning to shoot and the evening to edit. This is my first photo essay.

I really admire Phil because its not typical for a guy to uproot his family so that his wife can pursue one of her dreams. And not only that switch roles and do an awesome job of taking care of his daughters. Phil's a hero of mine.

For more information you can check out his blog at...
http://www.philnamy.com

music by:
www.simplefoolmusic.com

enjoy,
jim baker

03.17.08 - final project?

Last night I pulled an all nighter and printed all the prints I needed for my final project and matted the ones I needed to. Printing is rough... it totally reminds me of recording music, all of the imperfections stare you in the face. It will be interesting to go look at the stuff again today now that i'm rested.

Weak pictures make for even weaker prints. It takes a special piece to be enlarged... and the closer you get it in camera the better... tons of editing looks like crap once its printed.

I'm really glad to be done with printing and matting, now I just need to get a few small things done and thats a wrap.

Here's some shots I did the other night with my new light set up that I showed you.

The model is Amanda Morgan and she did an awesome job.

Off camera flash shot reflected into an umbrella, 45 degree angle, white paper background.

10 more days...
jim baker

p.s happy st patty's day

03.12.08 - 15 days left...

I took my final exam last week and got a 93%! Highest grade I've gotten on an exam in a long time... haha.

Next tuesday our final project is due which is 60 pictures, 40 color and 20 black and white and about half of those have specific requirements or categories that they have to meet.

One of them was to show textures, so I side lit these two dollar bills and a quarter to show texture.

And every tuesday night they do a skate night in the Ohana Court for the community. Probably about 50 or so kids come out and they set up ramps and stuff for the kids to skate on.

I've been saying since I got here that I wanted to shoot one of these nights but something always came up. Since I realized there aren't to many tuesday night skate nights left I decided to get down there and do it.

Our exhibition is next Friday and then I'm wrapping up and getting outta here on the 26th.

Crazy how time flies.

I'm looking forward to kickin' it with you if you live in MD though. How's the weather?

jim baker

03.10.08 - the little red church

Yesterday a group of us went to the little red church. The pastor spoke to our school a few weeks ago and since we weren't in the kitchen we decided to check it out.

We drove about 20 minutes out of town and came upon a scene that seemed like it was out of a movie.

We started the morning out by doing a bible study under an olive tree.

and then the church service began inside of this little tiny church.

It's informality and genuine sense of community was refreshing in the age of mega church standards.

jim baker

strobist gear :)

Well... on Monday in the mail I got the things below... it doesn't look like a lot but I think it might just revolutionize the way I shoot... or something like that.

two pocket wizards, miniphone to hotshoe adaptor, 43" umbrella and a 6' light stand.

and this is the result using the new gear and my 580ex flash.

jim baker

03.04.08 - Results from our last field trip

Yesterday we went on our last field trip as a class. We went to the painted church and the city of refuge. Here's a few pics from the painted church.

only three more weeks left. :(
jim baker

Classmates and pictures of them...

and here are some pics that our school leader took of us on the around the island trip.

back to the kitchen,
jim baker

03.02.08 - Happy march...

yesterdays 365

Kitchen duty all weekend... its been pretty chill though.

Stanley Leary asked us when we started studio lighting what the next piece of equipment we would buy would be? I had just returned my 50 1.4 because I realized that there was no point in having a 60mm macro 2.8 and a 50 1.4 because they are way to close in focal length so i was going to buy the 28 1.8.

But he asked us if we wanted to know what one piece of equipment would start to set our work apart...

And he busted out his lighting kit.

So while we were on the around the island trip I ordered some new gear
and its sitting in the mail room waiting for me but the mail room is closed for the weekend...

So be looking for some new pics soon strobist style. :)

In the meanwhile...

Check out some of my nashville peeps photo blogs.
(Why is there a whole crew of us that went from music to photography?!)
Maybe photography pays better...

Hannah Elaine

and

Jesse Koska

adios,
jim baker

02.28.08 - results from around the island

We got back from our around the island trip last night. I took 350 photos and here are my top 10.

antique shop

textures on a chalk board

behind a coffee shop

propane tank

south point

sophia in the fog

volcano steam vents

some plant with morning dew on it

volcano tube

waterfall

peace,
jim baker

02.26.08 - check check is this thing on?

6:24am... does anyone read this?

I just packed to go on the around the island trip, I'm headed down to breakfast and away we go!

Be looking for some pics soon,
jim baker

02.24.08 - some other ones...

Here's three other favorite ones from the week...

Kaarin in the studio

Ji at airport road after sunset

Emily in the studio

I got to show my portfolio to Stanley our guest teacher and his uncle Knolan this week. I got a really good critique. It was a good critique because they told me what I do wrong consistently and I'm really excited to work on those things.

I should go to bed...
jim baker

02.24.08 - outdoor lighting assignment

This is an assignment I shot tonite that is due tomorrow.

We had to show...

The lighting set up

what the shot would look like without a strobe

and the final shot. :)

big thanks to Kaarin who did an awesome job of modeling and Cliff for doing an awesome job assisting me.

I think I want to stay in photography school forever... when I get home I will be taking your picture.

jim baker

02.24.08 - Studio Lighting

This week we've been doing business principals and studio lighting.

Studio lighting is one of the things that I really wanted to learn while I was here...

Here's the results from my studio assignment of classic lighting styles.

Rembrandt lighting

1:3 lighting ratio

Butterfly lighting

cheers,
jim baker

02.16.08 - sick

Queen's Bath...
pulled from the archives. I'm absolutely convicted today that I need to get out and shoot more than I have been.

I've have a headcold this week and last night I was up a bunch of times visiting the bathroom. I'm not sure if its something that I ate or if I have the flu thats going around. You're not suppose to be able to be sick in paradise.

This upcoming week we have Stanley Leary
who is teaching on studio lighting and business.

adios...
jim baker

02.16.08 - enviromental portrait

A host and hostess stand outside of Bubba Gump's Restaurant in downtown Kona Hawaii.

Jim Baker