The Mango Pack Blog

Photo

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:54:08 -0400

Ever since my first home cooked meal in Guatemala last summer,...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:44:00 -0400

Ever since my first home cooked meal in Guatemala last summer, I’ve fallen in love with Avocados. This meal is perfect for a small lunch, an afternoon snack, or when your friends come over. I’ve added my asian touch by adding sesame oil at the end, it really adds to the earthiness of the guac and balances the lime by adding boldness to it. Enjoy! -CM

We went on a hike!

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:20:00 -0400

[FEATURED!]

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:58:38 -0500

[FEATURED!] :

Colin’s photos of NEEDTOBREATHE live in Lynchburg, VA were featured today in the BURG (Lynchburg News and Advance)

*Scream for Joy!*

Video

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:29:55 -0500

Video

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:09:05 -0500

www.facebook.com/themangopack

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:38:43 -0500

www.facebook.com/themangopack

:)

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:59:05 -0500

KEVIN GOT ENGAGED! Photo by Cali Lowdermilk

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 02:09:00 -0500

KEVIN GOT ENGAGED!

Photo by Cali Lowdermilk

Who We Are : Whats in our camera bag?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 01:36:00 -0500

Our Portfolio = Patience + Humbleness + Hardwork + Really expensive gear that we saved up for (or rented!)

To shoot like a pro you need professional equipment therefore we highly value good equipment; we try to use top of the line gear for all our work. Most of what you see on our website and images from Canon Full Frames such as the Canon 5D Mkiii and the new Canon 6D with our personal favorites, the 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.2, and 85mm 1.2.

According to Kevin, having the correct equipment is just like having the right tool for a job or project. For example, if you need to hammer a nail in, the correct tool or equipment would be a hammer. However, you can technically use a rock or something solid to hit the nail in with. They both do their jobs, but the hammer is the most effective. The same principle is applied to photography. You can photograph your subject matter with any sort of camera, but you can maximize your quality with the right type of equipment.

Pace is important however, although photography has blown up in the recent years, it is still not as financially feasible as collecting stamps. My fear with many beginner photographers these days is that they lose sight of how important it is to be a photographer and not be a cameraman. Many who start with highly intelligent, lowlight vanquisher, high-speed cameras miss the baby steps of learning how to not photograph a blur image or seeing noise for the first time. It’s kind of like teaching a baby how to walk without learning how to stand up. The years that I had to shoot with ISO400 with a kit lens were fundamental to how my brain functions now when I hold a camera. I owned a Canon 1000D (equivalent to a Rebel Xsi) for almost five years before I made the shift to the 6D; even then I left the camera store with huge debt!

My advice is to start basic, save your money, expand and learn from other photographers (they may let you borrow their gear if you second shoot!), rent, rent, rent, and when you feel connected to a certain product and trust it, then make your upgrade.

Don’t let your confidence drop when you walk in the room with that entry-level DSLR while the full frame snobs judge you with their hawk eyes, shoot the best you can with what you have. This is when you can rely on true creativity and good old fashioned hard work to get the shot. What you’ll become is a photographer who treasures photographs more than their gear and are passionate towards seeing yourself and others improve.

Clients also received selfies of The Mango Pack, oh you...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 13:08:55 -0500

Clients also received selfies of The Mango Pack, oh you can’t not hire us now!!!!

Photo

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:46:38 -0500

Who We Are : Present yourself worthy... as a photographer.

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:49:00 -0500

Who We Are : Present yourself worthy… as a photographer.

Question: 2. Mango Pack seems to have a personality of its own. Is it important to present yourself in a manner than would “turn heads” so-to-speak?

For the Mango Pack, as much as it is our creative outlet, we are also running a business, so yes – we highly value how we make our first impression whether it’s our portfolio or how we respond to our clients through email or how we serve them on their big day. This is rooted however not just for business sake; these are values that are determined by our identities.

Kevin and I knew each other before we formed the Mango Pack and knew that our characters would blend well. The first time we ever hung out was when Kevin hired me to be a second shooter for a wedding and that’s when I knew he was a real down to earth, hardworking, polite and humble dude. Since then I’ve always trusted him and knew that he’s the kind of guy I’d like to work with and I’m 100% positive that our clients would get to experience that from us.

So in effort to serve our customers best and staying true to who we are, we make sure we are easy going, fun and flexible to work with, we dress well for our shoots to let them know we care, we speak politely and discuss all serious matters like professionals would, and we are always on their side. Prove yourself worthy of being the photographer that they can trust to document their lives most precious moments.

Our product may speak high volumes on what we do and we hope to ‘turn heads’ by capturing these images, but don’t neglect your character. Photographs can inform and excite but photographers can impact others lives. There are too many articles and photographers out there who care only about photography and not the photographer.

The recipe is included if you keep ‘dragging away’...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:06:00 -0500

The recipe is included if you keep ‘dragging away’ these photos!

Who We Are : Five Essentials to become a Photographer

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 03:00:00 -0500

I(Colin) was recently asked by a high school student to help her out with her semester report, being the photographer that she is, she decided to interview Mango Pack! Please keep in mind that neither Kevin or I are writers but we’ve learned some things, many the hard way and would like to share it with you. We hope to encourage you and hope that we learn from you readers as well.

These are my five things that I came up with in one sitting, there is more but I think it should suffice for now.

1. Be Proactive

- Most of my best work come from moments where I initiated conversations and casted my vision with my subjects or partners. Be a self-starter, opportunity is created when one invests his heart in something.

2. Learn to be a Communicator

Photography often more than not, involves other people. These people aren’t necessarily your models but they may be your team of assistants, your photo walk friend, your business partner or your audience! Photographers who walk around by themselves with their camera, shooting quietly, and then hide in their ‘darkroom’ for hours processing only to enjoy the art for themselves are boring! Ironically I seem to do it a lot myself but I believe that photography encompasses so much more than art; the time spent planning, photographing, processing and presenting them should be filled with excitement and be moments where you wonder how did you ever manage to get that shot. All it takes is for you to carry a conversation and be intentional from start to finish. Let your yes be yes and be a man/women of your word.

3. Be a planner

A good photographer set himself up for those ‘money shots’. Plan every. Single. Detail.

For instance: I wanted a photo of a couple lying down on the wooden floor with music sheets and candles around them shot from above.

I thought, first I need a ladder, and then I need music sheets, and candles. I also needed a truck to transport the ladder. I knew I wanted natural light so finding a perfect room for it with nothing else around them but those props. I thought of all this during one of my many sleepless nights and quickly doodled this on a piece of paper, already laying out their poses and their facial expressions. I knew what lens I wanted on, I knew the exact composition I wanted it to be.

You may not have the opportunity to do so in every shoot but you can never go wrong by planning every single detail.

4. Be part of a photo community

I improved the most as a photographer when I had the opportunity to be hired as a photographer at Liberty University. I allowed myself to be invested by other photographers and was always in student mode. I shot regularly not only because I was required to if I wanted to keep my job, but I would also take up assignments that were fun and challenging. While my back still hurts every now and then from carrying photo gear around all day, I got to really learn the cameras in and out, ‘geek talk’ with other photographers, and did my time on hours and hours of shooting and processing photographs regardless of whether or not I enjoyed shooting it which allowed me to get a better grip of reality with my creativity.

It may not be a job for you, it could be a group of friends who share the same interests or frequently visiting camera stores and getting to know the managers/employees, or you could be the one who fearlessly strike up conversation with strangers who obviously know what they are doing with that huge camera in his/her hand. Please be polite and humble though, don’t be that guy.

5. Know your gear and software in and out

This is pretty self-explanatory but I intentionally put it last because I don’t wish on anyone to think of photography as all camera and no heart and head. Just as guitar is not all pedals and amps, and cooking not sticking to a recipe down to a tee, it requires you investing in your character and really bringing out the meaning behind photographs. However, work with what you got till it cannot do anything more for you. If it means sticking with the trial version and the cheap 50mm lens, exhaust its capabilities, master it then move on with confidence.

Video

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:04:51 -0500

Contest Ends Feb 10 and winners are announced the next day!

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:03:30 -0500

Contest Ends Feb 10 and winners are announced the next day!

Photo

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:46:25 -0500

Photo

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 13:24:03 -0500

Photo

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 13:17:00 -0500