|
October 12, 2010
I’ve made occasional mention here about the book on off-camera flash that I was busy writing, and had now completed. Well, I made the publisher’s deadline, and now I have the final step in my hand – the ‘galley proof’ of the book. This is a copy of the final layout of the book. Now I just have to do the last few checks for accuracy and spelling and clarity. (You can see some scribbles in red pen there on the open page.)
The book on off camera flash photography is slated for release in April 2011. I will most certainly announce it here and via the newsletter when the book does become available.
Much of the material will be familiar to regular readers of the Tangents blog .. but I did my best in pulling this and additional material together as a cohesive book. My approach in the writing style was that the book should feel like you’re having a tutor there right next to you, talking to you and explaining the various aspects of off-camera flash photography. And of course, like my book on on-camera flash photography, this book comes with continual and unprecedented tech support.
About the photograph above … you may well ask, why two hats?
(more…)
Filed under: news — Neil vN @ 7:36 pm
October 11, 2010
favorite image from the weekend – romantic bridal portrait
When possible during a lull in the wedding reception, I like to sneak the bride and groom away for a few minutes to do romantic portraits. Since time is usually tight, and the couple wants to enjoy as much of their reception as possible, I like to work efficiently. Jessica and Michael had their reception at a venue where I hadn’t worked before, so during dinner time, I quickly went around the venue with my assistant, to scout a few places to photograph the couple.
In the basement of this venue, I noticed the light shining through gates … casting interesting shadows on the wall. I thought this might be ideal to pose the couple, and then light them beautifully with a hand-held video light.
(more…)
Comments (8)
favorite image from the weekend – the moment after the kiss
I’m normally in the center aisle when I work as a solo photographer at a wedding. But with the wedding on Saturday, I knew I could trust my 2nd shooter to nail the photographs I needed. This allowed me the opportunity to move around, looking for other angles. I was hoping that Lori-Ann would hug her husband, George, in the first seconds after The First Kiss. I was hoping to get her expression in that hug. She did hug him, but with her face over his other shoulder. I had a 50% chance of guessing that right! So I didn’t quite get the image I anticipated …
… but in those moments right after the first kiss (and hug), she leaned back and just threw her head back, looking up .. over-come with emotion. And I knew I had a compelling image, showing all the emotion and joy.
Timing is essential. And just as essential, is the ability to resist the urge to compulsively check the camera’s preview. There could be something happening while you, as the photographer, is scrutinizing that LCD screen.
Image details:
1/125 @ f2.8 @ 2000 ISO … (no flash)
Nikon D3; Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 AF-S II (B&H)
If you find these articles interesting and of value, then you can help by using
these affiliate links to order equipment & other goodies. Thank you!
Stay informed of new articles via the monthly newsletter.
Also join us on the Tangents forum for further discussions.
Comments (10)
October 10, 2010
favorite image from the weekend – trampoline jump
Another photograph from the PDF event this weekend where I photographed the fire performer, is this one from earlier in the afternoon. I noticed some event-goers taking turns at a trampoline. I decided to shoot into the sun for dramatic effect .. but also to make the image more anonymous and therefore more about the feel of the day. More about the mood than a recognizable portrait. Shooting at high shutter speeds, I was able to freeze the action completely, and caught this guy in mid-tumble … as if mysteriously floating by. Slightly surreal.
(more…)
Comments (3)
October 8, 2010
After I was so thrilled with watching and photographing the fire performers at their wedding, Katie and Nathan managed to get me a ticket to the PDF event this weekend. Due to work commitments this weekend, I was only able to visit tonight (Friday), and take in the activities and spirit of the event, and chat to random people. Magical.
Of the fire performers (and other participants) I photographed, I really liked the few images I got of Nichole .. and thought I’d show them here as a small glimpse of the event.
Shot with the Nikon D3, using the Nikon 85mm f1.4D lens
1/125 @ f1.4 @ 3200 ISO
If you find these articles interesting and of value, then you can help by using
these affiliate links to order equipment & other goodies. Thank you!
Stay informed of new articles via the monthly newsletter.
Also join us on the Tangents forum for further discussions.
Comments (8)
October 7, 2010
using available light, and finding that interesting light
Photographing Kerri in an alley that I’ve used a few times before, I was looking for other interesting angles and backgrounds. This one stretch of white-washed wall was particularly bland … but then I noticed small splashes of light …
(more…)
Comments (10)
October 6, 2010
I get frequent questions about how I add my logo to the images, so I thought I’d explain it in a blog post. Here it is …
(more…)
Comments (24)
October 5, 2010
wedding photography in hard bright sunlight
Hard sunlight overhead is some of the most difficult light that you can find yourself shooting in. When you aren’t able to position your subjects, then your options are limited – fill-flash or working with the RAW file in post-processing.
However, when you’re able to move your subjects, but don’t have the opportunity for off-camera lighting, then your best two options are:
- have your subjects turn their backs to the sun,
- use the light from the sun so that there are no harsh cross-shadows.
(more…)
Comments (47)
October 3, 2010
photography questions & answers
I started the initial numbering of this serial topic with three digits. And since I thought of this being a monthly post, it would seem like we’re in for the long haul here if we’re ever going to reach the hundreds. So, continuing with this post where I check recent search engine queries, and answer a selection of 10 questions more directly …
01) increasing flash will eliminate ambient light
It doesn’t quite work the way as stated there. If you have correct exposure for ambient light, then adding (correctly metered) flash to this, will just over-expose the photograph. To eliminate or reduce the ambient light, you first under-expose your available light to a certain extent, and then add flash to give you correct exposure. Now you can progressively eliminate the ambient light by changing your settings, but keep your flash exposure such that you get correct exposure.
You would change your shutter speed first to reduce the ambient light, but usually not higher than maximum flash sync speed. Then you need to juggle the aperture and ISO settings … and add flash to this. This is the usual technique when your available light is ugly. Think of tungsten lights in the ceiling, directly overhead.
This question then neatly segues into the next question and answer …
(more…)
Comments (12)
October 2, 2010
The bride and groom at last night’s wedding are veteran burners – people who attend Burning Man – and several of their guests are fire performers. Later the evening during the reception, four of the guests showed their skill in juggling and dancing with fire.
Photographing fire performers
Photographing the fire performers, especially in such low light – i.e. near darkness – was a challenge. A slow shutter speed to show the movement of the fire, would cause the performer to be completely blurred. But a fast shutter speed would not show enough movement in the fire. A fast shutter speed would also necessitate a wide aperture, which causes depth of field problems as the performers move.
(more…)
Comments (33)
« Newer Posts
|
|
