After Dark photography education – Charlotte, NC – 2011
This striking portrait is of Britney, one of the number of models that are at this, the current After Dark photography convention. Regular followers of the Tangents blog will easily recognize the lighting as being a video light. In this case, I reverted to the Lowel ID-light because it creates a stronger beam of light which can be spread wider than an LED video light. Typical of After Dark, this photo session / mini-presentation was an impromptu one that started after the evenings classes and presentations had already ended at midnight.
Meeting up with Britney and her sister Nicole (who is also a model), and two other photographers, the group of photographers eventually spilled out to the lobby of the hotel and swelled to a group of about 30 photographers all taking part. And that’s the reason I wanted to use the Lowel ID-light … the person holding up the video light, could stand further back and we’d still get decent camera settings. An LED video light would not have been powerful enough for this situation.
image details:
1/160 @ f2.8 @ 1000 ISO … with video light; no flash
Nikon D3; Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 AF-S VR II (B&H)
The lens was used at 200mm to compress the background – an out-of-focus piece of artwork.
more articles about the use of video light for photography
Enough of the video light though. I’ve gushed about the After Dark experience before when I presented at the Cincinatti event, and when I had a quick look-in at the Las Vegas event.
Of all the multi-day photography seminar / workshop events, I would honestly say that After Dark is the best that I have experienced. So I was quite happy at being invited again as a mentor for this After Dark event in Charlotte.
And was quite a thrill to see this when I arrived on Sunday afternoon. Made me feel like a star! I have my own banner.
More about the After Dark experience in general …
As I described in that one previous link, After Dark has a certain structure – 10 areas / pods set up for seminar presentations; and 10 studio bays set up where Mentors can teach in a direct hands-on manner. But all this doesn’t really describe the easy-going flow of activity and learning and sharing that goes on. In that earlier post I described After Dark as ‘controlled anarchy‘. And that is what makes it so unique. You can move around between presentations and shoots, and learn from anyone. You can even ask any of the Mentors or attendees to help you. It’s an incredibly supportive and nourishing environment for any photographer.
Just as cool is that there are studio bays that are open, which might not be busy at any point. You can then mark down that you want to spend some time there. You also get the opportunity to play with a huge variety of lighting gear. You can play around on your own, or have someone help you. You can make mistakes. You don’t have to impress anyone. You just have to learn and have fun with it all.
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It is curious that 26 of 32 mentors shoot Canon and only 6 of them shoot Nikon. Is it coincidence or is there a specific reason for these great photographers prefer Canon over Nikon?
Comment by Alfredo Medina — July 19, 2011 @ 7:14 am
Neil is for all levels? Or is it for more advanced?
Thanks,
Jeff
Comment by Jeff — July 19, 2011 @ 8:57 pm
Comment by Neil vN — July 19, 2011 @ 9:08 pm
Congratulations on having your likeness on a banner at the workshop. Are you in the big leagues yet? :-)
Comment by Stephen — September 27, 2011 @ 2:39 pm
Neil, I only had the pleasure to attend one of your lectures at B&H and you changed the way I use the on camera flash forever, and reading your blog on a regular basis is helping me become a better photographer, thank you for your time and for sharing all this amazing information.
Once again, thank you, and congratulations because a lot of people is recognizing the excellent photographer and person that you are.
Comment by Hanssel — September 27, 2011 @ 4:47 pm
Hello Neil,
Sounds great – we could do with something like that over this neck of the woods !! When are you coming to Scotland ???
Regards,
Richard
Comment by Richard Bracegirdle — September 28, 2011 @ 6:02 am
Thank you :)
Comment by Letitia Roberts — September 29, 2011 @ 9:10 pm
Neil! Are you not going to be at AD Tucson?! I knew I should have gone to Charlotte! I learned more about flash in the random impromptu hallway flash session (at AD Cinci) than I’d ever learned anywhere else! Love love love your blog.
Comment by Ann Steward — September 30, 2011 @ 12:56 am
Comment by Neil vN — September 30, 2011 @ 11:01 am
Hi Neil love your style and use of flash. I have a burning question to ask you. When I take images in say the room of the bride getting ready I bounce my flash straight up or up and to the side a little, I under exp the ambient by 2stops and let the flash go ttl etc. However I find a lot of times that the light seems very ” mushy ” and there doesnt seem to be any contrast between my subject and the room as the flash is pretty much lightng the whole area up. Would the BFT help with this or am I missing one last piece of the jigsaw.
Thanks
Ken
Comment by ken hills — September 30, 2011 @ 11:50 am
Comment by Neil vN — September 30, 2011 @ 11:58 am
We need you here in Florida!
Comment by Chris C. — November 7, 2011 @ 7:12 pm