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Tangentsportraits of the bride – looking for the less obvious imageAugust 30, 2010
wedding photography – looking for the less obvious imageWhile waiting with the bride and her bridesmaids before the ceremony, their excitement made for good candid photos. But, as ever, I was on the look-out for the less obvious photo. Trying to find something unexpected …
on-location portraits – the progression of an ideaAugust 26, 2010
on-location portraits – the progression of an ideaI had the pleasure of photographing musician Anne Drummond for her promotional portfolio. (I also happen to be photographing her upcoming wedding.) The photo above is one in a progressive sequence of images, moving towards a final few photographs that will work in this setting here …
Filed under: flash photography,general photography,lighting,models,photo shoot,portraits,posing — Neil vN @ 12:47 pm
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Photoshop tips – retouching for portraitsAugust 24, 2010
Photoshop Tips – retouching for portraitsWhen retouching portrait photographs, I have a certain look that I (currently) like – a slightly ‘polished’ look, but still natural. Definitely not ‘plastic’. With a few steps in Photoshop, and a few steps that I may or may not add, I can easily get to the styling in post-processing that I want. Some of the steps are specific, but others are added depending on taste or ‘feel’. Some of the steps involve Photoshop plug-ins which are essential for me …
photo-shoot – a change in plansAugust 22, 2010
progression of an idea during a photo-sessionThis post was going to be something entirely different – a mini-rewiew of an Elinchrom Ranger Quadra Set that I got hold of to try out. But a key part was missing. Without the Skyport that allows you to control the output of the unit from the camera itself, a review would be less useful. Having booked Priscilla as our model already, and my friend Richard along to assist, we decided to just go ahead and have fun with a photo-shoot anyway …
direction of light & choice of background (part 2)August 21, 2010
positioning your subject – direction of light & choice of backgroundTaking cover from the rain under this awning, we ended up in the same spot where I took this available light portrait of Anelisa previously. Looking along the wall at the same angle, the black paint of the wall reflected the light from behind, completely changing the character of the background. Since the available light was low level, and not flattering, we added some light from an off-camera flash in a softbox …
Filed under: flash photography,general photography,lighting,models,posing,technique — Neil vN @ 11:23 pm
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direction of light & choice of background (part 1)August 20, 2010
posing your subject – direction of light & choice of backgroundReinforcing the ideas from a few previous posts, When we work with our subject – whether a family member or a model or anyone we’re photographing – then we have the opportunity to control at least a few aspects to make the final photograph more successful …
Filed under: flash photography,general photography,lighting,models,posing,technique — Neil vN @ 2:59 pm
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on-camera TTL fill-flashAugust 10, 2010
on-camera TTL fill-flashWith this recent photo session I didn’t have an assistant with me to hold a softbox. I therefore relied on on-camera fill-flash where necessary, and careful positioning of the couple, Renee and David, to control the light. With the two photos above I used different amounts of flash exposure compensation (FEC), for more pronounced, or for more subtle fill-flash …
sequence of photos – posing a model – OktaviaAugust 8, 2010
sequence of photos – posingThe photo above is one of my recent favorite images. Oktavia is a professional dancer and we both wanted some photos to extend our portfolios. Of the number of places we used as a backdrop, I really liked this place – an art gallery in Manhattan where we were kindly allowed to use as a setting. What I’d like to show, is some of the images leading up to this final choice – how a combination of positioning Oktavia and changing the light, culminated in this photograph.
sequence: setting up the lighting at a photo shootAugust 6, 2010
analysis of the lighting setup during a photo shootThe photo above of Jessica, my assistant, shows the final lighting setup during a recent commercial shoot. I had to photograph various people at a medical technology imaging company for use on their website and promotional material. I had to show some of the workplace, but put the accent on the person I am photographing. Of course, it is much easier to work with my assistant, and do test shots and changes in the setup beforehand. Then we can change the lights and anything else we need to, until we’re happy with the results. Then only do we call in the people we are actually photographing, and place them in position. With this post I want to show the thought process in setting up the lighting for this photo. There were a couple of dead ends, and a couple of adjustments as we went along …
tutorial: high-speed flash syncAugust 2, 2010
high-speed flash sync / auto FP .. vs .. normal flashThere have been a number of questions about high-speed flash sync (HSS), and how it affects the output from your flash. There were also some questions asked about high-speed flash sync with this recent post where we tried to reverse-engineer a photo. I decided to do a series of comparison photos, so we can actually see what happens before, at and beyond maximum flash sync speed. And we can also see what happens with high-speed flash sync. To do this, I set up very simple portrait lighting using a single speedlight and a large umbrella. A simple white paper-roll backdrop, and our model, Rachel. Here is the setup in my dining room …
Filed under: flash photography,general photography,lighting,off-camera flash — Tags: Canon flash photography tips, flash photography, flash photography techniques, flash photography workshops, flash sync, high-speed sync flash, Nikon flash photography tips — Neil vN @ 6:23 pm
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