Creating dramatic studio lighting with Profoto A2 flashes
Creating dramatic studio lighting with Profoto A2 flashes
Profoto has created an entire system of portable lighting with accessories around their Profoto A2 flash (B&H / Amazon). I had the rare opportunity to connect again with one of my favorite models, Erin Leigh Pribyl, for a photo session in my studio. Even in this short video clip, you'll get a sense of her personality. With this, I wanted to create dramatic portrait lighting with a hint of the old Hollywood Glamor lighting, but with color instead of B&W. In this video is a glimpse of how I built up 4 Read more inside...Times Square NYC photo session – off-camera flash
Times Square NYC photo session - off-camera flash
Becky and Mark were visiting New York from the UK, and wanted to do a photo session here. I took them around various posts in the vicinity of Times Square where their hotel was. The lighting for this photo session varied from the available light in Times Square, to enhancing it with off-camera lighting. The idea was to make the off-camera light still look fairly natural in those surroundings. Manhattan is always hectic with pedestrians, and a light-stand isn't always feasible. So I have my assistant hold up a flash on a monopod. Read more inside...Short lighting with on-camera bounce flash
Short lighting with on-camera bounce flash
In the recent article — The simplicity of on-camera bounce flash — the flash was used as fill light to "clean up" the light and give a sparkle to the eyes. In that scenario, as fill-flash the flash didn't really add directional light or shape the light on our subject. Where on-camera bounce flash is our only / main light source, then we can get creative with the direction of light and shape an interesting, dynamic light pattern on our subject. We can even create short lighting for our portraits created with only on-camera bounce flash. To Read more inside...The simplicity of on-camera bounce flash
The simplicity of on-camera bounce flash
This is a fairly straight-forward portrait of the bride just as she was done with her prep. But this simplicity might belie the deliberateness in how I shot this. Because the rest of the bridal area was mostly bland walls, I purposely used the busy room in the background to give that indistinct out-of-focus background which is still complimentary. There were spotlights in the ceiling just outside the door, so I asked her to step forward of those lights. They would have been too hard to fight against. My exposure settings were set for Read more inside...Huge venues and bounce flash – how to double your flash power
Bounce flash and huge venues - how to double your flash power
A spontaneous moment with two of the lovely people at an event I photographed. Perhaps technically unremarkable until you consider the size of the venue, and that I used bounce flash. If you look at the photo below, you'll see that it was a huge indoor basketball / sport court. Now, if you're familiar with the tutorials on this site on bounce flash photography, you'll know that I try to avoid direct flash as much as possible. Even flash attachments that throw light forward -- I avoid using those. Instead, I much more Read more inside...Tips on using a fish-eye lens
Tips on using a fish-eye lens
Fisheye lenses are often just gimmicky in their effect, however I think it helped with these street portraits of people taking part in the Easter Parade on 5th Ave in Manhattan, NYC. For me, it works because it enhanced the fun element of the day. It's a quirky lens well suited for quirky subjects. The main things to consider when using a fish-eye lens: Don't over-use it. Because it is such a unique and distinctive look, it can quickly become a gimmick in of itself. A fisheye lens dictates a central composition because of how bendy the edges Read more inside...Video tutorial: On-camera bounce flash photography
Video tutorial: On-camera bounce flash photography
I finally put together the really, REALLY big tutorial about on-camera bounce flash photography. It's an entire workshop. This is a long one. An hour's worth of material. It's going to require a bit of stamina. If you prefer Youtube : Bounce Flash - That one thing you need to know. Related to this video, is this video where we discuss how Bounce flash photography & The Inverse Square Law interrelate. There's something interesting and unexpected happening there. And if you are new to the "Black Foamie Read more inside...Most versatile flashes – the Profoto B10 series
Most versatile flashes - the Profoto B10 series
With a headshot / business portrait photo session in Manhattan with Yana, we spent most of the time outside, using the New York cityscape as an out of focus background. But then we also had access the library / lounge area of the apartment complex Yana lives in. The outdoor session was mostly the ambient light outside, with some fill-flash from an off-camera flash. The B10 was more than powerful enough to work with the existing light like that. Profoto B10 flash (B&H / Amazon) Profoto OCF Beauty Dish Read more inside...lens review: Tamron 35-150mm f/2 – f/2.8 (for Sony E)
lens review: Tamron 35-150mm f/2 - f/2.8 Lens (for Sony E)
The two things that immediately stand out about the Tamron 35-150mm f/2 - f/2.8 (for Sony) (B&H / Amazon), just by looking at it: The focal length range: 35-150mm is an incredibly useful range for photographing people. The fast maximum aperture. A surprisingly f/2.0 at 35mm, going to a very usable fast f/2.8 as you zoom in. This would immediately make it an ideal one-lens option that would cover to many different photo sessions. I show some examples lower down in this review, which include engagement Read more inside...- 1
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