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Window light portrait

September 13, 2021 Neil vN 3 Comments

Window light portrait ... with a twist.

This sequence of photos is from a photo session in my studio with a model, Eryn. I have this one canvas backdrop where I prefer the back of the backdrop, which looks distressed, rather than the proper painted front of the backdrop. I like it this way because it looks unusual compared to the front. I wanted to photograph Eryn against this canvas backdrop ... and I wanted to use window light. As I opened up the window blinds, the indirect light spilling in was also punctuated by the sunlight glaring off the hood of my car, creating these patterns  Read more inside...

Advantages of mirrorless cameras – Eye-focus & Composition

June 14, 2020 Neil vN 5 Comments

Advantages of mirrorless cameras - Eye-focus & Composition

The more I work with mirrorless cameras, and get familiar with the difference between using a DLSR and using a mirrorless camera, the more I appreciate the advantages of a mirrorless camera. And I feel like I'm struggling less with the quirks of the system. In a previous article I listed the main advantages of Mirrrorless cameras over DSLRs, but there is another advantage that I have found really valuable - how intuitive eye-focus can be in fluidly changing your image Composition. Before the magic of eye-focus, when  Read more inside...

The need for fast prime lenses in your camera bag

March 30, 2020 Neil vN 3 Comments

The need for fast prime lenses in your camera bag

Photographing events like weddings, and in this case, Bar / bat mitzvahs, I bring a big roller case - the Think Tank Logistics Manager 30 (B&H  / Amazon) - with several cameras and lenses. At the moment I straddle Nikon and Sony. As much as I love the Sony A9's eye focus capabilities there are some situations where the Nikon D5 is the beast that I can rely on. It so rarely doesn't deliver with precision. I bring a range of lenses - a mix of f/2.8 zooms, and several fast primes. (I have a self-imposed rule that I  Read more inside...

Late night available light portraits in Las Vegas

March 4, 2020 Neil vN 2 Comments

Late night available light portraits in Las Vegas

During a chance connection at WPPI photography convention in Vegas, Lupita and I struck up a conversation ... and later that evening we ventured out on the Las Vegas strip for a few late night portraits. With a fast prime lens - the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM lens  (B&H / Amazon) - we were able to use just the light on the part of the Strip we explored. Here are a few of my favorite images. It's always an adventure using random available light like this -- there is such a wide range of nuanced shades of colors  Read more inside...

Available light photography – looking for good light

December 27, 2019 Neil vN 5 Comments

Available light photography - looking for good light

When shooting for fun on location with a model, and have the time, I have this personal challenge - to find interesting sources of light. Those spots of found light where a little bit of magic happens. This photo of Anastasiya was taken in Grand Central, New York. While the station's architecture is impressive, the light levels there are very low, and quite flat. It's a place you want to take photos at, because it is so beautiful inside - but it is a challenge. The light there just don't lend itself to good portraits in an obvious  Read more inside...

Posing into the light for better portraits

October 31, 2019 Neil vN 6 Comments

Posing into the light for better portraits

This is a simple illustration again of the idea that posing and light(ing) go hand-in-hand. You can't really separate these two aspects when photographing people. When there is a video team at a wedding, I have to accommodate them in not using flash when they are shooting their sequences during the romantic portrait session with the bride and groom. Then I have to rely entirely on just the available light. In this example, they had the bride, Amanda, walk down the jetty twice - a good opportunity for me to shoot some extra images to pad  Read more inside...

Review: Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM lens

October 19, 2019 Neil vN 15 Comments

Review: Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM lens

The 135mm focal length is super for getting more reach than 85mm or 100mm would, but still keeping the lens to a smaller size. While the smaller size is nice, it was the fast aperture was what I really wanted. That the lens is super-sharp is an extra bonus. The Lens Rentals review has this as "This is the sharpest lens we’ve tested. Period." That says something! The first thing to notice about this lens is the fast f1/.8 aperture. Even though I mostly use a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for events and headshot photography, there are times where I need that  Read more inside...

Event photography in low light

September 20, 2019 Neil vN 6 Comments

Event photography in low light

Event photography where you are photographing speakers at the event, can be challenging in its own way. The problem with taking photos of presenters, especially if they are animated, is that you have to take a LOT of photos to get a few where they look good. You don't want to give your client any photos with awkward expressions. This means you have to take so many photos just to get a few keepers. But shooting a ton of photos with flash becomes intrusive after a very short while. I therefore prefer to do the majority of photos of speakers at events,  Read more inside...

Direction of light – Using available light in the studio

July 24, 2019 Neil vN 2 Comments

Direction of light - Using available light in the studio

This striking portrait of Rozalinda was lit by big window light in the studio. In using light - whether studio lighting or available light - you need to consider the direction of the light. You need to figure out how you want to place yourself and your subject in relation to where the light is coming from. Your own position in relation to the light and your subject, will significantly change the way the light appears on your subject. Check this article for an example: Change your position, change the direction of light. With  Read more inside...

Photographing with available light only

November 28, 2018 Neil vN 6 Comments

Photographing with available light only

While photographing dancer, Anna Russell, in this side-street in New York, I noticed those splashes of light against the wall. These little pools of light were from sunlight reflecting off nearby windows. I wanted to see if we could have Anna hit one of those in mid-air. What also helped was the general direction of light in this area - it mostly came from the main road to the left of the frame, since we were shooting in a narrow street with tall buildings. The main splash of light on her was sunlight reflecting off this window of a building  Read more inside...

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