The first time I became aware of the pin-up artwork of Alberto Vargas was with the release of the album, Candy-O, by the Cars in '79. It was often mentioned how Vargas was brought out of semi-retirement to create this image. With that, my interest in pin-up artwork by the legends, Vargas and by Gil Elvgren, was fired up. This will also explain why I've been a fan of the photography of Robert Alvarado ever since I first saw his work. He clearly pays homage to those two artists. Read more inside...
portraits of the bride – looking for the less obvious image
wedding photography - looking for the less obvious image
While 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 ... Read more inside...Photoshop tips – retouching for portraits
Photoshop Tips - retouching for portraits
When 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 ... Read more inside...photo-shoot – a change in plans
progression of an idea during a photo-session
This post was going to be something entirely different - a mini-review 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 ... Read more inside...photography: direction of light & change in background
Positioning your subject - direction of light & choice of background
Taking cover from the rain under an awning during a photography workshop in New York, we ended up in this spot against a wall that was painted black. However, looking along the wall at an angle, the black paint of the wall reflected the light from behind. This completely changed 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. Shooting nearly completely in line with the flash, the light on Catherine was Read more inside...photography: direction of light & choice of background
posing your subject - direction of light & choice of background
Reinforcing the ideas from a few previous posts, we're going to look at that intersect where everything comes together: - direction of light, - choice of background, - posing your subject, - positioning yourself. 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. Read more inside...On-camera TTL fill-flash
On-camera TTL fill-flash
With 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. In the photo on the left, I used FEC of -3 EV on the Nikon D3 and SB-900 combination. This is about the same as -1EV with the Canon flash system. For the image on the right, I was Read more inside...Sequence of photos in posing a model
Sequence of photos in posing a model
The photo above is one of my favorite images. It was also subsequently chosen as the cover image for my book about off-camera flash photography. 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 Read more inside...sequence: setting up the lighting at a photo shoot
analysis of the lighting setup during a photo shoot
The 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. Read more inside...tutorial: High-speed flash sync (HSS)
High-speed flash sync / auto FP .. vs .. normal flash
There have been a number of questions about high-speed flash sync (HSS), and how it affects the output from your flash. Also check this Video tutorial – High Speed Flash Sync (HSS). It covers the same material as this article, and will help explain why your camera and flash behaves the way it does when you change from normal flash sync to high-speed flash sync. 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 Read more inside...- « Previous Page
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