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Tips on photographing dancers and ballerinas

December 25, 2017 Neil vN 5 Comments

Tips on photographing dancers and ballerinas

Photographing a talented dancer / model, Anna L Russel (Instagram), in the studio, I wanted to think further than just sequences. Recently I have moved more to thinking in terms of larger projects or longer-term projects, even if just over a single photo session. I liked the results from the first few jumps Anna did - explosive movements within which she momentally holds a pose before landing again.  I don't know much about dance movements or what would be the perfect execution of a dance move ... which would then affect my timing  Read more inside...

Headshot photography lighting setups in the studio

October 25, 2017 Neil vN 6 Comments

Headshot photography lighting setups in the studio

As with most photography, lighting setups and diagrams are more suggestions than absolutes. There are 'best practices' that will help you get constantly good results - such as getting enough light on the eyes so there is a twinkle. Okay, call it a catchlight then. Other than a few guidelines, there is a lot of flexibility in the style of lighting, and also the gear used. In the accompanying article, headshot photography lighting on location, I showed a few examples of how I varied the lighting while out on location. This depended on  Read more inside...

Headshot photography lighting on location

October 24, 2017 Neil vN 8 Comments

Headshot photography lighting on location

Shooting headshots on location needs a different tack than working in the studio. Here I want to show some examples of lighting setups that I have used while shooting headshots indoors, on location. Since these examples are all from indoor sessions, the gear used might be different than when the session is outdoors. The logistics will also likely be different. So this discussion is contained within that framework - the lighting used when shooting headshots on location, indoors. There is a companion article that discusses some lighting setups  Read more inside...

Lighting styles in wedding photography

September 1, 2017 Neil vN 7 Comments

Lighting styles in wedding photography

Two interesting questions came up in the Tangents FB group - both posted by Matthew Ciscart, one of the regulars: The first question was whether a client had ever asked for a specific lighting? Such, hard light, soft light, natural, or ocf?  The other question was whether any of the photographers had a specific go-to style of using lighting. That one thing they do. My reply to this, relating it to lighting styles in wedding photography, was I haven't had a client ask for any specific lighting. However, I do believe my website shows a  Read more inside...

Best photo umbrella for a home-studio & indoor headshots

June 20, 2017 Neil vN 20 Comments

Best photo umbrella for a home-studio & indoor headshots

When I discovered the rectangular photo umbrellas, my first reaction was, "so what's the point", but then someone explained to me that it allows you to get the center of axis closer to the ceiling (or a wall). Brilliant! It instantly made sense why a rectangular photo umbrella might be more useful indoors than the traditional, round umbrella. I would even go so far as to say that a rectangular photo umbrella is the best umbrella for a home-studio & indoor headshots. Along with my usual array of light modifiers, I now  Read more inside...

Lighting a white seamless studio backdrop

March 26, 2017 Neil vN 8 Comments

Lighting a white seamless studio backdrop

There are a number of variations on how to light a white seamless studio backdrop - but it all comes down to the same essentials. You want a spread of even light on the background, and a big swathe of light from the front. All of this with as little fall-off in the light as possible. We've covered this topic in previous articles, showing how it is done with speedlights ... Simple lighting setup with speedlights & white seamless backdrop  (model: Anastasia) Simple lighting setup for home studio photography  (models: Anelisa  Read more inside...

Profoto: How to use gridded strip boxes as the main light

February 10, 2017 Neil vN 18 Comments

Profoto: How to use gridded strip boxes as the main light

My favorite light modifiers when working with studio-type flashes like the Profoto B1 and D1, are gridded stripboxes. In the studio where I have space, I tend to prefer the larger Profoto 1’x6’ strip-box (affiliate). When I have to travel with gear, or work with kids, then the Profoto 1’x4’ strip-box (affiliate), is my preference. Both of them with a grid on them. That egg-crate grid on the front helps control how the light spills. This video explains how I use them as the main light, and what makes gridded stripboxes such  Read more inside...

Photo session – Intimate male portraiture

January 29, 2017 Neil vN 1 Comment

Photo session - Intimate male portraiture

The motive behind this photo session with Nick Mathews, is explained in the intro of the behind-the-scenes video clip of the photo session. One subject, one studio, two photographers and two different styles. We shot this in Cate's studio - she used available light, and I ended up using two Profoto B1 flashes (affiliate), and gridded stripboxes to control the light. The video clip shows some of how we directed Nick during the shoot, and as a professional model and actor, he was supremely easy to work with. With this article, I'd like to  Read more inside...

The size and placement of studio lights

January 11, 2017 Neil vN 7 Comments

How the size and placement of studio lights affect the photos

Mateos, a model & fitness trainer, in the studio. More than just a fitness photograph (via dramatic light to show off his physique), I wanted these to be portraits as well of this athlete. With fitness photography, the approach is usually to have photos where you  show detail and contouring. This is usually done with more contrasty light - small light sources at an angle to your subject. To get the rim-lighting shown here, there was the typical setup of two gridded stripboxes to the side and behind Mateos. Pretty  Read more inside...

Romantic wedding portraits with incandescent light

December 11, 2016 Neil vN 8 Comments

Romantic wedding portraits with the modeling light from a flash

Defining your style in wedding photography is, for me, as much about the way you use light and lighting, as it is about composition and posing, and timing. All the facets have to come together, continually through the day to create a successful and representative view of the wedding day. When it comes to the romantic portraits of the couple, posing and lighting are inter-twined. You can't think of them as separate things. With the way I use light, I don't want to be fixed with one specific way of doing it - the style  Read more inside...

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Recent Comments

  • Neil vN: Hi there Michael — the easiest might be to post it in the Tangents Facebook group. There’s an...
  • Michael Taylor: Hello Neil, I am a 71 year old retired ambulance paramedic and a keen photographer. I own a Canon EOS...
  • Matt: There’s a beautiful quality to the light in these portraits. Good advice from you here. I’ve often...
  • E: Ugh I did this too with Chase just today. Are you still waiting for it to hit your account? Or has anything else...
  • Neil vN: Just remember, there is no producer or a client. Just the scammer … and you. Do not give a single...

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