review: Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II
review: Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II
Canon updated their already highly regarded 300mm lens, with the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II (B&H / Amazon). For a review of the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II. I wanted to try something a little different. I wanted to use the wide aperture of the lens, as well as the compression that a 300mm lens offers, to shoot video of a model, Lea Liu. Instead of just photographs, I decided and create a "moving portrait" of her. This will hopefully show some of the magic that you can get with a wide-aperture telephoto lens. The video footage was Read more inside...off-camera flash – adding dimension with back-lighting (model: Lea)
multiple off-camera flash - adding some pop with back-lighting
Lea is a model I've worked with on previous occasions. With her striking looks and easy demeanor, she is just a pleasure to photograph. We spent some time this afternoon in down-town Manhattan, looking for interesting spots as backdrops. Jessica spotted this dramatic gate and interesting glass front. It seemed like the perfect place to start the photo session, but it needed something extra to give the photos some drama. The final image is shown here at the top, but let's look at how we got there ... Read more inside...using direct off-camera flash
using direct, bare (un-modified) off-camera flash
I had the opportunity to meet up with a fellow South African photographer, Jaco Fourie, who was visiting New York for a few days. I knew Jaco's work from some of the forums that he posts on, and his work with flash was invariably quite impressive .. so I looked on this as a great opportunity to see another photographer work and learn from him. I arranged for two models, and we met up in Manhattan for these photo sessions. Jaco specifically wanted scenic views of Manhattan, and incorporate the model as part of the urban Read more inside...NYC photo-shootout redux
Another photograph from the recent NYC photo shootout. We were a group of photographers working with Lea during this part of the afternoon. There are several parts in what makes an image successful - the subject, the setting, lighting and then the post-processing. There are limitations in working as a group with a model. So where I would've preferred shooting with a longer lens to compress the perspective more, you sometimes have to accept the situation. In this case, the setting wasn't ideal, and there was a fair amount of background clutter. Therefore this might be a good time to to Read more inside...