How to get a blurred background in photos
How to get a blurred background in photos
Somewhere at the start of the adventure that is photography, a newer photographer will soon realize that having your subject stand out from the background, really gives the photo a near-3-dimensional effect. Your subject just pops out with the background blurred. The question of how to get blurred backgrounds in photos, is easily answered. There are two ways to blur the background in a photography - In-camera (i.e., optical) vs Photoshop. Doing it in Photoshop is in my opinion, a boring way to spend an afternoon when you could be out Read more inside...Photo shoot with Off-camera flash – Adapting to opportunity
Photo shoot with Off-camera flash - Adapting to opportunity
One of the fun elements of the Photo Walks in NYC, is looking for opportunity, and being ready for any serendipitous moments. We were photographing Claudia, using the Profoto B1 TTL flash (affiliate), and a 3' octa-box as our off-camera lighting setup. Of course, we could also shoot available light ... or sweeten it with a touch of off-camera flash. We have options in how we use light. It's all part of the adventure of looking for great photos. In this instance, there was this reflective metallic wall on three sides of Read more inside...Improve your portrait photography: Lighting with bounce flash
Improve your portrait photography: Lighting with bounce flash
For a straight-forward but effective portrait like this, there are just a few things that have to come together ... all within your control as the photographer: Framing / Composition This is mostly as simple as looking at the edges of the frame in your camera's viewfinder, and then deciding how much head-room or breathing room you want to allow. Also look at the background, and exclude what doesn't add to your photograph. In this example, it was easy enough, working in my studio which has a grey wall. So often Read more inside...Pixel peeping
Pixel peeping
Pixel peeping is that derogatory phrase used to describe photographers who scrutinize photos at 100% resolution to see any flaws there might be. The idea is that if you do that, you lose sight of the artistic nature of photography. You might become stuck on what is in many ways, an irrelevant part of photography - technical perfection. I do love sharp images. Being capable of consistently delivering crisp images, are important to me as a photographer. The skills matter. At some point these skills should become second nature. Yet, the impact a photograph has, Read more inside...Off-camera flash & projection effects
Off-camera flash & projection effects
The photo that I posted of my friend Christy, lit by the lights lights surrounding the mirrored dressing table, was a co-incidental part of the photo shoot in the studio. It was a spontaneous thing. But when we got together for this photo session, I had other ideas that I actually wanted to try - something more dramatic, and using a new image projection kit that uses a gobo and a fresnel lens to focus the effect. With a previous photo session with Jessica Joy, we had used the Light-Blaster to give an unexpected pattern to the background, Read more inside...Tips on posing hands
Tips on posing hands
This portrait of my friend Christy, was shot in my studio - the lighting entirely from the globes circling the make-up table. In fact, if you look closely, you can see the ring of lights circling the iris of her eyes. Now, as drop-dead gorgeous as Christy is, it is also a running joke between us that she is tough to pose. She isn't a model, so hasn't built up the experience or repertoire of poses yet to naturally glide into a pose in front of the camera. So it needs me to pose her or adjust her pose along the way. In the case of her hands, it needed Read more inside...Using a gridded stripbox as the main light
Using a gridded stripbox as the main light
As I show in the video clip how to use gridded strip boxes as the main light, I love how I can flexibly shape the light falling on and around my subject. Specifically in the studio, I mostly use the large gridded Profoto 1’x6 strip-box (B&H / Amazon). It is simultaneously capable of dramatic light and soft light. Or an interesting combination of that. More than that, I can vary the interplay between light and shade, by how I swing the softbox around, or rotate it. I often do this while shooting so that I continuously Read more inside...Flash photography – Changing the background color with gels
Flash photography - Changing the background color with gels
One of the biggest challenges when working in a studio, is that you're essentially shooting in a plain rectangular box. When photographing portraits, the two obvious ways out of that is to create an interesting (or complementary) background, and then to create interesting (or flattering) lighting. The lighting itself need not be complex. For this series of portraits of Olive, I used the gridded 1' x 6' softbox. By swinging it horizontally or vertically (or diagonally), I can change the way the light falls on my subject Read more inside...Studio photography – Lighting simply for impact
Studio photography - Lighting simply for impact
This striking image is from a commercial gig, shot in my studio for a company launching a range of hair extension products. For this sequence, one of several different setups we did, the client wanted this view and this look - so I had to decide on the best way to light their suggestion. We really make the hair the focus of the image, so I had to shoot from above on a short step-ladder. The decision on how to light this, was based on the commonly accepted principle of starting with a single light first, and only then building it up Read more inside...- « Previous Page
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