Tangents

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off-camera flash photography: positioning the softbox

June 23, 2010 Neil vN 26 Comments

off-camera flash photography: positioning the softbox

I've had a number of people ask for more pull-back shots during photo sessions where I use off-camera flash with a softbox.  During this recent photo session in New York, with Christina and David, I did step back for a photo to include the softbox ...  Read more inside...

off-camera flash – bringing sparkle on a rainy day

June 14, 2010 Neil vN 58 Comments

using off-camera flash to give more snap to photos

Scheduling an on-location photo session, we are always left at the mercy of the weather.  This Sunday the threat of rain turned into a real downpour just before the photo session with a couple, Jen & Chris, whose wedding I am photographing later on in 2011.  During phone conversation while driving in, we agreed to just go ahead and work under the overhangs of various buildings if it should rain. When we started, it was still raining so we moved to certain spots where we were shielded from the rain.  I could shoot towards the building  Read more inside...

review: Lastolite Ezybox 24×24 softbox

June 6, 2010 Neil vN 85 Comments

review: Lastolite Ezybox 24x24 softbox

Softboxes used on location shoots, need to be easy and quick to set up. Ideally they should also be compact. Several photographers have recommended I check out the Lastolite Ezybox. So I took the plunge, and got the Lastolite EZYBOX 24×24" softbox (affiliate). Lastolite has a range of other Softboxes as well. All just as easy to use, with the Lastolite-specific way of expanding and collapsing. There's a specific way you twist it to collapse it. It's all in the wrists.     The speedring simply clips into  Read more inside...

flash & low ambient light – adapting during an outdoor wedding ceremony

January 11, 2010 Neil vN 41 Comments

wedding photography: flash and low ambient light - adapting during the shoot

I'm often asked what I would do when I encounter a situation where you need to use flash, but there is no easy way to bounce flash.  My flippant answer is ... you're screwed! Well, not really. My advice is that you have to improvise and in some way of finesse your use of light.  In tough situations, you still want to try and shy away from using direct on-camera flash whenever possible.  Direct on-camera flash as the main source of light is rarely aesthetically the best choice.  Read more inside...

photography tip: using a zoom lens

October 27, 2009 Neil vN 33 Comments

photography tip: using a zoom lens

It was a busy weekend again, with a wedding and a portrait session on Sunday.  From the photo session on Sunday, here's my favorite image of the day.  I just love the way the background appears in this photograph.  The bokeh of this lens is just wonderful. camera settings:  1/250th @ f4 @ 400 ISO The camera used was the Nikon D3, (B&H), and the lens was the 70-200mm f2.8 VR , (B&H). A telephoto zoom like this, or the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS, (B&H), is essential for this kind of portrait work. That image is typical of the  Read more inside...

here’s why I love off-camera lighting ..

October 18, 2009 Neil vN 43 Comments

why I love off-camera flash

There are a few reasons why I love off-camera lighting, and I want to show some images from a recent photo session with one of my couples, Jill & Mike, as an example. The main reason for me, is that you can have perfect lighting on your subject's face with much more freedom than if you just relied on the available light. I am usually quite particular about the backgrounds to my photos, where it is in my control. The backgrounds need to be complementary, or add something to the image. I have a preference for an out-of-focus background. The defocused  Read more inside...

the progression of an idea ..

July 3, 2009 Neil vN 22 Comments

[ click on photo to see a larger image ]

the progression of an idea during a photo shoot; incl the use of off camera flash

Because of the positive comments I've had to the recent addition of video clips that show a glimpse of how I work, I thought I'd show the progression of an idea.  Not just how the actual image was made, but how the idea progressed. The photo above of Sarah and Mark at Coney Island, is from the day-long photo session where we went to different locations in New York.  Where this image above started, was in a previous sequence ..  Read more inside...

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