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Lighting for on-location headshot photography

November 19, 2019 Neil vN 8 Comments

Lighting for on-location headshot photography

For headshot photography in New York, where we might roam around, a static setup with light-stands isn't that feasible. It would slow us down from getting a variety of images when we are on the move. For that, I like to keep the lighting setup small and portable. My preference for lighting for on-location headshot photography, is the Profoto B10 flash  (B&H / Amazon) coupled with the Profoto OCF Beauty Dish (24")  (B&H / Amazon). Here is a pull-back shot to show the lighting setup  Read more inside...

Studio photography – Posing & Lighting

October 10, 2019 Neil vN 1 Comment

Studio photography - Posing & Lighting

A series of photos from the archives - a studio photo session with one of my favorite models, Claudia. I reposted these photos on my Instagram account, as a quiet celebration because Claudia has decided to re-enter as a model after a hiatus of a few years. When I use models during workshops, it is with the intent of teaching lighting techniques. There is also the strong underlying message that posing and lighting are interconnected. With that, there is a to-and-fro interaction between the model and myself (and the people attending a  Read more inside...

Photographing headshots in a small space

August 15, 2019 Neil vN 5 Comments

Photographing headshots in a small space

This headshots photo session for a large corporate client, started off as a bit of a challenge -- they wanted half-length seated portraits against a white background. Because the room they put me in was a bit too tight, I set everything up at an angle, so that I could shoot from outside the door to get a proper working distance. I would have had enough room here if I only had to do tight headshots, but the client wanted half-length seated shots, and the space was too small for that if I wanted an even background. I wanted to avoid the need  Read more inside...

video: Creative studio portrait session – two perspectives

January 16, 2019 Neil vN 7 Comments

video: Creative studio portrait session - two perspectives

Continuing with the loose theme of 'Two Perspectives', I invited my friend Dave Block into the studio during one of his visits to New York from Seattle. The concept behind the initial Two Perspectives video was that I get to meet upwith a fellow photographer, and that something might be revealed in the contrasting styles and ideas during some kind of photo shoot - hopefully informative and of wider interest. The 1st video was the intimate male portraiture shoot-out with my friend Cate Scaglione. The 2nd video was with Tracy  Read more inside...

review: Profoto B10 flash

October 30, 2018 Neil vN 16 Comments

review: Profoto B10 flash

As promised in the First Look review, here is the proper video review of the Profoto B10 flash  (B&H / Amazon) - putting this versatile flash through its paces during a photo shoot with a model in New York. Hopefully the video shows just how elegantly versatile the Profoto B10 is - it's a powerful little flash, and is also a powerful video light. The video light capability should excite any wedding photographer. During this photo shoot, we tried the flash as well as the video light aspect of it. I didn't run through the dry  Read more inside...

Photo session with the Profoto B10 flash / video light

October 14, 2018 Neil vN 10 Comments

Photo session with the Profoto B10 flash / video light

The real appeal of the Profoto B10 flash  (B&H / Amazon), isn't just that you have a powerful (yet compact) flash - the extra appeal is that you have a powerful video light as well. This makes it easier to change it up during a photo session. As light levels fall, you could go from using the flash to using the video light ... without having to change your light source. Let's have a look at some examples from a recent photo session - which took place after a surprise proposal!  I had arranged with Rachit  Read more inside...

Profoto B10 review: Comparing the power of the Profoto B10

September 20, 2018 Neil vN 11 Comments

Profoto B10 review: Comparing the power of the B10 vs B1 and B2

Something I mention in the review: Profoto B10 flash and want to highlight about the Profoto B10 flash  (B&H / Amazon) - how its power compares to the Profoto B1 and B2. What specifically piqued my interest here, past the specs of 250Ws, was mention online that the B10 gives 2/3rd stops more light than the Profoto B2, even though they are rated for the same output: 250Ws. I must admit to being skeptical about this, so I decided to investigate further. The summary is that, the Profoto B10 really  Read more inside...

Profoto B10 flash – Creativity Unleashed

September 13, 2018 Neil vN Leave a Comment

Profoto B10 flash - Creativity Unleashed

Forty photographers, picked by the Profoto USA team, attended the USA launch event in Alyeska resort (near Anchorage, Alaska), of the new Profoto B10 flash  (B&H / Amazon).  (For more details about the Profoto B10 flash, check out the review: Profoto B10 flash.) As part of the final segment of the launch event, the attendees were divided into 8 groups of 5 people, and given a challenge. Armed with sets of Profoto B10 flashes, and a few light modifiers and some random props, they were given 2.5 hours to interpret the the  Read more inside...

review: Profoto B10 flash – a first look

September 12, 2018 Neil vN 14 Comments

review: Profoto B10 flash - a first look

I first had a chance to play around with the new Profoto B10 flash  (B&H / Amazon) during the promotional release event at the Alyeska resort in Alaska. What do I think of it? Before we get there, I have to clarify that I’m not specifically a fan of Profoto just because of the brand name. I’m a fan of quality. I’m a fan of ease of use. That’s where I’m coming from - I love quality. I like Profoto for all these reasons, and I loooove this little flash. 250 Ws gives you a decent enough punch of light. It’s a stop less  Read more inside...

Studio photo session with a dancer – gelled flash

July 2, 2018 Neil vN 4 Comments

Studio photo session with a dancer - gelled flash

Following on the article showing the Outdoor photo session with a dancer, Ella - here is a studio photo session with another dancer - Grace. For this particular sequence, I decided on using gels to add a splash of color to the images. Grace is impressively elegant, with powerful movements when she jumped. As far as the poses and movements were concerned, I again let myself be guided by the expert here - the dancer herself. Similar to how I described the collaborations with Ella (previous linked article), and with Anna Russel, and  Read more inside...

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