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Feminine portraits with dramatic flair

March 9, 2020 Neil vN 2 Comments

Feminine portraits with dramatic flair

Still exploring what the Profoto Spot Small light modifier can do in creating dramatic studio portraits, I had Lauren sit in for some test shots. I was curious to see if I could use this hard light source in a way that still work for a feminine portrait and be flattering. The best option so far for me is to add supplemental light that softens the overall harder lighting or the spot light. By adjusting the power on the big octabox behind me - see the pull-back shot below - I was able to control the contrast. This way I could still retain the  Read more inside...

Dramatic portrait & headshot lighting in the studio

February 23, 2020 Neil vN 2 Comments

Dramatic portrait & headshot lighting in the studio

Working with the Profoto Spot Small (affiliate), I wanted to create portraits for my portfolio that showed a more dramatic light for portraits. I think these could even be used as secondary headshots in a portfolio. For this photo session, I had actor / model Andy Peeke (Instagram) in the studio. He has the cheekbones for this! For other results from the Profoto Spot Small light modifier, also check out this article: Dramatic studio lighting with the Profoto Spot Small In adapting the lighting setup  Read more inside...

Dramatic studio lighting with the Profoto Spot Small

February 20, 2020 Neil vN 1 Comment

Dramatic studio lighting with the Profoto Spot Small

For portrait photography, soft, flattering light is easy to work with. You can more easily pose your subject compared to when the light source is small. Also, it is more immediately flattering to you subject. You have to be really specific in how you pose and position your subject when you use a harder / smaller light source.  This is true whether you use available light or studio lighting or off-camera lighting. For example, much of what I do with on-camera bounce flash, is to create directional soft light from what starts out as  Read more inside...

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...

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