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What’s in my camera bag – 2022

January 30, 2022 Neil vN 10 Comments

What's in my camera bag - Jan 2022 edition

Every so often I get asked whether I have switched systems, and whether I am shooting with Sony or Nikon. What complicates things even more for the casual visitor to the Tangents blog and my Instagram feed, is that I occasionally post photos taken with Canon and Fuji as well. So the answer to "what's in your camera bag", is slightly complicated ... and hopefully this video unravels some of that. Even though I photograph events and weddings with a Sony-based system, I still have a substantial Nikon system. The Nikon cameras are primarily  Read more inside...

Fashion inspired photo session in New York, with the Zeiss ZX1

July 16, 2021 Neil vN 4 Comments

Fashion inspired photo session in New York, with the Zeiss ZX1

As another installment on the theme of Two Perspectives, I met up with my friend Tracy Bosworth Page (instagram), while she was on a visit to New York. She had brought along a most interesting camera for her visit -- the very unusual and beautiful Zeiss ZX1 (B&H / Amazon). I mentioned my interest in checking out this camera and playing with it, and Since she is a Zeiss brand ambassador, she was able to wangle a loaner copy of this camera for me to use for a few days ... and from that was  Read more inside...

review: Profoto A10 flash

January 26, 2021 Neil vN Leave a Comment

review: Profoto A10 flash

The Profoto A10 flash (Amazon / B&H)is an update on the already impressive Profoto A1 flash - it is powerful, and it recycles fast - just 1 second from a full power burst. The controls on the A1, and now the A10 are easy to use. The same for the menu system - everything is obvious. With this video review of the Profoto A10 flash, we are going to look at some of that features -- but also the way that you can now control the Profoto A10 via an app on your phone, using the bluetooth connection. Another improvement that the A10 has over  Read more inside...

Creative studio portraits with continuous lighting – two perspectives

August 4, 2019 Neil vN 2 Comments

Creative studio portraits with continuous lighting - two perspectives

When my friend, Marco Leibetseder, a commercial photographer in Germany, came to visit, it was time to play in the studio again. Continuing within the theme of 'Two Perspectives' we decided on using only continuous lighting in the studio, and see how we could create portraits that had a bit of depth to them, rather than just being straight-forward renditions of the person in front of the camera. We decided the theme should be: Creative studio portraits with Continuous Lighting. The concept behind the Two  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: Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI flash

July 23, 2018 Neil vN 8 Comments

Review: Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI flash

Before we get into this review of the Canon 470EX-AI speedlite (B&H / Amazon), I need to mention that I wanted this review video to be more than just a listing of the features of this flash. We therefore also delve into bounce flash technique. So there is something here even for those photographers who don't shoot Canon, or have no real interest in getting this flash. So please do check the video out. I was really curious to get to play with the Canon 470EX-AI speedlite (B&H / Amazon) for a review,  Read more inside...

One Perfect Moment – wedding photography

April 18, 2018 Neil vN 2 Comments

One Perfect Moment - wedding photography

I have opinions. This time, wedding photography. Greg Riccardi, one of the top wedding and event videographers in north Jersey, asked me a few questions in this interview - my start in photography, as well as what a bride and groom should look for in wedding photographers. He also asked me about trends I may have noticed in wedding photography. My business name is One Perfect Moment for specific reasons. The name is derived from Henri-Cartier Bresson's ideal of the decisive moment. That slice of time when everything just comes together  Read more inside...

BTS: Fashion catalog photo shoot in the studio

January 25, 2018 Neil vN 5 Comments

behind the scenes: Fashion catalog photo shoot in the studio

From a recent photoshoot in the studio for a fashion designer, Isle By Melis Kozan, I want to give a bit of a glimpse behind the scenes. Further below there is a short video clip that shows what went down in the studio. Nothing frenetic - the pace is calm and steady. As it should be when you need to get through a large number of items. Fashion catalog photo shoots are fairly straight-forward - the key is consistency is lighting and positioning. You also need consistency in the camera's viewpoint. There is no Art  Read more inside...

review: Spekular LED lighting kit

November 6, 2017 Neil vN 7 Comments

review: Spekular LED lighting kit

The most adaptable and versatile continuous lighting setup currently might well be the Spekular LED lights (B&H / Amazon). They come as a set of four LED sections (11.8" x 1.57") that can be connected in different ways - as panels or strips or geometric shapes. You decide. The Spekular website shows some of the options. The specifications of the Spekular LED kit only gives a dry idea of what these are capable of.  Therefore, with this video review of the Spekular, I wanted to show some of that adaptability, and how these lights might be  Read more inside...

review: Profoto A1 flash

September 19, 2017 Neil vN 77 Comments

review: Profoto A1 flash

Profoto has a very strong reputation in the industry for making gear that are reliable, easy to use, powerful, and, well ... looks really good. When Profoto entered the market a few years ago with the portable Profoto B1 flash (affiliate), and then the Profoto B2 flash (affiliate), it was inevitable then that at some point they would make a grand entrance with a speedlight style flash. With this review of the Profoto A1 flash (affiliate), I wanted to show more how I would use it, than just cover the specs of the flash. I met up  Read more inside...

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