Dramatic studio lighting with the Profoto Spot Small
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...Video tutorial – High Speed Flash Sync (HSS)
Video tutorial - High Speed Flash Sync (HSS)
High Speed Flash Sync is a topic we have covered several times over time here. With this tutorial though, I wanted to visually run through the settings and discuss the implications of the settings, and what we see on the back of our flash. There is a certain consistency here that will help us evade guesswork, and that will help bring a systematic approach to our flash photography. So here it is -- a video tutorial on High Speed Flash Sync. As always, I welcome questions and further discussion in the comments. Two of the previous Read more inside...Best photography purchases of 2019
Best photography purchases of 2019
It's that time of the year again, where we look at our best photography purchases. I have become increasingly careful with what I buy -- I mean, this stuff is so expensive -- that there isn't anything that really stands out that I was disappointed with. I have even cut down on the number of self-indulgent purchases. Most of what I bought are things that I can solidly justify for my photography work. However, a trend that becomes obvious, especially when I look over the previous years' entries for best photography purchases, is that even when I love Read more inside...Available light photography – looking for good light
Available light photography - looking for good light
When shooting for fun on location with a model, and have the time, I have this personal challenge - to find interesting sources of light. Those spots of found light where a little bit of magic happens. This photo of Anastasiya was taken in Grand Central, New York. While the station's architecture is impressive, the light levels there are very low, and quite flat. It's a place you want to take photos at, because it is so beautiful inside - but it is a challenge. The light there just don't lend itself to good portraits in an obvious Read more inside...Photography workshops
Photography Workshops in NJ / NYC
I present personal workshops and tutoring sessions which are tailored to your needs and to your schedule. These individual workshops are available as well throughout the year, depending on both of our schedules. My studio is only 17 miles from Manhattan. Just a short hop from New York and quite accessible by bus. Oh, and there's parking at the studio. Free parking. If you are limited in how far you can travel, we can do an online tutoring session via Zoom or Skype, to help you get a much better understanding of photography and lighting Read more inside...Lighting for on-location headshot photography
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...Electronic / silent shutter of the Sony A9 vs Sony A7iii + A7Riii
Electronic / silent shutter of the Sony A9 / A9ii vs Sony A7iii / A7Riii
Both the Sony A7iii and Sony A9 / A9ii offer a silent / electronic shutter. Just like the Nikon Z6 and Z7 and Canon EOS R. But there are specific differences which might affect your decision about which camera best suits your needs. What sets the Sony A9 (B&H / Amazon) apart from any of the other cameras mentioned, is that it is very resistant to banding in some artificial lighting. The sensor readout is (as far as I can figure out) 1/160th of a second, while it is 1/40th for the Sony Read more inside...Posing into the light for better portraits
Posing into the light for better portraits
This is a simple illustration again of the idea that posing and light(ing) go hand-in-hand. You can't really separate these two aspects when photographing people. When there is a video team at a wedding, I have to accommodate them in not using flash when they are shooting their sequences during the romantic portrait session with the bride and groom. Then I have to rely entirely on just the available light. In this example, they had the bride, Amanda, walk down the jetty twice - a good opportunity for me to shoot some extra images to pad Read more inside...Review: Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM lens
Review: Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM lens
The 135mm focal length is super for getting more reach than 85mm or 100mm would, but still keeping the lens to a smaller size. While the smaller size is nice, it was the fast aperture was what I really wanted. That the lens is super-sharp is an extra bonus. The Lens Rentals review has this as "This is the sharpest lens we’ve tested. Period." That says something! The first thing to notice about this lens is the fast f1/.8 aperture. Even though I mostly use a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for events and headshot photography, there are times where I need that Read more inside...- « Previous Page
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