Photographers – inspiration, and overcoming fears
Photographers - inspiration; overcoming fears & maintaining momentum
It was high time that I updated my bio photo on my websites and profile photos. I wanted something casual, yet with a certain gravity. While at WPPI last week in Las Vegas, I was surrounded by photographers. I asked ... well, prodded and pushed my friend Annie Sullivan to take a series of photos in various locations inside the MGM. This is the photo I settled on. We have other photos that are equally good, and less serious, but this one really says "I'm the one who knocks..." So this is now going across my Read more inside...Podcast interview w/ Wedding Photographers Unite
Podcast interview w/ Wedding Photographers Unite!
Looking at previous podcasts I've participated in, it would seem that the opportunity to sound off in some podcast comes around about once a year. This time I get to chat with Neil Urban and Andy Buscemi who hosts the Wedding Photographers Unite podcast. And I do have opinions! Wedding Photographers Unite - episode 5 - interview with Neil van Niekerk We touch on various topics, including how the wedding photography business has changed over the years. Neil Urban questioned me a week or so later about a comment I made in the Read more inside...Photography tip: available light portraits – finding that sweet spot
Photography tip: available light portraits - that sweet spot of light
A regular theme on Tangents, is using interesting found light sources while shooting portraits on location. For example: using sunlight reflected off a traffic sign. With this straight-forward portrait of Irene, a photographer friend in New York, I want to show a neat little trick here - helping your subject understand exactly where you want them to stand. Here we had random reflections of glass structures in Manhattan, giving random spots of lights. I wanted to use one of these spots of lights here as Read more inside...In-camera special effects with gobo projection
In-camera special effects with gobo projection
I still have this old-school preference for effects done in-camera and effects achieved with interesting lighting, over effects achieved nearly entirely through digital manipulation. Absolutely no disrespect to digital artists who create astonishing work. However, my jaw drops when I look at the sheer scale of the work of a photographer like Gregory Crewdson. Naturally then, my hero is Gregory Heisler, who has a true genius for creating diverse work through amazing lighting. So that would be my inclination - how much can I achieve Read more inside...Focusing your camera – Focus-lock & recompose
Focusing your camera - Focus-lock & recompose
Following up from the article on focusing modes of your camera - when your subject is off-center, you have two options to acquire and hold focus: use the appropriate off-center AF sensor (but you can run into the problem of it not being a cross-type AF sensor), or lock focus, and then recompose the shot A scenario where you might want to use focus-lock & recompose, is when there is strong back-lighting, and your camera has difficulty auto-focusing. The photo above would be a typical example. Here I was shooting Read more inside...Focusing your camera – Focus modes / AF modes
Focusing your camera - Focus modes / AF modes
The focusing modes and options can be confusing for new camera owners. The instruction manual's dry distillation of facts might also be overwhelming. Where to start? Let's break it down to the basics and make this all much easier. The photo at the top illustrates the most essential consideration when deciding on a focusing mode - deliberate choice. I deliberately focused on her eye closest to me. Not her hand in the front or the back. Definitely not the background. I chose what I wanted most sharp in the photo. It wasn't the camera's Read more inside...Wedding photography: posing and lighting – a consistent style
Wedding photography: posing and lighting - aiming for a consistent style
The two images were taken about half an hour apart, with entire different lighting setups - yet there is a consistent look. The photo on the left was shot using video light with an Incandescent white balance. A video light is a small light source, so the lighting is usually quite contrasty - so you need to take care with the posing to have your main subject posing into the light. With a bridal couple, I will nearly always favor the bride for the more flattering light. Hence, I will invariably pose the bride Read more inside...Lingerie photo session in the studio – Lighting, light & textures
Lingerie photo session in the studio - lighting, light & textures
This photograph of Melanie, one of my favorite models, is one of a sequence where we played with different lights and lighting styles in the studio. I wanted lighting that was both soft and dramatic. Both feminine and bold. The lighting is the same idea - using a big gridded strip-box / soft-box - as I used in a previous photo session with another model, Anita DeBauch. The final image above, is the result of adding texture layers in Photoshop. I wanted to retain her shadow and other detail in the wall, while Read more inside...Photography book – Direction & Quality of Light
Photography book: Direction & Quality of Light
When Direction and Quality of Light was released in March 2013, it felt like an even bigger achievement than my previous two books. Here I share many of the "aha!" moments which took me years to completely grasp - that at the heart of it, every aspect of photographic lighting is dependent on understanding the direction and quality of light. I do believe this book can make a difference to your photography. I'm that confident about it. All the more amazing to see that 2 years later, this book is still bouncing up and Read more inside...- « Previous Page
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