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...Fun with the Kodak PIXPRO SP360 action video camera
Fun with the Kodak PIXPRO SP360 action video camera
The kind people at Kodak sent me a Kodak SP360 action camera to try and see what I could create with it. Essentially this is a compact 1080p HD video camera which you can attach to things to take wide-angle action video clips. Perfect if you want to take breath-taking videos while scuba diving or free-falling from planes or being involved in all kinds of daring action. It would also be perfect as a dash-cam if you want to capture the next time a meteor comes soaring through Earth's atmosphere. I don't scuba dive. (I live in New Read more inside...An informal portrait with the 85mm lens
An informal portrait with the 85mm lens - Sarah S.
Like pretty much every photo geek that I know of, I carry a camera with me wherever I go, for my personal photography. Now when the photography isn't for an actual planned shoot or professional shoot, but just for fun walk-about - then the choice of gear somehow becomes more involved. What lens should I take - wide, normal or tele. Fixed or zoom. The bulk and weight become considerations - you don't want to schlep around too much gear. Creativity and motivation quickly dissipate when your back and feet start to hurt from a camera Read more inside...review: Bolt VB-22 bare-bulb flash
review: Bolt VB-22 barebulb flash
These are good times for photographers who love using off-camera flash. There are more and more options coming out for us to choose from and use. B&H has rebranded their own version of a popular series of flashguns. The Bolt VB-22 bare-bulb flash (B&H) looks like the Cheetah Light CL-360, and the Godox Witstro AD360, and the Neewer AD-360. They all seem to have similar spec. So if you've been browsing for any of those options, B&H has the Bolt VB-22 flash at a competitive price. For the photo at the top, I had my camera set Read more inside...- « Previous Page
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