Tangents

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Not quite a self-portrait

September 4, 2020 Neil vN 6 Comments

Not quite a self-portrait

One of the few portraits of myself that I immediately liked — more than the background and the starkness of the B&W processing, what draws me to this image is the pose — it’s as if I am hovering in decision. There’s an implied narrative here, even if shrouded in mystery. Not quite a self-portrait but I was involved in the setting it up of this, and the other photos in the sequence. Photo by my friend, Clayton. He used an 85mm lens. Posing by me. I kept changing my  Read more inside...

Wedding portraits in less than perfect locations

September 1, 2020 Neil vN 2 Comments

Wedding portraits in less than perfect locations

With wedding photography you so often have to work with a time crunch. The timeline doesn't go strictly according to the original plans for the day -- and you as the photographer still have to make sure you get a variety of photos for your clients. You still have to deliver. With this in mind, you use interstitial fragments of opportunity to get photos. You try to use that "dead time" where you can. This portrait of the lovely bride is from an Indian wedding I helped photograph. At some point before the ceremony started, the bride  Read more inside...

Using Profoto gear on photo shoots and events

June 20, 2020 Neil vN 3 Comments

Using Profoto gear on photo shoots and events

When I first started moving beyond just using a speedlight, towards off-camera flash and studio level lighting gear, I had a few detours via other brands like Quantum flashes and Lumadyne, but decided at some point to buy into the renowned Profoto brand. My first serious flash unit was the Profoto AcuteB 600R which I eventually upgraded to the Profoto B1 when that was released. From there on I stayed with Profoto via the Profoto B10 and Profoto A1 flash. If I had to make the decision all over again, having the money to spend again, I  Read more inside...

Advantages of mirrorless cameras – Eye-focus & Composition

June 14, 2020 Neil vN 5 Comments

Advantages of mirrorless cameras - Eye-focus & Composition

The more I work with mirrorless cameras, and get familiar with the difference between using a DLSR and using a mirrorless camera, the more I appreciate the advantages of a mirrorless camera. And I feel like I'm struggling less with the quirks of the system. In a previous article I listed the main advantages of Mirrrorless cameras over DSLRs, but there is another advantage that I have found really valuable - how intuitive eye-focus can be in fluidly changing your image Composition. Before the magic of eye-focus, when  Read more inside...

Review: Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 lens for Sony

June 11, 2020 Neil vN 8 Comments

Review: Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 lens for Sony

The Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 lens (B&H) is an interesting new option open to Sony photographers. What makes it particularly enticing -- it is half the price of the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM (B&H) and it is nearly half the weight of the Sony lens. It is a much more compact lens, yet still retains that sweet f/2.8 aperture. This all sounds wonderful, but we'll have to balance this against lens sharpness and overall performance first. For those then who need a quick summary for a review -- this lens is really sharp! The  Read more inside...

Over-payment scam / Family reunion scam

May 20, 2020 Neil vN 6 Comments

Over-payment scam / Family reunion scam

"Son of a Bitch." Scammers are so touchy. Geeze. I am trying to do him a favor, and then he curses me out. Now, if you are unsure what just happened in that conversation, hang in there ...  Read more inside...

How to make your on-camera flash NOT look like on-camera flash

April 24, 2020 Neil vN Leave a Comment

How to make your on-camera flash NOT look like on-camera flash

I was quite honored to be invited by the team at Zeiss Camera Lenses Americas, to take part in their series of Youtube Live events, appropriately called 'Conversations'. My friend, Tracy, who you might remember from a previous "Two Perspectives" video, where we photographed headshots on location in New York. The topic that Tracy asked me about, is one that regular followers of the Tangents blog will be familiar with - How to make your on-camera flash NOT look like on-camera flash. This Youtube Live event was held via a  Read more inside...

The need for fast prime lenses in your camera bag

March 30, 2020 Neil vN 3 Comments

The need for fast prime lenses in your camera bag

Photographing events like weddings, and in this case, Bar / bat mitzvahs, I bring a big roller case - the Think Tank Logistics Manager 30 (B&H  / Amazon) - with several cameras and lenses. At the moment I straddle Nikon and Sony. As much as I love the Sony A9's eye focus capabilities there are some situations where the Nikon D5 is the beast that I can rely on. It so rarely doesn't deliver with precision. I bring a range of lenses - a mix of f/2.8 zooms, and several fast primes. (I have a self-imposed rule that I  Read more inside...

video: Product photography – two perspectives

March 26, 2020 Neil vN 2 Comments

video: Product photography - two perspectives

Another in the series of Two Perspectives videos -- this time with my friend, David Patino, a commercial photographer also here in New Jersey. The challenge this time was product photography. We both photograph two items (in our respective studios), with different approaches. The product photography that I do, is generally catalog work done on a white product table and only requires this simpler way of shooting. David has a more creative approach, and it is fascinating to see him work with an idea. I mostly use the Manfrotto large  Read more inside...

An occasional muse

March 21, 2020 Neil vN 5 Comments

An occasional muse

It is exactly 10 years today, March 21, since the first time I photographed Anelisa. She responded to a casting call for someone to model at one of my photography workshops. She had a magical quality and was supremely photogenic ... and since then Anelisa has been my occasional muse. She is usually the first one that I contact when I need a model at a workshop. I posted photographs from that first session in this article - Effective on-location portraits. Over time I have worked with Anelisa numerous times, and she has also appeared on the cover of two of my books:  Read more inside...

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