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Photoshop tutorial: HDR technique

July 11, 2010 Neil vN 44 Comments

I often check the websites of regular followers of the Tangents blog, and I recently noticed some interesting urban landscapes and architectural photos by Tom Kaszuba. What caught my attention about these is that these images were enhanced with high-dynamic range (HDR) processing. HDR images look bold and detailed. Quite distinctive. Sometimes though, HDR processing can appear garish and overly bold. Tom Kaszuba went for a more subtle look - detailed, yet understated. Just beautiful. I asked Tom to share some of his technique and ideas with us with a guest blog post ...

Read more inside...

photo session – Modern Gypsies – Bird Girl

July 7, 2010 Neil vN 11 Comments

Before we went in to Times Square with the Modern Gypsies, we did a quick portrait session with one of the Modern Gypsies performers, Bird Girl ...  Read more inside...

photo session – Modern Gypsies – Times Square, NYC

July 5, 2010 Neil vN 26 Comments

After the photo session where we played around with banners of fabric on the rooftops, we went to Times Square with the Modern Gypsies ...  Read more inside...

photo session – Modern Gypsies – Fabric

July 3, 2010 Neil vN 10 Comments

Sometimes photo shoots are just work; sometimes photo shoots are fun.  Really fun.  And then there are photo shoots that also feel like it's a privilege just to be a part of it.  And fun!  I had the opportunity to work with the Modern Gypsies during the past week.  They are performance artists based in New York.  I had met Michael Saab last year sometime while photographing an event, and we kept contact, with the idea of working together on some photo shoots, expanding their portfolio for their website. Above are two of my favorite photos of the initial part of the photo session. (Later  Read more inside...

Bridal portrait with on-camera bounce flash

June 29, 2010 Neil vN 13 Comments

Bounce flash photography - bridal portrait

As another example of bounce flash technique, here is a portrait of the bride from a recent wedding. The technique is quite simple, and should be obvious by now to regular readers of the Tangents blog: I used a wide aperture, focused on the eye closest to the camera .. and bounced my flash towards the bride, but blocked by the black foamie thing.  No direct flash.  No diffuser cup.  No tupperware on your flash. Because of this indirect directional light, we have this broad swathe of light coming in from camera-left.  The intention was  Read more inside...

dynamic composition – changing your viewpoint (model – Carrie)

June 26, 2010 Neil vN 8 Comments

dynamic composition - changing your viewpoint (model - Carrie)

Near the end of the recent photo session with Carrie, I walked across the street to find another angle. Walking back, I noticed the sun just dipping behind the roof of this old train station. I thought it might flare interestingly if I caught the sun just on the edge there. The problem was that I had to step into the street a few times when there was a lull in the traffic. The angle was a tough one since I had to, or rather, wanted to keep my camera at ground level to shoot up. I wanted the flare, and I wanted this  Read more inside...

Review: Lightstands – Manfrotto 1051BAC & 1052 BAC & 1004BAC

June 25, 2010 Neil vN 28 Comments

Review: Lightstands - Manfrotto 1051BAC, 1052BAC and 1004BAC

I recently updated the lightstands that I regularly use, to the three of the Manfrotto range of light-stands, - the compact: Manfrotto 1051BAC  (affiliate ) - the medium-sized Manfrotto 1052BAC  (affiliate) - the taller, heavier tall: Manfrotto 1004BAC  (affiliate) They have a few interesting features. They are: - light-weight, - air-cushioned, - stackable. The air-cushioning helps prevents damage to equipment, or injury to fingers if you forget to fully tighten the section locks.  Read more inside...

off-camera flash photography: positioning the softbox

June 23, 2010 Neil vN 26 Comments

off-camera flash photography: positioning the softbox

I've had a number of people ask for more pull-back shots during photo sessions where I use off-camera flash with a softbox.  During this recent photo session in New York, with Christina and David, I did step back for a photo to include the softbox ...  Read more inside...

photography using the available light

June 21, 2010 Neil vN 25 Comments

photography using only the existing light

Instead of a photo session where I had to rely on off-camera lighting to give some color and snap to the photos, I want to show a photo session where I used no additional lighting or reflectors.  Just the available light.  This photo session was shot in same area as the previous one, but a week later  with different light and a different couple, Kristy and Tom.  They were just as great to photograph with tons of personality, making my work easier.  But I still had to look for opportunity and great backgrounds. Using off-camera  Read more inside...

Which white balance settings should I use?

June 20, 2010 Neil vN 34 Comments

Which white balance settings should I use?

That's a question that baffles photographers who are just starting out with digital photography. You have a few options in setting the WB on your camera: Shoot in auto white balance (AWB), trusting your camera nails it. Set your camera to one of the preset WB settings, such as Daylight, Cloudy or Incandescent. And then hope your camera's preset is close to the correct WB. Do custom white balance readings and save it as you encounter and work in new situations. These custom white balance readings can be done with all kinds of  Read more inside...

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