Tangents

photography tutorials, reviews & workshops

tangents photography blog
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using a neutral density (ND) filter with flash

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using neutral density (ND) filters with flash to control depth of field

Working in bright light, the limitation of having a maximum flash sync speed forces a small aperture on us.  That small aperture means more depth of field than we might like. There are two ways to force a high shutter speed / wide aperture combination: - go to high speed sync (HSS) mode. - use a neutral density (ND) filter. Using HSS dramatically cuts down our power of our flash, so if we're working in very bright light, we might be past the edge of what our flash is capable of. Then we need to bring it  Read more inside...

overpowering hard sunlight with flash

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overpowering hard sunlight with flash

With this part of a photo session with Johannie, we worked in an alley. The light was very uneven, with some swathes of sunlight falling directly on her.  (See the image below for the photo without flash.)  To get rid of this uneven sunlight falling on her, we have to add at least as much light on her as the brightest areas lit by sunlight. In the example above, our exposure is set to 1/250 @ f13 @ 200 ISO and we can see from the bright patch of light on her shoulder, that we’re at the edge of acceptable exposure. Any wider on our aperture, or  Read more inside...

Photoshop tutorial: HDR technique

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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 ...

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photo session – Modern Gypsies – Fabric

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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...