video: Creative studio portrait session - two perspectives
Continuing with the loose theme of 'Two Perspectives', I invited my friend Dave Block into the studio during one of his visits to New York from Seattle. The concept behind the initial Two Perspectives video was that I get to meet upwith a fellow photographer, and that something might be revealed in the contrasting styles and ideas during some kind of photo shoot. Hopefully there will be something that is revered that is informative and of wider interest. The 1st video was the intimate male portraiture shoot-out with my friend Read more inside...
Shooting in the studio with Brian and Anette to do promotional portraits of their band, Cut Like This, this one sequence was really fun to shoot. The images directly out of camera had impact already with the swath of blue light against the wall. The lighting is fairly simple - I used a gelled flash to get that color effect. The flash, a Profoto B1 flash (B&H / Amazon), was bare, with just the turquoise gel taped over it. The main light (to camera right) was one I often use when I want that interesting combination of soft light Read more inside...
Photographing a talented dancer / model, Anna L Russel (Instagram), in the studio, I wanted to think further than just sequences. Recently I have moved more to thinking in terms of larger projects or longer-term projects, even if just over a single photo session. I liked the results from the first few jumps Anna did - explosive movements within which she momentally holds a pose before landing again. I don't know much about dance movements or what would be the perfect execution of a dance move ... which would then affect my timing Read more inside...
This video clip and photo shoot are the results of a discussion with a friend, Cate Scaglione, one of New Jersey's best boudoir photographers. At a photography convention, the topic came up whether male and female photographers approach their subjects differently (whether male or female). My take on this is that there is such a diverse range in styles and skill levels, that it would be impossible to make any clear grouping on styles depending on the photographer’s gender. Cate believes this does have an influence. And from that, the idea Read more inside...
How the size and placement of studio lights affect the photos
Mateos, a model & fitness trainer, in the studio. More than just a fitness photograph (via dramatic light to show off his physique), I wanted these to be portraits as well of this athlete. With fitness photography, the approach is usually to have photos where you show detail and contouring. This is usually done with more contrasty light - small light sources at an angle to your subject.
To get the rim-lighting shown here, there was the typical setup of two gridded stripboxes to the side and behind Mateos. Pretty Read more inside...
This striking photograph of Anastasiya, like some flying super-hero, didn't just happen on a first take in the studio. It started with an idea, and then through several iterations, finally took shape.
I wanted to test the Profoto B1 flash's Freeze mode, where the duration of the flash is much shorter - perfect for freezing fast motion. However, with a jumping shot like this, the photo is timed pretty much at peak movement - and there isn't really as much blur as we'd need to show that the Freeze mode is effective. We're going to need Read more inside...
If this crazy perspective immediately catches your eye, I have to let you in on the secret - it is all done with a studio backdrop!
Shooting in the studio is simultaneously liberating and challenging - in ways that are the opposite of shooting on location. In the studio everything is under your control - but now you need to come up with something creative within the box-like confines of the studio. The most obvious way is through lighting - how you light your subject and your background, will shape your results from the studio photo Read more inside...
There are always many other ways to light your subject, whether on location or in the studio. With Fitness photography though, you do want to show off the physique of your subject - and this does mean strongly directional light. The main light can be a harder / smaller light source, or even a larger light source such as a softbox, but generally you do need to go for directional light that skims across the physique of your subject. Flat lighting is going to be a difficult approach here. This previous article - Chiaroscuro lighting - shows another Read more inside...
The photo that I posted of my friend Christy, lit by the lights lights surrounding the mirrored dressing table, was a co-incidental part of the photo shoot in the studio. It was a spontaneous thing. But when we got together for this photo session, I had other ideas that I actually wanted to try - something more dramatic, and using a new image projection kit that uses a gobo and a fresnel lens to focus the effect.
With a previous photo session with Jessica Joy, we had used the Light-Blaster to give an unexpected pattern to the background, Read more inside...
When photographing portraits of someone, we can only leave so much up to serendipity. Deliberate action produces deliberate results. While things don't always work out to plan, having a plan helps propel things in a certain direction.
With that, we need to be able to pre-visualize the photographs we want. We need to shoot (and use light) with purpose. Even if you are just experimenting and playing with your camera and lighting, you will fare better if you have some intended result in mind. Always that question in mind - what is it Read more inside...
