Studio photo session with a dancer – gelled flash
Studio photo session with a dancer - gelled flash
Following on the article showing the Outdoor photo session with a dancer, Ella - here is a studio photo session with another dancer - Grace. For this particular sequence, I decided on using gels to add a splash of color to the images. Grace is impressively elegant, with powerful movements when she jumped. As far as the poses and movements were concerned, I again let myself be guided by the expert here - the dancer herself. Similar to how I described the collaborations with Ella (previous linked article), and with Anna Russel, and Read more inside...BTS: Fashion catalog photo shoot in the studio
behind the scenes: Fashion catalog photo shoot in the studio
From a recent photoshoot in the studio for a fashion designer, Isle By Melis Kozan, I want to give a bit of a glimpse behind the scenes. Further below there is a short video clip that shows what went down in the studio. Nothing frenetic - the pace is calm and steady. As it should be when you need to get through a large number of items. Fashion catalog photo shoots are fairly straight-forward - the key is consistency is lighting and positioning. You also need consistency in the camera's viewpoint. There is no Art Read more inside...Studio photo session: Yoga
Studio photo session: Yoga
With this portfolio shoot, we wanted to end up with sequences of photos that looked different enough - as if they were taken at different times, and even different locations. In between, Heather would change her outfits as well. We ended up with four distinctly different setups - two of which used studio lighting, and two which used available light only. With the two setups using studio lighting, the easiest way to make the lighting look different, was to use a big softbox or one setup (for softer light), and a gridded stripbox for another setup (for more Read more inside...Studio portraits of children – Lighting and textures
Studio portraits of children - Lighting and textures
Going towards the brighter, less moody way of lighting children's portraits, as shown here - dramatic portraits of kids - I went with the parents' request with how they wanted this 3 year old's portraits to look like. I therefore lit it differently, but still with (mostly) just a single light source. For my own portfolio, I added a texture to the background. More about the lighting and post-processing in a moment ... The family stopped by the studio on their way to Chuck E Cheese's for this kid's 3rd birthday party. So there was Read more inside...Studio photography – Lighting simply for impact
Studio photography - Lighting simply for impact
This striking image is from a commercial gig, shot in my studio for a company launching a range of hair extension products. For this sequence, one of several different setups we did, the client wanted this view and this look - so I had to decide on the best way to light their suggestion. We really make the hair the focus of the image, so I had to shoot from above on a short step-ladder. The decision on how to light this, was based on the commonly accepted principle of starting with a single light first, and only then building it up Read more inside...Post-processing workflow: How to deal with color banding
Post-processing workflow: How to deal with color banding / posterization
If you've ever noticed banding or posterization in your photos, where you'd expect solid colors, then there's a relatively easy fix for it. This posterization effect appears as bands of colors, where the transitions between similar tones aren't smooth, but have jagged edges instead. It is caused by the 8-bit JPG not having enough data to give you a smooth gradient when large blocks of color slowly change. You'll often see it in the blue sky in landscapes, or as in this case, with large areas of color in the Read more inside...Studio photography: Low-key lighting variations
Studio photography: Low-key lighting variations
The mood and simplicity of low-key lighting make it especially effective. So when Ulorin Vex appeared out of the dressing room with this black dress, I knew it would work very well with a low-key set-up in the studio. We had set up the darker background for previous outfits, but for this black dress, the simplified lighting - just a Profoto beauty dish (affiliate) - worked especially well. There were two lights behind her to show off the curves against the dark background. The gridded softboxes are exactly the same as shown Read more inside...mixing different light sources in the photography studio
photography: mixing different light sources in the studio
While playing around in the studio late this evening with a group of attendees at the Treehaven workshop, someone challenged us each to come up with an idea, using any of the lighting equipment there ... Read more inside...Fashion photo shoot, using multiple lights
My friend Chuck Arlund is a Fashion Photographer whose elegant photography is something I always admire. Chuck’s previous guest spots here have been well received. His article on simple on-location lighting techniques using a reflector & flash, was especially popular. Therefore I’m really glad that Chuck is graciously sharing with us how he came to shoot this stunning photograph for Parasuco.