Boiler Room Glamour Shoot

Why do attractive models and old machinery so often go together so well?  Who knows, but I do love shooting in locations like that.  These were taken with 1 portable strobe and a shoot-through umbrella, usually placed above and to the left of camera.  A decent bit of post processing to get reasonable HDR effects.

On The Road - Southwest USA

Took a drive from Las Vegas to Palm Springs, California, and back, with a side trip to Utah thrown in.  Here were some photos from the road, of the road : )  I've found they make excellent computer wallpaper.

Glamour - Collages / Composites

Most of my work is more photorealistic than these, but occasionally it's really fun to experiment with backgrounds and textures.  I keep a folder of interesting potential collage material, containing images of walls, metalwork, ground covers, etc. 

All the elements that make up these images were taken by me.  If I started using components from other sources I would feel less like the finished results is not really my own work, so I don't cross that line.

Glamour - Simple Props

I remember a Peanuts comic strip where a mean spirited Lucy took everything away from Linus except a rubber band, and yet he still was able to find ways to amuse himself with just that one thing, so much so that she had to take that away as well.   So here I challenged myself to do a glamour shoot adding just a roll of wide silver ribbon.  I taped strips to the ceiling to be "bars" and gave some to the model, and here are the results.  I occasionally will do this "one prop" approach to spur ideas. 

Note the darker skin tone on this image.  Typically I correct dark skin by darkening and lowering the saturation of the red value.  Most of the images in this set are like this image.  I left the higher red value on the 2 prior images for subjective artistic considerations.

New York City - B/W Photos - Lumix GF-1/20mm F1.7 Tryout

These images were taken with my Lumix GF-1/20mm F1.7.  It was the only camera I took on a recent trip to New York.  B/W conversion was performed using Lightroom 3.0.




Looking towards Times Square from 32nd st and 11th Ave

 


PDN PhotoPlus Expo party at aircraft carrier museum




Sailors at Times Square




Javitz Convention Center



Alien Silhouettes...

Recently I got an opportunity to shoot one of my favorite models in an empty office building.  When scouting around for various locations I came across a conference room with full length windows covered by mini blinds.  I had planned on making use of natural light so had brought along wax paper and tape.  I covered the windows with wax paper and then set the blinds to show the daylight through.  I asked the model to step through a set of glamour poses.  She added the fantastic idea of grabbing the blinds in some of the shots.

All the following photos are taken using the Nikon 50mm 1.8 at 1/100 sec and F7 (ISO 200).  It's around noon in cloudy weather.

I noticed that there was something really cool about leaving the focus well off.  So I took the next series that way.  Color and texture was added in post processing, but the shape of the model was straight from the camera.

What's in my bag? - Camera Bodies

When I was in college I bought a Nikon EM.  This was the cheapest SLR out there, along with its dedicated line of cheap lenses, which was the main motivating factor in buying it.  Overall it wasn't considered any sort of groundbreaking camera, but it worked well enough for me at the time.  I have no idea where that camera is now, but overall it had a seriously lasting effect on me in that I've been in the Nikon line ever since.  I've occasionally lamented carrying heavy Nikons when comparing them to what always seemed to be much lighter Canon bodies (I didn't need the added durability for my sort of shooting style).  But it's really hard to completely switch camera lines once entrenched with lots of compatable equipment.  So Nikon it has been, and Nikon it shall be into the foreseeable future.

Main Camera - Nikon D90

The D90 is a crop sensor camera, meaning it's sensor is roughly 2/3 the size of 35mm film.  It's been a wonderful camera body for me.  It has pro level flexibility and a built in motor so it works with lenses that don't have their own motor.  One really standout feature has been the auto-sensor-cleaning built in to the camera.  I had a D70 previously and the sensor picked up all sorts of dust.  This one has stayed crystal clean for the 2 years I've owned it.

Nikon is releasing the D7000.  If I was buying new today I would take a serious look at that camera.

Carry Everywhere Camera - Panasonic Lumix GF1

The GF1 is a micro-four-thirds camera.  It's sensor is cropped at around 1/2 the size of 35mm film.  But that is a much bigger sensor size than a typical point-and-shoot (p/s).  It is also compatible with sets of lenses being marketed by Panasonic, Olympus, and Leica. This is an expensive camera for a p/s, but for me it was the absolute minimum amount of camera that would work for me.  I've tried many other small cameras and never been happy with the quality or functionality of them.  This feels ands operates like a real camera.  It feels good to use it and the resulting images have been fantastic, even at higher ISOs (800+).

The camera comes in 2 packages, one with a zoom lens and the other with a fixed 20mm F1.7 lens (40mm effective 35mm equivalent).  I went with the fixed lens due to the speed and smaller size.  I've also made myself a promise to stick with this one lens so the system stays small and portable.

It is a great street shooter among other uses, and I've taken shots I wouldn't have been able to get with my Nikon (why?... because I had the smaller camera with me!)

My Top lessons from PDN Photo Plus Expo 2010

I had the opportunity to attend various sessions at PDN Photo Plus Expo 2010 in New York City this past October.  These are my top "takeaways" from that experience (in no particular order):

• Always shoot RAW.  This wasn't news for me, but it's worth stating over and over.  RAW files are your digital negative, full of information that is otherwise lost forever.  And the capabilities of RAW processors in post allow you to do amazing things both across the entire image and (now) to subsets of an image.
• If your camera supports it, program your Autofocus to be controlled by a button independent of the shutter release - When I shoot in-studio, I'm often at the same focal distance form the subject for a number of shots in a row.  Yet every time I press the shutter release the camera attempts to refocus.  This is time wasted while the model is trying to hold a pose.  I've tried this and though it takes a little bit of time to get used to it (or in my case to remember I changed that setting in the first place), it really does improve the shooting experience.
• Don't fear high ISOs - Today's DSLR cameras and post processing software do an amazing job with noise.  Being willing to shoot at high ISOs opens up all sorts of possibilities with natural light that are otherwise ignored.  I've tried this since and agree that I don't know what I used to be so worried about.
• Shoot for accuracy (set your ISO in camera, expose properly, etc.).  Fixing things in post processing will slow down your workflow.  That time is better spent with your family.
• If you use a Stofen (or similar flash modifier), only point it straight up.  The purpose of such modifiers is to behave like a "bare bulb".
• Read up on posing tips to flatter a subject.  Small changes in posture make a big difference in how someone looks when photographed.
• Embrace Social Media - Social media is a necessity already and will become even more important as we move forward.  This means create a galaxy around your own web site, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. 
• Did I mention Always shoot RAW? ; )

Ice Skating - Dragging the Shutter

I had the opportunity to travel to New York City and (as I often do), found myself at Rockefeller Center around midnight.  I had my Panasonic Lumix GF1 with 20mm F1.7 fixed lens.  I decided to try to get the ice skaters in motion while panning the camera.  I took around 50 shots at varying shutter speeds.  No flash was used.  These are my favorites.

 

1/5 Sec, F5.6

 

1/5 Sec, F6.3

 

 1/5 Sec, F5.6

 

 

1/5 Sec, F5.6

Homemade ringlight - In Action

I'm always interested in trying new things in the studio.  I figure any photo I take using equipment I build myself adds to its "uniqueness".  Plus sometimes I can save a few bucks as well.  And when I pull this homemade ringlight out of my bag it has occasionally piqued the interest of models who think they had  "seen it all".   The image below is one of my favorites taken just with the single ringlight:

Nikon D90

1/160, F6.3

Tamron 17-50 F2.8 (48mm)

This lighting diagram illustrates the simple setup.  A ringlight is a circular light with a hole in the center that you shoot through.  When using a ringlight you typically place the model close to the background so they become encircled by a tight shadow.

 

Here is a photo of my ringlight.  It is composed of the following materials:

Microwave spatter cover (bowl)

Translucent microwave spatter cover or cutting board (top diffuser)

Empty duct tape spindle (center)

Empty duct tape spindle (top right, for strobe to shoot through)

Lots of silver duct tape to line the inside of the bowl.

Silver and/or black duct tape to hold it all together.

To use this I shine a manual strobe through the hole shown on the top right.  I trigger it from the camera using either a dedicated strobe cable or a remote trigger.  I use a camera lens that fits in the center.  And of course remember to warn the subject that it will be bright : )

 

Welcome!

Welcome!  I've been a photographer for most of my life.  Along the way I've picked up tips and tricks that I hope to share with anyone who shares this passion.  Feel free to use what you like, ignore what you don't, and contribute what you can.