Last Saturday’s Headshot Workshop

Tags

beauty, Bowens, Eyes, Godox, natural light, Natural Light Headshots, Natural Light Portraits, Nikon, NYC Actor Headshot Photographer, NYC Beauty Headshot Photographer, NYC Corporate Photographer, NYC Photographer, NYC Photography Workshops, OCF Workshop, Photoflex, Phottix, Phottix Ares, Sony, Space4Shoots, Space4Shoots workshop

Hi and welcome back.

Last Saturday’s Headshot Workshop was a huge and raging success.

We shot multiple looks with just speed lights and simple, easy-to-use gear.

We worked at Space4Shoots, an amazing and convenient rental studio in Manhattan.  Looking for a reasonable and well-stocked studio to rent, look no further than Space4Shoots.

Space4Shoots

As promised here is my gear list first:

Godox S Mount Speedlight Bracket

Softbox collapsible ring: Calumet QR Speedring for softbox

Triggers: Phottix Ares

BH:

Rogue Flashbenders: Expoimaging

Lightstands: Manfrotto 1052 BAC Quick stackers

Umbrella Brackets: Photek Umbrella Bracket

Umbrella: Photoflex 45” Convertible

Beauty Dish: Phottix Luna

Softbox: Bowens 60×80, box comes with S-Mount speedring so the QR ring is an extra if you want it

Reflector: California Sunbounce Micro Mini

Reflector Bracket: California Sunbounce Enterprise Bracket

Grip head: Matthews 2.5” Grip Head

Avenger 6″ Pin

Now on to some photos from the day:

Corporate:

Actor High Key:

Glamour:

Beauty:

Natural Light with a Reflector:

We achieved amazing looks with just a few speed lights and simple, portable gear.

Many thanks to our model Tina Scariano.

Till next time, happy speed lighting!

 

Saturday’s NYC Headshot Workshop

Tags

Bowens, Expoimaging, Nikon, NYC Actor Headshot Photographer, NYC Headshot Photographer, NYC Headshots, NYC OCF Workshop, NYC Photography Workshops, NYC workshops, Photoflex, Rogue, Space4Shoots, Workshops

Hi and welcome back.

Book this soon as there are only a few spots left for this awesome workshop!

The NYC Headshot Workshop

Learn the difference and shoot these profitable looks.  I’ll cover the gear, how to shoot and pose each one, and talk about post processing and the gear.

Date: Saturday, February 27, 2016

Time: 12-4pm

Location: Space4Shoots, 25 W 31st St, 2nd Floor

Cost: $225.00, use Paypal link above

Looks: corporate, actor, model, beauty, and glamour headshots

Gear: All speed lights and simple gear: Umbrellas, Rogue Flashbenders, Bowens Sofbox, Reflectors, and that’s it.

Our model is Tina Scariano, a professional actress from NYC:

Sign up soon as spaces are going quick!!

Hope to see you there!

NYC Headshot Workshop Updates

Tags

Bowens Softbox, Glamour Headshots, NYC Actor Headshot Photographer, NYC Beauty Headshot Photographer, NYC Headshot Photographer, NYC Headshot Workshop, NYC Off Camera Flash Workshop, OCF Workshop, Off camera flash workshop, Photoflex Umbrella, Rogue Flashbenders, Speedlighting

Hi and welcome back.

I’m updating the site for the workshop this Saturday so if you are attending or are thinking of attending.

The NYC Headshot Workshop

Learn the difference and shoot these profitable looks.  I’ll cover the gear, how to shoot and pose each one, and talk about post processing and the gear.

Date: Saturday, February 27, 2016

Time: 12-4pm

Location: Space4Shoots, 25 W 31st St, 2nd Floor

Cost: $225.00, use Paypal link above

Looks: corporate, actor, model, beauty, and glamour headshots

Gear: All speed lights and simple gear: Umbrellas, Rogue Flashbenders, Bowens Sofbox, Reflectors, and that’s it.

Our model is Tina Scariano, a professional actress from NYC:

Sign up soon as spaces are going quick!!

Hope to see you there!

40’s Hollywood Glamour and the NYC Headshot Workshop Updates

Tags

Bowens, Godox S Mount, headshot workshop, Luna Beauty Dish, Nikon, NYC Headshot Workshop, NYC OCF Workshop, NYC workshop, Off camera flash workshop, Phottix Ares, Sony, Space4Shoots workshop

Hi and welcome back.

I have two workshop updates for you.

The first is the 40’s Hollywood Glamour workshop at Berger Brothers Camera in Long Island.  This was cancelled on Sunday morning, but on Monday we woke up to registrations so it will go forward.

Here are the details:

On Saturday, February 20, I’ll be at Berger Brothers in Huntington, LI teaching the 40’s Hollywood Glamour look with speed lights.

Here is the registration link: Berger Brothers, Huntington

I’ll teach how to shoot this look with one, two, and three speed lights and Rogue Flashbenders.  This is my signature look with the Flashbender system, and it is awesome!

Details:

Location: Berger Brothers Teaching Studio, 22 Clinton Ave, Huntington, LI

Time: 12-3

Look: 40’s Hollywood Glamour

Cost: $125.00, register with the above link directly with Berger Brothers

Gear:

Small Rogue Flashbender

Large Rogue Flashbender

Rogue Grid

Come join in the fun as I teach this classic look using only speed lights and simple, portable gear.

I’ll cover posing, outfit, lighting for one, two, and three lights, and finishing the image to get “The Look.”

Here are samples of images I’ve shot in the past, all with speed lights and Flashbenders:

The second update is on the NYC Headshot workshop.

There are only 8 spots left.  This is an amazing deal on a workshop in a pro studio in NYC on the headshot.  I cover corporate, actor, model, glamour, beauty and more with just 1-3 speed lights and simple modifiers: most notable is the Umbrella.

Here are the details for NYC:

As per request at the last BH Event Space presentation, I’ll be running a Headshot Workshop in NYC.

I’m only opening this workshop up to 10 attendees so book early!

Come and join me as I teach how to accomplish multiple looks with just small flashes and simple gear.

We’ll work for four hours at Space4Shoots, 25 W 31st St, 2nd Floor

I’ll cover: corporate, actor, model, beauty, creative lighting, inside and outside weather dependent.

Details:

Date:February 27

Location: Space4Shoots, 37W 26th St, Manhattan

Time: 12-4

Attendees: 10

Price: $225.00, please use Paypal link above to register and pay

Gear:

Up to 3 small flashes

Bowens Softbox

Phottix Luna Beauty Dish

Umbrella

Rogue Flashbenders

Godox S-Mount Bracket

Learn how to set up, pose, and shoot these headshot looks with simple gear.

Our model is Tina Scariano:

Blueberry Still Life

Tags

Blueberries, Blueberry Still Life, Capture One Pro 9, Chimera Lighting, Creative Food Photography, CT Food Photographer, CT Food Photography, Food, Food photography, Food Still Life, Phottix Indra 500, Sony

Hi and welcome back.

I had a busy day yesterday and wanted to shoot food again.  So I kept it simple and shot the rest of the blueberries in a white bowl for a simple still life.

I’m getting into not only shooting but also styling the food.  This is one of the most difficult aspects of food photography.  Styling the image for so it is visually appealing and also getting the food set properly and looking great.

I have been shooting clean.  By that I mean I have not been doing any styling tricks like adding WD-40, or glycerine, or any other product to modify the food to make it look great.  There are a million styling techniques out there, but I want to keep it natural until I get the hang of the light, composition, and getting shots that are commercially viable.

Let’s take a moment to look at the background and the lighting.

For my background, I grabbed a small trap door from my neighbor.  He was remodeling is kitchen and the door ended up in the dumpster.  I saw it and grabbed it. It is old and nasty and just perfect for food work.  Unlike one of my previous posts where I painted a board, this was ready-made for me and all I needed to do was dumpster dive.

Fro my lighting, right now I’m keeping it simple.  One light, maybe two, and reflectors.  I want to mimic natural window light so my light source is large, a Chimera 36×48 white interior softbox.  My reflectors are 8×10 or 5×7 cards that were meant for frames.  I cover one side of the card with tin foil for a small white/silver reflector.

I’m also keeping my light in one location.  If I want sidelight, I simple move to one side of my table or in this case an old dresser we had in the garage.  By keeping my light in one spot, I simply move around to change my look.

Here is a finished shot:

Here is the setup.  I know it may be getting old to look at, but it is just such as simple setup that I can’t believe the results I get from one light and a few reflectors.  Plus you can see the door I got from the trash.  A perfect background for food work.

And here are some extra shots I finished.

I love this light.  It is simple and gives me great detail and shadow on the blueberries, and the tin foil reflectors add just the right amount and touch of fill to open the shadows on the dark side of the bowl.

That’s it for now.  Till next time, stay hungry!

French Toast with Blueberries

Tags

A7II, Chimera, CT Food Photographer, CT Food Photography, CT OCF Workshops, Food, Food photography, French Toast, French Toast with Blueberries, Godox, Nikon, OCF, Pain Pardue, Phottix, Sony, Syrup

Hi and welcome back.

Continuing with my food posts, I’ve been trying to shoot as much as I can.

Yesterday I shot my favorite breakfast: French toast.

I just whipped up 3 slices of my recipe:

2 eggs

Splash of half-and-half

Pinch of Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon

I preset my still life and then cooked.  The great thing about breakfast foods is that you can whip them up quickly.

Here is a finished shot on my painted background.  I took the yellow background from the post from the other day and painted it blue.  I just went over the yellow with the blue and when it dried I rubbed it down with sandpaper to give it an aged look.

I also pumped out some syrup to give it a bit of action.

And here’s how I lit it.

I kept my key light in the same posting but added a 20º grid to light the top and open the deep shadows from the backlight.

Key: Phottix Indra 500, 36×48 Chimera softbox

Fill: tin-foil-covered white cards

Fill light: SB800, Godox S-Mount bracket, Phottix S-Mount 7″ reflector with 20º grid and one piece of wax paper gaffer-taped on to soften the gridded light

In hindsight, I think I would have used a 10º grid or a snoot to really tighten the spread of light and keep the second shadow off of the background.

Here are a few more images:

I’m really ring to develop a style and shoot as much as I can in order to build a portfolio and get food work.

That’s it for now.  Till next time, stay hungry!

40’s Hollywood Glamour Workshop at Berger Brothers Camera

Tags

40's Hollywood Glamour, 40's Hollywood Glamour Workshop, Berger Brothers Camera, Hollywood Glamour, Long Island, Long Island Off Camera Flash Workshop, Nikon, OCF, Off camera flash workshop, Rogue Flashbenders, Sony, Speedlights

Hi and welcome back.

I’m sending this out today as the date is getting close!

On Saturday, February 20, I’ll be at Berger Brothers in Huntington, LI teaching the 40’s Hollywood Glamour look with speed lights.

Here is the registration link: Berger Brothers, Huntington

I’ll teach how to shoot this look with one, two, and three speed lights and Rogue Flashbenders.  This is my signature look with the Flashbender system, and it is awesome!

Details:

Location: Berger Brothers Teaching Studio, 22 Clinton Ave, Huntington, LI

Time: 12-3

Look: 40’s Hollywood Glamour

Cost: $125.00, register with the above link directly with Berger Brothers

Gear:

Small Rogue Flashbender

Large Rogue Flashbender

Rogue Grid

Come join in the fun as I teach this classic look using only speed lights and simple, portable gear.

I’ll cover posing, outfit, lighting for one, two, and three lights, and finishing the image to get “The Look.”

Here are samples of images I’ve shot in the past, all with speed lights and Flashbenders:

Don’t miss out on this fun and creative lighting event!

Till then, stay glamorous!

 

Creating a Simple Background for Any Shot

Tags

Chimera, CT Food Photographer, Food, Food photography, Macaroni and Cheese and Broccoli, Nikon, Phottix, Phottix Indra 500, Sony

Hi and welcome back.

For today, I’m going to show you how to create a quick and cheap background for food photography, but you can apply this to any kind of background.

For my food work, I’m going simple.  I’ve been searching for a quick, cheap, and easy way to create simple backgrounds.

I went to my local Lowe’s and purchased a 32″ x 48″ piece of masonite beadboard for $10.00.  If you have the ability, cut the sheet in half; if not, have them do it at the home center for you.

Lowe’s has Valspar paint sample for about $3.00.  I picked up two, one a dark yellow and one a mint green.  Above the left panel is the yellow color:

Grab a brush and put a coat of color on the board.  I don’t prime for a reason that I’ll get to next.

I want a slightly aged look to the backgrounds, so after the paint dries I use sandpaper to scuff the surface and bring out some of that white underneath.

I had a round 150 grit piece of sandpaper kicking around my garage, but you can use anything you have or just get a sheet.

Once the paint is dry and sanded, I put it on my dresser/table in the garage and got my colors together and took the shot.

The sheet is 24 x 32 and has a slight antique look.  It is also the perfect size for food still life.  Here are a few other proofs.

Simple, fun, and easy to do, making your own backgrounds can be cheap and fun and only take a few hours.  Don’t like the color, simply paint over it and then re-scuff it with the sandpaper for a different look altogether.

So for about $14.00 with tax, I have two backgrounds I can paint and change up as needed for any color scheme.

That’s it for now.  Till next time, happy eating!

 

 

Today’s Workshop and Macaroni, Cheese, and Broccoli

Tags

Chimera, CT Food Photographer, CT Food Photography, Food, Food photography, Mac and cheese, Mac and cheese with broccoli, Nikon, Phottix, Sony

Hi and welcome back.

Today’s workshop at Roger Salls Studio is a go.

Roger Salls Studio, 80 Ferry Blvd, Stratford, CT, $100.00, 3 hour headshot workshop, walk-ins welcome!  Park in rear, call or text if you can’t find us: 203-540-8821. 

Food for today:

In an effort to continue my food photography portfolio, I’m going to try and shoot one piece of food per day.

For today, I made mac and cheese and threw some broccoli florets in for color.

One of the things I’ve noticed while researching food images is that a great deal of contrasting and complimentary colors are being used.

In this image, I chose yellow mac and cheese and green broccoli.  To really isolate the yellow color of the mac and cheese, I pushed green tones: green background, green plate, linen that has yellow and green in it.  This makes a lot of green tone help the yellow really stand out

Here is how I shot it:

I think I’m going in the right direction but need help in styling the entire scene.  This is perfect for a magazine cover as there is enough room on top and bottom for verbiage and a header.

Here are a few other proofs from the shoot:

With a little more practice the shots will really shine.

I’m am also trying to do the work clean so that I can eat my work!  Most food stylists have a bag of tricks to keep things looking fresh like WD-40, Glycerin, and PAM, but I’d like to make my food look as real as possible.  We’ll see over time how it works out.

Thanks and till next time, happy eating!

Snow?!

Tags

Beauty headshots, Bowens, CT Actor Headshot Photographer, CT Beauty Headshot Photographer, CT Corporate Headshot Photographer, CT OCF Workshops, CT Photography Workshops, CT Workshops, headshots, NYC Headshot Photographer, OCF, Phottix

Hi and welcome back.
Don’t let this nuisance storm keep you home!

It’s gonna end this afternoon and be sunny and 40º tomorrow.

Register for tomorrow’s headshot workshop and get prepared to learn the headshot, how to light it, the difference between corporate, actor, model, and beauty, and use on only a few speed lights.

Still on the fence?  Walk-ins are welcome.

Where: Roger Salls Studio, 80 Ferry Blvd, Stratford, CT, park in rear.  There is a door in the back, can’t find it, text or call me: 203-540-821

Time: 11-2, late enough to sleep-in yet early enough to enjoy the afternoon and prep for Super Bowl Sunday.

Cost: $100, really can’t beat it: work in a pro studio, with a great model who’s worked for me before, and learn simple OCF to bring your photography to another level.

Use the Paypal link above or pay on site if you are a walk-in.

Don’t let the weather keep you home, get out of the house, bring your camera and lenses, and let’s shoot!

Hope to see you there.