Shooting Outside with OCF

Tags

CT Headshot Photographer, CT Model Photographer, Lastolite Ezybox, Model Photography, Nikon, OCF, off camera flash

Hi and welcome back.

We are nearing the end of my two week OCF posting session, but maybe next week we’ll continue?  I need to find more images with BTS shots.

Ok, for today we’ll take a look at shooting outside.

Working outside is fun and can yield some great images.  But the problem with OCF is that it is not powerful enough to over power the sun, so you need to move into the shade.  But shade can present it’s own issues.  On a bright sunny day, OCF becomes more of a fill light that a dedicated key light.

In this image of Thalita, I moved her into the shade of this long sidewalk that’s lined with greenery.  I created a nice and simple graphic and had her far enough from the background for it to go soft and mushy but got nice sharpness on her.

I used a Lastolite 24×24 or 60cm x 60cm softbox with a speedlight.  The light from the softbox was literally a fill light as I could have shot natural light here in the shade but the fill gave me just a touch of shadow detail in her face, which is what fill light should be doing for you.

The day was very sunny, but by posing Thalita in the shade, I was able to knock down some of the ambient light and use my speedlight as soft fill.  I got some shadow detail on her face which turns a two dimensional medium into three dimensions.  The light also helps to separate her from the background.

Gear:

• Manfrotto 1052 BAC Lightstand
• Nikon SB910 with SD9 Battery Pack
• Matthews 40″ Hollywood Grip Arm
• Lastolite 24×24 (60cm x 60cm) softbox
• Pocket Wizard Plus III

Exposure: 1/250 @ f/4.5, ISO 400, WB Daylight

Flash: Manual Mode @ 1/2 Power

As you can see from my exposure, I had to play a bit.  I knocked down shutter to 1/250 but increased ISO just a bit to balance out the foreground and background.  You need to play a bit here to get the desired result.

Here’s a final:

Simple and effective lighting on location!

That’s it for now.  Till next time, get outside and shoot: it’s Summer!

 

 

The Three Speedlight High Key Fitness Shot

Tags

beauty, Capture One Pro 6, fitness, fun, high key, Lastolite Ezybox, Nikon, off camera flash, Rogue Flashbenders, SB800, SB900

Hi and welcome back.

Yesterday I shot some fitness for professional fitness model Lucie DeRosa.

Let’s go over the setup then look at some fun shots from the day.

Main light: SB900, 1/2 power, Lastolite 24×24 Ezybox

Backlights: SB800′s, 1/8 power, omnibounce installed, Large Rogue Flashbenders as flags.

Now for some images from the shoot.  The only processing here besides raw to jpeg conversion is a WB change from 5204 to 5000.

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

Speedlights and the P90X Look

Tags

black and white, Capture One Pro 6, Lastolite Ezybox, Nikon, off camera flash, P90X, Pocket Wizards, strobist, Westcott 28 Apollo

Hi and welcome back.

During one of my advanced speedlight classes, Ray came in to model for the P90X black and white fitness look.

To achieve this look, I used:

Nikon SB900 @ 1/2 power, Pocket Wizard Plus II’s, Lastolite 24×24 Ezybox with Adorama grid directly above

SB800 @ 1/4 power, Westcott 28″ Apollo, camera left

I set the exposure then went for something in that dramatic black and white style.

This is a really cool and fun technique done with simple equipment.

I used Capture One Pro 6 for all the raw conversions and the High Contrast Portrait Black and White Preset Style.

Simple, quick, and just fantastic results.

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

The Simple Three Light Executive Portrait

Tags

Corporate, Corporate Headshot, Corporate Photography, creative, CT Wedding photographer, education, Executive Headshot, headshots, Lastolite Ezybox, light, milford, modeling, Nikon, Nikon D3, off camera flash, Pocket Wizards, Portfolio, portrait, portrait photography, professional photographer, SB800, SB900, strobist, studio, teaching, Westcott 28 Apollo

Hi and welcome back.

Today we’ll look at the simple executive style portrait.  I’ll be using three lights to complete the job.  This may seem complicated, but it really isn’t.

Let’s take a look at two shots.  Both of these photographs employ the same person, the only change is the background.  The lighting is the same for both photos.

And here’s the three light setup.  It’s simple, quick, and gives you that perfect light for the classic corporate portrait.

Need a new corporate look?  Then contact me and let’s get together to create the best look for you and your company.

Till next time, happy shooting.

Mixing Strobe and Off Camera Flash with Stacey

Tags

beauty, Beauty Dish, creative, CT Wedding photographer, education, Elinchrom, fashion, fun, headshots, Lastolite Ezybox, light, Model, modeling, Nikon, Nikon D3, off camera flash, one light, Photoflex shoot through umbrella, Pocket Wizards, portrait, portrait photography, professional photographer, Profoto, Sassy, SB800, SB900, strobist, studio, teaching

Hi and welcome back.

Yesterday I ran a workshop where we mixed strobe lighting with off camera flash.  We used a combination of lighting modifiers and techniques to get fantastic results.  I tried to show how you can seamlessly integrate the two systems.

Here’s Stacey when she arrived at the studio pre-styling: Nikon SB800 into a Lastolite Ezybox 24 x 24:

Here’s Stacey after makeup and using the mixed source technique.

For this shot: Profoto 300 ws Compact with White Beauty Dish for main light and a SB800 into a Lastolite Ezybox for a bit of separation and skim light on the gold shear:

For this shot we swapped things around a bit: Main light is a SB900 into a Photoflex shoot through umbrella, back light is a Profoto 300 ws Compact and Elinchrom 39 x 39 softbox:

For this last shot in the workshop we really switched things up: Main light is a Profoto 300 ws Compact with a 60″ Photek Softlighter, back light is a bare head SB900 outside the building shooting into the white shear to give a nice bright backdrop:

The workshop was a success!  I was able to mix and match lighting systems and use strobes and speedlights for both main and back lighting.  And, we even put a speedlight outside in that nasty cold and windy day to light from behind: awesome!

Many thanks to my workshop attendees, Stacey, Sallie’s Airbrush Makeup, and Salon Lui for really going all out for us.

Till next time, happy shooting.

Congratulations to Crystal and Wayne!!

Tags

beauty, black and white, creative, CT Boudoir Photographer, CT Wedding photographer, headshots, Lastolite Ezybox, modeling, natural light, Nikon D3, off camera flash, one light, Pocket Wizards, Portfolio, portrait, portrait photography, professional photographer, strobist

Hi and Welcome back.

After last Saturday’s workshop, I was privileged to photograph Crystal and Wayne’s wedding in Norwalk.

They were amazing!

Good luck Crystal and Wayne and enjoy Paris!!

Kim goes to the X: P90X

Tags

beauty, black and white, creative, CT Wedding photographer, education, headshots, Lastolite Ezybox, light, Model, modeling, off camera flash, P90X, Pocket Wizards, Portfolio, portrait photography, professional photographer, SB800, SB900, strobist, studio, teaching, Westcott 28 Apollo

Hi and welcome back.

Last night for my Advanced Lighting class Kim came in for the classic black and white P90X workout shoot.

We worked all off camera flash:

One SB900 into a Lastolite Ezybox with grid directly above.

One SB800 into a Westcott Apollo Softbox to the left.

Here are a few shots from the session.  Kim is a personal trainer by profession, so she fit the bill perfectly for the creative black and white fitness shot:

There you have it, simply lit, expressive, cool, and fun photography done with small flashes.

Many thanks to Kim for coming out and sitting for us.

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

The Simply Lit Headshot

Tags

Corporate Headshot, creative, CT Wedding photographer, education, Executive Headshot, headshots, Lastolite Ezybox, light, off camera flash, Pocket Wizards, Portfolio, portrait, portrait photography, professional photographer, SB800, SB900, strobist, studio, teaching, Westcott 28 Apollo

Hi and welcome back.

My brother Joe needed a headshot, so I set up my speedlights in the typical three light headshot/portrait configuration and came away with these shots.

Here’s the basic shot:

Here I move the reflector away a bit to get a little more dramatic lighting:

Here I brought the reflector back in to open up those shadows for a more traditional look:

The three light portrait is standard for this type of shot.  One main light with a reflector, a gridded hair light, and a background light on gray seamless paper.

Here’s my setup:

Joe will have some great shots to choose from for his new executive headshot.

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

Kim and Drea

Tags

beauty, creative, CT Wedding photographer, education, fashion, Flash of the Titans, fun, headshots, Lastolite Ezybox, light, Model, modeling, off camera flash, Pocket Wizards, Portfolio, portrait photography, professional photographer, SB800, SB900, strobist, teaching

Hi and welcome back.

I just ran a workshop with Jesse Thompson of Milford Photo.  During this work shop we compared studio strobe lighting to off camera flash: my current favorite lighting system.

Many thanks to all who attended and our models: Kim and Drea, and for fantastic styling by Cami Shore.

My goal for the workshop was to show mobility with simple speedlight equipment.

Here are a few shots:

My goal was to work quickly and efficiently in the space provided.  I put Drea into an elevator and we used and empty room for Kim.  I tried to show the versatility of speedlights as opposed to studio strobes and the ability of being able to move from location to location quickly and successfully.

I think I succeeded!

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

It’s New Logo Unveiling Day and a Post on Ashley

Tags

beauty, Blonde, creative, CT Boudoir Photographer, CT Wedding photographer, education, fashion, fun, headshots, Jayne Mansfield, Lastolite Ezybox, light, Marilyn Monroe, Model, modeling, off camera flash, one light, Portfolio, portrait photography, professional photographer, SB900, strobist, studio, teaching

Hi and welcome back.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it has been a busy, busy week!

Today is my new logo unveiling day.  I got a new logo from Leslie Mann of Leslie Mann Designs.  She did a tremendous job with my name and just made it chic and modern!

Leslie is just fantastic.  Need web or graphic design, contact Leslie.  She Rocks!!!

Now to my delayed post:

This week I brought in Ashley to model for my Advanced Lighting Class.

Ashley rocked the house as we worked with multiple speedlights in the basement.  We put her in this grungy place and she just looks fantastic.  Thank you Ashley for sitting for us and being patient.

That’s it for now.  Check out the logo and let me know what you think.  I love it!