Saturday’s Workshop and Photoshop Friday

Tags

beauty, CT Model Headshot Photographer, Dark Beauty, Low Key Headshot, Model, Model Photography, Nikon, NYC Model Headshot Photographer, NYC OCF workshops, NYC Photography Workshops, NYC workshops, Photoshop Tips, Sony, Space4Shoots, Space4Shoots workshop

Hi and welcome back.

Saturday’s NYC workshop is a go.  We have light attendance, so there is room for more!  On the fence, get out of the crazy April weather and join us inside Space4Shoots and learn small flash photography and get portfolio images.

You can register with my Paypal link above or call with atm/cc card info.

On to Photoshop Friday.

Today’s tip is a simple one: Adjusting Exposure.

Sometimes factors don’t allow you to get the correct exposure in camera.  Sometimes you just miss the shot and guess what, your client loves the shot that may be over or underexposed.

This headshot looked perfect on my camera screen and yet is is a bit underexposed.  So here is a quick fix using layers.

After bringing the shot into PS, copy the background layer using Ctrl-J:

This layer allows you to work above the original and not harm the original.

Then, go down to the Half Black, Half White circle on the bottom of the palette and click to choose Levels:

Now you have a new layer just for exposure adjustment and a panel above with a histogram.

The histogram favors the blacks as the image is low key.  However, the right or white side shows a bit of underexposure as detail does not go all the way to the right.  Just grab the slider and drag it to the left to where the histogram mountain begins:

Once you’ve dragged your slider, you have a layer mask on the right to add or subtract you edit from parts of the image.  More on that later.

Now you have adjusted your image, you need to add a layer above the adjustment so that you can keep working.

Simply use the keystroke: Shift-Alt-Command-E to get a new working layer above it all:

Here is a before and after of my adjusted image:

Now I’m ready to start retouching.  I’ll cover basic retouching in a later post.

That’s it for today.  If you are interested in the workshop tomorrow in NYC, sign on as there is room.

Questions?  Call or text: 203-540-8821

Till next time, happy exposure!

Advanced Speedlighting Workshop Saturday, April 9, NYC

Tags

BH Photo Workshops, Model, Model Photography, Nikon, NYC OCF, NYC off camera flash workshops, NYC Photography Workshops, NYC workshops, OCF Workshops, off camera flash, Sony, Space4Shoots, Space4Shoots workshop

Hi and welcome back.

This event is in jeopardy of being cancelled.  If you are planning to attend, please register as soon as possible.  Attendance is low, so if I don’t have enough attendees by Thursday, it will be cancelled.  

I’m putting together an “Advanced Speedlight Techniques” workshop at Space4Shoots in NYC.

Take your work to another level as I draw on strobe light techniques for fashion, glamour, and beauty and transfer them to small flashes.

We’ll shoot multi-light setups but never go beyond 3 lights and simple modifiers.

Gear: 

3 speedlights

Phottix Ares Radio Triggers

Convertible Umbrellas

Rogue Flashbenders

Bowens Softbox

Phottix Luna Beauty Dish

Godox Bracket

Details: 

Cost: $260.00, you can use the Paypal link at the top of the page or call with atm/cc card: 203-540-8821

Location: Space4Shoots

Time: 1-5 pm

Date: Saturday, April 9, 2016

Model: Daria Bardola from Anomaly Models

HMUA: TBD

If you missed the Headshot Workshop at Space4Shoots, don’t miss this one.  It is going to be amazing with a professional NYC model.

Daria Bardola

Advanced Speedlight Techiques, NYC

Tags

beauty, Bowens, CT Headshot Photographer, Expoimaging, fashion, Fashion lighting workshop, Godox S Mount, Nikon, NYC Headshot Photographer, NYC OCF workshops, NYC workshops, OCF Workshop, OCF Workshops, Photoflex, Phottix, Phottix Ares, Phottix Luna, Rogue Flashbenders, Sony, Space4Shoots

Hi and welcome back.

I’m putting together an “Advanced Speedlight Techniques” workshop at Space4Shoots in NYC.

Take your work to another level as I draw on strobe light techniques for fashion, glamour, and beauty and transfer them to small flashes.

We’ll shoot multi-light setups but never go beyond 3 lights and simple modifiers.

Gear: 

3 speedlights

Phottix Ares Radio Triggers

Convertible Umbrellas

Rogue Flashbenders

Bowens Softbox

Phottix Luna Beauty Dish

Godox Bracket

Details: 

Location: Space4Shoots

Cost: $260.00, use the Paypal link above or call/text for atm/cc card: 203-540-8821

Time: 1-4

Date: April 9, 2016

Model: Daria Bardola from Anomaly Models

HMUA: TBD

If you missed the Headshot Workshop at Space4Shoots, don’t miss this one.  It is going to be amazing with a professional NYC model.

Daria Bardola

Hope to see you there!

Rogue Flashbender Presentation at Photo Uno, NYC

Tags

CT Commercial Photographer, Expoimaging, Expoimaging Rogue Flashbenders, Nikon, NYC Commercial Photographer, NYC headshot, NYC OCF workshops, NYC workshops, PhotoUno, Phottix Ares, Rogue Flashbenders, Sony, Speedlighting

Hi and welcome back.

I’ll be heading to Photo Uno in Manhattan on March 29 for a 2 hour Rogue Flashbender presentation.

This will be like a BH Event Space Presentation: 20 minute slideshow, I shoot 3-4 looks with model, we end with Q+A.

Here is the registration link: PhotoUno

Cost: Free

Location: Photo Uno, 222 E 46th St, Unit 303, Manhattan

Time: 6:30-8:30

Our model for the time is Laura Dewey:

Hope to see you there for a fun and interactive event!  Till then, happy shooting!

 

 

40’s Hollywood Glamour

Tags

40's Hollywood Glamour, 40's Hollywood Glamour Workshop, 40s Glamour headshot, Expoimaging, Hollywood Glamour with Speedlights, LI Workshops, Nikon Speedlights, NYC OCF Workhsop, NYC workshops, OCF, Off Camera flash workshops, Rogue Flashbender, Sony, Sony A 7II, Speedlights

Hi and welcome back.

A few weeks ago I ran a 40’s Hollywood Glamour workshop at Berger Brothers Camera, Huntington, NY.

We had a great time with our model, Anastasia, who is not a professional model but who took on the challenge and did a fabulous job.

I just got two retouched photos back and wanted to share the look.  I love this look and it has become my signature style with Rogue Flashbenders.

Key: SB910, Rogue Small Flashbender as a snoot

Hair: SB800, Rogue Large Flashbender as a snoot

Back: SB800, Rogue 25º grid

Here are two finished images, both images had the same setup.  For the full body shot, we adjusted our light power and ISO to get enough light on Anastasia:

Here is a BTS shot using Set A Light 3D software.  Please note, the lighting is reversed on Anastasia, the key is camera left, hair on right, back on left, but you get the idea:

This is the basic setup for the three light 40’s Hollywood Glamour shot.

I highly recommend that you try this at home as it is a fun technique.

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

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!

BH Photo Event Space Location Cosplay Shoot

Tags

BH Photo, BH Photo Event Space, Black Widow, Cosplay, CT Cosplay Photographer, Expoimaging, Nikon, NYC Cosplay Photographer, NYC OCF workshops, NYC workshops, OCF, off camera flash, Photoflex, Photoflex shoot through umbrella, Rogue Flashbenders

Hi and welcome back.

On November 24 I’ll be headed back to BH Photo Event Space to run a Cosplay location shoot.

BH Event Space Link

This shoot was scheduled for October, before Halloween, but schedules dictated we push it to November.  Hopefully it won’t be too cold for outside!

We’ll be shooting Cosplay with a combination of:

Photoflex Umbrellas

Rogue Flashbenders XL Pros

We’ll shoot a Cosplay model on location near BH.  I’m currently thinking the corner of 10th and 30th, under the elevated High Line, where we can add the structure of the el to our images.

Cosplay is fun look!  With our model/s dressed in costume, we’ll add the city to the photos for some great looks.

Come join in the fun and shoot on location.  Till then, happy Cosplay!

Here are samples from last year with the Black Widow:

Part 2 of the 3 Part Post on Lighting

Tags

CT OCF Workshops, Luna Beauty Dish, Mitros Plus, Nikon, NYC workshops, OCF, off camera flash, Phottix, Phottix Indra 500

Hi and welcome back.

This is part 2 of my 3 part Portrait lighting post.  Part 3 will be here probably next week when the images are back from my retoucher.

Part 2 is about the second half of my lighting workshop with Milford Photo and Phottix last Saturday.

During the second half of the day, we went to lighting with multiple lights, mixing speed lights with the new Phottix Indra 500 moonlight.

Phottix Indra 500

Phottix Mitros Plus Flash

Phottix Ares Trigger

Phottix 27″ Luna Dish

Phottix 36″ Silver Dish

In this first image, we did a simple two light commercial high key shot.  I put Megan right up against a white background and used one light high and above and one light below for fill.

Key Above: Phottix Indra 500, 36″ Silver Beauty Dish with diffusion panel, Ares trigger

Fill Below: Nikon SB910, 27″ White Luna Beauty Dish with diffusion panel, Ares trigger

After this shot, we moved quickly to something more complicated.

I chose to use my lights more creatively this time, so my key and fill lights are all small so I can isolate parts of the image and keep light off of the background.

Key: Phottix Indra 500, Phottix 14 x 56 strip softbox with grid

Fill on front: Phottix Mitros Plus Speedlight, 27″ Luna Dish collapsed, Ares Trigger

Fill on hair/back: SB910, 27″ Luna Dish collapsed, Ares Trigger

Next, I was asked by an attendee to show how to mix natural light with modified light and make it look natural.

Our key light in this initial shot is just the diffused light coming in from the window.

Notice how the right side of the frame is dark.

To open the shadows on the right up and keep it natural looking, I simply bounced a speed light into the ceiling to add fill around the entire image.  This was a quick adjustment at the end of the session, with a bit more time I would have dialed-in exposure.  But this is a good example of adding light by just bouncing it around the room.

Here is a diagram of the setup.

I had set the speed light to manual mode at 1/2 power to illuminate the room behind Megan.  

Well that’s it for today.  Take a look at the images and diagrams to add this kind of work to your lighting.  Getting creative can be as simple as bouncing light around the room or collapsing your modifier over your light.

Why buy expensive modifiers when you may already own what you need.

Till next time, happy Spring!

Reschedule of the NYC Workshop Today

Tags

Expoimaging Rogue Flashbenders, Lastolite, NYC off camera flash workshops, NYC Photography, NYC Photography Workshops, NYC workshops, off camera flash, Phottix Ares, Westcott

Hi Everyone,

The NYC workshop at the Space 4 Shoots studio has been rescheduled till January 31.

I chose to cancel based on the weather.  I have a few attendees traveling to the workshop from a fair distance and felt that “Better safe than sorry” was the proper thing to consider.

The Workshop will be re-posted on Sunday.

If you are interested, there are still spots left.

I’ll be using all small flashes and great gear from:

Rogue Flashbenders

Lastolite

Westcott

California Sunbounce

Our Model the the day is Julie Dawson:

 

Look for an update tomorrow!

Join in the fun if you can, this will be a great one!

Till next time, happy shooting!

The First Workshop of 2015 in NYC

Tags

NYC, NYC Headshot Photographer, NYC OCF workshops, NYC off camera flash workshops, NYC workshops, OCF, Small Flash Workshops

Hi and welcome back.

My first Off Camera Flash workshop of 2015 in NYC will be held on January 24.

To register, you can use the Paypal link above, contact me directly, or join and register through my Meetup page.  

Location: Space 4 Shoots (Adelante Studio), 25 West 31st St, Second floor

Time: 11-5

Date: January 24, 2015

Cost: $300.00 per person

I’ll cover multiple speed light techniques going from 1-3 lights using various modifiers including:

Rogue Flashbenders and grid

Westcott 43″ Orb and Strip softboxes

California Sunbounce reflector

Convertible umbrellas

Bare flash

This workshop is geared to all levels of photographers, so bring along your camera, lenses, spare cards, and batteries for a great day of shooting different looks from headshot, to commercial on white and color to fashion.

If you have any questions, you can contact me through my blog or call or text:

203-641-2880

Thanks and I hope to see you there!