Antiporda Photography - Studio In The RAW

Red Rock Jane

2012-01-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

It's been nine months since the last time I photographed Nikki, and more than a year since we've done a "model" shoot. Nikki gave birth to her son about three days after our Maternity shoot back in May, and I've been waiting for her to get back to modeling. We finally agreed to shoot and both wanted something "On Location."

My buddy Brian and I have been talking about shooting at Red Rock Canyon State Park for over a year and decided that this would be a good place to shoot if we could find some models. Red Rock would be the first "Boys Club" outing for 2012, so Robert, Brian, David (local Bako photog) and I, secured models for January 8.

We decided to leave Bakersfield at 6:30AM so we would arrive by 8:00. I would have preferred to leave at 5:00, but I knew there was no way we could convince the models to be up and ready that early. BY the time we all assembled and grab a quick bite, we were on the road at 7:00, we made pretty good time and reached our destination by 8:30 AM. The sun was already pretty high up and the shadows weren't nearly as long as I had hoped.

Nikki and I broke off from the group and found a cove and some North facing ledges. How to light? Well I figured I would try bare flash, so I mounted my SB-900 on my combo boom and set it to 1/4 power. Knowing that it would be too bright to get a shallow DOF, I put a ND4 filter on my 24mm- 70mm lens, that allowed me to shoot at 1/320 and f/4.0. I know you might be thinking that 1/320 is too fast for flash and that I might get some of the "curtain" displaying in my image, but since it was really bright and I composed for the curtain, I was confident I could get the shot.

I had Nikki stand up on a picnic table and raised the speed light as high as I could. It only took about 2 test shots to get the exposure I wanted. In post, I adjusted the White Balance to Flash and the image took on a Sunset feel.

After a few images in this outfit, we switched to some bikini images in the cove. I brought my speed light to create some background separation and used Available as "key." I really liked the images, but Nikki wasn't feeling comfortable with the way she looked. She is too hard on herself, so those images won't see the web. Sorry, well maybe this one that has been cropped to protect me ;)

The sun was getting brighter and harsher, and we needed to move quickly since I wanted to be on the road by noon. Nikki had three more wardrobe changes, including a leopard print dress that I figured would look good among the scattered Joshua Trees. Simple lighting using my Westcott as a shoot-thru, SB-900 and my Pocket Wizard. As an aside, Brian was struggling with his Radio Transmitters so I let him use my spare set of Pocket Wizards. Nikki and I began shooting, but I noticed my Flash was going off without me triggering it. I yelled back to Brian to have him switch the Pocket Wizards to a different channel. Brian was over 800 feet away. Those triggers are awesome!!!

Nikki and I finished shooting by 11:30 as the sun was too harsh and shade was becoming a premium. We packed up and waited for the group to finish their sessions. This Behind-The-Scenes (BTS) image was taken by Brian Redden. Thanks, buddy.

What Did I Learn?

Sometimes things go really well - I had no equipment malfunctions, no interruptions by State Rangers, no equipment mishaps (i.e. blown over light stands)
Do more On Location shoots - There is a feeling of apprehension and excitement when shooting at a new location. It forces to really explore your surroundings and be creative with the environment.

Hard to believe this was my sixth shoot with Nikki and we're already planning for our next. January will definitely be busy with two more scheduled shoots and also two scheduled in February.

Illusive Photography 2011 - Year in Review

2012-01-05T20:46:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that 2011 has ended, which marks my third year back to Photography. At the close of 2010 I had some family issues that pushed me to the point of hanging up my camera and focusing on the more important things in life. Waxing nostalgic, I found some old pictures my Dad took of my brother, Mom and me back in the Philippines. It's interesting how a single picture can bring back a flood of memories that would normally lay dormant in our everyday lives.

As with previous "Year In Review" posts, I'll pick at least one image per month and either explain the lighting or why it means something to me.

January: I received a call from Yesterday Sportswear, a silk-screening company based in Paso Robles. The owner had seen my work on Model Mayhem and wanted me to shoot some samples for his catalog. As luck would have it, a model I shot in 2010 had a friend who was interested in Fitness Modeling. Two birds with One Stone. Simple High-key lighting and Ashley wearing a Purple Hoodie from Yesterday Sportswear. I used the Paul C. Buff 22" Beauty Dish and two strobes with barn doors to blowout the White Seamless Paper. Thanks to Micah for doing Hair and Make-up.

February: A very slow month, nothing was inspiring and I just couldn't get into photography. So I decided to do some Landscape stuff and use my PEN camera more often. In fact I heard a photographer quoted "The best camera is the one you have with you." So I began carrying my PEN camera in my car. This was shot with my PEN Camera as I was driving down Coffee Road, just north of Snow Road. It almost looks like an IR image.

March: I've been toying with all the cliche ideas that seem to make their rounds when photographers hit a rut. Seven Deadly Sins, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Lewis Carroll, etc... I purchased a red cloak for a Red Riding Hood shot, but hadn't selected a model. At first I was thinking of Sarah Lynn, but then decided to go with my favorite tatted pin-up, Jenna. She has that sweet and innocent girl-next-door look, but with tattoos. This images was shot with a Cowboy Studio Silver Beauty Dish for Key and a SABER STRIP for accent, or maybe it was the sun. We drove up to Porterville and found a spot along the river to shoot. This is definitely one of my top five favorite images of 2011.

April: After our Little Red shoot, Jenna asked if I would be willing to do a Elizabeth Taylor Tribute shoot. No hesitation, I agreed. This would require Hollywood style lighting which with today's gear, requires snoots, grids, and minimal diffusion. Hollywood lighting requires the model to be really still while you sculpt with the light. Movements in any direction creates hard shadows in areas that are less than desirable.

May: One of my favorite models, Sarah Lynn called and said she was in town for the weekend and asked if we could shoot. I really love her tattoos and her new "do." This was all Available Light, spot metered, and using my 85mm f/1.4G lens. Love this in Black and White.

June: After still suffering from a creative block, I signed up for Zack Arias' One-Light Workshop in Los Angeles. Although I really didn't learn anything new, I did meet another photographer, Tim Chong, who drove in from Bakersfield, too. If you have some time, please check out his work. It's well composed and exquisitely lit.

June also reunited me with Aussie model, Darnah. Gosh, I really enjoy working with her, even if she is losing her accent. We decided to shoot around the Santa Monica Area , 3rd Street Promenade, and then walked down to the Santa Monica Pier. Simple One-Light shot, SB-900 in a 43" Brolly and one lens (85mm) All triggered with Nikon CLS, but in Manual Mode. Darnah's eyes are just hypnotic.

July: I have to post a picture that I didn't take, but it was one of the most memorable vacations in a long time. We headed to Hawaii in mid-July for some relaxation and fun in the sun. This image was taken at the Luau and is a treat to have me, Drew and my girlfriend enjoying ourselves.

Once we returned from Hawaii, I had a C.O.M.P. shoot to attend in Clovis for a Make-up Artist. The female models were being snapped up by the photographers, so I asked the male models if they would be interested in shooting with me. This image is of Hair Stylist Joe. SB-900 in a Beauty Dish, two SB-600s pointed directly at the camera, bare flash and one SB-600 on the ground pointing at the rims.

August: More One-Light practice shoots. Brian, Rob and I happened to pick a summer night with clouds and several models joined us for a quick shoot. Lighting was done with a SB-900, 43" Brolly, and triggered via Pocket Wizards. The model is fellow photographer Keisha who was interested in learning about using one light. This shot was actually an outtake, but Keisha's laughter makes me smile every time I view this image.

September: Brian had an idea for a Photo Contest, or as he referred to it as a Photo Throwdown. This was the winning image. Purely "Available Light" and then converted to Black and White and Grain added. It's always a pleasure to work with Model Natalie because she has an eye for detail and style. This was a collaborative effort and without Natalie, I wouldn't have pulled it off.

October: This month deserves two images because I met a local model who really makes photography easy. She knows how to pose, knows which angles work best, has a great sense of humor and also a hint of perfectionism. Lara and I shot twice in a two week period and we created some memorable images. This image was available light and a reflector where I used Aperture-Priority Mode.

This image was from our second shoot which was all studio work. I used my 43" Brolly as the key and a strip box for accent.

November: November was a busy month at work, but I managed to squeeze in three sessions, however; this was my favorite session all year. Can you guess why? Key was an Alien Bee 1600 bounced into an 86" PLM.

December: Also a busy work month with a lot of commitments and charity work. I did get to cross off one item on my Bucket List and that was to own a Vespa Scooter. I also got to do one more shoot with Jenna. I couldn't think of a more perfect model to showcase my Vintage scooter than Jenna. She is so good with styling and she has started to do her own Hair and Make-up. This pose was all Jenna's idea and my have from the shoot.

As I was wrapping up the year and looking forward to 2012, I received a message from Taylor. She wanted to shoot and so on New Year's Eve, Brian, Taylor and I knocked out some decent pictures. I've been dying to emulate some Herb Ritts lighting and Taylor has the perfect face for it. As an aside, Taylor submitted the pictures Brian and I took to a Couture Magazine. She posted that she will be in their next issue. Way to go Taylor!!!!

As with every Year in Review, I look to see if I have grown and then set new goals for the upcoming year. The one main goal I have for 2012 is to really set-up a shoot and not be so spontaneous. This means preparation, securing Hair Stylists, Models, Make-up Artists, location, wardrobe and even some design work.

Thanks for the constant support and I hope your 2012 brings you all that you need.

...The Good Life

2012-01-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to cut back on my photography until I could feel inspired and get passed this feeling of mediocrity. I go through this phase annually where everything I shoot looks repetitious and formulaic. I even dropped out of a couple photography groups because they didn't provide any sparks of creativity, just a bunch of other photographers asking if they could "tag" along on a shoot with me.

My Dad always told me that in order to excel in sports, you need to challenge yourself by playing against people who were better than you. The same applies with photography, I need to work with photographers who's work I admire. Unfortunately most of the photographers I idolize are dead, Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton and Richard Avedon.

After scheduling my shoot with Jenna, I told all other models I was done shooting until further notice. Then I received a message from Taylor. She is a "noob" and started modeling the first week of December 2011. My friend, Tim, shot with her and after reviewing his images, I really liked her facial structure and her mesmerizing eyes. I agreed to shoot with Taylor and to make her my last shoot of 2011.

Taylor and I tossed some ideas around and decided on a few looks, but in the back of my mind I really wanted to emulate Herb Ritts. I invited my friend Brian along and asked for his input regarding Ritts' lighting style. My initial thought was to bounce a strobe against my 86" Silver PLM and use a reflector for fill. Brian stated that to get the hard shadows, the light had to be "hard" and far away.

No Softboxes? No Diffusion? No!!! Just a single strobe at the farthest corner of my garage, with a 8.5" Reflector to concentrate the light, and my California Sunbounce about a foot away from the model to provide the fill.

However, I'm getting ahead of myself. Taylor arrived at 9:30 AM and we headed downtown to do some Natural and Mixed Lighting. Taylor mentioned that if the modeling didn't take off, then it was off to the Military.

Our first destination was the Padre Hotel and all Natural Light except with the occasional use of a diffuser. We shot in the lobby, on the stairs and on the second floor patio. During this portion, Taylor loosened up and we started clicking.

After an hour we headed to one of the numerous alleys downtown, but after a much needed break at the local Coffee Shop for a quick bite and to download the images to my iPad.

Taylor changed to her blue outfit and I brought out my AB1600 with a Beauty Dish. It was already Noon and one of the harshest times to shoot. My college photography instructor always told me to avoid the noon day sun, but being the rebel decided I would shoot anyway. I placed Taylor with her back to the sun and used the Alien Bee as a key light. I checked my light meter and the Flash/Ambient ratio was 40% because I wanted a stronger rim light. We then moved to the alley and after an hour, packed up and headed back to my garage.

This was my favorite part of the shoot because I used one light and a reflector; really simple and clean. We'd shoot a few images, let Taylor "chimp" and then shoot some more. Once we got the shots I wanted, we changed to a clamshell set-up and moved Taylor away from the background so it would go grey. Again, no diffusion, just "hard" light. We wrapped after another hour and sent Taylor on her way back home.

Note: a model must have a great facial structure to pull of hard light, if there are any shortcomings with their skin or face they will definitely show up.

What Did I Learn:

Finding a Good Fashion Model is Challenging - From the multitude of models I've photographed, only one comes to mind that could make it as Fashion Model; Taylor. She has the height and look of a fashion model. This is not to discount my beloved Darnah, she is drop-dead gorgeous, but she doesn't meet the height requirement.
Hard Lighting has it's Place - Again, it takes the right model to be able to pull it off, high cheekbones, proportionate eyes-to-nose ratios, etc... The lighting is pretty easy to emulate, just make it specular and keep it as far away from the model as possible.

So now I can finally put the camera away until I feel inspired and know that 2011 was a good year for my photography. Thanks Taylor for helping end the year on a high note, and Brian for being a good friend.

Below are some more images from our shoot that I like, so enjoy!!!

Jenna and Sophia

2012-01-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

December was definitely a busy shooting month, filled with charity and goodwill projects. It started with Holiday Events and ended with Christmas Eve at the Bakersfield Rescue Mission. Here's a quick breakdown of my shoots. Remember that I have a full-time job and photography is supposed to be a hobby. However, as I joke with my girlfriend, sometimes I need to use my photography for good instead of evil; occasionally.

December 7: Company Party in Bakersfield
December 10: Help-Portrait
December 15: Company Party in Pismo Beach
December 16: Winter Wonderland Gala Fundraiser for the LGBTQ
December: 18: Fellow photographer and her brother
December 24: Bakersfield Rescue Mission on Christmas Eve
December 27: Jenna S.
December 31: Taylor B

I received a message from my favorite pin-up model, Jenna, asking when we were going to shoot. She was on Winter break from Nursing School and wanted to to see if we could come up with something different. We'd been tossing ideas around since November, but nothing really gelled until I realized that we could do a vintage shoot with Sophia (Yes, I named my Vespa, Sophia).

After several back-and-forth TXTs and image links, we picked out her wardrobe. Now where to shoot, since I only have a Motorcycle Permit and very minimal riding gear, we decided to do a studio shoot.

I used two lights for this shoot, my 64" PLM as a shoot-thru and a strip box. I also used the remainder of my White seamless backdrop, which was a mistake. I knew that I would have to reposition Sophia several times during the shoot and rolling her around the paper would leave marks and even tear the paper.

We shot for about 4 hours, which is about right for four wardrobe changes. My buddy Brian asked if I would shoot any lingerie images as a joke, I responded that it wasn't my intentions. During our shoot, Jenna said that she brought some red lingerie and wanted a couple images of her wearing it, twist my arm.

What Did I Learn:

More Ceiling Space - Yes, I have said it before that a 7' ceiling really limits my ability to get the light up and out of the way. As you can see in the images, the diagonal light/shadow was created by the strip box boomed up against the ceiling
Get White Wallboard - Zack Arias showed how you can create really cool high-key images by placing white wallboard on the ground which provides a real nice reflective surface. Most likely I would still have tire marks, but at least the ground wouldn't have ripples, or tears.

This last image was Jenna's idea, which I absolutely love. Although I'm not pleased with my execution, at least the idea comes across. Also, I try to stay away from "filters",but decided I wanted a vintage feel for the images. I applied a Portra 400NC filter and a Cross Processing filter.

It's hard to believe that 2011 has come to a close and I have had the good fortune to work with Jenna three times.

1) Little Red Riding Hood

2) Liz Taylor Tribute

3) Sophia

Although Jenna and I haven't scheduled our next shoot, I'm sure we'll do something cool, or "retro" for 2012. I <3 Jenna!!!

The Power of a Picture

2011-12-11T22:51:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, I participated in the Annual Help Portrait event with Kern Photography Association, again. Essentially Help Portrait is about:

Finding Someone in Need
Taking their Picture
Printing It
Delivering It

But it's really more than just those four simple steps. It's about spending time with that person and getting to know them and their story. Even during the event, we get so wrapped up in making sure everything goes smoothly that we forget the real meaning behind Help Portrait.

While adjusting my tripod height, I looked at the young man standing behind the gaffer's tape I placed on the ground in front of my backdrop. He looked tense and his eyes were cast downward. I asked if he was okay, and he looked up and said that he was thankful that we were donating our time to take pictures of him and his compadres at the facility.

I stepped out from behind my camera and asked if he wouldn't mind sharing what he planned to do with his picture. He said he had runaway from home, which was back in Virginia, and through bad choices ended up incarcerated for four years in California. Although he stayed in contact with his parents, they haven't seen him in over 6 years. He told me that he would be sending the picture to his parents to let them know he is doing "okay", and that he is in the process of making amends for his past decisions. We talked about his goals and what he planned to do once he graduated from the facility, and then we got ready for the picture.

I stepped back behind my camera and said, "Let's show Mom and Dad how great you are doing" He smiled from ear-to-ear and his eyes glistened. As soon as the picture was taken, we watched it appear on my iPad, he smiled even bigger and said that his parent would like that picture.

That is what Help Portrait is all about!!!

What Did I Learn?

Help Portrait is only 50% about taking a quality photo - it's also about connecting with another person. It's too easy to forget how fortunate and blessed I am to have a family, friends, health and a job
Do this more than once a year - One of the things I did during this event was to perfect a way to shoot and process a picture on-site. I need to purchase a portable printer so I can take this "on the road" and shoot anywhere and anytime

I'm proud to be a member of Kern Photography Association and their charitable endeavors. Wishing you and your loved ones a Safe and Joyous Holiday Season

Heidi and Nikki

2011-12-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

The last two White Sheets shoots didn't quite end up as expected, on one I forgot to dry the sheets, and the other I changed the entire lighting set-up. I still attained decent results, but something didn't click. I decided to go back to my standard lighting and made sure the sheets were dry.

I found Heidi on Kern Models and Photographers (KMaP) Facebook group as a Make-up Artists, but noticed she had some cool tattoos, so I asked if she would be interested in being in my White Sheets, and she agreed. As with most White Sheets sessions, I asked Heidi to bring along a chaperone. She brought Nikki, who is a model on KMaP. Nikki hasn't shot in awhile, so I told her to bring some clothes she would like photographed.

The White Sheets was my standard lighting set-up, 86", "broken", PLM shot-thru my white muslin and my 22" White Beauty Dish for Key and Einstein with the 8" Reflector bounced off the garage as Fill. Heidi was on my blow-up mattress and I also laid down the bamboo flooring in case I wanted a full body shot.

The Metering for ISO 200 and Shutter 1/125 was:

Key: F/8
Fill: F/4
BG: F/11

And of course, my Grey card for more accurate White Balance.

Heidi was a real trooper, not having done Boudoir stuff before, she kept visualizing that she was at the beach and we kept things light and funny. After a few White Sheets shots, we switched models and wardrobes. Nikki brought along a really cool Gold dress, so while we shot, Heidi warmed up.

This image of Nikki with her eyes closed is really for Heidi, since she did Nikki's make-up. I love the colors Heidi chose and Nikki was definitely relaxed in front of the camera.

The ladies had two to three wardrobe changes and we shot for a total of three hours, which isn't too bad for two models and different lighting set-ups.

For the balance of the shoot, I switched the B/G light to a Rim light using my Strip box, but kept the key and fill.

I left the white muslin up instead of switching to my grey seamless, I need to drive to L.A. and pick up another Grey Seamless; my current one is depleted. $44 for a year's use isn't too bad.

So What Did I Learn?

I need more space - Actually just a taller space. I really like the image I got of Lara, but my garage door opener and it's track kept getting in the way
Get casters for my Studio stands - The Boom stands are fairly heavy and moving them around is laborious, especially for minute adjustments
Use my PEN, iPad and Eye-Fi when shooting as a mock Polaroid - I used this set-up during my shoot with Heidi and Nikki and it gave them an idea of how they looked and the lighting. In fact the first image above was taken with the PEN

To date, I've photographed 14 models for my White Sheets, including some with tattoos. I still would like to add more, but I'm tired of the same look and feel.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

PLM = Pretty Lame Moment

2011-11-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

I have been doing the "Dad Thing" lately, and teaching Drew to drive his semi-new car. He wasn't quite ready a year and a half ago to start driving, but recently he's been showing motivation to drive. So for today, I told him we would make the 35 mile round-trip drive to Hart Park with the condition that we stop and shoot him and his car.

I figured we would need a break for two reasons: 1) to go over the drive and talk about any events that happened along the way, and 2) to let me practice some Noon day sun shooting.

We made the trip safely with no close calls or with me pretending to press on an imaginary brake pedal. We parked in a dirt spot and I proceeded to unload my gear. I brought along my AB1600, 86" PLM, Combi-Boom and my Vagabond 2, which weighs about 19lbs. I setup the PLM, attached the battery to the light stand and headed back to the car since there was no apparent wind. As I was looking in the trunk, Drew said "Dad, your light fell." I looked over to the spot and saw the light stand on the ground resting on the PLM. The shaft was bent at about 45 degrees. It was still usable, but couldn't be freely rotated. I realized I had placed the battery on the same side as the PLM. I usually make sure I place it opposite to counterbalance the stand, which means placing the battery on the windward side of the lightstand. At least the PLM cushioned the fall of the AB1600 and spared me an additional expense.

After propping up the light stand and adjusting the PLM, I proceeded to shoot. My metered settings were f/11, 1/125, ISO 200 with the AB1600 set to 1/16th power. I decide to use my 24mm - 70mm so I go wide, I used my Pocket Wizards trigger the set-up. I was also playing with my Sekonic Light Meter to get a mix of 70% Flash/Ambient . We shot for about 20 minutes and then wrapped as the sun never came out and the wind started getting stronger. We packed up the Scion and made the drive back home. Again, Drew did very well and we arrived safely home.

I checked the Paul C. Buff web-site and found out that replacing my PLM will cost $92 with S&H, but most likely I call Customer Support and see how much it'll be to repair it. I guess I'll have to use my 64" PLM for tomorrow's White Sheet shoot.

What Did I Learn:

Even if there isn't any wind, always set-up your modifier opposite the battery - I knew that and had done it on four other shoots, but most likely I was still thinking about teaching Drew.

Hoping everyone had a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading. BTW, yes the car color looks different in each image, which is due to me playing with different warming and cooling filters. The middle image matches the car's actual color.

Back Alley

2011-11-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

After my marginal model shoot in Vegas, I really needed to get out and shoot "On Location" again. Fortunately a tatt'ed make-up artist (MUA) responded to my inquiry about being part of my "Tatt'ed Sheets" session, but to make her comfortable I suggested that we do a "test" shoot just to see if she felt comfortable working with me. We discussed the wardrobe and met downtown. After looking around for wet pavement(it rained earlier in the day), I chose the alley behind Stars Theater. The alley is narrow enough with sufficient light and a gritty feel.

I brought my three speed lights, brolly, SABER STRIP and my traveling suitcase. First I wanted to re-create car headlights to give the alley an added sense of place, so both SB-600s were set down the way on Nano stands about 2.5' high and even with each other. No modifiers and no Pocket Wizards, just Nikon CLS to trigger the speed lights. The brolly was set-up Camera Left with an SB-900 and a full cut CTO gel. I figured I would set the White Balance to Incandescent so the available light would be "cool" and evoke a cold winter's night.

After a few shots, I then photographed Heidi up against a wall and gel'ed the SB-600s with purple gels and set the power to 1/32. The lower the power, the better the color from the gels show. However, they were still too white, so I added a second set of gels and the color was satisfactory. Again I used the brolly as key.

For the last image I used the available light from three fluorescent lights in the alleyway. I had Heidi walk towards me until the I felt the light was close to create a butterfly pattern. I had to up my ISO to 3200 and shoot at f/1.4. If you look at the shadows, you can see the noise.

So What Did I Learn?

Nikon CLS has it's benefits - I mentioned it before that Manual control provides consistent control of your lights, but since it was dark and the available light wasn't changing, CLS worked perfectly. I use Manual Mode on controlling the lights and not TTL.
Buy some hair bands - I had to rig the second set of gels onto the speed lights by using clips, hair bands are cheap and light.

In the end, Heidi and I worked well together, so hopefully our next shoot will be a breeze.

Grand Illusion

2011-11-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I attended a Healthcare Conference for my "real" job, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. As usual, I posted a "Travel Notice" on Model Mayhem and received several responses from interested models. Since the conference schedule is pretty packed, it doesn't leave much time for photography. However, one model, Chassidy Luke, messaged that she would be available to shoot Sunday early evening.

What to pack? I knew I wanted to try using my Soviet outfit again, so the grey trench coat and fur hat was packed, but what lighting should I bring? I figured I would bring two SABERSTRIPS and my brolly along with my traveling suitcase.

I have never stayed in the MGM Grand and didn't know what to expect, but Chassidy did and warned me. I figured I was able to photograph Darnah in a relatively small room, so why not. I was way wrong. The decor was antiquated and the room was small. Perfect for speed lights. However, the ambient light was crappy, mostly fluorescent lights at 32000K. Time to bring out the green gels, but after trying to match the ambient, I decided I would overpower it. So the SABER STRIPS were used as Rim lights and the Brolly as Key.

We shot for about 45 minutes and wrapped. At that point I contacted the other models and cancelled the remainder of the planned shoots due to the lousy room.

One of the After-Hour Highlights of the conference is the Client Event where they hire a couple surprise bands. Everyone was guessing it would be The Eagles since they are playing Vegas, and another guess was Pat Benatar. Both were wrong, it was Styx and Sammy Hagar.

I have never shot Concerts so I called my buddy Rob and asked what settings he uses and which lens would he recommend. He suggested the 24mm - 70mm if I can get close and to keep my shutter at about 1/125. The beauty of a full-frame dSLR is the high ISO capabilities with minimal noise at ISO 1600 and even 3200. Most of the consumer dSLRs get noisy at ISO 800.

Excited to try my hand at concert photography, I rushed to front of the empty stage and waited until the concert started, but noticed Liquid Blue, a cover band, was playing at a nearby stage. So I followed Rob's suggestion and set my camera to Shutter Priority to 1/125 and ISO 1600. After a few shots, Shutter Priority wasn't doing it for me, so I switched to Manual. Here's the beauty of the MD-10 Battery grip, it has thumbwheels on it and a D-Pad, so when shooting in Portrait Mode, I can control my exposure and focus point quickly.

After getting the technique honed in, I moved over to the empty Main stage and waited for the bands. Both Styx and Sammy were excellent and provided many flashbacks of my youth. I shot at least 400 images and learned a lot about Concert Photography. Here are some of my favorite images, but you can find more on my FLICKR stream

So What Did I Learn?

Really know your camera - Specifically how to adjust your aperture, shutter, ISO and focus without moving your camera away from your shooting eye. Lighting is all over the place, thank goodness they play more than one song
Bring a Fast Zoom Lens - I knew I would be up close, basically up against the stage, so it made sense to use my 24mm - 70mm f/2.8
If you plan to become a Concert Photographer, or Low Light shooter get a dSLR that can shoot at 1600 or higher with minimal noise

Again, I have to thank my buddy, Robert for the advice, it really helped. Will I shoot concerts? Only if I can be upfront and it's a band I like, a lot!!!

Happy Shooting

Jesi Gone Wild!!!

2011-11-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Time flies, and it's hard to believe that the last time Jesi and I collaborated was June 2010. My original shoot fell through last weekend, but I received a message from Jesi asking if I wanted to shoot. She was supposed to attend a "Rave" wearing a Native American Indian costume, but her plans fell through, too.

Jesi arrived ready to shoot, in her wardrobe and makeup done. We left Bako at 10 AM and made the drive up to Mt. Pinos, which took about 2 hours. I've wanted to shoot up in the Los Padres National Forest for quite some time and wanted to use the forest for my Red Riding Hood shoot. Jesi's costume was perfect for the locale and she was available.

We arrived at the Nordic Base, which is about 8,300 feet above sea level and headed down a trail to the nearest campsite. Thinking that it would be a simple hike, I brought along my lighting bag and camera backapck (30lbs of gear). Huge mistake!!! I figured all the cardio work I've been doing at the gym would help, it didn't. Actually at first it wasn't a big deal, but then with all the squatting, to get low and standing up, by 3 hours into it, I was getting tired, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Planning on arriving at Noon, I figured we could scout around and look for some decent areas to shoot, and with the tall trees, we would have enough shade to provide for some dramatic lighting. As usual I brought my SABER STRIPS, speedlights, Nano Stands, all my HONL modifiers and gels, and sandbags, and just in case it wasn't windy my Sunbounce.

Along for the shoot was fellow photogs, Brian Redden and Joe Vasquez. We all liked the idea of getting out and shooting somewhere else besides the flatlands of the Central Valley. Brian brought his new PEN Camera and his TLR, Joe brought his Canon and some lighting gear, too.

We decide to set-up near the campground since there was enough fauna befitting of a wooded area and the first thing I noticed was the clarity of the air and the blueness of the sky. Albeit, the contrasty nature of shooting at mid-afternoon is difficult when trying to maintain shadows and highlights, so I opted for my SB-900 and bare flash at full power to lift up some of the shadows. After a few images, we moved into the shade, where I bogart'ed Joe's Umbrella. I brought my Westcott umbrella, but since he had his set-up, I just put my flash next to his. I also decided to use Nikon CLS instead of my Pocket Wizards because 1) I paid for that feature, and 2) because I'm lazy and didn't want to exert any extra effort, getting up and down adjusting the flash's power settings.

We shot for about three hours, and after taking a break to give Jesi a chance to eat and warm-up, we called it a wrap. Mainly because I was getting tired, Jesi was getting cold, and Joe mentioned he was getting light-headed a couple times. Overall, we agreed that we got the images we wanted and the shoot was a success. Then came the difficult part, hiking back to the car. It really wasn't that bad, but it reinforced my "travel light" mantra.

I shot with a bare speedlight, umbrella-modified speedlight, handheld reflector and available light. See if you can identify the light and/or modifier used in each image.

So What Did I Learn?

Travel Light - I blogged about it after my Santa Monica Beach shoot with Darnah. With this shoot I could've used my 85mm Prime, one speedlight, a Nano Stand, Ankle Weight, and Umbrella to achieve what I wanted with a total weight of 10 lbs. My excuse? I haven't shot up there and didn't know what to expect. I probably should have left all my gear in my vehicle except that I drove the Jeep and having a soft-top, it doesn't make sense to lock it up, or keep valuable items in it.

As a side note, I seem to be plagued with cancellations when posting on Facebook the name of a model, or when I'm shooting, so from now on it'll be a surprise.

Interestingness

2011-10-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

There are times when you first work with a model that something clicks, whether it's a shared vision, or a concept, and then the finished image meets that expectation. I have come to recognize that "click" when after shooting I'm left feeling discouraged; I know that sounds counter intuitive, but I get a feeling that I should've done something differently, that I didn't bring my "A" game and start doubting my abilities. When this happens, I usually put the camera away and not look at any images until the next morning.

That "click" happened with Anahy, Tonya, Torey, and Darnah. Okay, maybe not with Darnah, but definitely with the other models. Well, that same feeling happened when I photographed Lara last weekend. I felt that the images never really materialized into what I envisioned.

We decided to do some White Sheets images followed by One Light on Black and then some Twiggy type photos. That meant white, black and grey backgrounds. I also told Lara that she could bring back her humongous suitcase, basically her closet-on-wheels.

Once we selected the wardrobe, we began shooting at 4:00 PM and worked on the White Sheets for about two hours. I used the 86" PLM behind my White Muslin and then used a strip box for the key light. Usually I have the model on a bed, but this time I tried something different, I placed the bedding on the garage floor so I could shoot downward from a ladder. I think that slight change in lighting configuration made our shoot take a little longer than usual.

We then moved on to a black background and a single light (43" Brolly) with a reflector. Lara picked out some fun clothes to wear and we shot for about another hour and a half. I know I overuse the term "fun" when speaking about working with models, but Lara is both energetic and relaxed when shooting. At that point it was getting late and we originally wanted to do a "Twiggy" theme shoot.

So as Lara changed her make-up and hair, I removed the black backdrop and put up the grey seamless paper. An acquaintance, referred to as Old Pro, told me how they used to shoot those 60's style images. Basically a key light, my Beauty Dish and a huge softbox for fill, my 86" PLM, and that was basically it.

I went in to check on Lara and review some of the clothes for our 60's style shoot. After a quick break, we shot for another hour and a half. Holy crud, it was almost 10:00 PM. Lara was great and worked right up until I called a wrap. She neither complained, nor asked me to hurry up. As Lara left to put "ALL" her clothes away, I decided to review some of the images and got discouraged. While walking Lara to her car, I began apologizing for not keeping my end up of the shoot, that I felt the images I captured were mediocre at best. She said, "No worries, we'll shoot again in two weeks."

In the morning I downloaded the 400+ images and began reviewing them. I was surprised to find some images that were a bit better than mediocre, so I did a quick edit on one, converted it to Black and White and posted it on FLICKR. That same night, my iPad kept beeping every time I got an e-mail. I woke-up and checked to see that several people had commented on, or favored this image. Then on e-mail said "Stunning! Congrats on Explore." Seriously, EXPLORE!!! I just posted the pic to get some comments and critiques.

In previous posts, I've mentioned that FLICKR uses an algorithm to determine Interestingness, which is based on views, favorites and comments from all over FLICKR land. FLICKR estimates that 5,000 images are uploaded every hour, and they select 500 everyday to showcase in their EXPLORE category. We hit position #149 out of the top 500, not bad because usually I add my image to Photo groups on FLICKR, but this one I only posted. I messaged Lara, and she responded "Mediocre turned out Most Interesting!! ...FAR OUT...!!"

So What Did I Learn?

That's an easy one - Keep your thoughts as thoughts. Even if you don't feel good about your images after the shoot, keep it to yourself. Lara did a GREAT job and for me to admit anything less than being pleased with our session before really viewing the images was totally inconsiderate.

I've got a shoot coming up in a week, keeping my fingers crossed that I can execute, but more importantly I'm going to make sure that I keep a positive attitude throughout the entire process.

*** UPDATE ***
Apparently the image with Lara jumping (above) also hit EXPLORE on the same day. That's a first for me, two images on EXPLORE in one day. With that good news, here's one more image from our shoot.

This was part of our White Sheets, but decided I add both the actual image and an Outtake to show Lara's personality.

- Posted using BlogPress from my Illusive iPad

Eye Spy

2011-10-23T18:28:00.001-07:00

Last week Brian reminded me about the Eye-Fi SD card that allows you to wirelessly transfer images from your camera to your computer via Wi-Fi. I checked into it about two years ago, but dismissed it since my D700 uses CF cards for storage. Since then I've acquired my Olympus PEN e-PL1 and iPad and didn't look to see if that technology had advanced.

After visiting their site, I discovered that they released the Eye-Fi X2 Mobile which works with Apple IOS and Android operating systems. So during lunch, drove to Best Buy and picked one up.

Installation has to be done on a computer connected to your own Wi-Fi network for the purposes of "pairing" the card with your mobile device. Once the software is installed on your computer, you then download the app for your Mobile device, my iPad, and then pair the device with the SD card.

All went well until it came time for transmitting the images. So I'll jump to the What I Learned.

Make sure you disconnect your mobile device from any wireless networks
Make sure you can save your image in RAW + Small JPG

Once I did that, everything worked flawlessly. I was able to shoot from 20' away with my PEN and the image took 5 seconds to show up on my iPad. After it transfer, you can upload your images to a multitude of sites, including FLICKR, Facebook, etc...

The user interface on the iPad looks pretty much like iPhoto, but what's cool is that once the transfer occurs, the image pops up full size.

Q1) So when would I use this? Good question. I planned to do a model shoot tonight using PEN, speedlights, Pocket Wizards and some modifiers and have the iPad near the model, so we could shoot and she would get instant feedback, without having to "chimp" on a 3" LCD screen.

Q2) Aren't there SD-to-CF adapters out there? Yes, and that is my next purchase so I can use this on my D700.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Lighting Lara

2011-10-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back one of the photographers, that is a member of our Facebook Models and Photographer Group, got upset that one of her clients was added to the group. She posted a RANT accusing members of stalking her clients and coercing them to join our group. My take, don't post photos of your paid shoots.

The posts got pretty ugly until the "Admin" stepped in and re-iterated the goals of the group. Then mysteriously the photog's rant was deleted. So why am I writing about this incident? I found out while photographing the model in question that she asked to join the group. Rewind - while Brian and I were looking at her photos, Brian commented that she looks a lot like Taylor Swift. Uhhh...who is that? I asked. To me she does look like Taylor Swift crossed with Claudia Schiffer. Fast Forward - so I messaged Lara and she agreed to shoot with me after much stalking and coercion.

Turns out that Lara modeled in the past and is working on re-establishing herself. She has great cheekbones and eyes. She has a very free-spirited attitude and an outgoing personality, at least based on my sole experience. We discussed wardrobe/themes and a fellow Photographer, MUA, H/S joined us for the shoot. I enjoy having other photographers join me on my shoots, especially women because they have an eye for detail. Also, I see my backyard everyday and don't notice opportunities for backgrounds.

This shoot included Natural (Natty) light and Mixed light, and also included reflectors and speedlights. We had Lara change several times and it was great having a MUA/HS on-site. During the shoot I shared what I know about lighting with the other photographer. It was a memorable shoot and I think we captured some decent images.

I shot in Aperture-Priority Mode, Manual Mode, used CLS, used Pocket Wizards, used scrims, reflectors and speedlights. We played with all the tools and tricks intentionally so the other photographer could see the difference between light and modifiers, and the mood each creates. We also used a grey card and a light meter, in addition to our in-camera meter.

What Did Learn:

Be specific with wardrobe - Lara brought a suitcase of clothes that basically contained her closet. When she laid them out for us to review, the floor disappeared
Look at routine locations with fresh eyes - I would have never thought about shooting by my Birds of Paradise because they've been there for 5 years.
It's a bonus to have a MUA/HS during the shoot - They are constantly looking at the model's appearance which frees me up to concentrate on posing, lighting and composition
If possible, work with experienced models if you are starting out - Experienced models require very little direction, understand posing angles and can work the "key" light.

As I wrote earlier, Lara is a fun model to photograph because she doesn't take herself too serious and her playful attitude keeps the atmosphere light. Hopefully we'll get to work together again. Here's an outtake from our shoot, and "yes" the finger tattoo is legit.

Ahoy Mayte

2011-10-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

So this post has nothing to do with pirates, but instead with a model named Mayte. I photographed Mayte back at the end of June this year and since she lives near Los Angeles, I called to see if she was available after my Photowalk. We discussed wardrobe and the two locales I wanted, Los Angeles Union Station and the Walt Disney Concert Hall (WDHC).

Earlier in the day I was warned by our Photowalk compadres that we might have some problems shooting at the WDCH based on their previous experience. Apparently they brought reflectors and as soon as they started shooting were told to move along. Well, I brought a nano stand, a mini-softbox and my pocket wizards, but with the latest information on restrictions, I'd have to shoot using Available light. Not a big deal, I brought my Nikkor 85mm f/1.4.

After lunch we headed to Union Station, and upon arrival I asked the security guard if I could shoot inside. He said as long as I don't use a tripod or lightstands I was good to go. Mayte went to change into the first outfit while the five of us photographers looked for places to shoot. Having shot there a year ago, I knew there was a mix of window light and warm fluorescent light, so all I needed to do was place Mayte where the Window light would be the key.

My original idea for Union Station was to have Mayte stand in the center of the Main Hall and hold a pose for about a 1/15 of a second as passengers strolled by. I fired a couple test shots with Brian as a stand-in and achieved what I envisioned. Mayte and I set-up and waited for the people to start walking by us. As the first wave came upon us, they dispersed and moved away. We waited for the next group of people and again same result. Ughhhh....so that idea went down the drain.

We moved around the station and ended up shooting outside. It was about 2:00 PM and the sun was still a little high, so I asked one of the ladies to be my Voice-Activated Lightstand (VAL). I gave her my SB-900 with an Omni Bounce and had her position 45 degrees camera left high and pointed downward. I believe I set my camera to -1 E/V and the flash at 1.7 E/V and used Commander Mode from my camera.

After struggling with the light we packed up and moved on to the WDCH. It's about a three mile drive from Union Station and we had Mayte change into a black dress. Knowing ahead of time that we might get booted out, I brought my camera equipped with a 24mm - 70mm f/2.8 AF-S G lens. We made our way up the flight of stairs and was amazed by all the light that was bouncing around. Who needs reflectors when the building is basically a silver reflector.

We moved around from walkways to corridors and never had to worry about light. We shot for about another hour as the sun began to set and got some really warm images. I really want to go back there again and shoot, but I need to come up with concept. I just needed to test the waters with regards to security.

What Did I Learn?

Hmmm...well not much aside from sometimes shoots don't always go as planned, but I am satisfied with what I did get.

Going Home

2011-10-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

On October 1 -2, 2011, the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk was held. The first Photowalk I participated in was back in July 2009 and I signed up for the Paso Robles Group. Last year I participated in a local Photowalk on the Downtown streets of Bakersfield. So this year I signed up for the walk that was held in Downtown Los Angeles. There were 1,116 Photowalk organized with over 28, 041 walkers participating.

Growing up 20 minutes from Los Angeles, I wanted to photograph a city I visited often and also (here's the real reason) photograph some models at Los Angeles Union Station and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. More in another post.

I coerced Brian and Rob to join me on the walk and even two photographers that I met on FLICKR. We had to leave Bakersfield by 5:00 AM so we could make the drive and save some time to eat at my favorite "Big Bang for Your Buck" eatery, Philippes. Phillippe's is known for their Beef Dip sandwich, but they also serve breakfast. The walk began at 8:00 AM and started down Olvera Street and since we would be doing a lot of walking, I wanted to travel light, so I brought my Olympus PEN e-PL1 with the 20mm f/1.7 lens.

The shopkeepers were busy opening up their stands and the restaurant cooks were prepping food. After we finished walking up and down Olvera Street, we then headed towards Union Station and boarded the Metro Link for a brieft one stop trip to China Town. We walked through the shops and malls of China Town, but were told many times, "No Pictures". So I basically tried shooting from the hip and did a real lousy job, but at least I've got a new challenge: "Learn To Shoot from the Hip."

The walk ended at 10:00 PM, so we hung out on Olvera Street with our two new friends, Lynn and Sharon ( who happen to be sisters that grew up in the San Fernando Valley the same time as I did), until lunch time. We then headed back to Philippe's for Beef-dipped sandwiches with our Model in tow.

Was it a great Photowalk? Not really, but it was definitely a change from Bakersfield and the diversity of people is always energizing to me.

What did I Learn?

Order an extra drink at Philippe's - because the glasses are only 8 ounces and served half full of ice.
Get Blue Cheese with your Beef Dip - Much better than the regular sliced cheese
Carry Cash - Philippe's only takes Cash

Naturally Natalie

2011-10-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

My friend, Brian and I, belong to the same Model/Photographer Facebook group, and two weeks ago he suggested a Photo Contest to help promote collaborating between Models and Photographers. Dubbed the Photo Throwdown, the premise was simple, a team of one photographer and model would shoot for an hour starting at a per-determined time and they were allowed one prop. There were no restrictions on lighting, lenses, or post-processing as long as it wasn't overly done.

There were eight teams competing for the this competition, I decided to ask my friend Natalie to be my teammate since she has such a flair for style, posing and just overall cuteness. Our concept was a "Want to be Starlet"@ and we would shoot at the Bakersfield Fox Theater. We discussed wardrobe and props, but Natalie, being so competitive, said that she really wanted to nail it.

On the day of the shoot the weather was a bit warm, but Natalie looked "HOT!!!" and we set off to shoot. I originally brought a few strobes and a SABER STRIP and brolly, but as we began to shoot the light was too dramatic, even with it properly balanced. I decided to use Available Light and we got our shot within 30 minutes. We then shot for another 30 minutes with another KPA member to see what other images we could give Natalie.

We had until midnight Monday to post our pictures in an album. Members would then LIKE as many images as they wanted and who ever had the most likes won. I beat out the closest competitor by ONE vote.

So I get to keep the trophy until the next Throwdown.

- Posted using BlogPress from my Illusive iPad

Alexandria the Great

2011-09-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

After our Boudoir shoot, Alex and I decided we needed to do another shoot, but this time with Alex clothed. I shot downtown the previous week with Mary against a brushed metal wall, but I just didn't like my lighting. I had the key light and the rim light on the same side of the model, which didn't really add enough depth for my taste. This time I decided to use my Beauty Dish and SABER STRIP on opposing sides of the model. The flashes used were Nikon SB-600s and triggered with Pocket Wizards.

Earlier in the day, I posted on our Facebook group that I would be downtown and a few photographers showed up to see how I light during my shoots. We originally intended on shooting at two locales, the brushed metal facade and the AT&T office with the green walls. I asked Alex to bring two dresses, one red and one black.

There were a total of five photographers that ended up coming out and we all took turns photographing Alex. I showed them how I set my lights and how I use my light meter (Sekonic L-358) to determine the percentage of Flash to Ambient. We played around for an hour and half and then digital artist David Karnowski showed up on his motorcycle. As I was letting the other photographers shoot, Brian said we should use the Motorcycle as a prop. Across the street was an open parking lot, so David graciously moved his motorcycle and we moved our gear. It was only 7:00 PM, but Alex had to leave by 7:30PM.

How could we light the motorcycle and make it look interesting. The parking lot had two white walls adjacent to each other and the sun was setting behind us. The light was pretty flat and the sky was cloudless. I could go "Natural" and maybe overexpose the image for a dreamy and soft mood, but this is a motorcycle and a model in a red dress. Dramatic lighting!!!

I suspended my SABER STRIP over the model and feathered it toward the camera. I took a shot and liked it, but the lower half of the bike was blocked up, I took two speedlights and set them 45 degrees camera right and left, and pointed them towards the wheels of the bike. I also stepped up the shutter speed to minimize the amount of ambient light. I took a couple test shots and wished that I had set-up one more light, but it was 7:20 PM and Alex had to get going. This was probably the best exposed image, still a little blocked up, but overall I was nominally satisfied.

Big thanks to Alex for being a patient and fun model to shoot, the guys for helping with the lights and gear, and David for letting us use his bike.

Boudoir Anonynous

2011-09-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Alan, it's been eleven months since my last Boudoir shoot. Hard to believe my last shoot was with Halston, back in October of 2010. I got bored, my work seemed repetitive and rife with complacency. After joining a Facebook group last month, I decided I would return to my Tattooed White Sheets sessions. I posted a "casting call" and received several comments from interested models. One model, Alexandria, and I have been trying to sync our schedules and shoot, but just couldn't. She posted that she was getting her tattoo filled and so we decided we would shoot the following day.

My usual model request for the Tattooed White Sheets session "look" is smokey eye make-up, red lipstick and hair down, if it's long. It's funny when the models ask what should they wear. "Uh, sweats and nothing else." Why the strange request? because if they wear anything tight prior to shooting, we'll have to wait at least 20 minutes to have the strap lines disappear. Alex brought an array of clothes, but we really didn't need that many, it's a Boudoir shoot, right?

My concept for this shoot was to have her start out dressed and then work our way to the White Sheets part, basically a strip-tease. To pull this off, I would "attempt" to create a bedroom setting and simulate window light. Well that was my vision.

Figured I could at least use three lights, one for the window, one for fill and the other as a kicker, or rim light. Here are the lights and modifiers used:

Window: Alien Bee 1600 bounced in an 86" PLM with Front Diffusion panel, metered at f/5.6
Rim: Einstein 640 with PCB Stripbox, gridded and diffused at f/4.0
Fill: Alien Bee Ring Flash bounced off garage wall behind me at f/2.0

The lighting looked good, but I shot at f/4.0 instead of f/5.6 because I wanted the window light to be bright, however; what I didn't do was check my light meter. I had left it at ISO 100 and was shooting at ISO 200. I caught it later on in the shoot, but these images were all overexposed, no clipping aside from the white scrim. However, I still wasn't liking the results. c It just didn't look like a room. I also placed my black backdrop perpendicular to the white scrim to keep the light from spilling onto the garage walls and refrigerator.

We shot with that set for about 90 minutes and then went to the White Sheets portion. The White Sheet set-up is the same one I've used in previous shoots. Alexandria went to change and while she was getting ready, I opened my dryer to make the bed. I opened the dryer and it was empty, I asked my girlfriend where she put the sheets. Surprised, she said, "I didn't do anything with them." ARGHHH!!! I forgot to move them from the Washer to the Dryer. Yup, they were wet. Change of plans, Burgundy sheets instead. Oh well, they did add a nice texture to the shoot and provided a different mood for the shoot.

What Did I Learn?

Check you Light Meter settings - Fortunately the images weren't too overexposed. I almost always check my camera setting before each shoot, especially White Balance and ISO.
Change the scrim - What I mean is that I had flattened out the white scrim instead of gathering it and creating some vertical lines and denser areas of light.
Extended the Burgundy drapes to form an "L" shape which should give a little more depth to the set.
Use similar lights - By using the AB1600, Einstein 640 and AB 800 Ring Flash the color temperature from each light is different and it gives off a noticeable color cast.

I'm not giving up on my Boudoir shoots, just need to do a few more "test" shoots before enlisting a model. Thank goodness Alexandria was patient.

One last comment, always use a Grey Card to make sure you achieve the proper exposure :)

Girl of Steel

2011-09-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

A local photographer posted on Facebook that Bakersfield offers little variety for shooting. Initially I agreed with the comment, but as I looked back at at some of my images and others posted on FLICKR shot around our town, I realized that what we don't have is a metropolitan feel. "What We Don't Have". Another photographer posted that you just have to look for it.

There are plenty of alleys and buildings Downtown along with the Kern River, Lake Isabella, and open spaces that we do have. I moved here in 1994 and never really felt part of this town, but as I began scouting for locations the past two years, I've found comfort in the quaintness of Bakersfield.

This week, Brian, Rob, Tim and I decided to hold another impromptu shoot, Downtown for two reasons: 1) to scout locations for an upcoming Photo Throw-down, and 2) burn through some film. Luckily a new model posted on our Facebook group that she was available to shoot that same night.

I sent the new Model, Mary, a request for wardrobe based on a brushed metal facade I saw on a Downtown building. I also wanted to try-out a lighting configuration for the Throw-down. The configuration is a brolly on an extended Combi-boom arm and a SABER STRIP mounted vertically. By placing the boom 105 degrees from the focal plane, I was able to use the SABER STRIP as a rim light and use the extended brolly as a key light. This configuration is easy to carry, setup and breakdown.

The main drawback with this setup is that the Key light and Rim Light are on the same side of the subject, which means the opposite side of the subject can get blocked up. The "fix"? Shoot against a reflective surface that has at least two surfaces that will allow you to bounce the light. If the background looks familiar, it's because I photographed Sara against it during our Skater Shoot.

I also brought my RayFlash Ring light for my SB-900 and played around with it, figured I spent the money on it so I might as well use it. I'm not sure if I really like it since it looks very similar to on camera flash with the exception of soft shadows and a cool catchlights, you decide.

After I got the shot I wanted, we moved to the alleys of downtown and played around with "dragging the shutter." I switched from Pocket Wizards to Nikon CLS and re-experienced an issue with CLS. A brolly has a front diffusion panel, which blocks the Line of Site communications between the camera and remote flashes. So why did I switch from the consistent triggering of the Pocket Wizards? Because I was just being lazy.

What did I Learn?

Quit being lazy and use the Pocket Wizards, they are reliable and work consistently
Go to black and white when you have mixed lighting conditions (Kidding). With mixed lighting, you really need to look at what color the ambient light gives off and "gel" for that color. I left my gels at home

Thanks for Reading!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my Illusive iPad

Location:Bakersfield, CA

Mystery at The Nile

2011-09-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Mystery and I finished our two location shoot for building her portfolio at Bakersfield's Nile Theater. Many photographers have shot there with some good results, however; my attempts were mediocre at best. This time I wanted to use the Nile's, often photographed, cobalt blue tile like a studio background. The difficulty in shooting the tile is the highly reflective surface, so controlling light spill is a challenge.

My previous attempts were done using Nikon CLS and Aperture Priority Mode. If I recall, I got pretty frustrated because the in-camera meter readings varied and the images were either too dark, or blown. I know Nikon CLS works for Joe McNally, so why not for me? Oh yeah, he's been shooting for decades and is sponsored by Nikon.

On this go round, I asked Mystery to wear a black dress, black heels, smokey eye shadow, either red or black lipstick, and really tease her hair out. She arrived and looked completely different from our "Field" shoot.

For lighting, I decided to use my Alien Bee Ring Flash on this shoot since I haven't used it as a key light. On a couple test shots, it was blowing out a fair portion of the blue tile, so I decided to treat it as a beauty dish and mounted it on my Combi-boom.

We started at about 6:45 PM, but as it got darker the flash power of the Ring Flash was too much and the ambient light was basically non-existent, so I switched to my 43" brolly and SABER STRIP. We worked on some poses and by the end of the shoot we got my favorite image of the night.

The key light is an SB-600 mounted in a 43" brolly about 45 degrees camera left, at 1/16th power. The rim light is from an SB-600 in my SABER STRIP about 105 degrees camera left, at 1/8th power. The SABER STRIP reduces the flash power by almost a 1/2 stop, and I wanted it to be a little brighter than the key light, so that is why it is a full stop brighter than the key. Make sense?

What did I learn?

Don't give up on the Ring Flash - A lot of pictures in the magazines use some form of Ring Flash, and it has a really nice look. I think I need to try it on less reflective surfaces and come up with poses that focus on the head and shoulders.

Mystery and I have another shoot planned with a different look. I'm also planning to continue my White Sheets Sessions, I just need to find models with lots of tattoos. So if you know of any, please send them my way.

As an aside, today is my youngest son's 17th Birthday. When did he get older, wiser, taller, and more handsome. Love you Drew!!!

The 5 Minute Portrait

2011-09-03T08:56:00.001-07:00

I was asked to photograph a two person portrait at work this past week, however: I never bring my gear with me. I ran home and grabbed my camera bag, that has been pared down to:

D700
85mm lens
SB-900 flash
Cold shoe with mono cord
HONL SpeedStraps, grids, snoot, and gels
Spare AA batteries
Foldable Gray card
L-358 Flash Meter
2 Pocket Wizards
Dust Blower and lens cleaner

I also grabbed my traveling light kit. The kit is composed of:

Manfrotto combi-boom
43" Westcott collapsible white shoot-thru with black cover
43" RPS Studio Brolly
Umbrella swivel
Bungee ball cords to keep all the goodies cinched together

I remember after my beach shoot with Darnah that I needed to travel light, so this setup has enough flexibility for quick portrait shoots and total weight is about 20lbs.

While waiting for the Executives to prep themselves for the shoot, I decided I would time myself to see how long it would take to do a portrait. I had to leave the lights on since the light switch controls more than the room.

Five Minute Time Breakdown:

90 seconds - to setup the light stand, modifier, and mount the speed light.
120 seconds - to shoot the portrait. I started at 1/4 power for the speed light and set the camera to f/5.6, 1/250 at ISO 100. Close, but still there was some ambient light. Closed down 1/3rd stop and moved the model and modifier away from the back wall. One more shot and the flash power was a bit to low. This is where I like Nikon CLS, I didn't need to leave my spot, just changed the flash power from the camera and I achieved the exposure I wanted.
90 seconds - to transfer the image to my desktop, quick levels and curves adjustment, dodge a part of the image, and upload to the Internet.

As an aside, the Executives didn't like their appearance, so the shoot was postponed for the following day. Bad Hair Day?, WTH!!! I called them Divas and asked them to be camera-ready the following day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my Illusive iPad

Forgotten Treasures - Random Post

2011-09-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

Found this image on my cell phone that I took back on October 25, 2009. I think I just got rid of my Motorola Razr and bought the LG Touch. So state of the art, back then, and now new cellphone models are released every 3 months.

Smple Natty light at the Waffle Shop in Bellefonte, PA. Drew was 15, listening to his iPod Touch. This image is actually better than my first digital Point-N-Shoot, which was Kodak DC210 with 1.3 Megapixels.

I also found another image on my phone, it was taken on the day my Dad gave me his Rolleiflex TLR. I love using this camera, in fact there is a roll of 120 Fujichrome in the magazine right now. I need to send it in to have the shutter fixed, it gets stuck at anything slower than 1/30th of a second. The repair shop will also swap out the viewfinder for a much brighter version. This image was taken with available light and the white balance set to fluorescent.

So why the blog? I was just testing out my old cameraphone's ability to send and post to blogger. I won't use it since I can do this from my iPad, I just wanted to get my pictures off of the phone.

Yes Brian, the horizon line is off on the Rollei image. Sheesh, I might as well have processed it using Selective Color, too.

Fields of Gold

2011-08-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a song gets stuck in my head and I end up using it as a theme. I was flipping around the channels and landed on an old Family Guy episode where they made fun of Sting, which brought to mind his song Fields of Gold.

Living in Bakersfield, and in the middle of our 4th Heat Wave of 100+ degree weather, most fields are gold; really brown. I decided I needed to do a sunset shoot and figured that the open spaces we have would make a fitting background.

Part of my decision to shoot at sunset was based on images created by other photographers, specifically Canon shooters. There is something distinctly different about how the Canon Sensor renders colors. So this shoot would allow me to showcase our lovely landscape and also provide me with some images I could tweak in an attempt to give them a "Canon" feel.

So you might think, "Why buy Nikon if you want your images to look like Canon?" My response is, "Because I can?" Seriously I have no definitive answer, aside from just plain curiosity.

Earlier in the week I helped Drew's friend Mystery photograph a friend of hers, and during the shoot she asked if we could work together, but with her in front of the camera. We picked Sunday, which worked out since my buddy, Brian, had a shoot planned for Saturday using the same locale.

I met Brian at the location around 6:45 PM, Saturday, just as the sun was beginning it's descent, and took a couple "test" shots of Michaela. All Manual settings and at times Manual Focus, too. I believe the settings were f/1.8, 1/250, ISO 100, which was close enough to what I wanted; an overexposed image.

Fast forward to Sunday 6:45 PM, Brian came out with me to photograph Mystery in the 104 degree heat. I brought my 86" PLM with the Front Diffusion Panel, an Einstein 640WS Strobe, my Manfrotto Combi-Boom and a Vagabond II Battery. As we were setting up the PLM, which has a Silver Reflective interior, we pointed it toward the setting sun. As I walked across the front of the PLM, I could feel the heat being bounced off of it, WOW!!! I could nuke a passing bird if I aimed it correctly. We then covered it with the Diffusion panel which eliminated the heat and minimized the swaying due to the evening breeze.

I shot with Available light for the first 40 minutes and then switched on the Einstein Strobe for the dusk images. I brought the Einstein strobe because it can go from Full Power down to 1/256th Power and as you have to work fast in keeping the balance between Flash and Ambient, you need to back off your Flash Power.

We finally called it quits after another 20 minutes, packed up the gear and headed home. We were going to head Downtown for a theme change, but decided it was a school night and I was anxious to see if I achieved what I set out to do.

The images came out as I expected, a bit overexposed, but without any loss of detail.

I opened the images in my Photo Editing software, did my usual adjustments with the exception of adding two more steps, actually filters. One filter creates a brownish tone on the shadows and the other creates a yellowish tone on the highlights. That was it, a quick shoot and quick editing.

What did I learn?

Work on Manual Focusing - the second image above is blurry because Auto Focus (A/F) struggles when facing into the sun and also because the subject was moving. It's definitely a skill I used to have back in college, but have become reliant on A/F.

I'm okay with the results, not ecstatic by any means, but I had a fun time shooting with Mystery and trying to evoke a soft and dreamy feeling. By the way, this was Mystery's first photo shoot and she did really well. Hopefully we'll shoot together soon, but first I have a Boudoir shoot coming up at Studio in the RAW.

Thanks for reading my blog...

"So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold"

Too Flashy

2011-08-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

This past June, I blogged about focusing on using One Flash. Well, my fellow KPA members wanted me to do a "demo/tutorial" of what I learned, so we (Brian, Rob and I) held a quick impromptu One Flash shoot after our monthly KPA meeting.

We had a very good turnout, shot until 9:30 PM. but we didn't have enough time to cover all the "ins and outs" of using a one flash set-up. Personally, I was too busy working with the members that I didn't get to shoot, except for the image above.

About two weeks ago, a fellow photographer, Dan Spencer created a Group page on Facebook, called Kern County Models and Photographers, which is place for people to network. It is a really good idea since I hate planning shoots when all I want to do is practice lighting. Well last week, Rob, Brian and I (a.k.a Da BoyZ Klub) wanted to shoot some film and do more One Flash portraits. So I posted a "call" for models and had five showed up. We decided to shoot at a location called "The Bluffs", which overlooks the Kern River and Oil City, or Oildale.

All images were shot with my 85mm lens, SB-900 with 1/4 CTO Gel, 43" Brolly, and triggered with Pocket Wizards or Nikon CLS. I didn't shoot any film, since we got started kinda late and during the early part of the shoot the park sprinklers went off. It was fun, quick and we got some decent results.

Thanks to Dan for creating the Facebook Group, to the patient and wonderful models, Keisha, Lisa and Sam, and of course, my "Brothers from Different Mothers": Brian and Robert!!!

To the Sea!!!

2011-08-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

Teresa's Dad and Coura came for a quick visit this past week to escape the stifling summer heat. The weather back in Bellefonte, PA was ninety-plus degrees, and combined with the humidity it was more like 114. Although Bakersfield isn't much cooler, at least we aren't as humid and the forecast was mid to high nineties. However, the forecast for the coast was high sixties to low seventies.

At age 14, Coura had never been to the ocean, not even as close as she lives to the East Coast. We decided we'd go to Hearst Castle on Saturday and then Venice and Santa Monica on Sunday. Note: if you are spontaneous, like we are, be sure to buy your tickets for Hearst Castle ahead of time. After driving two and a half hours we arrived to find out all tours were sold out.

We walked around the base area of Hearst Castle and then headed up the coast to the Elephant Seal Beach. I decided to use my Olympus 40mm - 150mm Telephoto lens to test the DOF on somewhat sunny days.

At first the seals blend in with the sand, but after a few seconds, you can see them breathe or throw more sand on themselves. Aside from the seals there really wasn't anything else interesting for a teenager to see, and she was cold, too. So we headed back to Bakersfield after being on the coast for an hour.

Sunday, I was able to talk my son, Drew, into going with us to Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier. We had some fun shooting some new FACEBOOK Profile Pics for him. All shot with my Olympus PEN and available light.

Coura enjoyed the beach as we walked along the shore much more than the Boardwalk at Venice. We headed over to 3rd Street Promenade and then down to the pier. It was a typical Sunday at the beach. Hundreds of people as far as the eye could see and although I've lived in Bakersfield for 16 years, I still miss L.A.

Here are some of Drew's Profile pictures. Oh well, at least he let me take pictures of him.

It was an enjoyable 68 degree, "Family" day on the coast. Did I learn anything? No, this was just a day to document our quality time. As the I Love Beer Dude said, "Peace Out!!!"