Randi Scott Photography

Done Talking

2012-01-31T01:56:00.001-05:00

Done Talking, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

I watched a Clint Eastwood movie that included some old style bare knuckle boxing set in the dirty thirties.

I was inspired.

Three light setup. One beauty dish/B1600/gridded camera left. One B400/gridded high camera right from behind. One B400/gridded low camera right turned way down for fill.

Backdoor Man

2012-01-22T00:50:00.001-05:00

Backdoor Man, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

Single Alien Bee 400 shot up from below with grid.

Another MM model flakes so I shot myself instead.

Mayhem #2125874

I took about 12 frames to get the pose and expression the way I wanted it and ran everything through Topaz to finish it off.

Ready to Shoot

2012-01-06T23:28:00.001-05:00

Ready to Shoot, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

A self portrait done in Topaz B&W Effects as a character study.

Character Study in Monochrome

2012-01-05T00:10:00.001-05:00

Character Study in Monochrome, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

I stopped this gentleman last summer when I was doing my 100 strangers project. It's an outdoor portrait done with a gridded beauty dish and reflector.

I've always admired what I have just learned is called Character Study portraiture. That's the problem with being self taught - you miss a lot of valuable stuff.

There are some real masters out there that do phenomenal B&W or sepia work. This is my attempt at reverse engineering what I have seen and admire the most. Hopefully I will improve as I learn more.

I wish I could remember his name so I could give him credit. All I remember is he was a really nice guy.

Battle Hardened Soldier

2011-12-31T01:20:00.001-05:00

Battle Hardened Soldier, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

My buddy Jun is giving us the "Million Mile Stare" in this military style recruitment poster type pose.

I did a more grunge oriented post process to fit the style and the mood.

Kaffiyeh

2011-12-30T01:41:00.001-05:00

Kaffiyeh, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

I was teaching my buddy Jun about high key clamshell lighting when we decided to try something different.

I got out a scarf and coached him on how to tie a kaffiyeh.

It's still clamshell but I dropped the exposure and saturation a bit to get this result.

The clamshell worked well to fill in any shadows that would normally be apparent. You can see the two brollies in the catchlights; one high and one low.

The background was 1 stop over to get a clean white without any light wrap.

200 ISO, 125 sync, f11. Two Alien Bees with small PLMs for the key and four B400s balancing out the background.

I even got to try out his new D7000. I kinda liked the feel of this Nikon :-)

This looks good viewed full size.

Erin MM # 2125874

2011-12-26T20:42:00.001-05:00

Erin MM # 2125874, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

I had the pleasure of shooting Erin, MM # 2125874.

She is beautiful and intelligent and a genuine nice person. It's finding models like her that make shooting people a pleasure.

The Beautiful Erin

2011-12-20T03:11:00.001-05:00

The Beautiful Erin, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

I had the pleasure of shooting Erin, MM # 2125874.

She is beautiful and intelligent and a genuine nice person. It's finding models like her that make shooting people a pleasure.

Thanks for letting me do the shoot Erin.

#94/100 Strangers - Santa & his Reindeer

2011-12-08T11:07:00.001-05:00

#94/100 Strangers - Santa & his Reindeer , a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

Santa & his Reindeer

I've never met Santa before. When I was young I tried to sleep under the Christmas Tree but my parents wouldn't let me. Today was a treat. My shooting buddy and I volunteered to shoot Santa with a group of under privileged children. It was the first time I worked under pressure. We got there with barely enough time to set up a B800 and B1600 with large silver PLMs.

It was chaotic; kids running everywhere on sugar highs banging into the light stands and almost tripping over the cords. A real learning experience. I'm still a long, long way away from getting the courage to try a wedding shoot. THAT's scary stuff for me.

So anyway, Eddy and I get things set up and pop off few test shots - then out walks Santa!

I walk over and introduce myself and we settle into the shoot.

I shot a lot of plain vanilla portraits but I always like to be ready to nail the "In the moment" frames like this one.

So Santa is my 94th stranger for my 100 Strangers project. I asked him and he said he was the real one. I didn't have to courage to tug on his beard so I took his word for it.

The little girl with the Rudolph nose I didn't get the name of. The hosts were taking care of that part of things.

Follow me on my blog:

1st100strangers.blogspot.com

My shooting buddy/PA also has a presence in the 100 Strangers group and his work can be found here;

eddyvanphotos.blogspot.com/

This picture is #94 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

"That Look"

2011-11-14T19:16:00.001-05:00

"That Look", a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

This one wasn't actually a planned shot.

Alicia was just standing there waiting me to get the lights adjusted and the exposure correct. She's not impatient. In fact she's wonderful to work with and very intuitive. She knows just what the shot needs with very little direction.

I didn't realize the potential of this one until I had it up on the big monitor and saw her stance and her stare. The two combined were perfect!

I makes me think of the hubby getting home late and drunk and getting caught :-)

I first met Alicia when I was doing my 100 Strangers project.

Follow me on my blog:

bbcmodels.blogspot.com/

My Dark Side

2011-11-05T22:36:00.001-04:00

My Dark Side, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

A good example of short side lighting done with a single strobe. I added in the tiny catch light to my eye because it just didn't look right without one.

It took a little dodging and burning, black point adjustment and contrast work to get the light to match the mood of the shot.

The key light was a gridded beauty dish carefully adjusted to feather my face avoiding any flare or hot spots. I used a B400 and my cyber trigger to fire the strobe.

I didn't sharpen this image. Instead I ran it through Topaz Clean to enhance the 5 o'clock shadow. I find this works much better than sharpening.

I was trying for a Hollywood like noir portrait with as much emotive intensity as I could get.

I have been listening to Tom Waits all day and a verse from "Going out West" stuck in my head. In fact there is an album cover where he's sitting at a bar with his head tilted down as he gives a sideways glance at the camera. That was my inspiration for this pose.

Here's that verse:

I don't lose my composure in a high speed chase
My friends think I'm ugly, I've got a masculine face

I love his lyrics.

Wanted

2011-11-05T22:35:00.001-04:00

Wanted, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

Police are seeking the public's assistance in identifying this man last seen heading east behind the Expositor building.

Possibly armed and considered extremely dangerous…

~~~~~

Eddy and I were out scouting places for a possible urban themed shoot we might be doing when I got this idea for a grungy "True Crime" type of shot.

I told Eddy where to stand and to turn up the ISO for a grainy, grungy "shoot it while it's there" type of shot.

We were just hunting backgrounds but the light was fading fast and the ambient to on camera flash balance was perfect for this.

I told him the pose I was going to try and to be ready to get the expression while it was fresh.

I'm into doing emotive type of shots that bring out a persons ability to act the part.

Everything came together just right for this one. It's not a great shot technically but it wasn't intended to be. It's the emotion and theme that count here.

Shot with my XSi with a 1.8 50mm.

Bragging Rights

2011-10-11T20:35:00.001-04:00

Bragging Rights, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

The Camera Club I'm a member of has Bragging Rights as part of their curriculum so I took a screen shot of the cover of a magazine one of my photos was on.

This is from way back in the summer and I had forgotten about it.

My credit is in the lower right hand corner.

Here is the original:

www.flickr.com/photos/random_shootings/3769246451/in/set-...

Gunslinger

2011-09-10T21:53:00.001-04:00

Gunslinger, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

I'm still playing around with Topaz B&W Effects.

This one I ran through Aperture, then Topaz Clean and then Topaz B&W Effects.

I first brought out the detail to where I wanted it and then added in some selective colour for the eyes. Then I tried messing with the Transparency slider and brought in just a touch of tinted colour to finish it off.

This new software ROCKS!

I named this custom preset "Spaghetti Western" because it reminds me of old movie closeups like "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

Cascade

2011-09-07T07:43:00.001-04:00

Cascade, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

Katherin

2011-08-16T02:16:00.002-04:00

Katherin, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

This is the girl that launched my 100 Strangers project. I had joined the group but up until shooting Katherin I was just a lurker.

She rode by me on her bicycle. Then I saw her sitting on some rocks down by the river and I began working up my nerve to ask her for a photo. Finally I did and wandered over to make small talk. She was really nice and made things easy.

I took her picture and went home and posted it to the group as Stranger #1.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So a couple of months later I'm set up on the bridge and guess who comes walking by.

Katherin and I recognized each other right away and she was happy to pose once again.

My shooting style has changed and she has gotten even prettier.

#54/100 Strangers - Katie

2011-08-15T18:13:00.001-04:00

#54/100 Strangers - Katie, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

almost missed Katie when she came jogging past but she still stopped for me. Thanks Katie :-)

She didn't want to lose her pace so Les came up with the idea of doing a jump shot. I took two and this came out the best.

This girl is FIT! Look at the height of that jump. Her first jump was just as high.

Katie is currently going through Brock University to be a teacher.

#55/100 Strangers - Best of Friends

2011-08-15T18:04:00.001-04:00

#55/100 Strangers - Best of Friends, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

This is Nevaeh and Karter and they are the best of friends - as you can plainly see.

You might remember Karter since Karter and her mother Susan were my strangers #51.

Well Karter's aunt Tonya and her daughter Nevaeh (which is Heaven spelled backwards) were out walking and spotted us. Shortly after Sue and Karter arrived and I was able to shoot the girls together.

I really feel lucky getting this shot. It radiates friendship and intimacy in a powerful way. I didn't have to pose these girls - they posed like this all on their own.

I have the feeling that since Les and I set up on this bridge so regularly that people are now looking for us to get their photos taken. A lot of people stop and watch us set the lighting up and do the shoot. The bridge is a perfect spot. Brantford is half on the west side of the river and half on the east side. Everybody has to cross the Grand River somehow and there is a regular flow of traffic. Finding strangers to shoot is so easy this way.

#50/100 Strangers - John

2011-08-15T17:59:00.001-04:00

#50/100 Strangers - John, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

I look at this photo I took of John and I think of the movie "Fight Club".

He and a couple of his buddies were walking past on the bridge when I asked them if they would pose. Two of them made the sign of the cross and picked up the pace. John said he was into it.

Turns out he's another natural for posing like Ian a few strangers back was. He has the loose stance of a fighter and the competitive stare of an opponent. He's perfect for the part.

Oh, did I mention the battle scars?

The first few frames he had his eyes closed (blame ETTL II) but after that it was smooth as he fell into character.

He threw up some gang signs and this is what I got. Les was holding a 580EX II high camera left and I did the front fill on camera.

The Moment

2011-08-01T12:47:00.001-04:00

The Moment, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

Who would have thought salt and pepper shakers could be so romantic?

#44/100 Strangers - Ian

2011-08-01T00:48:00.002-04:00

#44/100 Strangers - Ian, a photo by R Scott Photography on Flickr.

Meet Ian.

I met Ian at my favourite shooting spot; a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Grand River here in Brantford. As he approached he seemed apprehensive of Les and I with all the camera gear.

He looked photogenic - even from a distance so I asked him if he would mind posing for us. He said yes right away. He even looked for direction when doing so. It turns out he has done some photography in his past.

I placed him against the side of the bridge with the sunset behind him. I checked the ambient exposure and Les held the key light in just the right place. Ian fell right into this fabulous pose and wore the perfect expression. The guy is a natural.

Ian is between jobs presently. He has hopes of becoming a chef when things start falling into place. He has a nice manner and is quite quiet and reserved, which is nice because he stands well over six feet tall.

I set the two 580EX II's to a 1:4 (A:B) ratio on ETTL and took the shot.

Brantford Mill at Sunset

2011-07-01T10:04:00.001-04:00

Brantford Mill at Sunset, a photo by Brantford Selections on Flickr.

Brantford Mill is a lesser known photo vista just outside of Brantford that is the kind of place where you can sit back and do some fishing while you wait for the light to get "Just right".

This is an ambient light time exposure enhanced with Topaz Clean.

#15/100 Strangers - Nick

2011-06-23T21:50:00.002-04:00

#15/100 Strangers - Nick, a photo by Brantford Selections on Flickr.

This is Nick. He's #15 in 100 Strangers project.

I pulled up beside him at a red light and he looked at me and my Vino 125 and he said "Two wheels is better than nothing". The light turned green and he let her rip. He was kind of surprised when I kept up to him and met him at the next red light on my scooter.

I said "Hey buddy, can I talk to you a minute?". He said sure and I said "I'm a photographer and I'd love to take your picture."

He said that would be cool and I directed him down a side street to a photogenic location.

I handed him my card and told him I used to ride an 1100 1987 Anniversary Sportster before I "downsized" and that broke the rest of the ice. Then I told him about the 100 Strangers project I was doing and he thought that was cool.

So here's Nick's story: He has just recovered from a car accident where he was in a coma and had both his legs broken. He was afraid to drive when he recovered but his brother talked him into getting a bike. He now has this decked out Big Twin with 6k on the odometer. I don't know if that is miles or kilometres since he bought it on eBay and had it shipped here from California. One Hell of a deal too. He paid 16k for it and it's mint!

It was dusk and I was carrying around the XSi with the nifty fifty on it. To get back far enough to get him and the bike in was too much for the little pop up flash and the frames came out black. I decided the only way to shoot this was as a portrait up closer. I set the ISO to 800 and the ambient to two stops under and got this shot.

I told him I might be the official photographer for a Poker Run coming up in August (I haven't decided yet). I just scored two Vagabond Mini's to power my set of Alien Bees and I needed to test them out in noon day light. I figured if I could talk Nick into helping me with the test I could work out any bugs and he could get some nice frames out of the deal. Better than the ones I was grabbing with the XSi anyway.

He gave me some contact info and we might set something up this Sunday.

When I got home and put this photo on the monitor I could see the grain and other problems so I doctored it up in Topaz. I love that Topaz software.

Dramatic Self Portrait

2011-05-29T12:59:00.001-04:00

Dramatic Self Portrait, a photo by Brantford Selections on Flickr.

Another self portrait.

Mayhem #2125874

This one was done with four Alien Bees. All were gridded (two kickers, camera left fill and the fourth camera right high was a gridded beauty dish.

Gush

2011-05-23T17:28:00.001-04:00

Gush, a photo by Brantford Selections on Flickr.

Up close at Albion Falls in Ontario, Canada.

I'm lucky to get this shot. The mist only took a second to haze over the lens.

Wipe and shoot, wipe and shoot and hope for the best.