Before going to bed last night, for some reason, I decided to step out on the back deck and see how nice it was outside. It was definitely mild and I discovered that the stars were out and shining brightly. This prompted me to try something that, up until last night, I had never tried before – photographing the stars!
[Read more…]Creating a Sunny Window in studio
So I had this brain storm the other day, and I figured out a way to create the illusion of a bright sunny window where no window exists at all. The following photo is the fruit of my labor, and the rest of the article explains how I created it.
[Read more…]Creating a Rembrandt like still life
Last night I decided that I wanted to try to create a Rembrandt like still life photo using a few squash and apples… To set the scene, I placed an old eight sided table in the middle of my studio, and then ran the backdrop down the wall and then draped it over the table.
[Read more…]Exposure!!
I learned the mechanics of proper exposure many, many years ago – back before digital was even invented, back when I shot with film with my old Pentax K1000. So when I picked up my first DSLR a few years ago, I was ahead of the game somewhat from most. People are buying DSLR’s today, and really don’t know how to use them beyond Programmed Auto mode. As a matter of fact, until recently, I still relied on one of the semi-auto modes myself when doing my photography.
For action photography, like barrel racing, I knew I needed a fast shutter speed to “freeze” the action. So I would use Shutter Priority mode on the camera (“S” on Nikons, and I believe “Tv” on Canons) and manually set the Shutter Speed to 1/500 of a second, and then let the camera automatically adjust the Aperture.
[Read more…]Lighting!!
A few days ago I ordered, and received, two of each.
- Yongnuo RF-603NII wireless transmitters and receivers;
- Yongnuo YN560-III Speedlites (with built in wireless receivers compatible with the above RF-603’s);
- BAVA Speedlite and Umbrella light stand mounts;
- Westcott 43 inch Umbrellas.
This past Saturday I had a chance to try them out with Alyson at her home! I had previously booked a session on Saturday with Alyson, and I was going to use just my hot shoe mounted Nikon SB-800 Speedlight to do the job, but the arrival of the remote lighting gear presented an opportunity that I couldn’t resist! The timing couldn’t have been more perfect either because it was really dark that day. Heavy overcast and rain – so ambient light was minimal.
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Post Processing Portraits
“A portrait that is post processed properly, won’t look like it’s been post processed at all.”
Ok, I confess, that’s my own quote. But I think it’s a great philosophy to follow regarding post processing photos – portraits in particular.
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