Chris and I managed to pull off another beach shoot without losing anything - almost. A roll of gaffer’s tape going MIA is not as bad as what the angry seas have swallowed up in our past endeavors. So, to appease the ocean Gods, I decided to post a setup shot, perhaps give you shooters a little tidbit to think about.

Whenever I have an assistant or second shooter on hand, I go for the shoot-through umbrella. Its tough to manage in the wind alone but it spreads light a lot more than a small softbox and it can allow you to shoot right on through sunset. But I digress, this post is actually about cool, cheap and fun color gels.

When skies are gray and the daylight color is overall a bit dull, I have been going to the scotch tape and color gels more and more. (As if you really needed more junk to tape to your flash right?)

This is a “CTO” (color temperature orange) gel and its quite handy. It imitates tungsten light and allows me to set my white balance to something close to “tungsten”  and still have nice skin tones. But the background is daylight, not tungsten, so instead of looking like the dull gray reality that it is, it turns a nice blue color, and our subject stays normal. The orange can also be cool for imitating evening sunlight (see previous post). I prefer to buy the 1/2 CTO gels in a big sheet and then simply double them up when I need a full cut for a more orange look. There you go. Now your’e “gellin like magellan”. Darn those infectious foot gel commercials-see how I play right into their marketing?

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We photographers are always trying to soften up the light. Bounce it off a ceiling or a wall, put an umbrella or a big softbox on our lights. Most of us, at one time or another, have resorted to having all manner of white plastic tupperware  type devices hanging off our on-camera flashes making us look all kinds of foolish and prompting “what the heck is that thing on your camera” type conversations. This all in the name of creating soft light that wraps around absolutely everything. But judiciously used, hard light can also be cool. I picked up this little “go to” portrait technique from David Hobby who has made a career out of using small flash in creative ways and subsequently blogging about his assignments.

For both of these photos, I used a Honl snoot, which shapes the light into a small spotlight. The flash is off the camera on a light stand and up a bit high. I just basically follow David’s method of dropping my ambient exposure a bit and popping the subject’s face back up a bit with the hard light. I didn’t do any dodging, burning or vignetting in Photoshop, just some very subtle skin retouching and a little midtone boost in her eyes.

Hard light is not for everyone (it brings out quite a bit of skin detail) But a young female model or male subject can take the “punch”  of some hard light. Using a light colored wall will give you some bounce back toward your subject and soften the effect a bit.

Thanks for looking!

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Living near this free backdrop is pretty cool sometimes. Some folks in San Diego shy away from the typical beach location shoot, but I can honestly say it does not get old for me.  Learn how to wrangle your flash and ambient light mixture and the fun really begins. I am still studying this one all the time.

I only had about 10 minutes before darkness really kicked in the other night and it was getting cold so Chris and I worked as fast as possible to get a few extra shots for the portfolio.

I decided to share our method here for getting sunset portraits. We use off camera flash but it could also be done with an on camera (hot shoe mounted) flash if needed. I just prefer the light to not be on the same axis as the lens if at all possible. Looking at the shadows, you can see our light is coming from camera left. Its a Canon 430ex II and we diffused it with a small shoot-through umbrella.

So this is basically the process-

1. Set the camera to manual exposure and ISO 100 (or some other relatively low ISO).

2. Set your shutter speed to your fastest sync speed. (usually around 1/200 or 1/250 sec.)

2. Dial in a good aperture, concentrating on your flashed subject only.

3. Lower your shutter speed to bring in the ambient light. Concentrate on the sky and slow it down till the background looks good.

That’s it! A few extra things to note. Your shutter usually has to be below 1/250th to sync with your flash. (not a problem at this time of night). Don’t worry about having a slow shutter. The flash fires at around 1/1000th and should freeze your subject pretty well (the shot above was at 1/30th and the camera was hand held).

Also, we taped a 1/2 cut of CTO gel on the flash to make it a bit more orange and match the fading sunlight a bit better. You could do that in Photoshop if you want, but why not nail it in the camera if possible?

The ones below were made with the same flash, held at camera right and behind our model Jessica, creating a little faked “sunlight” on her hair. I have been into lighting from behind these days to create a little separation and hair detail. Again, a 1/2 cut of CTO gel on the flash helps imitate evening sunlight. And Jess is doing a good job of acting like she is not freezing.

Thanks for looking! Did some studio work last week as well and am working with talented artists and models in the coming month. More to follow…

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Image -iStockphoto/Angelika

Some of us just have the body of a Venus (or Adonis). I actually have the body of a malnourished Kenyan sprinter (minus the athleticism). If you’re anything like me, you’ve looked at a picture of yourself in the back of a camera and immediately said “man, I’m getting old!” or “EWWWW!, insert self-deprecating comment here”. That little 3″ LCD screen can really screw up your day!

So I set out to write a short, sweet post  both for photographers and subjects. I’ll include some basic tips that can help you pose, primp and shoot well to maximize your best features and disguise the errr…. other ones.

Looking Skinny

If looking slimmer in photos is your objective, here’s a few tips that can get you there.

1. Turn sideways. Don’t overdo it, or it can look a bit silly. A popular position is to place one foot in front of the other and point it straight at the camera. Place the other behind and pointed about 45 degrees off camera. Your shoulders should naturally fall a little off center and give a slimming effect. Turning too far sideways can make your arms look big, so experiment to find that perfect position.

2. De-emphasize the chin. Bringing your chin down slightly will take the emphasis off of it. If your photographer is shooting from above, all the better. “Down angle” photos are popular for female subjects for this reason.

3. Get low. Being lower than the camera will make your face appear a bit larger but can make your body appear smaller. Photographers can gain a unique perspective and make their subjects look slimmer by toting a small stepladder to the session and trying a few from a high angle.

4. Split it down the middle. A popular strategy with group shots is to conceal part of the larger person behind a smaller person. If your photographer is not doing this, you can take it upon yourself. Be careful not to overdo it and look like your hiding from the shot completely! This can also be done with a curtain, doorway or post.

Photographers can benefit from “split lighting” when trying to slim down their subject. Split lighting simply means that most of the light comes from one side of the subject and the other half of the subject remains in relative darkness. Fill in the dark side slightly with a reflector or bounce card. This can give a nice dramatic look and slim your subject considerably.

5. Dress skinny. Black can be a “slimming” color outdoors. Horizontal stripes tend to emphasize width while verticals tend to emphasize height (length). I usually encourage my subjects to avoid patterns and prints altogether, since solids make for a cleaner looking photo. Most of all, wear something that makes you feel both confident and comfortable.

It puts the Lotion on its Skin or Else it Gets the Hose Again!

So, unless your Hannibal Lecter, you’re kind of stuck with your own skin. But here’s some tips to get the most out of your epidermis:

1. Add some foundation. Closeups and directional light can bring out blemishes a lot more than you’ll notice in your makeup mirror. Typically, its advisable to wear a bit more foundation than you normally would when getting your picture taken. Nearly everyone on television has some sort of makeup on for this reason. If you’re doing a serious shoot, it is generally worth the extra money to hire a pro mobile makeup artist.

2. Go for the shade. Soft light on an overcast day is generally more flattering for skin. If you’re not working with a professional photog, head for a naturally lit, but shady area. Harsh midday sun and straight on-camera flash are some things to avoid.

Photographers can tame skin blemishes by shooting with soft light and filling in shadows with a reflector or second light. For subjects with deep eye sockets, some fairly direct soft fill light is a good idea. To preserve good natural skin tones, calibrate your white balance with a grey card.

Act Natural (for subjects)

1. Try to think of the camera as a mirror, not as a photographer. Sounds silly but it will help you envision the final result.

2. Make yourself laugh. Its hard to fake a smile. Some can do it convincingly, some can’t. To evoke your most natural smile, try forcing a laugh. It forces you to get all of your facial muscles into the process rather than just showing your teeth. Photographers with the best portrait portfolios are often good stand up comics.

3.  If it bends, bend it! Loose joints and limbs generally look better than straight, locked knees elbows and fingers. Try bringing your hands up to your pockets, tilting your head slightly, bending your knees while sitting, etc. All of these will get your joints bent and your photos looking looser.

Think Big

If you’re like me and have to grab onto something in a stiff breeze, here are a few tips for that “larger than life” look.

1. Shoot up. Photographers can choose an up angle to make their subject appear larger than life. Many photos of rock bands are done this way. It emphasizes the chin/jaw line and stomach.

2. Face the music. Turning the body slightly sideways can make a photo look more natural, but if you want to appear larger, rotate your shoulders to be almost exactly square with the lens and pull your shoulders back.

3. Avoid side lighting. If the light is coming only from one side (“split lighting”), turn so you are fully illuminated.

4. Rim light. For body builders and athletic people with good natural curves, lighting from behind will help create an outline or “rim light” that defines good features.

Hire a Pro

Ok, so I am a little biased on this one. Pros know lots of tricks like the ones above to help you look your best. If your photog offers a pre-shoot consultation, take advantage of that so he will know what to expect on the day of the shoot and you can get to know each other and be comfortable when its time to get your picture taken!

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Special thanks go out to Jean and Mark for letting us shoot their wedding on January 30th. Working with a great laid back couple on a relatively brief wedding shoot was a wonderful way to kick off our 2010 wedding year. Chris was a a huge help, on both the engagement session and doing some second shooting and assisting on the wedding day. I feel like I am finally coming into my own a bit more as a wedding photographer. For this shoot, we were able to mix flash and available light more seamlessly as well as come in with a few more ideas. The shot above was done using the almost made-for-photography makeup lights above the mirror.

One thing I always try to capture is the groom reacting to his bride as she enters the ceremony. Most everyone else is focused on the bride. Mark was overjoyed. Maybe “euphoric” is a better word.

As Chris was busy setting up some lights, I rattled off a silhouette or two. The Little Chapel of the Roses in Bonita is a great location and easy to shoot. Lots of pretty stained glass, some window light leaking in here and there and plenty of white surfaces to bounce light off of.

For the two above, we staged some “fake” window light by blasting some radio-triggered flash through a big white curtain. On the second one, I left my aperture alone and just slowed the shutter down to bring the background in more. This is where it really pays to have an assistant, aka “Voice Activated Lightstand” (VAL) with you!

Looking for natural “frames” within the frame can be a great way to give photos some interest. Its a technique I’ll be pursuing more and more in the coming months. Thanks again Jean and Mark! If you’re planning a San Diego area wedding and need a photographer, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks for looking!

-R

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Last week I was in Vegas doing some “grip and grin” type photos for a knife show and I noticed a  photog from a Japanese knife magazine using just a single speedlight off camera and a disc diffuser to shoot knives. I decided to set one up on the table at home and give it a shot. But….I wanted to do an even cheaper setup for the blog here using some common household items, so I set up a trash bag diffuser, a single light (430ex II), and some reflectors made out of tin foil to bounce some light back in on the knife handle. (scroll down to see the setup).

It was done at ISO 200, f9, 1/30 with the flash set at manual and 1/2 power. I normally would choose a faster shutter speed but I wanted to show that if flash is your only light source, you could shoot this hand held and still have sharpness and detail.

I think I found a new cheap way to make photos of ebay items and quicky product shots. I’ll definitely be throwing some foil and a couple white trash bags into my camera bag. Its cheap, easy to improvise with and takes up very little space. The trash bags can always double as a rain cover for my gear.

So there you have it. I mounted my light to the chandelier using a Manfrotto “Justin Clamp” which is a really cool toy. The trash bag serves to turn a small directional light source into a big soft one. You do need a way to get your flash off the camera and trigger it. I prefer Pocket Wizards, but there are lots and lots of cheap radio triggers out there nowadays, including the 8-channel ones sold at the Backdrop Outlet.

Some household diffusers/reflectors you may find interesting:

-white trash bags
-foil
-shower curtain
-white bed sheet
-makeup mirror
-tracing paper
- and of course don’t forget to bounce your flash off of white walls or celings for that nice soft “window light” look.

I promise you’ll like these better than the straight flashed “deer in the headlights” look!

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Lately, I have been doing some studio work in “artificial light” (is there such a thing?). This has inspired me to scrounge natural light a bit more carefully for outdoor portraits. You probably already know that harsh midday sun tends to make “less than desirable” photos.

Shooting in the shade can give you better results right out of the box. But knowing precisely what to look for in a shady area can kick your portraits up another little notch.

What to Look For in Outdoor Portrait Lighting

1. Catchlight in your subjects eyes (white light, preferably reflected, or indirectly hitting your subjects eyes).

2. A good amount of indirect light coming from above.

3. Some “fill light” leaking in from the sides.

Shade to Avoid

1.  Try to avoid all types of shade where you are completely sheltered from a view of the sky, IE under a massive tree, bridge or overpass. Natural-looking light tends to come from above. Look for some diffused light leaking in from above and from the sides.

2. If you do need to use tree shade to escape the harsh sun, get your subject out a bit, just beyond the branches instead of completely under the canopy. This prevents bird “mishaps” as well.

Shade to seek

1. Courtyard shade. This is the kind you find at fancy hotels and restaurants with courtyards. Often, you can get your subject in the shade and you will have some nice light leaking in from above and from the sides. The sky or a white building wall can be your reflected catchlight.

2. Between condo-complex garages (see below).  Bring your portrait clients to a classy location like this one!

Here is the exotic location in which the shot above was taken. This is almost my ideal shaded midday portrait situation. The subject (my kiddo) is in the shade but there is still some light leaking in from above and from all sides.  The garages across the way, which are in full sun, will reflect some light into the scene to fill in the shadows and create a nice catchlight in her eyes. It almost looks like the catchlight a softbox creates in a photo studio. Zoom in tight to crop out the dilapidated garage doors, or pull it back for that  “urban” feeling.

Here is a similar shot I made for some actual paying clients. We were shooting in beautiful La Jolla Cove (north of San Diego). On the way down to the water we paused  in a similar location between two sets of white garage doors. Ironically, the shot by the garage doors was one of my favorites of the day.

Lastly, don’t be shy. Grab your subject and pull them into the “good shade” if you need to!

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This week I spent a few hours with a portrait client at one of my favorite photo haunts, Balboa Park in San Diego. After we got some nice pretty natural light shots in the can, I asked Ally if she’d be game to indulge me in a few lighting setup experiments. “Rembrandt” lighting is not something I usually try to achieve because the light is directional and even a bit harsh, but my model is young and her face can take some hard lighting without a problem. Keep in mind that hard, directional light is not for everyone.

Basically, to achieve Rembrandt lighting, look to create a small triangle of light under your subjects eye on one side of the face (her left eye, in this case). This means your light needs to be off camera,  up high, and at a 45 degree angle to your subject, roughly. Rembrandt’s name is often associated with this type of lighting since it turns up in many of his paintings.

At this point in the shoot you can tell she is getting angry at me due to spending so much time tinkering with lighting. Seriously, I asked her to be a bit moody for these shots to match the dramatic lighting.

For these shots I placed a 430ex II high up on a lightstand and attached a homemade cardboard snoot to make the beam of light even narrower. Because she is seated on the steps, I had to use the entire ten feet of stand to get it up high enough.  I triggered the 430ex with my on-camera 580ex.

The flash looked about right at f3.5 and the background was dark, so I simply dialed down my shutter until the background started to come in, underexposed, but visible. I was able to shoot as slow as 1/20th at f3.5 ISO 100. The flash burst is fast enough to freeze her even if I shake the camera a bit. You could do this easily with manual flash, but I usually use remote ETTL so I can dial up or down with the flash comp button on the camera.

Special thanks to the Strobist, David Hobby, who has such a great wealth of information on his website and has fueled so many of us with his ideas. If you’re not reading strobist yet, GO DO IT.

Thanks for reading!

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Congrats to Jean and Mark! Can’t wait to shoot their wedding in January. Chris helped me out with their recent engagement shoot at Swami’s beach in Encinitas, CA. The weather was surprisingly good for a  November evening and they were a cool and laid back couple to work with.

My favorite was shot at the lawn above, not at the beach. Kind of funny but that’s usually the way it goes for me. Hard to get away from simple and clean.

For this one, Chris was standing just a few feet outside the frame holding a big nylon diffuser panel to diffuse the direct sun.He pulled it back just an inch to get some natural light on Jean’s hair. One of the benefits of working in the buddy system.

We had actually planned on doing lit shots that evening with a small softbox but got some pretty nice silhouettes due to me forgetting a pocket wizard, a happy mistake I guess

Thanks for looking!

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A few weeks back, I was hired to do some editorial/lifestyle type photos for the Marine Corps, under direction of ad agency JWT. The young crew from JWT were a breeze to work with. Chris (aka James in work circles) was a perfect fit to join me on the job with his Marine Corps experience.

One of the primary Marine demos is the MAGTF show. Marines repel from helicopters, drop off vehicles and of course, what Marine demonstration would be complete without some good old fashioned “blowing stuff up”?

I rented a gargantuan Canon 300mm f2.8 lens and monopod to do some of the aircraft photography, but it barely came out of my bag, since our primary assignment was to get photos of Marines interacting with each other, the general public and military equipment. Nonetheless, we were able to get some use out of it for Harrier shots like the one above as well as some other aircraft photos.

Achieving a motion blur on prop planes and helicopters can be a challenge in midday sun. Need to get my hands on a two stop ND filter next time around.

Probably the most enjoyable part of this job was having media access to a long standing San Diego event. I have seen air show from the audience many times but being on the runway and “centerline” was a great experience. The Marine PAO’s were very accommodating.

A special thanks goes out to the PAO’s who helped me locate my car on Saturday night. Apparently I used the South Gate entrance which is at the very very far reaches of the flight line in a remote dirt lot. Lets just say Marines have a more advanced way of driving golf carts then most of us civilians.

Thanks again to all at JWT for an enjoyable job and to the USMC for helping us out with great access and transport. We hope to work with everyone again soon!

Coming up next, some product photography in Phoenix, some holiday portrait sessions, and then a much needed Christmas break.  Thanks for checking in.

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