Shooting into the light

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On the topic of doing stuff differently with light I think shooting into the light source must not be forgotten. A few years ago people would do everything to prevent shadows from blocking up, now a days it’s a “cool” thing to do and you see it in fashions magazines a lot, but also creating lens flares was something that a few years ago would mean (for 90% of the shots) that your shot would be labeled as “unsellable” today it’s a hot thing and everybody loves to do it, including me. Actually I started using it a few years ago to add something different to some of my outdoor shots, seeing I was heavily influenced by the photography from the 70s and 80s it was not really a weird thing for me to do actually because you could also see it in movies and photography in that era.

 

However using lens flare and shooting straight into a light source on full power is actually something different (although it’s a sure thing to create the flare :-)). A lot of photographers will be a bit “afraid” to shoot straight into a strobe on full power (or at least a few stops above the main light) but I will show you that it won’t bite you.

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Quick write up from the US

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I hope you guys are enjoying the blogs our guestbloggers are putting up, I think they do a great job to keep you entertained 🙂
But today a small write up from myself.

 

At the moment I write this I just finished teaching at B&H and we will leave tomorrow for Boston for the final two workshops. So let’s give you a small overview of what happened during the last few days.

 

First there was PhotoshopWorld.
PhotoshopWorld is without any doubt one of the highlights of my year, Larry (Becker) hit the nail on the head when he said “there are 3 important things every year, Christmas and two times PhotoshopWorld”. For me (and the other instructors) it’s not only a place/event where we meet up with a lot of students and share what we know, but also a place where we meet each other, and over time the group has become very close. I’m relative new (this was my third PSW) but even I have that feeling of “family and friends”.

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Guestblog Brendan Maunder

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Today a guestblog by Brendan Maunder.
During our stay in the states for Photoshop World the blog is taken over by guestbloggers to entertain you as a visitor while we’re gone and have less time to update the blog. I’ve chosen the guestbloggers personally to give you different views from different people in different areas of photography and I think combined they will be a an interesting read during our time away from the Netherlands.

 

Brendan Maunder
First and foremost I would like to thank Frank for giving me the opportunity to not only be one of his selected guest bloggers but also allow me to share with you some ideas that will help you not only with your skills behind the camera but also your skills in front of the camera while having a heap of fun along the way. My name is Brendan Maunder and I am a freelance photographer located in Canberra Australia, with a particular interest in portraits and event photography and in particular the use of both speedlites and studio strobes to shape light so as to enhance the subject matter contained within photos.

 

Before we get started I just want to set the scene so we both know what to expect.

 

Here is what I will not do:
Bore the pants off you with some mumbo jumbo about photography and how you need to be in the moment or be at one with your camera.
Rabbit on about inverse laws.
Use more words that I need to, to get the message across.

 
Here is what you can expect:
To the point instructions
Creative ideas on lighting
Some wild and twisted humour
Explicit examples of how I create my images.

With that out of the way, lets get into it. J

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Guestblog Stephan Bollinger

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Today a very special guestblog, a video…. 🙂
Watch the video “models are made” by Stephan Bollinger and I think there is some interesting stuff in there for everyone. Visit Stephan at http://www.stephanbollinger.com

 

MODELS ARE MADE
 Thank you very much Frank Doorhof, for the opportunity to be one of your guest bloggers.
 For us, who work in the photography industry, the process of makeup & hair, photography and post processing, is second nature. For many outsiders however, it is still a mistery, and their perception of beauty and fashion images is quite different to ours.

Many young girls compare themselves with the glamorous images of models they see in advertising, in magazines and on billboards. During a recent fashion photo shoot, we discussed what impact this has to some girls, and how it can influence their self confidence, self image and self esteem.
We decided to create a short video, showing what steps our models go through to transform from regular girls to amazing fashion models, and to help those not familiar with our industry to understand, what we do to create the perfect illusion.
A big “Thank You” to our gorgeous models Caitlin Holland, Courtney Thorpe, Gabrielle Harland and Jess Somerfield, who have agreed to record the “before & after”, which was extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. Also a big shout-out to my amazing make-up artist Tracie Weaver, and Begitta Stolk for her styling and fabulous designs.