Tag Archive for: angles

Outside fashion shot for sunglasses with extreme styling and flash Part V : let’s talk about something grungy

/in , /by

The final setup

Today in the blog the final setup from the workshop “on location in Emmeloord”
In this workshop we use locations close to our studio, that at first sight might look uninteresting, but by using light/poses/angles and of course styling are still suitable to create awesome images.

If you didn’t already I highly recommend reading the previous blogposts.
Let’s talk about the flash
Let’s talk about gear
Let’s talk about storytelling 
Let’s talk about backgrounds and angles

For the final setup we are still using the same lighting setup with the same Geekoto GT200 with a large reflector.
This is what we sometimes call our “outside studio” or in other words a part of our studio (away from the public eye) where we just leave everything (within reason), so it looks very “grungy”/”urbex” this part is based around an old trailer with some bushes and is great as a location, especially when shooting from a low angle the fence in the background and the angle it creates can be very nice.

In this setup I’m also using HSS for the last images.
During the workshop I did not use HSS because when working during a workshop it’s better to shoot with a so called “dumb” trigger, this means I can setup the strobe with my Geekoto Commander  and just let the attendees shoot via their own trigger. HSS and ETTL only work correctly with a commander that fits your system. With Canon, Nikon and Sony we have special commanders, but this workshop we also shot with a Leica so the choice was made to let HSS rest till the end.

The main advantage of shooting HSS is that you can break the 1/125th second limitation of normal cameras/strobes.
By the way, Sony just released the first camera with a global shutter that will make it possible to shoot on much faster shutter speeds with strobes not using HSS. This is a HUGE deal for flash photography on location and will change the way you can work forever. I hope to be able to test one of them in the near future.

With HSS you can break this rule which means you can shoot day2night but still have a very shallow depth of field.
Now don’t just set your camera to 1/8000 and F16 ISO100 because you will be disappointed.
HSS is awesome but it takes a HUGE hit on your output. Where with a large reflector shooting F22 on ISO50 is no problem at all with HSS you will end up with a pitch black image not even seeing the strobe.

 

HSS Technique

Also with HSS I’m using the same technique.
I set the camera to manual and use the EVF (or lightmeter) to determine the look I like. But I do take into account that I leave the aperture below F4 and I try to keep the shutterspeed sensible, and only at the speed I need. When you are used to setting up for HSS you will find that it really adds a lot more different looks to your arsenal, and… that’s always a good thing 🙂

So let’s take a look at the final results… can you spot the images I was shooting with HSS?

Model/Styling : Nadine
Sunglasses : Sparks

www.fotografie-workshops.nl for the Dutch workshops
www.frankdoorhof.com/shop for my gear

That magic angle

/in , /by

Often when shooting models, landscapes etc. we are shooting from the so called “eyes perspective”, meaning you hold the camera in front of your face and you shoot. This will indeed render the world/your subject the way that YOU see it… but is this the most interesting way… often not.

During workshops, seminars, demos etc. I always stress the attendees/viewers/visitors to really try out different ways of shooting a scene, not only do you trigger your own creativity but you also give your client, being your model or customer, more choices. And in all honesty, we are photographers not just “snappers” right? (hope that is a right expression by the way).

But experimenting with angles you are actually learning about the behavior of lenses, light but also about the poses of the model. This is incredibly important when you start out with photography and when you start with experimenting with poses etc. you will build a much stronger base for your future, at least that’s my opinion.

The shots in this blogpost were shot during a workshop with Anouk with the exact same light setup, as you can see by changing the angle I did not only change the look of the pose but also radically changed the behavior of the light. It may or might not be your taste, but at least try it 🙂

For much more tips visit www.frankdoorhof.com/videos and download our instructional videos
Or subscribe to www.youtube.com/frankdoorhof for free instructional material
And of course get my book “Mastering the modelshoot” via your favorite bookstore or amazon 

 

Low or high angles ROCK

/in , /by

It’s all in the angles boys and girls…
Well not really, but they are very important.
Most of us start out by shooting images from the eyes perspective, pretty obvious because it’s how we see the world, no matter if you are vertically challenged, or tall like me we all see the world from our own perspective, so when we see images that way the “impact” can be much less than it would be if the photographer would have chosen a different angle, for example really high or really low.

Personally I love to play with these angles.
Don’t be afraid to include the sun in your frame also, in fact I often try to do this on purpose 😀

Here are two examples of a higher angle and a really low angle.
Go out and play with…. your angles…. or something like that 😀
Feel free to post some results.ingrid june 15 2016 0057

Finding the right angles

/in , /by

Making a photo work is part of many many elements, light, storytelling, poses, composition, tinting, “retouch” and so much more.
But one of the key elements is also finding the right angles.

 

There are always books/videos/sites that will tell you HOW to shoot something or how NOT to shoot something, if you would follow ALL the NOTs you would probably not make a picture anymore and if you follow all the HOWs you will probably shoot images that don’t work. I strongly believe that making a good shot is very personal, not only depending on the photographer but most of all the situation, model etc.
Today some attention to finding the right angles.
According to some a wide angle is not really used in model photography (and according to some it’s cool, I’m in that category) so today some images and tips for shooting images a bit differently.

 

In this shot we used a mirror on the floor and I shot it with a 24 from slightly above the model (It helps to be tall, or a ladder also).
Twiga May 2 2015 0141

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