Chewie loves our new ClickBackdrops studio backgrounds

October 29, 2024/in blog/by Frank Doorhof

The new Clicki 2×2 Square

We are always releasing new backgrounds in the ClickBackdrops line-up.
A very popular system is the Clicki. With the Clicki you can easily shoot great photos on location.
For portraits, the Clicki works like a charm. But sometimes you need a little bit more space. So we also now have the Clicki available in a large 2×2 meters, making it a great option to build a small set for newborns or pets where you use the Clicki both as a background and floor, as you can see in the following samples. This only works with small pets and products.

The Clicki 2×2 Square background

Today in the blog some images I shot with Chewie our Black Labradoodle.
Using the Geekoto GT400 and Geekoto Lantern softbox as the main light and the Geekoto Quicky as the accent light.

As you can see a great way to use the new Clicki.
And if you don’t need the floor you can of course use the Clicki as a 2×2 meter backdrop :D.

We will be shooting some more images soon.

So if you need more interesting backgrounds or small sets on location, check out our Clicki system, You’ll love it!
By the way, if you need another print than the ones we offer don’t worry, Clicki (and all other backgrounds) can be printed on almost all materials and sizes.

You can find all our backdrops in our Frank Doorhof shop. If you have any questions, let us know.

Read this blog post about building sets

Check this video about introducing the Clicki on the Photodays in Brussels

Have fun with the wide-angle option on your iPhone or other smartphone

March 31, 2024/in blog, Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

The Wide Angle lens on your iPhone

The wide angle is probably one of the most fun lenses. Period. yes i mean the Wide Angle Lens on your iPhone

That might be a very strong expression, but the wide angle is undoubtedly one of those lenses you can have a lot of fun with.
So for today’s blog post I decided to take some wide-angle shots while walking in the forest with Chewie.

The way it was intended… right?

Most of the time we use it just to get a wider view, and let’s be honest, it does really make a difference.

However, for me one of the cool things about the wide angle is not that it just gives you more of the scene. But the way the wide angle distorts.
Now normally distortion is of course a bad word (unless you play guitar :D) but you can also use it creatively.

For example, what about just holding your phone really close to a tree and just aiming it up? The trees will look huge and if you bump the contrast you get some really cool results.

Now it’s also sometimes cool to use the wide angle to include your own feet.
Think about the start of a big hike, or maybe you like a sign that you find on your route and you want to spice the shot up a bit. Why not switch to the wide angle and include your feet?

Now talking about signs and angles

Those are actually awesome for the wide angle.
But don’t just shoot them straight on. Try different “funky” angles! Shoot them top down, or just sit on the floor and shoot up.
Signs are great for this, especially with street photography I love to shoot street signs this way. (although they mostly from the bottom up of course).

Shooting my pet with a wide-angle

Of course, when walking with Chewie we also had to take some shots of him with the wide angle.
Now you can take a little bit of a distance and it will just appear Chewie has a really big head.

But it becomes so much fun when you get REALLY close up and personal.
Just beware that your phone doesn’t end up as a snack.

Cool selfies

Now I’m not going to lie, because I want to use the wide angle I can’t see the screen. So the following shots are 99% luck. But when you try enough times you will get some really unique selfies.
Let’s start with the phone on the floor with some leaves in front of it. You can also do this from a higher standpoint of course.

We loved this shot, but it was too easy to get right…. so we decided to throw in Chewie and be a bit more creative with the composition….. It’s not hard to guess, but most images were totally wrong (you can’t see the screen) but when it works… well it’s loads of fun as you can see here.

The wide-angle on your phone is fun

So the next time you use your phone. Use the Wide Angle lens on your iPhone, get close, and take some pictures for more creative shots.
As soon as you start using it you will find that even the most boring things can become really interesting, just due to the distortion and the different angles.

These shots were done with the iPhone 15 pro-Max on the wide-angle setting.
Editing is done in Adobe Lightroom Classic

A few years ago, the Digital Classroom was about Small Spaces and Wide Angles

Rock that Low and Wide Angle Blog about street and travel photography in the UK

Fashion shoot with Nadine, a blog about angles and more

Quick portraits on location and to show how easy it is we have a cute labradoodle

March 8, 2024/in blog, Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

Quick Portraits on location

Quick portraits on location are always a challenge. You have to think fast, find a location, set up your lighting and often only have a few minutes with your client. Today we are going to take a look at how we set up a location session and what I use.

Make it easier on yourself

There is always a way to make it harder, but let us focus on the things that can make everything go as smoothly as possible. The first thing is, of course, preparation.

I love to mess around with lighting in the studio but often also have more than enough time. On location, I often have to set up and hit the ground running. This is why we talk with our clients about what they want for most on-location sessions. This means that when I arrive on location I already know where to place my lights, do a quick light meter check, and can start immediately.

Now you might wonder… “Didn’t you forget something?”
Yeah, I know what you think.

The background for a quick portraits on location

Of course, when we talk to our client before the shoot we also show different kinds of backdrops so the client can choose which one fits their look and brand. Because I’m using strobes I know that ambient light in most cases won’t cause any problems. However, don’t ever forget to take a ColorChecker image during the shoot. On location, you can have the most weird situations that can mess up your color that at first, you won’t notice because you’re using flash.

Now in the past, I’ve used solutions that worked pretty well but were always just a bit too short, narrow, or too large so they didn’t fit in my car forcing me to take the van (I prefer to drive electric of course :D)

Recently ClickBackdrops released the Clicki backdrop system and it’s become my favourite backdrop for quick on-location shoots. It’s wide enough to fit one person for wide (landscape-style) portraits. And with a little bit of AI in Photoshop I can easily shoot 3/4 shots in landscape mode because the subject doesn’t overlap anywhere. Somehow I prefer to shoot in landscape orientation which makes the width vital for me.

The Clicki fits with ease in my car (Hyundai Ioniq EV) and only needs a stand to be assembled on location in under a minute.
Of course, I also need to bring strobes.

Strobes

When we talk about speed I also have to be able to move fast and setup fast. So bringing heavy strobes or battery packs is out of the question.
For location work, I’m using the Geekoto GT200 and GT250

The main advantage is that I can easily adjust the angle of the strobes via the pistol grip. So I can use almost any studio stand, which not only saves space but also makes setting up much easier and faster. The Geekoto also supports both ETTL and HSS. Combined with a 200/250W power output and 450-500 shots per battery makes it a very versatile setup that can easily suppress sunlight outside. And you can use the thicker more saturated colorgels for some really gorgeous color effects.

And the final piece of the puzzle…

What Light shapers to use for a quick portrait on location

Of course, I’m not using the strobes bare.
Although that can be a nice effect, it’s often not what the client wants to see.
So we need something to modify the light.

If it needs to be compact I love the Rogue products. Especially the new magnetic system is awesome for creative use on location (and in the studio) and of course the “famous” Frank Doorhof Flashbender :D. But for this setup, I’m using the Geekoto 26″ softbox. The main advantage of this system is that it just folds up very small but it also has a detachable speedring which makes it super easy to carry with you.

Enough talk, let’s take a look at the setup.

As you can see we just placed the Clicki behind the table. So the dog didn’t have to move and the whole setup was done in seconds (everything was set up, I just had to slide it there). Because we mark the floor when doing the meter readings, it’s a setup that makes it possible to almost immediately start shooting and thanks to the size of the Clicki you can also shoot from a few different angles.

So let’s see the results. It’s never perfect with these kind of one-minute sessions but the owner loved them. And for the trimmer, it’s just an extra service or something they can charge for.

So now you know what I use for quick portraits on location. If you have questions, find me on social media and let me know.