Tag Archive for: light

Using some simple props to make it work

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Sometimes the most simple solutions can be actually the best, well at least make a shoot a lot more interesting. During the workshop with Anna Matthea we were working with this snakeskin background and I wanted to make it a bit more interesting. Because we are building some sets we had these baseboards laying around so I thought it would be nice to use them as leading lines in this shot.

 

The connection to the background was very simple, use some ductape (I still agree that if all ductape in the world would disappear the world would collapse).

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I used one gridded strobe on the model from the left (image left) and one red gelled strobe from the right (image right), by including the strobe in the image I got a little bit of lens flare which I loved. Because I balanced my color (manually) around a middle point between red and neutral I got this beautiful blue hue in the skin of the model.

 

To make the shot more interesting I choose a lower angle to shoot from and let the model move her hair around to create some extra “slam” to the image.
As one of the students found out, it indeed looks a bit like an 80’s rock album cover.
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The bigger fight

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TIP:
yesterday I heard a very good motto:
“It’s not how big the man is in a fight, it’s how big the fight is inside the man”

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This is without a doubt a motto for almost everything but especially photography, often I hear people say “I can never do that”, or “I don’t have the gear for that”, but most of all “You shoot everything correct, I don’t”

 
Well let me first make a confession…. I shoot just as much junk as all of you, only I probably don’t show it, for me photography is a matter of going on till I get the shot.

 
Yesterday we did a session in Emmeloord I call “Fashion in Emmeloord” well ok not very creative, the model was surprised we were done in 10 minutes per locations, I told her very simply that if I get the shot I’m after I will continue for a few frames and then try a different angle or composition and continue to the next, there is no need to push through. I will use a maximum of 1-2 shots per location for my own portfolio so why shoot 10 killer shots while I can switch location.

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Westcott Ice Light video

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A while ago I got the chance to test out the Westcott Ice Light.
For me it’s a wonderful teaching tool to really show what light does, but combined with the barndoors it’s also an amazing light source.

 

In this episode of “Quite Frankly” I show you some technique for using constant light during a photoshoot.

Outside with small flash using the sun

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One of the things that I love to do is including the sun in the frame.
Often photographers are afraid to do this, for…. well I don’t know.
During the small flash workshop we always try to do one set outside to create something that a lot of people think is not possible with the small flash system, a day to night scene.

 

The nice thing about small flash is that there is an option where you can use something called “HSS” High Speed Sync.
With this option you can shoot on higher shutter speeds than with studio strobes (which are almost always limited to 1/125), meaning it gets easier to “push away” the ambient light.

 

By adding two strobes together you get 1 stop more of power plus recycling etc. is much faster.
The following shots were done with this technique during the small flash workshop.

Nadine buiten Oktober 31 2014 28 - October 31 2014

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