Vision
Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/2000 second, f/5, ISO 100
Photowalking Utah: Ogden – Tonight!
(this is a re-post of an earlier post as a reminder for tonight’s event)
The next Photowalking Utah event has been set. It will be an evening ‘walk around the downtown area of Ogden. Here are the details:
Date: Saturday, August 16, 2008
Time: 5:30 pm – ?
Where: Downtown Ogden
The group will be rendezvousing in the lobby of the Union Station located at 2501 Wall Avenue (map). For the photographers coming from the Salt Lake area, riding the UTA Frontrunner train is a great alternative to driving.
These events are open to photographers of ALL skill levels, from first time shooters to seasoned pros. This is a great way to meet other people that share your love of photography.
For more details (and to announce your participation), drop by the event discussion by clicking HERE.
Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/160 second, f/8, ISO 100
Create Friendly Backgrounds with a Wide Aperture
One of the easiest tips I give beginning photographers that are looking to improve the look of their portrait shots is to shoot at the widest possible aperture. This means the lowest f/ number on the lens. In doing so, what could be a boring or distracting background translates into a nice smooth surface helping to accentuate the subject.
For today’s example image, I photographed Brenda on the streets of Seattle during last weekend’s shoot. I spotted a surface with a great blue reflection that would help enhance Brenda’s eyes. By shooting wide open (f/4 in this case), I was able to smooth the harsh circles in the background into an interesting design. Using a long focal length lens helped to further add to the effect.
When shooting outdoors using reflector lighting (like in today’s image), I set my camera on AV (Aperture Value) Auto mode and leave the lens aperture wide open. Doing this lets the camera determine the appropriate shutter speed and frees me up to concentrate on composition.
Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/4, ISO 200
UV Filter to the Rescue
There are a couple opinions on using UV or Skylight filters. Many photographers use them to protect their lenses, while an equal amount of shooters feel that it’s counterproductive to put a “cheap piece of glass” in front of their expensive optics. I fall into the “protect my lens” camp.
My decision to use UV filters on my lenses paid off big time while I was on the shoot in Seattle. I had just made a lens change when my 24-105 rolled off my camera bag onto the slate floor. The lens hit the hard surface on its front edge. I expected the worse when I picked it up, but the lens cap and UV filter took the fall for the lens. I did a quick check to verify that focus was still intact and moved on with the shoot.
In retrospect, the $35 I spent on the filter paid for itself many times over with this single event. If I hadn’t had the filter attached, the lens barrel would have taken the hit. At the very minimum I’d now be unable to attach filters, or worse the front element would’ve been damaged.
Now, off to pick up a replacement filter.
Canon 30D, Canon 50 f/1.8 lens – 1/60 second, f/1.8, ISO 400
Seattle Diamond’lypse Over – I’m Headed Home
I’m sitting in the Seattle airport waiting for my flight home. It’s been a fun but hectic weekend. Following on the heels of Friday’s City Lifestyle shoot, Saturday and Sunday’s plans were Creative Concept images at a local nightclub and Business Professional shots at Seattle’s city hall.
Today’s image is a quick edit of one of my captures from Saturday. We had a dozen plus models in very creative costumes to choose from. The setting was an old building that has been converted to a dance club. The predominantly retro clothing worked extremely well in the uniquely decorated club.
One of my sets featured the model Mr. Peter Big (yes, his legal name) so I created a series loosely borrowing from the movie The Wizard of Oz. Peter was a great sport with the concept and really got into his part. I don’t expect the series to be big sellers, but it was sure fun to shoot.
It was a great event and I’m flattered to have been able to attend. I’ve got a few days of sorting and editing ahead of me to prepare the selected images for sale. You can count on seeing many more samples from the weekend over the next few days here on the blog.
Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/100 second, f/6.3, ISO 100
Seattle Shoot – Day 1 Recap
Yesterday was a great, albeit very busy day. iStock provided us with several models as we broke into groups of 5-6 photographers (and a creative director) and headed out to separate shooting locations.
My group spent the first part of the day doing urban lifestyle shots on the streets of Seattle. This type of shooting came very natural to me since I do this style of work quite often. Our models Brenda, Mindy and Kaleb did a stellar job and kept their energy high in what had to be an exhausting day for them. Today’s image is a sample from this shoot. While the rest of the group was finishing their lunch, Brenda and I walked down an alleyway to create some shots. The lighting in the alley was perfect for the look I wanted. What you don’t see in this shot is yours truly shooting with his right hand while wedging a reflector between myself and the wall with my left.
After the city lifestyle shoot, we headed to a rooftop shoot for more lifestyle images including a final BBQ party scene with all 15 models.
It was a fulfilling yet tiring day. Shooting around 600 images can have that affect on me. And guess what, I get to do it all again beginning in a couple of hours.
p.s. Rasmus, where are you?!?
Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens – 1/250 second, f/4, ISO 160
Checking In From Seattle
I arrived in Seattle yesterday afternoon and spent the evening hanging out with a couple dozen iStock Diamonds (contributors with 25,000+ sales). This image is a quick shot taken from my hotel window before calling it a night.
The agenda for today begins with a breakfast meeting at the Space Needle before heading out for 8+ hours of shooting over several locations. As always, it should be fun.
Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L with 1.4x extender – 8 seconds, f/7.1, ISO 100
