Something a Little Different

I shot the picture below yesterday as a part of my 365 project.



The first thing Jen said upon viewing the image was, "that doesn't even look like a picture you would take". Perfect. Mission accomplished. I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone, something a little different.

For this shot I stuck a 24 inch soft box behind, slightly above and very close to my subject. Then I cranked up the power on the flash all the way - full power! This gave me f/32 on the far side of the flower. The camera was at f/8. My flash is three stops over my camera settings! This produced a really cool wash of light, perhaps even mirroring a blast of sunlight from a window. I actually experimented with bringing my flash more in line with my camera settings but it didn't have the same impact and it certainly did not match the vision I had in my head. The final touch was to flip the white balance to tungsten in post to give the image that pale blue shade.

Keep shooting.

The Difference of One Light...

I did some fun portrait shots for Jen the other night. She was using a default graphic for her Twitter profile, which I felt needed to change. So I set up the gear, we gathered up some props and set about having some fun getting some new shots for her profile.

For this shoot I decided to use a shoot through umbrella straight on for the main light, fill (one to two stops below main) on the left, again, another shoot through umbrella, a hair light and a snooted light for a highlight on the background. All the lights were Canon 580EX IIs triggered with Pocketwizard. It's a pretty straight forward set up that yields quite good results.

As the shoot progressed we goofed around more with various props for no other reason then to see what we could create. It was fun. I was reviewing the shots quickly on my camera's LCD from time to time as we shot but I didn't have time to pull them up on the computer. We had another engagement that night so we had to move quick. I reviewed the pictures later that night. There were many really great shots from the session, however, my absolute favourite had a little piece missing. Below, on the left is the flawed favourite and on the right is my number two selection, which, by default became my number one.



Other than the slight difference in composition, the one on the left is missing the hair light. The hair light did not fire. It is a shame because everything else in that shot was perfect. The hair/rim light adds such a nice finishing touch to the portrait. The beautiful highlights in the hair and along the arm and shoulder - it brings a bit more spark to the image and nicely separates Jen from the background. *sigh* At least I got a good visual reference on the difference that one light can make in the overall aesthetic of an image.

Keep shooting.

Pursue Your Passion

I caught a two hour presentation by Dr. Wayne Lynch on Sunday night at the conclusion of the 2010 Digital Expo in Calgary. It was a tiny glimpse in to a three decade career in nature and wildlife photography.

Dr. Lynch shared many amazing stories and incredible images. He has been on every continent and it was astounding to see all the places he had been in pursuit of his passion. And make no mistake about it, it truly is his passion. From the very beginning of his presentation you immediately knew this man was passionate about the natural world and all the critters in it.

It was inspirational to hear his story of starting a career as an emergency physician but realizing early on that it truly did not make him happy. And with that realization he began an amazing adventure that shows no signs of slowing down. Pursuing one's passion in life is something that most of us dream about but sadly too few of us do.

Pursue your passion.

A Lovely Autumn...

The last week and a bit Calgary has been blessed with a magnificent fall. Warm temperatures and clear blue skies and amazing colours in the trees. This part of the world does not get a great variety of fall colours but it is easy to appreciate what we get. And, this is quite a contrast to last year when green leaves were literally freeze dried right on the branches. Yikes!

I wandered around today and gathered up a bunch of leaves for close-up shots. For the set up, I taped the leaves to a large, south facing window, backlighting the leaves to bring out all the incredible detail. My camera was positioned on a tripod as close as my lens would allow, which is about one foot. At this proximity getting the camera square to the subject is essential because even at f/16 the depth of field is razor thin - probably only a few millimetres. And, the leaves need to be as flat as possible for the same reason. It was finicky work but patience paid off and my favourite shot is below.



Keep shooting.

Peace of Mind

I love shooting on the city at night. There is a completely different energy when all the busyness of the work day has subsided. Less people, less busy. It is generally calm and quiet. The business crowd that occupies the core during the day is replaced with peoples perhaps less visible during the hustle and bustle of the workday.

I really enjoy wandering around the downtown core with camera and tripod in hand discovering things that catch my eye. Last night I spent a while exploring before setting up in front of an alley. This particular alley had kind of an endless quality about it. It seemed to go on forever. The different light sources and colours, people off in the distance, they all added much mystery and interest.

As I was lining up and focusing the shot I noticed a solitary figure enter in to the frame. As the individual drew closer I could see he was carrying a bag of cans and bottles and was likely homeless. He stopped to chat. He said, "I love this alley. I walk it many times a day. I call it peace of mind." He went on to suggest that is what I should entitle the picture - peace of mind. I said, "I would" and he carried on his way.

A few things struck me from our brief conversation. I am amazed at the power of the camera to evoke a conversation. I have had countless conversations with people curious as to what I was photographing. Some wanted to see the image I was composing and some have even been photographers from years gone by and we struck up a lengthy chat. The other thought that popped in to my head was that I have never had an unpleasant experience (knock on wood) during my time roaming the streets at night. People have always shown a curiosity and an interest in conversation rather than altercation. It is a nice reminder that people are people and fundamentally we are all the same.

Below is my image of the alley. Peace of mind.



Keep shooting.

These Guys are Pros

I was fortunate, once again, to do another teacher shoot at the Bodhi Tree Yoga Centre today and man these guys are pros. Perhaps not pros at modelling in the true sense of the word but pros in that they can bust out the most amazing poses and yet look completely relaxed and at peace. It really shows the true power of a dedicated yoga practice.

A detailed post of the shoot is coming but until that is done I just wanted to share one image.



Gorgeous.

Keep shooting.

Of Self Portraits and Patience

The other night I decided to update a my profile picture for a number of online sites. This, obviously, required a self-portrait. Now, I suppose I could have asked one of my photog buddies to take the picture but that would require planning ahead. This was a spontaneous decision. And, I would rather do it myself anyhow.

This is what I came up with.



That shot took about two and a half hours. Phew! Self portraits certainly test the patience and can be quite time consuming. If you want to know more how I developed the shot, read on.