A Long Time Ago! (or it seems like it anyway)

Model- Betty Bourdeaux

I have been looking through archived images from when I first started shooting. I think any photographer should do that every so often, to see progression, mistakes, what was right, what was wrong and hey-it’s cool to remember “old times”!

This shot of Betty Bourdeaux was taken on 12/15/07 -just shy of 2 years ago. She was the 3rd shoot I’d ever done! I was pretty nervous since I hadn’t done that many shoots and she was somewhat more experienced than I was.  But the shoot went well and we had a great time.

Since then I have shot more than 30 models and some of them numerous times. You get in a groove- but don’t let that groove turn into a rut!  My best advice to new photogs? Study, learn, shoot…then repeat!

If you are a new photographer-plan ahead! Think of everything – the details-like lighting, f/stops, shutter speeds, ISO and white balance settings-then go over it again. Relax and direct the model, but also let her offer up ideas on poses and looks.  Above all-have fun. If your new,  it’s not “do or die” like if you were being paid $10,000 for the shoot by a large agency.

Keep shooting!!!

Composites

Composites allow us to change the location of a shoot as well as many other cool effects.  The key is making the images merge in a similar fashion-like exposure levels, lighting directions, saturation, focus and so forth.

This is the original image that we shot downtown with very little post work done. I wanted to make the setting Amanda was in, a little more vibrant- with a little more life in the image.  The cool thing is, that we shot this natural light and as you can see, it was pretty overcast so the light was pretty unidirectional-like a big overhead soft box.

 

This is the final image.  The store front was a random shot I took at Olympic Park in Atlanta, while playing with a polarizing filter. But for the image for our model Amanda, it makes a more believable setting for her using her cell phone while shopping or whatnot. The lighting was real close from that day to the day we shot her in Palestine-over 500 miles away and over a year later!

 

Downtown Girl

Amanda and I shot a few minutes downtown the other day. The light was perfect-really overcast…in essence a gigantic soft box.  I shot natural light because my portable flash was on the blink when we arrived. I would have liked to give her just a slight boost of light in her face and also I then could have lowered the ISO a bit. But they turned out good. Nice soft light and the colors come out well.

Stylin’ and Profilin’

I thought this was a cool profile shot of Naomi Noelle.  I used a 10 degree grid on an AB800 camera left and made her star into it! (how mean, huh?)  This grid really controls the spill of light but still has hard shadows since it doesn’t diffuse the light.  It makes hard shadows, that  I think,  looks pretty cool. The hat makes the shot also.

The Wet Look

I know,  I know…it’s been a while since I have posted. But here is what has been happening-I have slowed down on shooting lately to play catch up on other things around the house-plus…just been plain tired! But hopefully things will pick up soon.

Naomi Noelle is a local model I shot with the other day and when we started talking about shooting, we both wanted some type of water shot.  I have never done shots like that so…he we go!

I set up a vinyl background in the backyard to make sure the background was black, and that there was something more than grass for her to stand on. Next  I tried several variations of water nozzles on hoses to get the rain I wanted. I finally bought two plant watering type nozzles that produced a shower type of flow. I used PVC to make a small frame over where she would stand and then flipped the nozzles up.

I used a cross lighting set up on this one-which was a little tricky because I would get lens flare if I wasn’t in the “right” spot for the shot. I used a 10 degree grid in the back light that was towards the camera (otherwise the flare was bad anywhere I stood for the shot). On the strobe I used to light Naomi, I used a short snoot to control the light spill and spotted on Naomi.

The back light is a rim type light that also “freezes” the water drops. The front light does some freezing action too, but mainly lights Naomi.

This shot definitely had to be done in the summer months as she was cold once the water flowed good. Plenty of cool shots and ideas could come form shooting 3 or 4 hours like this but- there is always another time!

It was fun and interesting to get shots that I have never tried before.  It’s always about “something new”! That is how you learn!

Black Widow Shoot Lighting

I love this shot of Amanda in the Black Widow series we did a week ago.  Mainly because of the lighting-of course she is beautiful,   but her pose and expression just “pops” .

This shot was in an alley in downtown Palestine, Texas.  So room was at a mininum. The distance between the camera and her was no more than about 10 feet.  I had brought my Alien Bees 800s (2) and used a 5 foot softbox camera left and a 47 inch octabank camera right. You can see this by looking closely at the catch lights in her eyes. Usually it is a no no to have two catch lights in the eye, but I don’t think it hurts this image.  They are not the same size or shape and I think it looks pretty good. My opinion though.

I was on location with no power available, so I was using the Vagabond II battery system for both lights. That was the second time I have used it and it was flawless. We shot for almost 2 hours and it never slowed down.  I’m pretty happy with the battery and lighting set up I have.

Ok – you can see the catch lights, and I have told you I brought 2 lights-where is the cool hairlight coming from? The super cheap big light in the sky! The sun was just perfect the day we shot and we just moved Amanda around so it would act as a hair light.  It makes the image mor “finished” looking to me. The sunlight shows the texture of her hair and adds highlights that offset all the dark colors. I cant wait to see this shot printed at about 16×20.  It will rock!

‘09 Raider Bike Shoot

I have waited almost a year to do a shoot with my bike.  I have been waiting until I got some modifications complete and also looking around for the right location and the right model.

We used the parking lot of The UPS Store downtown for the location last Sunday night.  Since I coudn’t very well put the bike in my living room (without risking marital problems) and not having a warehouse, I had to wait until dark to get the lighting like I wanted.

I used a generator for the monolights and floods as well as my laptop I was tethered too.  So with extension cords snaked around and lights everywhere, we were a spectacle on the corner by the Redland’s building- and did even get plenty looks!

Amanda looked great and brought the tone for the images I was looking for, which was somewhat a biker bad girl, but with a little class.  Using a 5  foot softbox horizontally and a 47 in Octabank, there was plenty of light, but the images I like the best, are using only one light. They are much more dramatic. (below)

You can see the big soft box reflection in the tank and on the rear fender. These specular highlights need to be as large as possible-which means using a large light source. For motorcycles and people, the lights I am using are working nicely, but to photograph something as large as a car, I will have to make bigger light sources (that is in the planning mode).

There are many more images to this set, and in time I will post more, but I wanted to get some going here now.

Thanks to my assistant Bobby Sharp and  hair and makeup artist Jerry Rogers. Also thanks go out to Toni,  Christy,  and Beth for their help on set. Many thanks to Amanda for adding her beauty to the images!

Caldwell Zoo Family Photo Getaway!

I’ll be at the Caldwell Zoo over in Tyler, Texas, on Saturday, September 5, 2009.  If you have been planning to take a trip over to the zoo, why not sneak in a family outdoor photo session? There are great places around the zoo for great shots of you, and your family. If you have kids or grand kids- only better! There is a petting zoo and bird feeding that are great for kids. There are many beautiful colors and settings for some fun, quality images of you and your family-bring friends too! When you book for a photo getaway session you are saving $30 on travel fees. I am there already, so why not pass on the savings? Go to AdamGraserPhotography.com and click on the products page in “online ordering”. You’ll see the Zoo Photo Getaway and you can book your session. First come first serve on the time available. Once you book, just be at the front entrance at that time and we’ll get started! There are only 6 spots open throughout the day, so book early! Each session will last about 45 minutes. Usual session fee with travel is $65.  Book this session for only $35.00! (prints and other products are an extra purchase) After the session, you will be emailed a password to see your images on our site, you can then take your time to select the sizes and shots you want!

Natural Light (not the beer)

Certain times of day just has that “magic light” that photographers love. It’s when the sun gets low in the sky and it is better than any artificial fixture could ever be – If  it is the look that you want.  Direct sun can be tricky to utilize if not exposed for properly. As in Yacine’s portrait above, you see the highlights on his face blown out (overexposed). But the rest of the image is pretty well dead on.

Because a camera doesn’t “see” as many f/stops, or range of light as the human eye does, we have to figure out what we want. A little blown out highlight here and there and the rest of the image properly exposed to show the detail-or-the highlights exposed properly and the rest way too dark? It is a conscious decision we must answer in most natural light situations. It might be easier if the subject was posed where all of his body was in the same light…but that would be pretty boring. So we must make do with the light we have  – or – use a reflector or flash to fill in the dark spots where we need it.

There was no flash or fill from a reflector used here. The lens was a 50mm prime and I dont think the blown out highlights on his cheek harms the image at all. In fact, I think it adds a little drama.

Real Steel

This photo was taken in Palestine on what I call “walkabout”. It’s more like drive about, but I do find areas that are interesting then do some walking around and exploring. Many people have photographed this old truck as it has been part of the history of Palestine for many years. But I wanted to try a different angle , or at least investigate the possibilities, so my picture did not look like everyone else’s. I wanted to include the porch of the old building and as as I was standing in the shade looking toward the truck, I saw the possibility. So today we are looking at leading lines as a compositional element.  It is a pretty simple idea. The lines of the porch leads the eye to the truck. It is almost like fingers pointing to the subject.  Look closely also for triangles that point to the truck (in yellow below). Part of the barn makes a triangle and also the farm tools hanging do the same. Just an added bonus!

Finally, the barn itself  (camera left) helps frame the subject. We have already discussed framing as an element and along with the leading lines of the porch, there almost cannot be any argument about my intentions of the subject for this image.

Try to take your time and walk around your subject. Get down low, climb up on something, can you get a different perspective than every one else? How many compositional elements can you include to make this image you are about to make better? It is easy to walk up to a subject and point and shoot…be better than just a snapshot!