Shot of the day
…of yesterday, that is:
I used my 1D MarkIV, and light was two direct speedlights with Pocketwizards on the left and right (full power), and one behind me for fill (also direct, but on half flash power).
How this is done is something I will explain more on the weekend lighting workshop I am holding, with Joseph Marranca, at my country retreat in early April. Details to follow!
Catch that light
Every portrait, classical rules have it, needs a single “catchlight” in the eyes. While I am not religious about this, I do tend to ensure that this is present. This very recent portrait shows the catchlights clearly. I used two umbrellas with speedlights, fired with E-TTL, and a light on the camera aimed backwards to add a bit more softening.
This is a high-key portarit: everything bright.
A rose by any other name
I took this “grab-shot” at the Kodiak Gallery the other day with a Canon 7D and 50mm f/1.4 lens:
Canon 7D, 50mm f/1.4 at f/1.4, 1/250th sec, 800 ISO
This shows that with the right lens, you do not need flash. You also do not need a macro lens every time. You can use what you have, if you keep your eyes open.
Also note:
- The secondary subject blurred in the background
- I used exposure compensation (+) to ensure the white background showed as white, not gray
- I am not afraid to go to 800 ISO or beyond to get the right fast shutter speed.
- I am using off-centre composition, rather than Uncle Fred’s “subject in the middle”
Simple. Just keep your eyes open.
Snow snaps
In preparation for an upcoming two-day Country Photography Workshop I am organizing with a colleague on 3+4 April (ask me about it!), I took a few snaps in the snow yesterday with the 1D Mark IV. Interestingly, it meters more accurately than the 1D Mark III: I needed less exposure compensation since even evaluative metering was biased more towards the selected focus point. (This is odd since focus-point tied spot metering works less often).
Can you tell I like wide angles?
Snow tips:
- Set exposure carefully for most images, emphasizing background saturation. Use a grey card or spot meter off treees, or off the sky, and adjust starting from that.
- Bring a spare battery.
- Careful bringing the camera into the house afterward: use a plastic bag.
- Meter carefully and use the “highlights” view and the histogram to ensure you are not blowing out the snow – but you are getting close.
- Use flash to light up close objects (see how I did it?)
- High-speed flash is needed if the time exceeds 1/250th – it can be left on since the camera will only use it when needed – but it will cut effective flash power by at least 50%.
- It is very hard to see your images: bring a Hoodman Hood Loupe and let your eyes acclimatise.
One more snap and it’s back to the order of the day:
Again, flash and careful exposure gives it that nice saturated look.
Snap
A recent portrait snap:
Impromptu and simple lighting (one speedlight, aimed behind me) can often work very well. I used simple light, and a minimum of finishing was required for this shot.
Distillery
I was in Toronto’s historic Distillery District today:
So here are my obligatory truck shots!
A photographer’s paradise. Do check out The Kodiak Gallery there (and check out my exhibited work there – “IV” in March!)
Assignment: shoot some old items
Here’s an assignment: Shoot some old items around the house. Use selective focus (you know: use a low “F-number” and get close). Expose carefully.
I took these snaps today at The Distillery District, where I am exposing some prints and also will be putting on “IV – Intravenous” photo exhibition in March.
Yesterday snap
Just one image from a portrait shoot of a very nice realtor, yesterday:
Lit with a Bowens key light in a softbox, an Opus fill light into an umbrella, an Opus hair/kick light with snoot, and for the background, a 430EX speedlite with Honl gel (fired through a Pocketwizard).
I like tilting realtors a little, for that contemporary dynamic look.
Me on a shoot
Me, pictured recently on a shoot. Two cameras, Fong Lightsphere on flash (dark indoors shoot), and Domke PJ bag.
And yes, I wear a tie. Even when I am wearing jeans.
12800
A quick snap from my Canon 1D Mark IV taken at 12800 ISO. I applied very slight noise reduction in Lightroom and upon export, reduced the size to 1200 pixels wide.
If I had not mentioned it, would you be able to tell that was taken at such high ISO?
For high ISO shots, it is imperative that you light the shot well. Remember Willems’s Law: “Bright Pixels are Sharp Pixels”.
I shot that with the 1D Mark IV, at 12800 ISO, with the 100mm EF [corrected!] Macro lens, and shot at 1/60th sec handheld at f/2.8. A slow shutter speed like that (lower than one divided by the lens length) needs a steady hand and a bit of luck – oh and shoot ten pictures to get a few very sharp ones. Better still, use a tripod.
Kodiak
A snapshot: here’s Gregory Talas, owner of The Kodiak Gallery in Toronto’s Distillery District (55 Mill Street, Building 47, tel. 416 640 0064 ), where some of my art work is exhibited:
Gregory is a Jazz musician as well as a very experienced and artistic European photographer.
A few portrait pointers
Today, a few quick portrait pointers.
Here’s a picture from a very recent portrait shoot:
Why did I shoot this the way I did? What went into the decisions? I thought it might be good to share some of my thoughts.
- I used a standard key/fill light arrangement, with the key light a small softbox aiming straight into the face, and the lower-powered fill light an umbrella-mounted flash on camera right.
- I ensured the positioning of the key light gave me a catch light in the eyes.
- I used a low-powered hair light in a snoot.
- I selected a dark background (grey paper) so that I could emphasise the subject.
- I used a background light with a Honl grid, so get that nice oval shaped light behind the girl.
- I also used a Honl gel from the “Hollywood” and “Autumn” sets. I chose the blue-ish colour for its subtlety and for the way it so nicely contrasts with the girl’s hair and skin colour.
- I took many pictures with the girl in many poses – mainly her own natural poses. Here, I particularly liked the S-curve in the pose and the triangular shapes in her legs. “S”-curves and triangles are good!
- Finally, the bit of the stool that is visible and lit provided balance with the other yellow colours.
Every shoot is different, but here you see some of the decisions that can go into a portrait.
Wide
What lens to put on your camera?
Sometimes it is difficult to decide. But sometimes it’s easy.
Social events are easy. When shooting such events, where there are people socializing, eating, drinking, I recommend a wide angle lens between at least 24 and 35mm “35mm equivalent” (greater range is ok of course).
Meaning that if you have a full frame camera, use a lens in that range. If, as is more likely, you have a crop camera like a Nikon D5000 or Canon Digital Rebel, you use a lens 50-60% smaller to give the same effect, i.e. a lens in the 16-24 range. Like a 17-40.
At yesterday night’s event with Wendel Clark, ex Leafs captain (below) I used a 16-35 wide angle zoom on my 1.3 crop camera (I used the new Canon 1D Mk IV).
I do this a lot, and so can you.
Remember to get close to people.
Another option is to use not a zoom, but a wide angle prime lens. On my full frame camera I use a 35mm f/1.4 lens quite often for these events.
The pictures that the three above are part of will be on Oakville.com in the next few days.
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