Finally – Flashlight Flowers!
I know it’s late but it’s gonna be worth it.
If you look closely at the image below you may see what you think is a dog’s face. No its not Photoshopped at all. That is a real flower and that is really the stigma. It may look like a dog but it’s a flower.
If you want to know how I go that shot, click the link… Continue reading
“The Blue Hour”
In this month’s issue of Photoshop User magazine (official magazine of the NAPP – National Association of Photoshop Professionals) there is an article on ‘The blue Hour’, that time of day that is just after sunset or just before sunrise where the sky is not black, but not the full light blue of day either. When the lights of a city or town are on and the sky is not yet fully dark, you can capture some wonderful images.
To learn more and see some more examples, click the link. Continue reading
Elusive Light
Last week I wrote about capturing electric lights at night and some effects you can do in camera. But what about elusive light? What is elusive light? I covered some elusive light when I wrote about long exposure times and capturing the light that is there but we can barely perceive. What about very fast, very bright flashes of light? You have seen them. But have you captured them? Lightning can most certainly be elusive!
Take a look at the first bolt of lightning I captured this past Saturday and you can see that it is trying to hide behind a tree!
With a little patience and a good view of the sky, I caught more. Click the link and see how and what was caught.
Traditional, Not So Much…
Let me first apologize for being late with this post. Blame it on the dentist and the root canal. I am. Now that I am feeling a bit better and can actually eat food to keep up enough strength to type, I thought we could continue our discussion on light, long exposures and what you can do with it.
Below is an image of one of the most photographed sites in Philadelphia PA, USA. Located on the east bank of the Schuylkill (pronounced “SKOO-kull”) River, it has been a popular spot since at least the 1850s (most people who live here still can’t pronounce it though). According to Google, there are at least 72,000 images on the web of this beautiful location.
So how do you capture a location that is so popular and make it unique? Click on the link to see how I used a long exposure to show Boathouse Row in a new light.
I Found the Light! (was it lost?)
I have heard so many photographers say, “there’s not enough light here for a shot.” WRONG! Even on the darkest of nights light is everywhere. Now is there enough light for a short exposure of 1/60th second or less? (That is about the limit of a hand held shot even with VR (vibration reduction) lenses give or take a bit.) But what about longer exposures?
In my last post I showed you some longer than average exposures of ¼ of a second and a full 1 second. But what if you want to shoot in the dark? Well for starters, you have to try to get into 100% darkness and that will require some effort as you will see below. In the first shot, I could barely see my hand in front of my face, but there was light there!
Hit the link to see how I found the light! (It was behind the sofa the whole time!) Continue reading
Single, Small Light Source (sort of)
How many times have you heard a photographer or photography supplier say, “Oh, to get a good portrait you need strobes/flash/hot lights.”? Or maybe you have just read a few books about portraits and you see all the diagrams with snoots and gobos and umbrellas and big light sources. I am here to tell you that you don’t have to have a bunch of expensive equipment to get great shots.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that there is no need for all kinds of different equipment. But do you have to have it to get the shot? Nope. Joe McNally said in both his books that to get something you have to give something and that’s very true.
Click the link to see how I got this shot with just a 40watt light bulb in a 20 year old bedside lamp. Continue reading
Go with the Feeling
Sometimes you get everything to work just right. I have spent many a shoot trying to get the lighting to work in a way that shows my subject in the way I envisioned when planning the shoot. Other times I go with just a hint of an idea. It’s usually the latter that works out best. At least for me.
I have spent days planning a shoot, getting all the equipment ready, making sure that everything works properly . It’s those times that I load up damn near the entire studio and pack it in the car. Still I’ll be missing the one reflector or lens or whatever I need and the shoot goes well, but not as well as I want it too. Other times I just go with a basic idea or feeling and BANG! I get the shot I wanted and more.
Jim, the man in this shot was one of those ‘go with the feeling’ times. We spent an entire day at 3 different locations. This shot was from the first location.
Click the link for more Continue reading
