Lana
I had a special treat this month and photographed an individual I photographed a few years ago as a model. She has transformed into an actress. Lana is a gorgeous actor out of the bay area.
I had a special treat this month and photographed an individual I photographed a few years ago as a model. She has transformed into an actress. Lana is a gorgeous actor out of the bay area.
I'm so pleased with what we made with the help of Ernesto makeup artist. There's a difference between posing as just a beautiful face and giving emotional content to the photographer. Lana did an excellent job giving me a tremendous amount of variety. It's so motivational when you get that kind of effort on the other side of the camera.
We started the day with a discussion and a plan of attack that we want to accomplish. With the help of Ernesto, we knocked out the locks, and I was able to match the lighting to the style of each look.
I typically have a plan on most shoots, even if it's a simple as lens selection. But with the best-laid plans, you have to be willing to alter or change direction quickly as opportunities or images present themselves. I feel it's like making a cake. I know all the ingredients, but I'm not sure how I will combine them in the end. Many photographers stick to a very rigid game plan, and I haven't found that it works for me. Being fluid and taking cues from your subject on the direction and look is what got me to where I am.
Photo Day - Early Session
Sunday marked another great outing at the Preston Castle this was the first of three photo days this year. This one took full advantage of early morning light which is always spectacular.
Sunday marked another great outing at the Preston Castle this was the first of three photo days this year. This one took full advantage of early morning light which is always spectacular.
For this session, I was joined by model Julianna Steel. She and I have been friends for many years, and she’s always wonderful to work with, she also provides a vast collection of vintage outfits. For this outing I had two goals, one was to take full advantage of the existing light in the morning and the second was to make images at midday which is the hardest time to photograph.
Another challenge was one that Julianna brought forth. She said she could provide three different outfits for under $25. Sure enough, she came up with fantastic looks that came in at about $24.50.
All of the interior shots I used my Nikon D810 and switched between my Sigma 35 mm and my Sigma 85 mm. These lenses are so sharp and have such excellent color rendition.
Here are some of the sample images from the morning.
Indra in action
After we finished, we went across the street from the castle and photographed in an old abandoned house. It proved to be a perfect setting for the looks that Julianna made. For my lights I used my Phottix Indra 500 with the wide angle diffuser. These lights operate on a battery pack and take advantage of high-speed sync. Most of the time the light was at full power or just under that. I’m so pleased with how he’s like to perform. We shot for about an hour, and I still had full power on the battery pack. Average setting: ISO 100, f3.2 and 1/4000 sec
I’m looking forward to getting out and making more images this spring with a similar style.
More of the natural light images below
Little Light That Could
The LED Lenser P7 is always part of my camera bag. Thanks Christine The Photographer for helping me making this image.
If you've ever been to a Click Monkey Event, Preston Castle Photo Day, or have just come along on a shoot with me, then you know that one of my favorite tools is the LED lenser P7. I first came across it in 2009 at Costco. It was on sale and you who know me, I hate to pass on a good deal! I’m always on the lookout for cool lights. I kept it in my bag for a few weeks before I discovered what it was capable of.
First image made with my P7 2009
I was shooting some portraits in Tahoe with natural light and just grabbed the flashlight to see what it could do. WOW, was I impressed with it! The P7’s quality of light, power, and color temperature was spot on! The way it put light out was smooth with no crazy patterns or hot spots. I had tried a Maglite flashlight in the past and was always disappointed with the result, so I didn’t expect much from this light. The next revelation was that I could focus the beam with one had very easily. This was a huge help in getting just the right light on the subject.
Now, I must say that I warn my models when I’m going to use it on them and also to not look directly into the light. I also try not to keep the P7 shining straight in my subject’s eyes for very long. It is a tactical flashlight and VERY bright!
I have since built up my collection to around 14 different LED flashlights. I was even able to get 3 prototypes of a true red, a true green, and true blue flashlight from LED Lenser. I was very fortunate because only two color flashlights were ever made. Those prototypes gave me an additional option when shooting, as they add a very interesting splash of color to my images.
Working the P7 in one hand and the Nikon D4 in the other.
Most recently my P7 proved handy for one of my larger shoots for HTC. At the time of the shoot, my clients were amazed that a little flashlight could do so much.
Image on the HTC New One E8
I think the moral of the story is to never be afraid to try new and different lighting tools.
Happy Clicking!
Color Shift
I've been interested in traditional ways to shift colors in my images. In a time when it's so easy to add digital flare it's hard to come up with ways to shift the image without relying on the computer and committing to a permanent shift in the camera. I like to see the if I can get as close to the final image as possible in camera. For me it keeps me in a tight visual string or style.
To this end, I have been experimenting with shooting through colored glass and objects. I find myself constantly on the lookout for interesting color or shapes to try.
I’m very pleased with this set of images! Christine and I made these a few months back at the Preston Castle. The light at this location is amazing and it always provides ample room to shoot. I found a small piece of red glass that matched her red lips. The glass was perfect for this set. I love the saturation and color it gave and with Christine’s posing this turned out better than I could have imagined!
It’s now part of my bag of tricks.
Nikon D4
ISO 800
85mm
f3.5
1/500
Making Of An Angel
I'm excited to have my 1st guest post! Christine always has such great insights. She brings a unique point of view as a wonderful photographer that picked up modeling to help understand the other side of the camera.
Tim
So, I'm writing this and I have not seen the image yet. Not to say that it's not important, but what's most important to me is what went into the making of this image.
I'll start at the beginning. I was approached to be apart of a project recognizing the "Top 10" models of Sacramento. At first I wanted to say no to the project, but my husband, Ryan, convinced me to get involved. He helped remind me it was an honor to have been chosen.
After agreeing to participate, an incredibly talented makeup artist, Cesar Rivera, offered to lend his services for the shoot. Hair stylist Renne Alejandro, was also on board. Cesar brought along another great talent, Florlinda Ayala for makeup as they were planning to make me glow from head to toe! These three are some of the most talented and kind people I know. I couldn't believe they had offered to help me.
I also asked fashion designer Nolan Kouri to help me out with the angel wings that I was requested to bring for the shoot (oh did I forget to mention the theme for the 10 models was angels?) Let me tell you, I should have know he would blow my mind, what I expected and what I got, I... Was... Stunned!
Kouri made a set of 4 foot tall wings that could don the Victoria's Secret Runway. Funny story, I was dressed as a ghost in full makeup at a haunted house when I saw the first picture of them, let's just say I was not able to stay in character because I was so excited!
After realizing how much support I had and how much talent was being brought together for this shoot, I knew I wanted to pull off something extra, something special. For this I asked for Tim's help ( oh yeah, backing up again, he wasn't the photographer for the Top 10 project)
I was more stressed for this shoot than any other one I had been involved in. Even though I know and had worked with all these artists before, this time it was different. They were all there because I asked them to be and the pressure to produce something that represented their talents was felt on a much stronger level.
So this is what we made. Thank you to my friends that worked so hard to make this image! I can't wait for everyone to see it!
Cheers
~ Christine
Designs by Nolan Kouri, www.nolankouristudio.com
Hair Stylist Renne Alejandro, www.facebook.com/renne.limon
Makeup by Cesar Rivera & Florlinda Ayala
www.facebook.com/florlinda.ayala.mua
Male Model: Matt Webber
Here's a short video of the making of..
Sacramento Fashion Week Press Preview
Had a great evening on Thursday. Nolan Kouri showed a gown from his fall 2014 collection. The full collection to be presented on the runway Sat February 22nd at Sacramento Fashion Week.
Model: Christine Alward
Makeup: Brooke Barker
Hair: Allure Salon and Spa
Stylist: Simone Vianna
