Is that a flashlight in your hand?

or many years now I've been using alternate sources of light in my photography most notably flashlights.

It started many years ago while walking down the isles in Costco and I came across one of the first reasonably priced LED flashlights after asking permission my wife allowed me to add it to the basket. I consider this one of my first evolutions in lighting. At first I just kept the lights in my bag in case I needed it. Finally one day on a portrait shoot I pulled it out to see what I could do and was very surprised by the power and how the color temperature was very close to daylight. For the next several years I continued exploring this style of lighting. Fast forward to today and it's like we're in the golden age of lighting. LED flashlights are so powerful and inexpensive that they found a permanent place in my lighting kit. Recently I've been using flashlights made by “O Light” they have an extensive variety of lights on their website, if you're into flashlights it's worth checking out.

Color Test

I received an assignment, and in the description, the art director requested super-saturated colors for all the images. The one thing about gels and colors there are a million different combos and saturation levels. So glad I tested, his version of saturation was WAY more than mine. These are the test that got us on the same page..

30 days with a 40

If you ever hang out with me you'll notice that for the most part, I am a prime lens shooter. Not that I don't like zoom lenses, but they don't have a great place in my bag for what I do. At the moment I have an 85mm prime and the 35mm prime, both from SIGMA.

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.

Football Life

I've been photographing my boy's football teams for the past six years. It's totally a labor of love. Watching them on the field is about as good as it gets!

Portrait Shoot Progression

Over the years I've developed a rhythm which allows me to get to know the model, as well as what type of lighting works best for them. This week was a prime example; Emily was in my studio for a portrait session, and while I've worked with her in the past, this was her first portrait session with me. My normal progression is what I like to call, “no make up, makeup, and lighting.” For the no makeup look, I normally just use natural light from an open door. Typically I shoot these on a black background. This allows me to really focus on the subject’s face and learn what lighting and lenses are a good match for them. Once I get these shots done, I have the makeup artist begin the model’s first makeup look. By the time I get the last image, it's typically something a little more complex with the lighting.