Lady Luck
Last month we had a Sacramento Magazine ad shoot for Thunder Valley Casino. Turned out to be a really enjoyable shoot. The challenge was how to include all the existing colors and lighting and still have the models stand out.
Last month we had a Sacramento Magazine ad shoot for Thunder Valley Casino. We had a great time as always. The challenge was how to include all the existing colors and lighting and still have the models stand out.
For the lighting we relied on mostly LED's with gels.
Thanks Joe Gonzslas for the BTS video..
R & R and a 30sec Exposure
I spent a weekend In Bodega Bay, CA for a little R & R. Bodega Bay is usually known from the classic Hitchcock Film, The Birds, but I didn’t have a problem with them! I used the opportunity to work on some long exposure images, specifically 30 seconds per image. I am relatively new to the long exposure game, so it’s taking me some time to get a feel for it. What has really opened the 30 second world up for me has been the Tiffen LE series Apex filter; it’s a 10 stop ND filter.
I spent a weekend In Bodega Bay, CA for a little R & R. Bodega Bay is usually known from the classic Hitchcock Film, The Birds, but I didn’t have a problem with them! I used the opportunity to work on some long exposure images, specifically 30 seconds per image. I am relatively new to the long exposure game, so it’s taking me some time to get a feel for it. What has really opened the 30 second world up for me has been the Tiffen LE series Apex filter; it’s a 10 stop ND filter.
As for the rest of the gear, I shot on my Nikon D810 with a 24-70mm f2.8 lens and the CamRanger hardware and iPad app to manage the camera settings and shutter release. One thing that takes getting used to, is that you can’t see through the lens when the filter is on, so you have to compose and focus with it off. Then you need to lock focus and attach the filter. I did however find that I can see enough on the CamRanger live view to make composition adjustments.
Once I had an image that I was satisfied with, I took it into the Snapped app on the iPad. While shooting these images, I try to stay around f22, which means that you see ALL the dust and spots on the camera sensor. The new Snapseed update has a spot tool which ROCKS! I was amazed at how it took care of even the spots around objects without distorting the surrounding pixels.
Now for the shooting. The water first thing in the morning is very calm. It still had some waves but much less than the rest of the day, so I thought it was the best time to shoot. The setting I ended up at was:
ISO 40 to 100 f22 30sec
I am really loving the images I am creating with a Tiffen filter. If you haven’t played around with ND filters before, I highly recommend it. They will be part of my bag from now on.
Gear
102 year old images
How will our images be received or viewed 100 years from now. These images took time and patience, he had to be very deliberate in making them, and I imagine didn't get many images from a sitting. Even the poses show careful thought.
I’m sure many of you have seen these 102 year old images that Mervyn O’Gorman made of his daughter.
They are simple and beautiful! These images could have been made today and still have the same impact. Makes me think, do we need all the gear and setup all the time?
How will our images be received or viewed 100 years from now. These images took time and patience, he had to be very deliberate in making them, and I imagine didn't get many images from a sitting. Even the poses show careful thought.
I found them very inspiring.
They make me want to slow down and make each image count.
Have a great rest of the week and happy clicking!
XL Pro’s (Part 2) Outside
Once again I am very impressed with how the XL Pro’s worked. They’re so easy to deal with! They now have a permanent place in my lighting kit.
I’m continuing to explore the possibilities of the The Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro’s. This week we decided to take them outside.
Firstly, it’s so nice to not have to carry big bulky gear! For this shoot I had:
Nikon SB-800
Nikon SB-700
Phottix - Odin Transmitter with Two Receivers
2 Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro’s
Nikon D-810
85mm 1.8
It took me about 5 minutes to get set up for the first shot.
The flash in the back was set to manual at full power. The front flash was set to TTL.
Camera settings
ISO 100
f2.2
1/200 sec
Once again I am very impressed with how the XL Pro’s worked. They’re so easy to deal with! They now have a permanent place in my lighting kit.
The Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro
So I've had my Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro’s for a few weeks now
So I've had my Rogue FlashBender 2 XL Pro’s for a few weeks now and I have to say that I love them! Working in a commercial environment means that I can't haul a bunch of equipment with me on shoots. I have to keep it simple.
2 light setup ISO 160, 85mm, f2.8, 1/60sec
These little boxes produce light that's equivalent to some of my larger boxes on my AlienBees. The speed and efficiency that I can set these up and tear them down is a huge benefit. They're simple!
One FlashBender 2 XL Pro and one 3-in-1 Flash Grid
Why this LED flashlight is the perfect tool for photographers
I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Inmybag.net about my gear bag and much of it focused on the use of LED flashlights in photography. LED's have been playing an increased roll in my work for the past 5 years.
Side note: The new P7.2 is such a great upgrade!
I don't see that changing any time soon.
Here is the interview link.
Happy Clicking!
Visit With Mackenzie
On a recent trip to LA my production manager and I had a few hours before we flew back to Sacramento. So I used the opportunity to work with a friend of mine, Mackenzie Firgens. She and I became friends a few years back when she worked on a project at the Preston Castle in Ione, CA. Whenever the opportunity arises I love working with her. She is such a natural in front of the camera very beautiful. It makes my job so easy.
On a recent trip to LA my production manager and I had a few hours before we flew back to Sacramento. So I used the opportunity to work with a friend of mine, Mackenzie Firgens. She and I became friends a few years back when she worked on a project at the Preston Castle in Ione, CA. Whenever the opportunity arises I love working with her. She is such a natural in front of the camera very beautiful. It makes my job so easy.
The location for the shoot was The Garland Hotel. They had completed some renovations recently, and it was a very nice boutique style hotel. It had a lot to offer for location shooting.
Because time was short I scouted locations while Christine (production manager) worked on outfits for Mackenzie to wear. We pulled the whole shoot off in about an hour and a half.
For the most part we shot with existing light on the Nikon D810 with my 85mm. I did use the D4 and my 50mm with a flash on the last set of images in the room. I love the light when the flash is directly lined up with the lens.
I'm so fortunate to be backed up by Christine to watch the clock because I could have just kept shooting, but then we would have been late for our flight.
I'm really looking forward to our next visit to LA when we get to shoot again.
About Mackenzie: She made her feature film debut starring as Harmony in the underground hit Groove, which was an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival, and released by Sony Classics Pictures. Firgens originated the role of April in the film version of the Broadway sensation Rent, directed by Chris Columbus. As April, Firgens had the opportunity to create a new character for the classic musical, and shares the screen with Adam Pascal.
Firgens also starred in Quality of Life with Lane Garrison, which won a Special Mention Award at the Berlin International Film Festival as well as the Best Youth Film at the Stockholm International Film Festival. Additional film credits include Broken Arrows with Lori Petty and The Hamiltons with Brittany Daniel.
Firgens can be seen in David Carradine last film the action movie "Break" also with Michael Madsen and Chad Everett by the award winning director Marc Clebanoff. (Wikipedia)