I had a fun photo outing with a local group on Tuesday. The location had some vintage sports car. Now I am NOT a car guy and don’t really shoot many. My plan was to take 1 light and blast it from behind the car and see how the light played.
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.
Making The Most Out Of Your Location
For the past few years, I’ve been working with Sacramento Magazine photographing the area's top attorneys. This is a yearly supplement, and on average I have about 25 firms I have to photograph in a 45-day span.
Afternoon At The Preston Castle
We had another wonderful outing at the Preston Castle last Sunday. This session was from 12 noon to 4 in the afternoon. During other sessions I found that the light streams through the windows, and is constantly changing. With midday light most of the windows act like large soft boxes. With the age and deterioration of the windows it makes for some beautiful light.
Cannabis Czar Joe Devlin
Back in November I had the pleasure of photographing Joe Devlin for Sacramento Magazine . He is the chief of cannabis policy and enforcement for the city of Sacramento. This was a fascinating assignment and I learned a LOT about the new cannabis policy. I ended up using one light as a fill. The grow room already had really good light, I just needed to fill the shadows.
Joe Devlin in a new high tech grow farm
Strange Light
On the morning of 12/10, the light started to change dramatically. By mid morning a huge smoke cloud covered the whole area.
End of the season..
Well the season came to an end on Friday night with a 1 point loss to Center High School. I felt terrible for the boys.