Tim Engle 11/5/19 Tim Engle 11/5/19

My Month

The other day I was having a conversation with a client, and they asked what an average month looks like for me. It’s something I haven’t given much thought to lately, but I looked back and pulled images that represented what my month looks like. It showed that I have a lot of variety. While some photographers have niches and specialties when it comes to their portfolios, I enjoy keeping a wide range of things I photograph. It keeps me interested and excited. There are also technical things that I pick up or learn from one assignment that can benefit another.

When I don’t have an assignment for a client to work with, I usually self assign projects. A lot of times, those end up being beauty type work, and I try to do something technical that can serve me commercially. I never want to go to a commercial shoot and experiment for the first time, so I always test several times to make sure I’m comfortable and proficient in that technique or style.

Below is a representation of August 2019. The first images were made for Sacramento magazine’s “Best of Sacramento” issue.

The next images are photos I do for the Casa Roble High School football team. Which my two sons were a part of in the last eight years, but no longer.

Then there’s a group of 39 I did for a private client. I ended up having to substitute for different people into that image for the final composite. The rest of the gallery represents various beauty and private work, as well as a few of the images I did for the Preston Castle.

So for that month, I ended up making 7166 images.

Now on to the next month.

Tim Engle 9/30/19 Tim Engle 9/30/19

That in-between time

Last weekend I had my annual "photo weekend" with NCDC (Northern California Dance Conservatory).

Last weekend I had my annual "photo weekend" with NCDC (Northern California Dance Conservatory). My main setup was 3 Indra 500's. I set up a 4th light with a wide angel dish and grid way off to camera left. I changed the channel for that light and had a second remote on my D810 with a Sigma 35mm. I hoped to catch the in-between shot when the dancers were thinking about the pose they wanted to do. I only got 33 images with that setup, but I'm digging how it worked out.

Tim Engle 9/26/19 Tim Engle 9/26/19

Sacramento Magazine Best Of Issue

About two months ago the art director for Sacramento magazine came to me with a concept for the upcoming best of Sacramento issue. He wanted images with a really high saturation look. One of the things about doing photos like this is that everybody has a different idea of what high saturation looks like. The first thing we decided to do was run some test, so we were all on the same page with the look. This was so helpful in determining the saturation and color palette we wanted to keep throughout the entire project.

Sacramento Magazine “Best Of Sacramento”

About two months ago, the art director for Sacramento magazine came to me with a concept for the upcoming Best of Sacramento issue. He wanted images with a highly saturated look. One of the things about doing photos like this is that everybody has a different idea of what high saturation looks like. The first thing we decided to do was run some tests, so we were all on the same page with the look. Testing was helpful to determine the level of saturation, as well as the color palette that we wanted to keep throughout the entire project.

A little bit on the technical part; most of the images were created with the Nikon Z6. The gels were by ROSCO. A majority of the shots were tethered to my laptop so the art director could watch as we were shooting, providing feedback and direction to the individuals. Shooting images like this requires a delicate balance between color saturation and exposure. You can get higher saturation, but you run the risk of losing detail in the highlights if you're not careful. I was able to find a perfect combination, and with the help of lightroom, I was able to pull the saturation to the desired level.

The full assignment ended up being 11 separate shoots, ranging from studio still life and tabletop, to a group of three women restauranteurs. Gabriel (SacMag art director) scheduled all the various shoots at my studio, which always proves to be one of the hardest things to do with so many people. Because my studio doesn't have air conditioning throughout and the temperature was registering 102 degrees, we tried to keep most of the shoots earlier in the day.

It's gratifying to see a project like this come together and then printed in one piece. I enjoyed meeting all the wonderful subjects and making images with them.

The Best Of Winners I made images for are.

Best TVsportscaster: Del Rodgers, KCRA 3
Best Mexican Dining: Tres Hermanas
Best Bakery: Freeport Bakery
Best Hair salon, Best Bath shop, Best Beauty supply store & Best place to buy a special gift: Total Beauty Experience
Best Fitness Center: California Family Fitness
Best place to get a tattoo: Emerald Tattoo and Piercing
Best Afternoon Drive radio: “That Damn Show,” 98 Rock
Best rock radio station: 98 Rock
Best place to get a costume: Evangeline's Costume
Best Dance Club Best LGBT Bar: Faces
Best Bartender: Jim Wakeland, The Firehouse Restaurant

Special thanks to

Art Director: Gabriel Teague

Makeup: Ernesto Robledo

Assistants: Christine Alward, Skip Jones, and Serena Starks

Equipment used:

Nikon Z6 & D810

Sigma 35 & 85mm

Phottix Indra 500's

ROSCO gels

Teather Tools cables

Tim Engle 9/10/19 Tim Engle 9/10/19

Run Cover

A few months back, we went on location for a cover shoot, for a special Sacramento magazine supplement.

A few months back, we went on location for a cover shoot, for a special Sacramento magazine supplement. The day we chose ended up being the only day that week that was overcast and dreary, which worked in our favor. There was a bit of moisture which gave higher saturation to the surrounding plants and also made it easier for our model to function. The lighting for the shoot was Phottix Indra 500's. These lights are so ideal for location work. They offer very durable batteries as well as high-speed sync, which was crucial for a running shoot my other the lights would not have performed so well. It's so important to have a solid crew to help on these types of shoots. I've worked with all of these individuals before, and they're genuinely talented and good at what they do.

Thanks to a great crew!

Model: Arionna Morales

Makeup: Ernesto Robledo

Art Direction: John Facundo

Production: Christine Alward

Assistant: Skip Jones

Tim Engle 8/12/19 Tim Engle 8/12/19

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..

Gels by ROSCO

Light setup Phottix

Camera Nikon Z6

Lens Sigma 105

I am now shooting the assignment for the next two weeks.

Model: @trinwoodward

Tim Engle 7/20/19 Tim Engle 7/20/19

An afternoon with some amazing history

Recently I was assigned to cover the historic rail yards in Sacramento, which consist of the Railyard, Boiler Shop, and the Erecting Shop for Sacramento Magazine. If you live in Sacramento, then you know this iconic location. Located in downtown Sacramento, it's been a location that I have wanted to explore my entire life. So my excitement, when I learned I was going to shoot there, was through the roof! The short story on why it became possible to shoot there is that the rail museum became the owner of the property recently and the red tape to get in was reduced. It still took a few months of e-mails and phone calls, which I was more than happy to participate in.

Now for the planning part.

I had no idea what I would face in terms of lighting. All I knew was that the windows are big and beautiful. Knowing I would have some good natural light, I planned on bringing reflectors and strobes. Regularly using my Nikon 810 and Nikon D4, I also wanted to add an extra camera to my arsenal for this assignment, so I rented the Fuji GFX 50R. That's a medium format digital mirrorless camera. I had worked with the GFX the month prior in Palm Springs and loved the files it made. Also, the Electronic View Finder on the Fuji allows the user to see the exact image and exposure of the end product before you take it, which was a massive help in this environment.

Now onto the location.

My assistant Skip and I arrived around 8:45 am for the walkthrough. The first thing I noticed was how friendly the workers were. After further discussion, I came to find out that most of the workers are volunteers. These volunteers are there because of their absolute love of trains.

The Railyard Boiler Shop and the Erecting Shop Over the course of many years, California State Parks has worked with the State Lands Commission, City of Sacramento, and Downtown Railyard Venture to acquire the historic Boiler Shop Building and the Erecting Shop. On Sept. 8, 2017, the Public Works Board approved the acquisition of the Boiler Shop Building and secured a 30-year lease, with an option to acquire, the Erecting Shop, which closed escrow in early 2018. These buildings could also one day serve as an ideal venue for exhibits and hands-on activities that actively demonstrate how transportation, industry, technology, agriculture, business, and diversity shaped our past and continue to be a part of our vibrant future. . . . . #Sacramento #railroads #trains #workshop #fujigfx #sacmag #californiastateparks

The next observation I had was how there is a vast amount of trains in the two buildings. As I looked around, I was a bit awestruck by the amazing history that surrounded me. It's tough to do the description justice (which is why I shoot pictures), but everywhere I turned I, saw part of our American history and learned how without the rail system we would not be the nation we are today.

It's time for the images.

We ended up shooting from 9am to noon. I could have gone all day, but our agreement was only for that time window and I never want to push it on these kinds of deals (I want to be invited back!). I made around 550 images and used the GFX for about 80% of those shots. I didn't use any strobes and only used the reflector a little; the light was that good!

Lastly, if you have never been to the main Rail Museum in Old Sacramento, then I suggest you go! And if you have been, then go again. They have some new items that are worth learning about and be sure and talk with the volunteers; they have some fascinating stories to tell.

Tim Engle 6/23/19 Tim Engle 6/23/19

Mermaids and my iPhone

Last month I had an assignment to photograph mermaids. Now I've never been into the whole mermaid by the lake deal and never really wanted to shoot them.

Last month I had an assignment to photograph mermaids. Now I've never been into the whole mermaid by the lake deal and never really wanted to shoot them. So when the task comes, you take the challenge.

The original request had them out of the water, so I made that image and them did my idea, which was to take them underwater.

So happy I did, it was so much stronger. Tech details, I had an underwater camera which was total garbage so, in the end, I made this with my iPhone. Yes, I did wreck my iPhone. That's another story.