For this home portrait session, I used the big bay windows to provide the back light separating the back of the doggies’ head from the leopard print background.  A speedlight  shooting through an umbrella on a light stand is placed just off to camera right.   Milan get ready for these two adorable hotties!

Ten Tiny Taiko Dances

June 19, 2010 | 3pm + 8pm
June 20, 2010 | 2pm
Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway

Ten different choreographers—in genres from traditional to contemporary—taking up the challenge of creating dances for a tiny stage with taiko as the heartbeat. Portland Taiko, working with celebrated choreographer Mike Barber, brings together the best in creative energy of dance from the West Coast, with the soul of taiko in this concert of world premieres.

For you techies, here is the set up to create this image:

So here’s my thought process for this image.  I wanted to show the buildings and sky in the background as well as show “me” and the products in the foreground.

I first metered for the light coming from the window in the background of the image so the buildings and sky would not get “blown out” (i.e. overexposed) in the final image.  Unfortunately, my light meter was in the “shop” so I had to use the meter in the camera body (not the best method but will do in a pinch).  Wanting to keep a good depth of field (i.e. a wider range of keeping “things” in focus), I set the aperture to f/8 and adjusted the shutter speed until my meter indicated the correct exposure (i.e. middle of the scale).

If I just stayed at this setting, everything in the foreground (including me) would be dark.  So the next part to consider was how to light the foreground.  A Nikon D200 was set up on the tripod and an SB900 Speedlight was placed on the light stand with a shoot through umbrella.  The set up image doesn’t show that the light and umbrella was actually placed higher just above my head pointing slightly downward.   Having the light set up “off camera”, I avoided glare off the products and placing the light slightly above me created a flattering shadow line (see below my chin).

Ta Da!  Let me know what you think!

So for you techies:  To get this shallow depth of field, I used my 50mm lens at f/2.0 at ISO 100 shooting at 1/320 sec.  Used ambient light from window off to camera right.  As I’ve suggested in past posts, its not the camera body but the use of fast fixed lenses that can create these shallow depth of field artsy looking images.  Amazing what it does with a simple subject like this little tomato on the vine!

If you have a small space and only two speedlights, how do you photograph a group of 15?

Shout out “DOG PILE!”  Hmmm, maybe that only works with kids – some adults might not be comfortable with this tatic.

I had a “duh.” moment after attending Sandy Puc’s recent workshop stop here in Portland, create a composite of separate smaller group shots.  This also solves the problem of adding in members that were missing the day of this shoot.  Just keep in mind to keep your light placement consistent so the shadows match across all the subjects. And keep your distance from the subjects the same – this will reduce the amount of time you spend in postproduction.  I like to shoot without a tripod so learn from my mistakes!

If you haven’t seen this group perform, their next full ensemble concert is in October.  Their enthusiasm and energy will reverberate down to your core – their joy is contagious.  I dare you not to smile when you see them perform.  Check their website for more information:  Portland Taiko

In a previous post, I talked about playing with a directional light set ups using my camera flash units, Nikon SB-800’s.  The image above is using the Lastolite 15″ softbox + SB-800 on the subject and another SB-800 bouncing off an umbrella to light the Wells Fargo stage coach in the background.  ISO set at 100 and using my 85mm lens, my exposure was 1/50th sec at f/4.5.  I was so excited about the results that I placed an order for Lastolite’s 24″ Ezybox product.

Over the holidays while searching for a good photography book for a friend, I stumbled upon “The Hot Shoe Diaries” by Joe McNally.  It is a compilation of the author’s images using flash units in place of big studio lighting for the very reason that I’ve been researching this concept – the ability to travel light and provide more options for creativity.

Pro Photo Supply, located in NW Portland, had some “toys” I’d been researching in their rental department.  I rented a 15″x15″ Lastolite’s Ezybox Hotshoe (image of product to the left below).  There is a 24″x24″ version but Pro Photo only has the smaller version.

I experimented with photographing a “reluctant” Derek to see the difference between using this softbox vs. umbrella.

Making these images black and white will emphasize the transition and the contrast between the light and the shadows.

With this experiment, I noticed that the transition and contrast weren’t that different between the softbox and the umbrella.  However there is a significant difference between these two and the diffuser.

I’ll need to play a bit more but this gives you an idea of how you can manipulate light to give you different looks.  Its all a matter of taste and a matter of what you are trying to “evoke” with your image.

Stay tuned…

To create my vision of an “ice cave”, I found some plastic bags and glittering threads lying around.  SB-800 speedlights were placed to reflect off the plastic bags and off to the side to light the floral design.  Keeping the ISO low at 100 allowed me to achieve a dramatic look by keeping the background dark and only pick up the light from the speedlights and the lighted subject.

To keep stretching our creativity, seek inspiration and try to apply it to your photography!

I love this image for so many reasons.

From the technical aspect, the “halo” effect comes from the subject being “back lit.”  This means the strongest source of light (in this case the sun) is behind the subject.

In this “back lit” situation if you let your programmable camera select the settings for your exposure, most likely your subject’s face would be too dark.  This is a good time to use a handheld light meter to read the light exposure coming from the brightest side of the child’s face.  Setting your camera to the  ”manual” mode, you set your aperture and shutter speed settings according to your readings off your light meter.

Here’s a little trick to measure exposure readings for photographing moving objects like little tikes on the run like this guy when in outdoor settings.  Place your hand in the same orientation as your subject and take the exposure reading off your hand using the handheld light meter.  You don’t have to be in the exact same spot as your subject.

Another reason why I love this image is the curls of Luke’s hair!  This is my third portrait session with him and he has had these lovely locks since he was a little baby.  Its hard to resist messy up his hair with your hands when you see him.  I’m also in love with his expression, no cheesy smile just soft and sweet.

This slide show is from the November 11 dinners:

- Bergstrӧm Wines and Evening Land Vineyards at The Heathman Restaurant

- Sokol Blosser Winery at El Gaucho Portland

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is my fifth “adventure” in covering these Winemakers Dinners. With each event I get the pleasure of reconnecting with winemakers and chefs from previous events and meeting new and exciting talent!

I reconnected with the charismatic and always entertaining Josh Bergström and his beautiful wife, Caroline of Bergström Wines.  Making its debut is Evening Land Vineyards with their petite and enchanting winemaker, Isabelle Meunier.  Wines from both winemakers were paired beautifully with dishes artfully presented and created by Chef Andrew Biggs and his staff.  As I overheard one guest saying that one will never be disappointed when dining at The Heathman!  To view more images from this dinner, click the following link:  09 CWA-Heathman

My second stop brought me to my first visit to El Gaucho located at the base of The Benson Hotel.  El Gaucho does nothing but impress with impeccable customer service.  Maitre d’ Sherwood Dudley greets you with the warmest smile and handshake leaving you feeling like a long lost friend.  With a full house on a Wednesday evening, Chef Alex Parsons runs the kitchen like a Swiss watch – extreme precision.   This dinner took place in El Gaucho’s intimate Vintage Room, where their wine selection would make any vinophile drool like a kid in a candy store.  Alex Sokol Blosser was every bit as charming and gracious as his handsome demeanor.  To view images from this dinner, please click on this link: 09 CWA-El Gaucho

So why is this also categorized as “Techie Talk?”  I’ve been playing with setting up directional lighting to give dimension and interests to my images.  This is the first time using it in an “event” situation.  Usually these dinners take place in low light situations so this would be a perfect time to practice.  I have to say it was a little more challenging to move lighting as I moved to grab different angles, adjusting power levels from the various light sources on the fly, and adjusting settings on my camera.  I do like the way that they turned out and this was one of my favorites from this event that illustrates this “directional” lighting technique .