french wine board

to be a photographer is to be obsessive, well at least for me. i obsess with light and composition. the first thing i look for when approaching a photograph is light: "good light." and if there is none, i don't care how great the location is or how interesting the subject matter. such a situation is  not worth my time. why? photo means light and graph means to write or draw. photography begins and ends with light. if it's absolutely necessary, and there is no light, i will then add my own light. 

light first! 

this presents a problem in my personal life, as it does for many photographers. for the past three years, within the context of my personal life, i've found it difficult to be an active observer/ to live in the moment, if you will. most of time, i engage in passive observance because i take out my cell phone or camera(s) to photograph or record videos: at dinner, on a nature walk, at a weekend retreat, riding my bike etc. sometimes, i am not "present" in the moment because i am documenting. i document to develop and leave a legacy so others can enjoy it after i am gone. 

it’s a trade off... this choice is greater than i.

so this past weekend gina and i went to wine country with a few friends and visited a number of wineries, quiet at a few wineries, ok a lot of wineries, ok, I love wine, don't judge me! anyways, at some of the wineries, after ever glass tasted, i walked away from the counter and looked around for light, interesting subject matter, and then returned to try the next glass. at one winery in particular, there was a riddling wine rack/ french wine board  sitting on top of two barrel in front of a window. 

voila!

and then it ensued: "lay on the floor," turn your head slightly left, soft, breath,...ummm... yeah!

making subjects appear as if they are lit by room lights but instead they are lit by flash

the goal is to make the photograph appear as if it is only being lit by the room light. in this particular case the chandelier. however, it is lit by a flash to camera right. the flash is used to mimic and supplement the room light because the chandelier does not have enough power to light the entire body. the flash thus give the photo a magical feel and is primarily used sculpt the subject resulting in a smooth, yet sharp contrast between highlights and shadows. additionally, the flash  is manipulated  in ways the room light cannot.

tools
1. large expoimiging rogue flash bender with diffusion panel
2. cheap manual flash, cost about $30 USD
3. impact power sycn16 dc transmitter and impact power sycn16 dc receiver
4. nikon d700
5. nikon 85mm f/1.8 g
6. 11 feet manifrotto light stand
7. CTO gel

techincals

ISO: 1250
aperture: f2.2
shutter: 1/60

flash
about 1/4 power.


N.b. 
flash: i don't know the name of the flash i used and this is purposely done because, i don't want to know. i bought 2 cheap manual flashes that i use as kicker lights for weddings and events. the point is it does not matter. the goal is to learn to control and manipulate the light. though i still carry my alien bees 1600s and nikon flash with me as back ups.

flash bender:  why? again for this particular photograph it does matter the diffuser i used. you can use an umbrella, soft box or any type of diffuser for your photograph. it only matters if you are going for a specific look that a particular diffuser creates. why do i use the flash bender? because i can hold it in one hand, with a flash synch cord and shoot off camera flash at the same time as well as have my assistant hold and direct it quickly for individual and group portraits.

CTO gel: was used to match the temperature of the tungsten chandelier.  i set camera's white balance to tungsten and gel flash with CTO gel. if you don't gel your flash to match the temperature of the room, its higly like you will have ugly colors that cannot be corrected in post. the goal is to photograph the skin tones and capture them to as close they look in real life.



note this type of lighting can be used to supplement candles, bond fires, kerosene lamps, window lights. the main thing is to match the light by gelling the flash with the correct gel and aim the the flash in the direction where the light is pointing towards your subject. as well as including the light source in the frame, because this will create the illusion that the room light is lighting the subject.  you can purchase rosco gels cheaply for camera mount flashes, the only caution is that it contains 1/2 CTO and not a full CTO. however it contains gels for matching window light, fluorescent etc...

another tactic not shown here is, if you have large lamp shades you can hide a flash in the lamp shade to mimic the light of the lamp. there are may ways to accomplish this type of lighting, you need to practice and experiment.

see more here: http://www.shodiphoto.com/2013/06/20/deara-is-fabulous/

keep kewl!

balancing business and art

artist/photographer: primarily concerned with producing excellent work
business person: purely profit minded
artist/photographer in business: producing quality work while still being profit minded

the goal is to be an photographer/(artist) in business. being a staunch business person will take out the emotional element that brides are looking for and being purely an artist/photographer will leave you broke.

therefore with every wedding your goals should be:

a) make the wedding party comfortable and have them love the photographer

b) produce solid work
c) turn a profit and sustain a profitable business
d) keep a relationship with clients after wedding

all the goals listed are equally important and interconnected, if one is to be a successful artist in business. look at it this way: if the photographer makes the bride comfortable and she loves you; she will recommend you to others and in return this means more profit.

a purely business minded photographer once said to me "my goal is to turn an 80% profit, i don't care if people think i am a shitty photographer."

as photographers our primary product is emotions, which are tied to the photographs we sell. a photograph when viewed by a bride incurs how she felt  in that moment. since photographs are the vehicle of emotions, then my rationale is this: someone who does not care about the quality of their work, generally does not care about the emotions they are selling. therefore a shitty photograph may reflect a positive emotional moment but it will never make her love your work or you.

to balance these 4 goals can difficult, because as one may be developing their photographic style while they are in business. there is a few ways it can be done. e.g. have some skilled business person(s) take care of the business if you are purely artist minded. if you are business minded, one way is to outsource your post production. 

or find a balance by putting in double time:

a) master your craft: photographic technicals and post processing

b) learn leadership skills

c) study and learn to market, sell, advertise, brand

d) work on being friendly, genuine, sociable.

e) learn to network

f) know when you need help and knowing where to find it

the key is not to let profit out weigh quality work or the emotional element outweigh profit or vice versa.

keep kewl!

style

anybody can take a photograph, it takes vigilance, time, hard work, and focus to create a masterpiece.

WHY? 

having a style is important: it will set you apart from every other photographer. you will be known for, it will help to define you as a an artist, it will become part of your legacy, it's a reflection of who you are and your feelings, and it is what will get you booked.

when you first start shooting you will copy everything and everyone, you will shoot every genera. it's ok!  this is the process of development, because nothing is new under the sun. anything you can think of has been done before. Note! your favorite photographer did not become good overnight. also note, talent is overrated, most people aren't naturally great, they work/(ed) hard to achieve what they have and you should too.

"Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night." - henry wadsworth longfellow

HOW

be inspired: but do not copy or try to reproduce the exact photographs others have done. go to museums, look at paintings and sculptures. explore other art forms: music, poetry, art etc. explore other genera of photography other than you own. food photography has influenced some of my wedding photography.

as far as movies i liked "the other boleyn girl": it has dramatic rembrandt lighting through out the movie, which reflects one of my favorite ways i like to light photographs. read this book "steal like and artist", the author brilliantly explains the process of artistic development. he states your style is like the genes of a child . a father's genes plus a mother's genes gives you a whole "new" set of genes. in short what you have learned or what you are influenced by plus your own gives you something "new."

 "bathsheba at her bath" (1654) - rembrandt | "garter" - ade oshodi (2013) 

focus: as you grow, you will begin to realize that you like some elements of photography (lighting styles, composition elements, different genera of photography, environments) more than others. it is at that point that you narrow down your focus and work hard at one or two genera of photography. ansel adams wasn't know for his boudoir, food, pet, and fashion work, he mastered nature photography. pick a genera that you love and stick to it! become a one trick pony.

reflect: go back to the drawing board. ask yourself what you do/don't like about what you are producing. make prints that you think reflect your style. ask the opinion of skilled artisans in photography, in different generas of art, as well as the opinions of lay persons alike. take a break, relax, then go look again with different eyes. refine.

competence and consistency: know your gear, equipment, lighting techniques, compositional elements, people skills, and everything relating to the technical aspect of photography like you know how to spell your name. i don't need to explain why, if you are reading this you know why. consistency: after you have reached a point where you have narrowed down what you like and chosen your path stay on that track, repeat it over and over and over and over and over, then you will begin to develop a style of your own and start inspiring others. and finally do not change your style to suit clients needs, you will run into much trouble, clients who like your style will book you for that and there is plenty of people out there who want what you are offering.

keep kewl!

practise, practi[c]e, practi[c]e

glory. from a practice session with my niece

as artist we struggle with the notion of: "is my work good enough"; we go through a lot of self doubt: scrapping and retrying. akin to the proverbial writer in the movies, who types a script on his/her typewriter and then in an instant, brutally snatches the paper from the typewriter, crumples it, and tosses it into the garbage.

it makes the developmental process of art even more difficult if one is in the business of art because most times business take preference over art. so whats the key? practice! that age old concept that betters our skills, so when we are on location we are not practicing but rather preforming. i have an alarm on my tele that reminds me daily to "practice your craft."  most times when it alarms, i am in the process of doing so already. this could be a five minute process of looking for a new location and searching for contrast, color, shadows, lines, posing, light etc. or a six hour process depending on what i am doing. i believe in practicing with the camera, or simply with my mind's eye, as well as practicing my post processing techniques.

second, it is my philosophy that "art is a dialectical process," it is also what keeps me going. and by that i mean: i have learned the rules, i follow them, i break them, i am influenced/inspired by those before me, i add my own, i develop, i produce, i change, i grow, i refine, i add, i subtract, i worry, i scrap, i go back, i work hard, i do, i never give up!  and finally, i always keep in mind "all will be right in the end, and if its not right, it's not the end."

keep kewl!