Life seen through the lens of photographer Phil Steele
Holy Moly! You’re not going to believe how much information is packed into this gigantic 328-page ebook from photographer Ashley Karyl, a 25-year veteran of the fashion and beauty industry:
How To Photograph Nudes Like a Professional
This guy knows it all, and he reveals it all in this book that goes WAY beyond nudes to cover almost everything involved in a photography career.
If you have ever dreamed of working in any way with models, fashion, beauty, or glamour photography, you’re going to want to download this book right now. (more…)
Phottix Strato II Multi
If you follow my product reviews at my photography training website, you probably know that the Phottix Strato has long been my favorite radio trigger for off-camera flash photography.
(If you want to learn why, you can watch my video review of the Strato.)
Well, the geniuses at Phottix have just improved on perfection by creating the new STRATO II MULTI flash trigger. (more…)
For the full gallery click here. (Requires Flash, sorry iPad users.)
This was supposed to be a sunset shoot on a gorgeous rooftop of a high-rise downtown. We had the perfect angle to place the setting sun behind the models for dazzling backlight effect.
Everybody ready? Lights, camera, action…
Clouds.
Oh well. I’m on a roof with several beautiful models, so we’re going to make the most of it. Switch to plan B.
Since we had a gray day I tried to create dramatic lighting and dramatic effects in post-processing to make the best of the situation. Underexpose the sky (oops, missed that in some shots when my camera got bumped into Av mode instead of Manual. How did that happen?). Add some vignette in processing and punch up the blacks, etc.
I’m not sure I really succeeded, in getting exactly what I wanted, but do I like some of the shots. And more importantly, I learned some things from my mistakes. Sometimes that is more useful than getting exactly what you planned for.
This was all lit with Speedlites. The techniques I’m experimenting with here are all part of the preparation for an upcoming course on “Advanced Off-Camera Flash.”
I’ll keep you posted on that.
I have a serious impulse-buying problem at my local camera store.
The other day I went in for a $5 lens cap and came out with $75 worth of stuff, including the book ON CAMERA FLASH: Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography by Neil van Niekerk. I should know better than to even peek at the book rack.
But in this case I’m really glad I did. Because this book kicks ass.
Now, I consider myself a fairly advanced flash photographer. After all, I sell a course on off-camera flash photography on my own website. I know a thing or two. But of course, the more you learn about photography, the more you discover there is to learn.
That’s why I’m always thrilled to find a book like this one. (more…)
Click to enlarge
Last week I participated in a “Models and Photographers” Meetup event where I took the photo at left. If you’re an aspiring photographer, or even a pro looking to meet new models or experiment with new techniques, I highly recommend using Meetups (www.meetup.com) as a low-cost, low-stress way to get out in the field and work with like-minded people.
In my city there are at least a dozen photography Meetup groups, many of which hold events at least once per week. Some Meetups charge a small fee to help cover administrative costs, but usually everyone involved is working for trade to build their portfolios (called TFP). At last week’s meetup I found half-a-dozen would-be models and a similar number of photographers all working hard to create great images together with no financial pressure, and no expectations except that any good photos would be provided to the model afterward.
My photo above got some attention from the group, because other photographers who shot the same model in the same location did not get equally good results. They asked me to explain how I made the shot, and I happily obliged (sharing our techniques is one purpose of this group). I thought you might enjoy the explanation as well. (more…)
CLICK TO ENLARGE --- Bliss Dance, sculpture by Lloyd Taylor
Some people think of photographic post-production (especially if the word “Photoshop” is used) as synonymous with trickery—as an underhanded way of creating something fake, of “doctoring” a photo, like some supermarket tabloid cover featuring Gary Coleman partying in a hot tub with an extra-terrestrial. Sure, you can do that with Photoshop.
But for most of us photographers, post-production is not some diabolical plot to create something fake, but a useful tool to help us re-create what we saw in reality but were unable to capture in the camera. Or sometimes what we saw in our mind’s eye as the potential shot, if not for the unfortunate accidents of poor weather, bad lighting, or fat tourists.
It’s a tool to help re-create the shot that should have been. (more…)
Gorillapod with SLIK Tripod Head
As an early Christmas present for myself last year, I bought a Gorillapod Flexible Tripod before traveling to Manhattan. I knew I didn’t want to carry a full-size tripod on the crowded subway, where I might accidentally probe someone and get into trouble. The Gorillapod, which fits in my camera bag (or even a big coat pocket if I don’t mind it hanging out a bit like a high-tech squid) seemed like a great, portable solution.
To mount my Canon 40D on it with some flexibility, I bought a SLIK SBH-120 Tripod Head, a basic but solidly-constructed ball head model. (more…)
Persian Power Trip - Click to enlarge
I’ve had over 1 million page views this month on my Burning Man Festival photo gallery, largely thanks to viral interest in a single photo (shown at left). Don’t get me wrong, this is a popular site, and I typically get hundreds of visitors per day. But occasionally a photo will take off like a rocket in popularity and I’ll be deluged with traffic. As I write this I’m getting 8,000 visitors per day, largely because of one photo. This has happened before, to a lesser extent, with other photos, but this one seems to have captured the world’s imagination.
Can you do this, too? Maybe. And that’s what I’d like to write about today. (more…)
Cactus V5 Wireless Flash Trigger Set
I recently had the privilege of Beta testing the new Cactus V5 Duo Wireless Flash Trigger during its development phase. Now that the veil of secrecy has been lifted, I’m happy to report that this new trigger is a big leap forward over its predecessor, the V4, and it gives a good run for the money to any other flash triggers on the market.
