olc
Friday, March 25, 2016
More from the dog park
The first shots are of a very Beautiful gal and her guy. I did a little post here. I cropped the images and then put some added blur to bring the two into more prominence.
I really love this ones eyes!
Beware the cat
I had some difficulty getting this shot. The wall I had to shot around was pretty walling, it blocked a whole lot of angles, but I think it came out OK. The sun was getting a little high in the sky, but I still wanted this shot. What do you think?
olc
Sunday, March 20, 2016
A sign of things to come?
One wonders why this is on the ground. Could it be a for-teller ofthings to come?
olc
A statue 0n New Years Day morning
I think I was walking around Wall Street in Downtown Asheville when I saw this.
olc
A quick review of my last shoot
16-2-19 Shoot with Ashley and Jason's cars.
This shoot was way too long. I think the next time we get together, I'll have to limit to just one, or two hours max with Ashley. She is enthusiastic, but working so long will take any one down, including me. I was watching a YouTube video that says when everyone's energy is at it's highest is when to call it done. The logic goes like this; you don't want to shoot some one when they are exhausted.
This lesson is learned.
Jason, her boyfriend was awesome. Whatever I needed he did. I love working with big 'ol country boys! When I asked him to do something he did it. If he did not understand my cryptic requests he asked for clarification and listened and did it right.
His Chevelle was beautifully finished. White with two Black running stripes running up the hood...and that rumble of power shook the ground under my feet. I only hope I was able to capture the feeling in my shots.
Ashley is a dream to work with. She is always ready for anything and has a great attitude. When I got to her house, she showed me her clothes and outfits. Such a varied selection, perhaps we will have to better define our next objective.
I think the first lesson in this shoot is that not only am I motivated when I am on location but our assistants are too. I asked Jason to assist with holding the reflector and he jumped to it. When we changed location, he grabbed the equipment and did it. I totally respected his reticence about touching any of my gear without first learning how.
I took a couple of shots of the interior of the Chevelle with Ashley in there. They came out fairly well, but the flash I was using bounced both through the window and over the top. I was lucky in that we encountered no bad effects with this, but I'll need to remember it for future shoots.
When I tried to use the CFL, it did not work very well to remove reflections from the wind shield. We had to work around that issue. I think the problem was something about not having the light source, the sun, at a 90 degree angle from the subject. Need to work on that too.
We went to the basement and shot there for a minute. This worked well. We got some good stuff. It was a close space, but very interesting! We could have spent more time there, but my vision of this part of the shoot was vague and undefined.
However, Jason looked through a window and saw one of his project cars. I'll post some images. Picture this: A cloudy spider webbed window with a car on the outside shrouded by a tarp. The window working as a frame. I may have gotten it right.
At one point, Ashley wanted to change her outfit. This was fine with me because I wanted to frame some shots without any distractions. After a minute, I went outside to clear my head from the dusty basement air.
The clouds outside were thinning a little and created a beautiful golden hue. Jason and Ashley have a bamboo grove with a little alcove cut out. Perfect for intimate, close in portraits. The light filled this area with magic.
A quick change of plans and we found a portrait just waiting to be made. In my limited time as a photographer, this one really shows the beauty of my subject. The light, her smile, the shadows and bokeh just came together. See, even a hack can fall into an outstanding image, if he takes enough pictures!
We went back into the basement and fooled around a little more, though everyone was getting tired and hungry.
Pizza and a little beer came along. We talked and reviewed the pics. It was obvious our moment was over, but one of the props we used was an old .22 that had family history and a whole lot of character. I put together a quick background with my light stand and a red back drop. I used the pop up and a speedlite to light it. The shadows were being difficult and I could not figure out how to make them go away.
I decided to try something weird and throw the light across the subject and have it bounce off the wall. I hoped this would do something to get rid of the shadows.
Nope. That did not work. It created something very special instead.
We had created an incredible and dramatic shadow effect. Picture a red background with a gun having an old red wooden butt. The barrel of the gun was old and scared. The light created a dramatic dark shadow accentuating its highlights. The backdrop was wrinkled enough to create and augment the shadows of that old .22.
I made this shot trying to get rid of ALL shadows, yet we created a shot with them. Creating more drama than I could have imagined. It seems to bring to life the history and life of that old gun.
I think the most important take-away from Saturday is we got some great shots that were totally planned out and they came out really well. Yet, one must be ready for the unexpected and just do it.
Luck may be a factor, but being an opportunist helps too. As I get more experienced, I hope I'll be able to see these opportunities and learn how to exploit them. I have a long road to go, but as I learn to drive my gear I hope I'll see opportunities which will show up like road signs showing me new places to go.
The road is long and exciting to travel.
olc
Below are some shots with Ashley and Jason's Chevelle.
Some random thoughts
No pictures in this one.
I got my first DSLR about a year and a half ago for a project I was working on. I figured that I could master it in a week or so and then get back to the original project...since then, I have lost the data for the book I was trying to put together and totally focused on photography. I guess I'm gonna have to restart it soon.
At any rate, I am fortunate enough to have a local shop that I get most of my equipment from. So far, I have bought several lenses and two camera bodies as well as most of the accessories like memory chips, lens cleaner and stuff. The first camera was a Canon 40D which performed exceptionally for the whole time I used it. The only reason I replaced it was because the shutter count was way above 100,000. Just a little while ago, I bought my Canon 7D, which I traded for cash and the 40D.
I'm gonna suggest anyone who is interested in photography find a local dealer and develop a relationship with them. The benefits of face to face contact are beyond anything which you can get online. It seems that every time I walk into the shop, I get so much more then a camera body, lens or even memory chip. I can ask a technical question, and we will talk it through until my dull brain comprehends all aspects of the subject. I see the sales guys do this for anyone who comes in. Also, they print in house and will do Photoshop improvements if I want. All for competitive pricing compared to online printing---most of the time same day!
Gonna throw in a plug here: http://ballphotosupply.com. They have an online presence, which I know nothing about, but they may have what you are looking for. I am not sure about prices, though I check on line before buying something expensive, in most cases however, I think I get a comparable price to other venues. For the convenience of having a local shop and the educational value of having a relationship, I am willing to go to a brick and mortar store.
So, these are my thoughts.
olc
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Teddy in a basket
My friend just bought this wire basket and said i could take a few of it. I have a picture or two if it with fruit which I am still trying to get the shadows out of, but I like this one more.
An old .22 with a 9 bullet barrel
I took this one but it seemed a little flat
So, I turned it around and played a little with the lighting, but it still was not right.
Finally, I did something really different and crossed the flash directly over the gun trying to bounce off the wall opposite. Well, I did not get the effect I wanted, but I think this one is OK.
Ashley and all of her beauty
We may do this one again, only with a bigger knife.
She also makes my camera look good!
A little coquettish, what a smile!
What is she thinking about here?
olc
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Still life set up
This is the studio I made for my still life work. You know the beer bottles and figurine and such.
Did ya' nice the spy?
olc
Chick with a gun and a pick'em-up
OK, so she is not a chick. I have had the fun and privilege to work with her a few times. She takes a good picture and helps to make me look like I know what I'm doing.
The weather was a little iffy when we started, the sky was threatening rain, but we had planned on the shoot for a while, so we went ahead. The truck is her boyfriends, which he had restored and boy did it sound good.
As for how it looks? You tell me.
olc
Sunday, March 6, 2016
A little thought about shopping local
I got my first camera about a year and a half ago for a project I was working. I figured that I could master it in a week or so and then get back to the original project...Since then, I have lost the data for the book I was trying to put together and totally focused on photography. I guess I'm gonna have to restart it soon.
At any rate, I am fortunate enough to have a local shop that I get most of my equipment from. So far, I have bought several lenses and two camera bodies as well as most of the accessories like memory chips, lens cleaner and stuff. The first camera was a Canon 40D which performed exceptionally for the whole time I used it. The only reason I replaced it was because the shutter count was way above 100,000. Just last Friday, I bought my Canon 7D, which I traded for cash and the 40D.
I'm gonna suggest to anyone who is interested in photography find a local dealer and develop a relationship with them. The benefits of face to face contact are beyond anything which you can get online. It seems that every time I walk into the shop, I get so much more then a camera body, lens or even memory chip. I can ask a technical question, and we will talk it through until my dull brain comprehends all aspects. I see the sales guys do this for anyone who comes in. Also, they print in house and will do Photoshop improvements if I want. All for competitive pricing compared to online printing---most of the time the same day!
Gonna throw in a plug here: http://ballphotosupply.com. They have an online presence, which I know nothing about, but they may have what you are looking for. I am not sure about prices, though I check on line before buying something expensive, in most cases however, I think I get a comparable price to other places. For the convenience of having a local shop and the educational value of having a relationship, I am willing to go to a brick and mortar store.
So, there is my thoughts
olc
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