Tonight’s shoot… T-Shirt, Jeans, one of my ‘hardware store special’ halogen work-lights, a spray bottle, and a D300s.
I wanted to do something fairly simple, but with some dramatic lighting. I did not have much time to work, and I had some shadows in mind, so I put myself in the corner. These pics are in B&W – actually Sepia #2 with green filter set DIRECTLY IN THE D300s! I know – my RAW shooting viewers are UNHAPPY right now 😉
About halfway through the shoot, my friend sprayed some water on me… a lot of water. NEXT TIME – WARM WATER!!! 🙂
A couple of promo images for everyone (and a third on my Facebook page!)
And my VIP’s get all 21 images from the shoot. My friend says that the second-to-last image in the VIP Gallery is the HOTTEST 😉
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I love a parade! Since I have new gear since I last made a video like this, I figured that I would keep you all up to date with what I’m using.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with my setup. I still would like an ultra-wide, but I definitely have the mid-range and telephoto covered for my purposes.
Here is the video for everyone – its about 6 minutes long. For the VIP video down below, I go into more detail about the lens and body combinations that I use most often, with a video that is nearly twice as long as the regular one.
Also, I’m putting together a shoot for Sunday. If you have been to my facebook page, you can see that I’m asking around for ideas! Let me know your ideas!
VIP’s – make sure that you are signed in and check out the longer format video below! Not VIP yet? It’s easy to join! 🙂
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Hi! OK, this new video is posted. Without question, one of the top 3 questions that is emailed to me asks “Which should I get, the 50mm f1.8 or the 35mm f1.8.” This video is the FINAL WORD on that question…. just kidding! Although I do pick my favorite in the video, each is a terrific lens capable of great results in various circumstances.
Here are the field of view comparison shots! Camera locked on tripod in same location for each, first 50mm, then 35mm.
50mm
35mm
Below, for my Beloved VIP’s! Is an extended length video of this DEATHMATCH! 🙂
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Hi everyone! After a little bit of a delay, here is the 5th installment of the Valentine Portraits. Tomorrow, as I mentioned on my Facebook page, will be the 35mm f1.8 DX versus 50mm f1.8 DEATHMATCH. If you have not added me on Facebook, just click here…
SnapChick on Facebook
I have several other SnapChick projects going on which you will all benefit from! So, stay tuned.
OK, now back to the Valentine’s shoot – If you remember, in the early parts of the shoot, I watched and waited, but you did not arrive… then I became vengeful and burned up a rose!!!
That whole rose-burning wore me out, so it was time for a peaceful bath!
What a nice way to relax! VIP’s can relax a little more… with some additional bath-time photos! Patreon Patrons click here to see the gallery! You can also learn more about my Patreon page here! 🙂
UPDATE: You can see the other parts of this shoot at the links below…
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
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Hi! I’m working my way through the Valentine’s shots! Here is part 4. This part… well… turned out a little bit more “provocative” than I expected, so there are only a couple of promo images for this “M for Mature” shoot! 🙂 These shots were predominantly in front of my tan background, with a few in some corners of the studio without backdrop. These are all B&W with plenty of dark tones and shadow… and a little bit of fire!
My hope is that this shoot will give you ideas regarding how you can use less light and darker tones to add more dimension and create mysterious and alluring images!
VIP’s get Everything below – 23 pics for you! Patreon Patrons click here to see the gallery! You can also learn more about my Patreon page here! Let me know what you think!
UPDATE: You can see the other parts of this shoot at the links below…
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 5
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Hi! I’ve been using my Eye-Fi card in various ways. Here is the one that I have…
Eye-Fi Connect X2 4 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-4CN
Wanna see and hear me talk about how I use it… check this video out!
And don’t forget – Parts 4 and 5 of my Valentine’s shoot are still coming up! Stay tuned!
VIP’s… enjoy all of these photos below. No technical discussion for these… but if you have questions, let me know 🙂 Patreon Patrons click here to see the gallery! You can also learn more about my Patreon page here!
UPDATE: You can see the other parts of this shoot at the links below…
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
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… it starts here… dark tones, plenty of contrast… waiting for you arrive…
VIP’s, please enjoy these 33 images below 🙂 Not yet VIP? It’s easy to join! Patreon Patrons click here to see the gallery! You can also learn more about my Patreon page here!
UPDATE: You can see the other parts of this shoot at the links below…
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
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Sandra came over to my studio on Sunday to work with me on a project… the project is taking too long (don’t all projects take too long?), but we took a giant leap forward, thanks to her great looks and variety of outfits!!!
Here’s the video where we talk about the shoot. VIP’s see down below in your section of the post for the super-extended-behind-the-scenes cut!!!
The project that I am working on is a book that will illustrate 20 unique portraits – and it will contain a precise lighting diagram and instructions for each. After each of the eight scenes from the shoot was complete, we took tedious measurements and noted all lighting and camera settings. There is much more to come regarding this project. There will be shots of Sandra, some never-before-seen shots of SnapChick 🙂 and one other model. My goal is to make an alluring book that will inspire photographers and models alike! The instructions in the book will get you on the ‘fast track’ to deriving your own portraits from the examples.
Here are two “rough cut” sample images from the shoot… These might not be the final images used for the book, but they represent a couple of the scenes that we shot. There were minor contrast enhancements in PS… D300s, 17-55mm DX…
VIP’s you get two more images of Sandra in different scenes. Also, you get all of the behind-the-scenes footage, over 14 minutes total. This video runs long, but MANY of you have been asking about the behind the scenes work and discussions that go in to my shoots. BUT, if you don’t want to see two girls talking about clothes quite a bit, you might want to fast-forward a little! There are also clips of our interactions while I’m taking pictures.
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Hi! Are you ready for the weekend? I am!
To celebrate the weekend, I put together a portrait shoot on my staircase in a “Magazine Editorial” style… I can dream, can’t I???
To put this shoot together, I used the natural afternoon light on my staircase, D300s, ISO 3200, Aperture Priority f2.8 with the 17-55 DX lens, and spot metering (face).
I used the “Vintage” filter in Aperture on my iMac to achieve the washed out/golden colors in the images. I had debated processing the images in black and white, but I was pleased with the vintage effect.
Where are the promo images?
Well, this shoot is really for my BELOVED VIP’s, but I did place a promo image out on the SnapChick facebook page. Just look over the the right… OK a little further… do you see the Facebook box now? Click in there to get to my Facebook page! If you haven’t been to my Facebook page, I post a little something there -almost- daily.
OK, VIP’s this shoot is for you! Let me know what you think!!! 🙂
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Hi! If you have been following my blog and videos lately, you know that I have been dabbling a bit in Green Screen using some fine products furnished by Backdrop Express!
One of the products of theirs I have been working with is a roll of their Tech Green seamless paper,,,
http://www.backdropexpress.com/backgrounds.71/tech-green.aspx
I really like this paper, so I made a video about it!
From a photography perspective, shooting with the Tech Green, when desiring a green-screen effect is much like shooting with a white backdrop – in other words, you want to illuminate the backdrop evenly using some background lights. For still photography, I have been using my trust SB-800’s sitting atop inexpensive tripods for this purpose. The results are stellar! And I am easily able to use the Magic Wand tool in Photoshop to quickly create a mask, knock out the background, and replace it with the background of my choice. You don’t need Photoshop to do this – there are other software packages which will allow you to quickly select and remove the green portions of the image… my personal preference is Photoshop.
One of the reasons that I really enjoy working with seamless paper is that it is always fresh, unwrinkled and ready to go. When it isn’t, you can unroll a bit more, cut off the older portion, and you have a fresh, new, ready-to-go backdrop. I especially like roll paper now that I have hard floors in my studio, so that I can have talent wear heels on the paper without punching holes in it!
For video, I prefer to use the collapsible green backdrop. The collapsible backdrop is blue/green reversible and is easily evenly illuminated, even with my hardware-store halogen lights. That is to say that using the collapsible backdrop, in concert with iMovie, I was able to have the automated green-screen feature in iMovie work a little better. I also like the flexibility / portability of the collapsible backdrop in the field. That being said, my backdrop stand lives in my studio, so I always have the Tech Green roll paper available to me in an instant!
I am very happy with both the seamless Tech Green paper and the collapsible blue/green backdrop. Stay tuned to my site and my YouTube channel for my latest green-screen work! I am learning more every day and, like always, I will share everything I learn with you!!! Thanks again to Backdrop Express!