Death By Beauty

Back in Australia and back in the studio for my first shoot for 2012!

My usual style is quiet high contrast low key. So I decided to start the year off by stretching myself right out of my comfort zone and into high key. And what could be more so than a beauty shoot - with a twist. :)

Having a good working relationship with your model is important at every shoot, but especially when you are asking the model to do something that requires great care. Like standing in the studio with a noose around her neck.

Although the noose is not tight, is it suspended from a boom stand above, restricting movement. I am very fortuante to have a good working relationship with model and actress Jessica Hutchinson, whom I have worked with before.

Always remember the golden rule: "Look after the model". :)

The lighting was set up as a beauty shot. I used two small strip-light soft boxes to blow out the backdrop [in this case seamless paper] and a beauty dish directly in front of Jessica to give the soft wrap around light. Bounce back from the white seamless also helped to ensure Jessica was evenly lit.

The shoot was lots of fun and a great way to get back into the studio after an extended break overseas. :)

Gear Addiction

"Put down that credit card and step away from the computer".

This is something I have to tell myself on a regular basis. Also known as "Gear Acquisition Syndrome". See shiny new gear - want. Not need, but definitely want.

I've always been a bit of a magpie. It's not that I think that new gear will make me a better photographer. It's the many possibilities that they represent.

My addiction extends to photography books, DVDs and online training. The later is slightly more justifiable and I think really good value. But with an already large backlog of material to read/watch it was time to make a few resolutions.

1. To sort out the gear that I just don't use and can't see myself using. Have a gear sale.

2. Don't buy any more gear until I'm using all the gear I kept.

3. Read all the books and watch all the DVDs and online training.

So far so good. I'll let you know how I go. :)

Joe McNally and keeping it all going

2012 is off to a create start. Last weekend I attended the Joe McNally Location and Lighting 2 day workshop, organized by Marc Koegel and the great team at the Vancouver Photo Workshops.

Joe McNally is not only an incredibly talented photographer but also a really genuinely nice guy, very generous with his knowledge and quick with a joke.

Watching Joe work quite frankly makes my head spin a little. So many things to think about and take into consideration; Joe has been doing it so long that it seems effortless although he assures us that it's not.

One of the best parts of the workshop for me was working with the other photographers, watching them approach the same basic brief [a model shoot] from completely different angles, and sharing in their thought processes. There were definitely some incredibly talented photographers there, both experienced and new to the craft, all trying to create the image in their head.

One thing Joe said that really stuck with me is that "Photography is 90% confidence".  Like any creative art, there are so many people ready to tear down your work that it's vital you have the confidence in your own work. Even if it's just to say "I'm just starting out and doing the best I can".

I look back at some of my very early work and cringe - but I knew it was the best I could do at the time. Sometimes we are so focused on how far we feel we still have to go, it's important to look back to see how far we've come.

A good start indeed. :)

A new start for 2012

Apologies for lack of blog postings; traveling around Canada since early December has been really fabulous but one of the traps I always seem to fall into is losing track of days/dates.

Suddenly it's 2012 already and time to think about what I want to personally achieve in my photography for the coming year. I have a large stack of books and DVDs that I want to get through, which just isn't going to happen on it's own.

So my first goal is to dedicate one night a week to "photography study". I'm pleased with how my photography is progressing but there is still so much I want to learn.

My other major goal is to "use or lose". I do suffer a bit from "Gear Acquisition Syndrome" and have a lot of small flash modifiers and books that presently sit on the shelf collecting dust as I tend to use my favourites over and over.

Time to be brutal. I need to sort out what I use and want to keep and what needs to go. Once that's sorted I will be having a clear-out sale of all the bits and pieces that need a new home. And to make room for the new stuff that I know will eventually make it's way in. :)

I also have a new direction I'd like to go in for some of my personal projects, but more on that later when I'm a little further down the track.

Happy belated New Year everyone. :)

Joys and Challenges of Travel Photography

One of the things that constantly fascinates me when I travel is how different the light is in the northern hemisphere from that in Australia. It's hard to explain. Light in the northern hemisphere is less harsh, more defused. Colours in the countryside are more saturated and deep.

The Canadian landscape challenges and frustrates me. So much beauty - how can I possible hope to capture it?

Unfortunately there are no easy answers. I mostly shoot in manual, so I've been experimenting with my camera settings - mostly shutter speed and ISO as I don't want to drop my aperture and get too shallow a depth of field.

Winter is Canada also brings with it the challenge of late sunrises and early sunsets. My camera settings at 8 am are completely different to those several hours later.

Okay so this probably sounds like pretty basic stuff; and it is. But it's also a bit like starting over again, because the rules seem to apply slightly differently here. So I shoot, chimp, bracket, shoot again. Rinse and repeat.

Which pretty much for me is a little slice of heaven... :)

Not your average postcard

Traveling through the winter beauty of British Columbia, stunning scenery at every turn crying out to be photographed.

Whilst we are definitely shooting a lot of gorgeous landscapes, I'm also always on the look-out for something a little different. Last night I found a taste of it.

Several hours east of Vancouver, by day Princeton is a delightful and pretty town . By night the combination of neon and Christmas lights opens up a multitude of possibilities.

Above is a image I took of the one of the local motels. A combination of composition and aperture creates an image of something dark and mysterious [which I must stress is no reflection on this lovely establishment].

Regular readers will know that my photography tends to lean towards the darker side. I'm finding it a lot of fun to shoot both traditional travel landscapes and those a little more quirky. Not that I'm given up on shooting portraiture. As long as the image tells a story, I'm there.

I've hoping to line up a couple of model shoots later on in the trip. In the meantime I'm having a great time shooting completely out of my physical element. And picking up some great props along the way.

Just not sure how I'm going to get it all into my suitcase when I return home.... :)

Photographer's Dilemma - what to pack?

As a photographer I've always found packing light a challenge, and never more so when traveling overseas. Which lenses to take, how many speedlites, batter packs, light modifiers - it all starts to add up. And whilst I was tempted to take a friends suggestion of forgoing extra clothing to make room for more gear, I decided in was probably impractical in the middle of winter. :)

So how to pack light? I started by thinking about what I was hoping to be shooting. When I'm overseas it's mostly landscapes, although I do try to get at least one or two model shoots in whilst I'm away. This year's trip to Vancouver will hopefully include a Masterclass in Location Photography and Lighting, and for this I brought a little more portable lighting that I would normally on an overseas trip.

Shooting in a very cold climate can have a very draining effects on batteries, so I brought along battery packs for my speedlights; and lots of extra batteries. Add a light weight tripod and a laptop to the list and suddenly it's all starting to add up.

It's important to know the weight restrictions of the particular airline you are traveling with, both baggage and carry one. We weighed all our bags before leaving home so we knew we were withing the limits. It also meant that I knew how much [or how little] space I had to play with if I wanted to bring anything extra pack.

If you do need to purchase anything bulky whilst away as we did [snow boots and parkas], consider freight them home - it can be a lot cheaper than paying for overweight baggage.

The other thing to consider regarding how much you take, is that you're going to have to carry it all, sometime. If I crammed as much as I could into my camera backpack, I wouldn't be able to carry it very far. Walking around town or even on location somewhere in the country you don't want to have to keep putting your bag down, or risk overbalancing when you kneel down to take a shot.

In the end I probably still packed slightly more than I'll need, even if it's not all that I wanted to. It will be a good lesson to learn - what did I really use and what was in the end just extra weight. Although sadly it will probably not stop me next time, but there's always hoping. :)