Category Archives: Assignment

Assignment, Photography

UCR CHASS graduation 2016

A commencement ceremony guest stands momentarily to grab a photo of her loved one during Sunday evening's commencement ceremony
A commencement ceremony guest stands momentarily to grab a photo of her loved one during Sunday evening’s commencement ceremony

Like years past, I favored covering a graduation in the evening versus the early morning sessions.

I requested a 6 pm graduation and I was assigned the commencement for  College of Humanities, Arts and Social Science.

Temperatures are usually pleasant in early June and there is a lot of daylight on the Pierce Lawn, the site of the ceremony.

I tend to arrive 90 minutes before the start mostly because I dislike being late and in having to rush. Continue reading UCR CHASS graduation 2016 →

Assignment, Tutorials

Outdoor portraits using high shutter speed sync

The downside to shooting in the shade of trees is the greenish cast that comes from sunlight filtering through green leaves. Shooting in camera raw helps.
The downside to shooting in the shade of trees is the greenish cast that comes from sunlight filtering through green leaves. Shooting in camera raw helps. ISO 400 1/160 @f2.8 80mm setting on 80-200 zoom lens. Available light only not Speedlite used.

When photographing people  outdoors, besides the esthetics of your location,  the time of the day is probably the single biggest factor in determining how good your picture will look.

Lighting especially its intensity is critical because available lighting in any scene outdoors determines

  • if your subject will be squinting
  • if you can overpower the ugly patchiness of your background
  • if you can control the contrast between your shadow and highlights
  • the mood and color temperature of your final image

Continue reading Outdoor portraits using high shutter speed sync →

Assignment

High School Senior Portrait 2–Water Polo player Nicholas Barba

The evening light coming through the large windows made it very contrasty. So my 800WL was a necessity. ISO 100 1/160 f4 100 mm lens
The evening light coming through the large windows made it very contrasty. So my 800WL was a necessity. ISO 100 1/160 f4 100 mm lens

Generally speaking high school girls don’t mind having their pictures taken as much as boys.

So when Nicholas’ mum Staci approached me about doing her son’s senior portrait, I sort of expected he would have to be bribed  by his mum.

I’ve had to photograph large groups of VIPs  e.g the newspaper’s board members, university chancellors and other intimidating folks so a high school senior is easy, right? Continue reading High School Senior Portrait 2–Water Polo player Nicholas Barba →

Assignment

High School Senior Portrait 1–Water Polo player Nicholas Barba

Nicholas balances his love for water polo with his academics very well. All his classes are Advanced Placement classes like Physics and Biology
Nicholas Barba balances his love for water polo with his academics very well. All his classes are Advanced Placement classes,  like Physics and Biology, His Letterman jacket behind is one of his most prized possessions. 1 Speedlite aimed at his books in the foreground. Another  Speedlite at about 11 o’clock aimed at his jacket. Main light is a 300Ws  White Lightning strobe with a grid aimed at his face. All strobes were fitted with 1/4 CTO gels.

I’ve always loved challenging myself when it comes to photography.

Whether it was getting in on a plane in a dogfight or rappelling off a cliff, having a camera in those instances meant I could replace my fears with my strong desire to come up with exciting images that are unusual. Continue reading High School Senior Portrait 1–Water Polo player Nicholas Barba →