Category Archives: Photography

Photography

Testing My Do-It-Yourself Grid Spot

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This morning I was determined to test my D-I-Y Grid Spot.

And I found a willing subject.

Domingo was more than willing when I told him I would give him the digital file to use for his business.

Mouse over the image above to see the placement of my grid spot in relation to my subject Domingo.

My guess is best results would require you to set your flash to its longest zoom setting especially if you are using iTTL (Nikon users) or ETTL (Canon users).

But that may not be the case especially since I shoot my Speedlite on Manual at reduced power settings to give me consistent.

I will need to run some tests to see how much loss of power results from using the grid spot. Continue reading Testing My Do-It-Yourself Grid Spot →

Photography

Do it yourself Speedlite grid spot

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As a group, photographers a.k.a artists who can’t draw can have obsessive personalities.

Just look at their gear.

They’re constantly tweaking something.

So it’s no surprise once they ‘graduate’ to lighting, they want to shape their lights with modifiers.

Thankfully, many are very generous in sharing their ideas online.

When I built my beauty dish, it wasn’t an original idea.

Who knows now who came up with it in the 1st place.

“Borrowing” from one person is plagiarism?

“Borrowing” from a bunch of people (online)? …Research! Continue reading Do it yourself Speedlite grid spot →

Photography

Shadows can be your friend

What is the difference between porn and art?

Lighting.

After all, it’s in the shadows where all manner of body parts considered too risqué, indecent or too sexy that can be hidden.

Over-exposing to the extent that there is no detail in highlights has the same effect but it isn’t as commonly used or as natural-looking.

To use shadows well, a portrait photographer needs to know how to control his lighting, not just in intensity but also in direction.

He needs to understand the ratios well enough to know how many EV (exposure value or f-stops of light) difference is needed between highlight and shadow so that they is no detail in the dark areas.

Only when he understands this will he be able to use shadow to hide blemishes, scars on faces or even create the illusion that his subject’s face is narrower than in real life producing what else? A more flattering picture. Continue reading Shadows can be your friend →

Photography

Getting in front of the camera

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As a photographer, it's a good idea to take the place of your models at times to get their perspective. If it feels silly, it probably is. If your muse is good and the results are great, you have to work on how you sell the model/client into that pose.

If you photograph people, it’s a good idea to get in front of the camera every so often.

I didn’t always realize this until I started teaching.

I don’t consider myself vain or the sort who spends hours preening in front of the mirror.

In fact I’ve been known to spot a flat-top when I don’t want to bother about running a comb through my hair.

Thanks to my buddy Rodrigo Peña for sharing this picture when he helped me teach "Small Flash Lighting" recently. Lindsey who helped by being the model was instrumental in making it fun had a lot of important input. She suggested that photographers should actually show their models their results during the shoots for collaborative purposes.

Continue reading Getting in front of the camera →