This portrait of my aunt, her grandson, her two sons and their wives was made near a seaside on the island of Penang, Malaysia where I was born. Conditions weren’t exactly ideal. See the original picture. The one speed light I had with me was insufficient to light this group but I was on vacation and didn’t have my usual gear. Lit by 1 flash placed on the right. If I had to do this over, I’d make sure everyone showed up at the time I asked. But having a second flash would have made this easier to remove that harsh shadow on my cousin’s face.
It just occurred to me when an “i-pal†recently asked for a recommendation for a location to do an “e-photo†session how geo-tagging may be useful.
Until now I was kind of skeptical of its usefulness.
I  have my favorite spots to for portraits,  but I never feel like I own those places. Too often I hear photographers get very territorial about their secret spots. Continue reading Geotagging→
A typical on-location setup. When the Santa Ana Winds are not howling here in Southern California, the umbrella on a lightstand is a quick way to get some soft light. The rest of the time I have to carry a sandbag just in case. My White Lightning flash is powered by a portable battery on the bottom right of the picture. The flash is triggered by a radio slave so there’s one less wire to trip over.
Exactly how much photo equipment do you need?
You’ve heard it time and time again. It’s not the gear but how the person uses it that matters most.
I now have 3 digital SLR bodies.
