On the job Archives

Before I explain the cool panoramic technique I mentioned in my last post, I thought I’d share some images from the entire engagement shoot with Amanda and Wesley. I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves, though I’ll add that a majority of these worked best when we kept it as simple as possible … even the panoramic shots that involved 15-20 images to make.

Enjoy!

See more here, and expect to see more of them as we work on Save The Date cards, bridals, their wedding and more!

This is an engagement portrait of Wesley and Amanda, rolling around the streets in Tyler, Texas. We had a great time, and hopefully it shows in the photos. There’ll be many more to come!

Camera nerd: This photo is actually a panoramic image. I’ll fill you in on how I did that soon, too!

*Edit: Setup shots at the end!*
On a lazy weekend, my older brother mentioned wanting – essentially – a portrait with the “ringflash” look. Alas, I don’t own such a device. However, that was not to be the end of it.

One hour later, I’d come out with the above photo, which I believe mimics the look fairly well. That time also includes the time it took to set up, break down and edit the final shot.
Click here to read how I did it!

This portrait of my friend Meagan was snapped one night after she took photos with another KC student. I had assisted with the lighting, and definitely had my fill of straightforward “nice” lighting, so I want to try something a little more adventurous.

I started by switching out the usual large soft box on the main light for a grid, which reduced the light to a hard spot light. From there, I can’t quite remember, but I mostly only had fairly dim lighting on the rest of the white, seamless background.

To record the motion, I used a 1/8 shutter speed, which is fast enough to record motion, but not so slow that she disappeared completely or blurred beyond recognition.

So how is her face and tattoo in such great focus? That’s where the grid spot comes in: Because her face was pretty much in darkness, and because she was spinning, the only light that was really recorded for her face was the much-brighter main light, which was heavily restricted by the grid, so it didn’t go mussing up the whole photo like it would have through the soft box. In effect, the gridded light basically recorded a second image that was controlled by the f/stop.

That’s the technical side of all of this, but the main thing about this photo is Meagan and my interpretation of her. She was dressed a bit wildly for her previous shoot, and I didn’t bother having her change. It is very fitting of her to appear out of the ordinary, and her tattoo definitely tells of her personality. What good would “normal” lighting do for her?

It’s all a bit outside of the lines, and less conventional, but there’s a definite beauty, dignity and depth. Perfectly fitting of the subject, if you ask me.

See the full set of instant photos with Jessica and Jamie HERE!

I recently purchased an NPC Polaroid back for my Mamiya RB67 medium format camera. For those who missed the whole film boat, many medium format film cameras feature detachable film holders, allowing for quick changes and different capabilities. Among the various backs available were ones that shot onto Polaroid film, allowing an instant image to be produced, often for previewing. (See, people “chimped” before that little digital display was available …) Realizing the advantage of being able to preview my shots, and also to be able to make rockin’ instant film images, I snatched up a used back online.

On Sunday, I braved the cold to shoot photos of Jessica and Jamie in Athens, Texas. It was truly a “Polar”oid experience … har har. (Except I was shooting on Fuji FP-100C film …) It was fun to use a light meter, think intently about how the photo would look and otherwise do a traditional film photoshoot, but also enjoy the digital-like benefit of instant feedback.

I look forward to shooting a lot more of these images, so you can be sure you’ll see them when I do.