Playing with Light

Last week I talked about playing with constant light. Today I am going to continue talking about light and not flash. We were in Chicago and had the opportunity to work with some models and develop our skills using constant light. For me, I wanted to experiment with my 50mm 1.2 lens and using 1.2. I was also using a Kelvin setting of 3600. Kelvin is color. Using a block with a mixture of light, we sat the model down, and I wanted her head to lean towards the light. After watching her for a while, I needed more light. With that said, I brought an Icelight with me. This is a constant light made by Westcott because I was using Kelvin 3800 and counter my main light with an orange gel on it.

Icelight with a orange gel for more light to the face

Now time for the pictures. I had my assistant and had them bring the light in as close as possible but still have it out of my picture.

The Final

I have always wanted to take pictures like these. Living in a small town, and they don’t have the constant light you see in the bigger cities. That does not mean you can’t do it, and it was just not what I wanted. I am glad I brought the Icelight with me; we found later that no flash was allowed in this area without a permit. I have used the ice light before at a wedding and for some product shoots but never for an event like this. I enjoyed the practice I had that night and the pictures that came about. Making it look natural for me is what I like.

What a year

Wow, my last blog for 2020. What a year it has been, but I don’t have to tell you. So many negative out there that I thought I would share the positives for me. My goal for the year was to get more creative and learn more about Adobe Suites. I practiced more at home on both my photography and took the time to learn Adobe, Premiere, Rush, After Effects, Illustrator, Indesign, and Dimension. While I am still learning, as you can see, I am looking at getting into videography. Video is so much different than still, but you guess it, you need to practice, and I have been doing this. I will be interested to see what my videos look like today compared to tomorrow.

My love is still photography. Even in this area, I am looking at making some changes. I am looking at staying in some area’s and getting out of others. Commercial, Product, and Travel photography will be my more focus area for 2021. Photoshop has still been a learning process for me, and with the help of some professionals, I have learned a ton about what I can do in Photoshop.

Winter Truck in Fog

Take this picture. One thing I learned in 2020 is imagination before the picture. While in Nashville, I saw this truck at night time and thought to myself, I think this would make an exciting winter picture. In photoshop, I wanted to add lights and make them on. Lights need to be on. With the lights on, I thought winter is usually dreary. With that in mind, added fog. Cleaned up some of the distraction and now I have a photo that I will be making a canvas of.

2021 will be coming in less than a week, and I have so many goals in my photography and look forward to sharing with you next year. Thank you for being a part of me every week. I hope that you have a great New Year and that your dreams come true.

I Love Christmas Movies

I recently went down to Nashville and stayed at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville. What a place to see during Christmas time. While we were there, my wife and I decided to “I Love Christmas Movies.”

We enjoyed seeing the different scene that was used in some of our favorite Christmas Movies. For me, It’s the Polar Express.

Here is a quick video of a few of the things that I saw. I am also learning how to use Adobe Premier and look forward to getting better next year. A fun program, but just like anything, you need to practice.

Here is the video. Enjoy and Merry Christmas

Christmas at Nashville

My wife and I were recently in Nashville, Tn. We usually go to Michigan this time of the year, but because the restaurants close, we wanted to see Nashville at Christmas Time.

I. have been learning and playing with video. Using Go Pro and iPhone for video and using my Canon R for the stills. Fun project, fun place, and the Gaylord Hotel did not let us down. Here is the video.