Good Fun and Learning at My Latest Sammon Speedlite Session

February 25, 2015

Photographers who attend my photo workshops know that I like to make learning fun while making pictures (rather than just taking pictures). I demonstrated that philosophy during my Canon/Westcott speedlite session yesterday at Adorama's New York City store.

Photo by Richard Cohen. That's me behind the lens!

Yes, we had a great model, Rebecca West, and great gear. But what about shooting in a relatively small space in a busy store – in front of a standing-room-only crowd on a Tuesday afternoon? A challenge, yes – but a good one. I love challenges. As I said to the crowd at the opening of my presentation, "If you can make a good speedlite portrait here, you can make one anywhere."

The opening image for this post is my favorite image from the shoot. My gear for this portriat:
• Main light (positioned above Rebecca): Westcott Rapid Box 26-inch Octo Softbox - with Canon 600EX-RT speedlite
• Fill light (positioned beneath model) Westcott Eyelighter
• Canon ST-E3 Speedlite Transmitter
• Canon 24-105mm IS lens (my favorite lens)
• Lexar 32GB Compact Flash card.

I shot tethered into Lightroom on my MacBook Pro using a Tether Tools cable.

All of the images here were taken with my speedlites set on the ETTL mode. Hey Joe Brady - I know you love manual, but I'm an ETTL guy. I mentioned our video during the shoot.

The exposures for all the images in this post were fine tuned, quickly and easily, from my camera with the Canon ST-E3 wireless transmitter.

I converted my color file to black-and-white with Macphun's Tonality Pro. Click here to see all my plug-ins.

Speaking of challenges (which I often see as opportunities), I often like to give audience members the opportunity to shoot during my speedlite sessions – after I set up the lighting gear and offer some quick tips. Above are two photographs by audience member (and first-time in-studio speedlite shooter) Richard Cohen.

Left: Westcott Apollo 28-inch softbox (Canon 600EX facing toward the back of the softbox and zoomed out all the way) placed to the side and slightly behind Rebecca. Thanks Jack Reznicki for showing me this technique.

Right: Westcott Apollo 28-inch softbox placed in front of and to the side of Rebecca, and a Canon 600EX-RT held directly behind Rebecca's head.

Nice work, Richard!

Thanks to all those to attended my seminar, and thanks to Adorama for hosting the event.

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For more basic lighting tips, see my iPad and iPhone app, Light It!

I hope to see you on one of my workshops. I promise you, you'll learn a lot and have a lot of fun.

Explore the light,
Rick
P.S. I also give private speedlite (and Photoshop and everything else) lessons. Shoot me an email for info.

Westcott Shoot-and-Scoot Weekend

January 17, 2015

Click to enlarge images.

My friends know me as the "shoot and scoot" photographer. At home and around the world, I like to shoot fast - and then move on to the next location or project.

This past weekend I had two, two-hour Westcott shoot-and-scoot photo sessions: One on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Saturday: For the first hour we shot at my house. For the second hour we shot at a local bed and breakfast.

The concept: to illustrate that you don't need a ton of expensive lighting gear and an expensive studio to get great shots – if you have the right gear and a bit of photo know-how.

Above: I shot tethered to Lightroom, so I could check my shots. My lighting set-up: Three Westcott SpiderLites (daylight-balanced constant lights) and the relatively new Westcott Eyelighter.

The background: Westcott soft cloth white background on a Westcott lighting sand.

I like the Eyelighter because it adds a beautiful catch light to a subject's eyes – and because it can reduce/eliminate shadows on a subject's face.

My camera gear for all the shots: Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 24-105mm IS lens. All my camera gear is listed here.

Above: I took this shot with the same lighting set-up minus the Eyelighter. Of course, it's not fair to compare apples to oranges (as in a different pose, which changes the mood, as well as where shadows fall). I just wanted to share this photograph with you to show you the effects of the Eyelighter. What's more, I like this shot, too. It has a different feel than the Eyelighter photograph.

Above: Here are two more with-and-without the Eyelighter images. Guess which one illustrates the benefits of the Eyelighter?

Again, I know its not fair to compare apples to oranges. Of course, I could have created more flattering light in the photo on the right – by repositioning the lights.

The background: a piece of red fabric that I picked up at local arts and craft store.

Above: It's always good to show the model your shots on the back of your camera. It makes the session more personal.

Above: Another Eyelighter shot. This image illustrates how the model's outfit and background can change the mood of a photograph – as did the red background.

Above: Here's my favorite shot from my Saturday bed and breakfast shoot.

Above: My lighting set up: One Canon 600EX- RT speedlite in a Westcott Rapid Box. I triggered my speedlite – wirelessly – with my Canon ST-E3 speedlite transmitter. I shot on the Manual exposure mode and adjusted my , ISO shutter speed and aperture so that I was able to capture some of the ambient light in the room and background.

All my lighting and camera gear is listed here.

A note about processing my model images: To soften the her skin, I reduced the Clarity in Lighroom.

So you may be asking, "Why only a two-hour shoot?" Well, I only had the model for two hours. I did, however, set up the gear in my house before the model arrived, but that took only 15 minutes.

Above: My favorite shot from my Sunday session: a one-light shot of my nephew and his girlfriend. For this awesome couple, I wanted more dramatic lighting with strong shadows. So using only one light was the answer.

My background: Westcott soft cloth black background on a Westcott background stand.