Backlight is Nice Light

in ,
Here's another image from the Westcott NJ event. See post below for info on the event (and upcoming events), model, basic lighting set-up.

For this image, in addition to the main light (Canon 580 EX II) that was positioned on-camera and bounced into a reflector, we positioned a second camera flash (Canon 580 EX II) behind the subject for what's called "Hollywood Lighting."

Try this type of lighting, you'll like it. Experiment with reducing the flash output of the second flash so that you don't blow out all the hair highlights.

Seminar attendee Joseph Konrad took the original photograph (with my Canon 5D Mark II and 24-105mm lens). I enhanced the image a bit in Photoshop (Diffuse Glow filter) and with Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro. Get a discount on Nik Software by clicking here.

I used the Canon ST-E2 to fire both flashes remotely. For wireless flash photography, also try the PocketWizards.

Explore the light,
Rick

To learn more about lighting, check out my latest app, Light It!

Bounce Lighting + Basic Skin Softening = Cool Photo

in , , ,
Westcott kicked off its nationwide Top Pro Tour yesterday in NJ with yours truly. As usual, I handed over my tethered Canon 5D Mark II camera and let several of the participants shoot!

Oh yeah! Before it was my turn to present, Dave Piazza illustrated the beautiful lighting effects that can be achieved with constant lights (Spyder Lights). So, it was Dave on constant lights and me on flash. :-)

The lighting for the above image was simple: We bounced my camera-mounted Canon Speedlite 580 EX flash into a Westcott large reflector, which softened and spread the light.

Here is one of my favorite images, shot by one of the participants. It started out as a color file, which I converted to black-and-white using Nik Software's Silver Efex Pro. I added the drop shadow and thin black line in Photoshop.

To soften the model's skin, I used this skin-softening technique in Photoshop:
- Duplicate the layer.
- Change the blending mode of the top layer to Overlay.
- Go to Filters > Others > High Pass.
- Press Command/I.
At this point, the entire top layer should be softly blurred.
- Use the eraser tool over the eyes and mouth to sharpen those areas.

Thanks to all the photographers who participated in this fun event! And thanks to our model, Laurence Yang, for helping to make the photographs look great. Tip: never underestimate the importance of a good subject.

I hope you can join some of my photographer friends in the other stops on the Top Pro Tour! You can save $20 by using this code when you register: TPT7231.

To learn more about lighting, check out my latest app, Light It!

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. You can get a 15% discount on Silver Efex Pro, and all Nik plug-ins, here.

Hudson River Photography Workshops: Week One Wrap Up

in , ,
Week One of my Hudson River Photography Workshops came to a close tonight – after a great day in the studio, wonderful pizza party and nice sunset. As always, we had a small, intimate group – so everyone had the opportunity to shoot and get personal digital darkroom advice.

We are preparing for Week Two, which begins in two weeks. Can't wait for the photo fun to begin – again!

Here are some shots from the workshop. Above: New Croton Dam (HDR). Photographer: Keith Plumstead.


Above: Bella Paula in our local bed and breakfast. Photographer: Ellen Harasimowicz.

Above: Buddhist Monastery (HDR pano). Photographer: Tom Barry.

Above: Keith Plumstead sizes up his first HDR pano print – which I printed on my Canon IPF 6350 printer.

Above: Controlling the light in the studio. Westcott light controllers were used to control the light from a flash. The little device that's attached to my flash (top right) is the Rogue FlashBender. The Rogue FlashBender is an very affordable accessory for enhancing the light from a flash. Photographer: Susan Sammon.

Above: Our small, intimate great group of talented photographers. Photographer: Susan Sammon.

Thanks to everyone for making the event productive, successful, rewarding and... fun!

Explore the light,
Rick

Snapshot to Great Shot: Painting With Light

in , , ,
The talented students on week one of my Hudson River Photography Workshop are getting some great shots – from dawn to dark. I'll be posting more photographs here in a few days, but for now, I wanted to share with you an image that was certainly a group effort.

After one of our group dinners, several of the photographers dropped by my studio to do some painting with light photography.

The photographers:
Tom Barry
Jay Clark
Ellen Harasimowicz
Angela Marshall
Lisa Acinkewics

The opening image for this post is the painting with light image. Info:
Camera on a tripod
Five-second exposure
ISO 200
F/11
Subject held almost perfectly still

The basic technique: Use a small, low-power flashlight and "paint" the subject with light. After several attempts, you'll get the desired effect. If the subject is too light, reduce your ISO setting - and vice-versa. You can also vary the exposure by changing the aperture. You can also change the exposure by changing the flashlight-to-subject distance, and by changing the speed at which you move the light.

The other photo is a boring, on-camera flash shot that shows how a snapshot can be turned into a great shot.

Have fun with this one.

I hope to see you on one of my workshops. . . which are great fun!

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. I added the lens flare effect in Photoshop using the Lens Flare filter. I also cloned-out some of the background to make it go almost perfectly black. And, that's an "R" on the left - painted with the flashlight.