Leaving Las Vegas for an Awesome Model Shoot

in ,
Photograph by Rick Sammon
Hal "Bull" Schmitt, director of Light Photographic Workshops, and I are planning an awesome model photography workshop in and around Vegas in some totally cool - and secluded – locations. See below.

Photograph by Rick Sammon

Photograph by Rick Sammon
 You need to be in good physical condition, as a bit of hiking is involved.

Hey, even if you just want to photograph the landscape, you may want to join the photo fun. However, we only have one price for the entire workshop.

Photographs by Hal "Bull" Schmitt
Space will be limited to 20. So, the max in each group, for individual attention, will be 10.

We'll cover both natural light and flash/reflector/diffuser photography.

Photograph by Rick Sammon
Here's the schedule:

Friday, September 2:
Welcome dinner and slide shows by Rick and Hal

Saturday, September 3:
AM: Indoor Model Shoot
PM: Outdoor Model Shoot

Sunday, September 4:
AM: Outdoor Model and Landscape Shoot
PM: Shoot, Download (Hal and I will help you with Lightroom and Photoshop) and Group Slide Show. . . and Good-bye Dinner.

Cost per person: $499.00.

Includes: Workshop fee and models fees. Note: You can only use the model photographs for personal use.

Hotels, meals and transportation are on your own. However, we will car pool for the location shoots.

Each photographer will also receive copies of my books:

Exploring the Light 
Rick Sammon's Exploring the Light: Making the Very Best In-Camera Exposures
and
Field Guide to Digital Photography
Rick Sammon's Field Guide to Digital Photography: Quick Lessons on Making Great Pictures

Plus, we will have more than $1,000.00 in door prizes.

We will be staying in a hotel outside of Vegas - to cut down on expenses.

Interested? Shoot me an email. Fist come, first serve.

Explore the light,
Rick

New Meaning of "Take the Darn Flash Off The Camera"

Photograph © Rick Sammon
Those of you who have attended my workshops and seminars know my favorite flash tip: "Take the darn flash off the camera!"

Model on black background being illuminated by a soft box held by voice activated light stands.
These shots illustrate why that's good advice: way more creative lighting.

Also, light stands are a good idea, but if you don't have one, use voice activated light stands. :-)

I hope to see you on one of my workshops and/or at my seminars. Click the taps on the top of this page.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Here are links to the gear I used for this shoot:

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 580EX II Speedlite

Canon 100mm lens

Canon ST-2E

Westcott Apollo

Soon Come: Battle of the Close-up Photography Tips: Pons vs. Sammon

in , ,
Photograph © Rick Sammon
First there was the "Battle of the HDR Photo Tips" with my friend Trey Ratcliff. Type "Battle of the HDR Tips" in the search window of my blog to see the different rounds.

Well, the next battle will be the "Battle of the Close-up Photography Tips," with my friend Juan Pons.

Juan and I enjoy doing the Digital Photo Experience Podcast. But heck, first and foremost, we are photographers. So, our week-long "battle" will be a blast. 

Here's a quick tip for starters: If you are serious about close-up photography, get a ringlight. A ringlight can produce shadowless lighting and ratio lighting (because you can adjust the flash output of the flash tubes). It lets you shoot hand-held close-up photos – like my photo of this red-eye tree frog. A ringlight also lets you shoot at small apertures for good depth-of-field.

Here's a link for more info on the ringlight I use: 
Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite for Canon Digital SLR Cameras


Stay tuned for details.


Hey, if you like close-up photography, and butterflies, check out the iPad app that Juan and I developed: Butterfly Wonders.



Explore the light,
Rick

One Light Wonder - A Way-Cool and Creative Effect with a Single Canon Speedlite

in , , ,

On Monday I posed a question here on my blog about lighting an image. Click here to see that post.

RedTerror guessed correctly. I hope he/she is nicer than that name! :-)

Anyway, here is a follow-up post that includes a lighting diagram that I created with online Lighting Diagram creator.



The key to this effect, taught to me by my friend Jack Reznicki, is to get a beautiful rim light around the person's profile. You may not get this the first time you shoot. Experiment with moving the subject around.

My original photograph is on the left. I created the image on the right using the Exposure Correction filter in Topaz Adjust.

Light It! offers basic lighting ideas. I am working on Light It! II.


Click here for info on all my apps.

I'll be sharing this technique later this month at Photoshop World during my Canon Speedlite session. I hope you can join the flash fun.

Thank you again, Jack, for showing me this way-cool effect.

Explore the light,
Rick





Any Guesses on How I Lit This Image?

in ,
Hey Gang!

Any guesses on how I lit this image? Hint: I used a Photoshop trick, too.

Post a comment here. It's fun, and pretty darn useful, to try to see the light - including the direction of light.

Answer on Wednesday . . and.. we now have a winner!

I'll send the first person (in the U.S.) who guesses correctly (the lighting technique and the Photoshop trick) an autographed copy of my book, Exploring The Light. You must be as detailed as possible... the position of the light, the type of light, etc.


















How do we know who is first? Easy. The time of a Comment is listed in the Comments on this page.

Explore the light,
Rick