My Classes at the California Photo Fest

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I'm getting ready for my classes at the California Photo Fest next month. Can't wait!

I'll be teaching Social Media Marketing, which includes info from my Social Media Marketing for Photographers app.


I'll be leading a few photo walks, at sunrise and sunset and in between. The highlight being a photo session with horses running on the beach.


I have a speedlite class, where I will share a few one-light wonders, some of which are included in my apps.


And I have two plug-ins sessions where I'll talk about removing the reality from a scene, as I did below on my image from Coney Island.


I hope to see you at the festival. It's not only a great learning experience, but it's a ton of fun!


Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Click here to see all my events, which includes my Alaska workshop with Hal from Light.




Set-up a Portrait Studio Almost Anywhere

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I'm just back from my weekend workshop organized by Amy Davies, who heads up Photography Events by Amy in Plymouth, MA. Great fun as always, and I can't wait for our 2013 workshop.

Day two was about speedlites. My goal was to illustrate that you can set up a portrait studio almost anywhere - and get cool results - with two speedlites and a few inexpensive accessories.


Our "studio" for the shoot was the hallway of an office building in Plymouth. Above is a behind-the-scenes shot.

The main light was positioned above and in front of the model, and to camera right. A grid was placed over the speedlite to focus the light. The speedlite was aimed at the model.

The background light was positioned to camera left and slightly behind the model. It was aimed at the background. A blue gel was placed over the speedlite, which was fired through a cardboard cutout.

Both speedlites were set at TTL. The main speedlight was set to 0 EV, and the background speedlite was set to – 2 EV, so as not to blast the background with light.

Both speedlites were fired via a radio transmitter/receiver set. My camera was set on the Manual exposure mode.

I demonstrate this and other speedlite set-ups on some of my workshops and at my seminars. I hope to see you there.

Gear for this shoot:
Canon 5D Mark III.
Canon 24-105mm IS lens.
Canon Speedlite 580EX II (two), which has been replaced with 600EX- RT.
Phottix TTL wireless transmitter/receiver - transmitter on camera, receiver on each speedlite.
Two stands from Westcott Apollo softbox kit.
Honl gel kit.
Honl grid.
Honl speed strap (for attaching grids and gels to speedlite)
Hand-made and expertly crafted cardboard cutout :-)

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Learn more about light in my latest Kelby Training class - Light, the main element in every photograph. My apps also include lighting tips.

"Coney Island Creative" Photo Walk: 10.21.12

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Nik Silver Efex Pro: Antique Plate.
We are looking for 60 creative photographers to join us for our first-ever "Coney Island Creative" Photo Walk: October 21 from 4 to 6 PM. We'll meet under the Parachute Jump at 4 PM sharp on the boardwalk. Be there or be square for the group photo.

Of course, the event is free.

The idea is to shoot with a creative effect in mind - to remove some of the reality of a scene by using a Nik Software product: Silver Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro or Snapseed.

FYI: you can get a 15% discount on all Nik plug-ins on the Nik site but using this code upon checkout: RSAMMON.

We'll also focus on composition. If you like the composition of the lead-off photo in this post, check out my class - Composition, the strongest way of seeing.

Nik Snapseed, Vintage effect.
You need to register for this event: contact Susan Sammon.

Here's a great quote from John Lennon: Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.

Nik Color Efex Pro, Old Photo effect.
On our walk, we'll use our imagination to create artistic and creative effects.

Nik Color Efex Pro, Polaroid effect.
Coney Island offers tons of photo ops. I'll be there to help you turn snapshots into creative shots. The first step, however, is to see the light - which is the topic of my latest Kelby Training class.

I took all of the above images with my Canon 5D Mark III.

Susan took the images below with her iPhone. So: bring your SLR or iPhone for an afternoon of creative photo fun. If you have an iPhone, check out this cool lens system that can expand your creativity.

Nik Snapseed, Drama effect.
Come hungry! There are plenty of places to eat during the walk, including the world famous Nathans!

Nik Snapseed, Details and Structure effect.
We'll be at Coney Island until sunset, so you'll get great light!

Nik Snapseed, Vintage and Grunge effect.
After the shoot, we want to see you images on-line. You can post them on my Photo workshops/photo walks Facebook page. Get feedback. Grow as a photographer.

If you can't wait for the photo walk and want more intensive photography training, I have one spot open on my Croton Creative workshop.

I hope to see you in Coney Island!

Explore the light,
Rick

Most Popular Posts

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Hey Gang -

I am taking a few days off from posting. Until I return, here are the most poplar posts for the past two weeks. Enjoy.



How Do You Get Inspired - and Stay Inspired?

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All artists - and as a photographer you are an artist - need inspiration.

Photographers get inspired in many different ways: looking at the work of others, challenging themselves with new techniques, shooting with other photographers . . . and maybe even just going for a walk.

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.  – Raymond Inmon

 Reading is an another was to get inspired and grow.

 The more that you read, the more things you will know  – Dr. Seuss

Getting inspired is one thing - staying inspired is another.

As photographers, I feel as though we are all in this together. If you have a technique for getting and staying inspired, please share it here in the blog comments - as opposed to on Facebook, Google+ etc. That way, all the positive thoughts will be in one place for all to see.

I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning. – Peter De Varies 

Thank you.

Explore the light,
Rick