Ambient Light - What a Concept!

I did something yesterday for the first time - I completed an entire commercial photoshoot using only the ambient light. This was a new and unusual experience for me.

Even the drive to the shoot was odd - my gear list consisted of 1 body, 1 lens, a tripod and an extra battery/CF card. Even though I had exactly what I needed it was waaaay less than the normal kit that includes multiple strobes, light stands, modifiers, clamps, etc.

It was almost a liberating experience from the standpoint of being able to change directions and regroup mid-shoot without having to recreate the lighting set.

Don't get me wrong - I still very much love the lighting element of the photographic process; this was just a cool learning experience for me who has up until now only saw the world around my lit by millisecond bursts of strobe light! ;-)

Morning Light As Seen By My Cameraphone

I have been using my phone and my point and shoot more and more to create artistic photographs and as a result have been chasing light more and more and looking for content less and less. [how many 'and's in that sentence?!?]

The simple reason is because when using these tools I am typically shooting only with the ambient light which is a huuuuge departure from my usual strobe-centric style.

These simple tools have provided tremendous inspiration specifically related the artistic process of creating photographs and I am learning that 'better light' trumps 'better content'.

There is no doubt in my mind that running around with a cameraphone chasing ambient light has already begun to improve my studio-lit big production photographs.

To see more of my work visit my commercial photography website.

Public Art

I really enjoy seeing public art - there is something very gratifying about having the privilege to see the personal artwork of different artists at no charge and out in the open-air public.

I am unsure if this piece was created and installed with the intent of being framed visually they way I have done here in this photograph but it certainly does seem like such a natural fit so as to appear intentional by the artist.

To see more of my work visit my commercial photography website.

Waterjet Cutter

Until having to photograph one, I really didn't know what a waterjet cutter was. Turns out they are pretty cool but I arrived day of shoot site unseen and wasn't sure how I was going to set up the lighting. Hmm . . .

The working area of the facility was lit with overhead florescents so I pretty much nuked away any ambient with strobes and spiced up the lighting a little by having one strobe 1/2 CTO'd (a little warmer), one strobe 1/2 CTB'd (a little cooler), and one color neutral. Adding tension by including opposite color temperatures (in this case yellow/blue) usually entices longer gazes.

Once the basic lighting configuration was set up I was able to move it around and prepare subsequent shots fairly quickly.

Strobist Info:
1 SB800 snooted and 1/2 CTO'd pointing back at camera
1 SB800 snooted and 1/2 CTB'd high and camera-left
1 SB900 in a Lumiquest III softbox camera right
All fired w/ PW's

To see more of my work visit my commercial photography website.

Residential Interior - Sitting Room

This photograph is an excerpt from a recent photoshoot. I must say I really do enjoy putting together the puzzle of interior lighting for design and architectural purposes. This image demonstrates how much texture can be highlighted in a scene using minimal yet strategically placed lighting.

Strobist Info:
2 SB800's (1 left and 1 right) about 6' high bounced back against the unseen wall fired full power and angled slightly inward and upward.

To see more of my work visit my commercial photography website.

Having Alternatives In Cameras

Photographically speaking, the thing I am currently most grateful for is the choice of cameras available to me and the very different types of photographs I get from each. This shot was taken with my cameraphone and is a shot I would have unlikely taken had I been carrying a different camera.

The reason is because of how fundamentally different I view the world around me based on which camera I have in my hand. It is equal parts 'cool' and 'freaky' to experience such a drastic shift in perception of my surroundings - especially familiar ones.

To see more of my work visit my commercial photography website.

Strollin' The Hood

I am stoked with my Canon G10! This little powerhouse is so versatile and powerful. [should be getting paid to say that]

I shot these two images hand-held at ISO1600 and a respectable 1/30th second shutter speed. With a little work in Photoshop I was able to reduce the noise and get solid images even at that high ISO.

To see more of my work visit my commercial photography website.

Twitter Ate My Blog

Man alive! It has been over a month since I posted to my blog!

"Bad blogger, bad blogger!"

Unfortunately I have been spending so much time focusing on Twitter as my social media outlet I have let my blog go stale. Twitter has been like these giant jellyfish and my poor blog has been the teensie little fish that gets enveloped on all sides and consumed by a merciless predator.

Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but nonetheless I will be posting much more to my blog in the days and weeks to come so please don't stop visiting . . .

To see more of my work visit my commercial photography website.