You may have noticed that pictures from my blog are slowly starting to disappear ... I am continuing to shift everything from my Flickr page to my Zenfolio page - and deleting photos from my Flickr page.
Come visit me at my new site as this one will slowly go away!
http://smithscenes.zenfolio.com/
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Revamping and reworking
After having everything photography related hosted on three different sites - Flickr, Blogger, and Zenfolio - I have decided to migrate everything over to Zenfolio, photo hosting, blogging, and business. It was too much of a pain in the neck to try and coordinate everything, wondering if I'd uploaded something to all three locations and what was where. Zenfolio offers everything I need - a decision made even easier by the fact that I was already paying them for the business end!
From my main site you can access my blog - I ported over my posts from this year - as well as my photos. I am slowly working on migrating and getting everything set up, so it's still a work in progress.
In the meantime, please take a look; hope to see you there soon!
http://smithscenes.zenfolio.com/
From my main site you can access my blog - I ported over my posts from this year - as well as my photos. I am slowly working on migrating and getting everything set up, so it's still a work in progress.
In the meantime, please take a look; hope to see you there soon!
http://smithscenes.zenfolio.com/
Photo of Week - Week 4
This week's focus - light modifiers. I've got a few different light modifiers and it's been awhile (maybe even never) since I've gotten them out and gone through them in a systematic manner to compare results.
I tried to keep the camera and lightstand the same for all the photos. There is no post-processing in the photos. Well, I did change the white balance (shot in cloudy and changed to flash), except I did not make the adjustment in the last image ... missed that step.
The flash head is approximately 6 feet from the subject in all pictures - this means that with the larger modifiers (softboxes) the surface of the modifier is significantly closer to the subject than the bare flash, for example.
The lights are all at about a 45 degree angle from the subject (image left), flash head just a bit above eye level of the subject (lightstands didn't go any lower).
All are shot at the same flash power setting and with the same camera setting, as follows:
Shutter speed: 1/125s
Aperture: F8.0
ISO: 100
The lighting setup will depend on how we want to light the subject - harsh light may not work too well for infant portraits, but maybe for an athletic adult. Also - how large/tall is our subject and what do we want to focus on? Is it going to be a full-length family portrait? Do we want to draw attention to a particular part of the subject - hands, eyes?
My next goal will be to try and work using multiple modifiers and see what I can come up with!
I tried to keep the camera and lightstand the same for all the photos. There is no post-processing in the photos. Well, I did change the white balance (shot in cloudy and changed to flash), except I did not make the adjustment in the last image ... missed that step.
The flash head is approximately 6 feet from the subject in all pictures - this means that with the larger modifiers (softboxes) the surface of the modifier is significantly closer to the subject than the bare flash, for example.
The lights are all at about a 45 degree angle from the subject (image left), flash head just a bit above eye level of the subject (lightstands didn't go any lower).
All are shot at the same flash power setting and with the same camera setting, as follows:
Shutter speed: 1/125s
Aperture: F8.0
ISO: 100
Bare flash, 1/2 power, 6ft from subject, flash zoom 24mm
In the above shot we've got pretty harsh shadows and powerful light blasting the subject.
Bare flash, 1/2 power, 6ft from subject, flash zoom 85 mm
Image two, pretty much the same as the first one, but the light is focused higher up on the subject. Not much illumination on the chair
Homemade beauty dish (16"), 1/2 power, 6ft from subject, flash zoom 85mm
First modifier - right off we see a drop in illumination. Shadows from the subject aren't as sharp and there is a significant reduction in light reaching the backdrop.
36" shoot-through umbrella, 1/2 power, 6ft from subject, flash zoom 24mm
Shadows have a softer edge with the umbrella here, light on the facing side is not as harsh and more even. Illumination on the backdrop is a bit more even.
36" shoot-through umbrella, 1/2 power, 6ft from subject, flash zoom 85 mm
Same shoot through umbrella, but the flash is more focused down. The shadows coming off the subject are a bit more defined, but still with a smooth edge (contrast with the bare flash shots above).
60cm X 60cm softbox, inner and outer diffuser, 1/2 power, 6ft from subject
A similar quality of light as the umbrella shots up above, particularly the one with the flash at the widest zoom. Backdrop illumination is pretty even down the right side - very little casting from the chair/subject.
70" octabox softbox, inner and outer diffuser, 1/2 power, 6ft from subject
Now we get to the big modifier. Really soft shadows - just enough to give some definition. Backdrop illumination is a more gradual shift to a bit darker on the side opposite the light.The lighting setup will depend on how we want to light the subject - harsh light may not work too well for infant portraits, but maybe for an athletic adult. Also - how large/tall is our subject and what do we want to focus on? Is it going to be a full-length family portrait? Do we want to draw attention to a particular part of the subject - hands, eyes?
My next goal will be to try and work using multiple modifiers and see what I can come up with!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Photo of the Week - Week 3
I try to ask the question - What is the story? When I take pictures, if I don't think about this question, then landscapes become blase, portraits are snapshots, and there's nothing compelling about the image. Art, compelling art, is more than just eye candy - it is trying to convey something of a story, it has a message.
So, what's the story?
Our girls have always loved animals; we have some friends here who have raised some pigs and our middle daughter has since become enamored with pigs. She's fed them and been around them, seen them in real life - she knows they are always hungry and that they really, really stink. But she still loves them.
So when the mother pig became "great with piglets," she wanted to adopt one of the piglets. Obviously, this couldn't happen, so she decided to adopt by proxy - the piglet would stay with the friends, but she'd bring him a special treat occasionally. When the piglets got to be two months old, they would be sold and move on to a different existence ...
Pigs, however, are quite intelligent, although not able to anticipate consequences. Our little friend happened to figure out how to escape from his pen. Unfortunately for him, the friends have several dogs and the dogs did what comes natural for them when they found him.
The girls were understandably saddened by what happened and they decided that little Hungry needed to be remembered. Back at our home they made a little memorial for him, in tribute to their little piglet friend. And now it's on the Internet and will be around forever!
So, what's the story?
Our girls have always loved animals; we have some friends here who have raised some pigs and our middle daughter has since become enamored with pigs. She's fed them and been around them, seen them in real life - she knows they are always hungry and that they really, really stink. But she still loves them.
So when the mother pig became "great with piglets," she wanted to adopt one of the piglets. Obviously, this couldn't happen, so she decided to adopt by proxy - the piglet would stay with the friends, but she'd bring him a special treat occasionally. When the piglets got to be two months old, they would be sold and move on to a different existence ...
Pigs, however, are quite intelligent, although not able to anticipate consequences. Our little friend happened to figure out how to escape from his pen. Unfortunately for him, the friends have several dogs and the dogs did what comes natural for them when they found him.
The girls were understandably saddened by what happened and they decided that little Hungry needed to be remembered. Back at our home they made a little memorial for him, in tribute to their little piglet friend. And now it's on the Internet and will be around forever!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Photo of the Week - Week 2
So far I'm 2 for 2 in posting! It also helps that I got some new photography gear this week, so I have been playing around with it.
One of my Christmas presents was a Fotodiox 70 inch octagon reflector. As I've been doing some studio portraits, I've often wanted a larger softbox. Up until now I've only had a 60cm x 60cm softbox. This is a massive step up.
First of all, it's like a small tent, though of more robust material. I actually need to do something to sandbag it so it doesn't tip over. I've got a small bag hanging off the back that's filled with a bunch of batteries and my other speedlights. As it is, if a butterfly landed on the front of the octa, it would probably tip over.
I love the beautiful, wrapping light this generates. I'm using a LumoPro speedlight at full power and the front of the octa is about 30 inches from the subject in the below photo.
EXIF Info
I'm actually crouched on the floor between the octa and the subject here, which you can't tell unless you zoom way in and look at the highlights in the iris, as below.
In short - I love this modifier and can't wait to use it some more! I'm just imagining what I could do with two more ...
One of my Christmas presents was a Fotodiox 70 inch octagon reflector. As I've been doing some studio portraits, I've often wanted a larger softbox. Up until now I've only had a 60cm x 60cm softbox. This is a massive step up.
First of all, it's like a small tent, though of more robust material. I actually need to do something to sandbag it so it doesn't tip over. I've got a small bag hanging off the back that's filled with a bunch of batteries and my other speedlights. As it is, if a butterfly landed on the front of the octa, it would probably tip over.
I love the beautiful, wrapping light this generates. I'm using a LumoPro speedlight at full power and the front of the octa is about 30 inches from the subject in the below photo.
EXIF Info
Shutter Speed: 1/125s
ISO:100
Aperture: F/7.1
Focal Length: 26mm
Lens: Tamron 17-50mm
I'm actually crouched on the floor between the octa and the subject here, which you can't tell unless you zoom way in and look at the highlights in the iris, as below.
In short - I love this modifier and can't wait to use it some more! I'm just imagining what I could do with two more ...
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Photo of the Week - Week 1
Here's to the start of a new year and the goal of a post per week this year. Last year I had the same goal and got to around 40 out of 52 posts.
I have wanted to try to do a composite photo - take several photos and then composite them together into a single image. I decided that I wanted to try this during a recent portrait session with some friends and to keep it relatively simple - everything against a white background.
The first thing I did was sketch out on paper the final setup I wanted to have. This allowed me to plan the lighting and figure out how to try and make it consistent around the subjects (six people in this case), as well as the placement of the subjects. I also wanted each of the individual portrait-pieces to be able to stand on its own as a portrait of each subject.
I began by photographing each of the subjects against a white backdrop, which I digitally edited later to make sure I had a pure white background. The only issue, then, is that everyone looks like they are kind of floating there in white space; I decided to make a faux reflection for each of them. Being the first time trying this, sometimes it worked well, sometimes it didn't do so well. I played with a few different ways of doing this, from just mirroring both legs at the same time to making an individual mirror layer for each leg.
Here are two of the six individual images:
Now that I had the six individual images, the next step was to combine them together into the composite image.
I made one huge blank image in Photoshop and added each of the images as an individual layer. Then it was a matter of positioning each of them and making the layer masks for each layer to put them behind/in front of each other. At the end I just cropped out the final image to the proportions I wanted.
And here is the final composite image:
For me, this was more of an exercise to see what I could do than anything. Having a small studio here, it can be challenging to get a good group shot; usually I end up having to Photoshop out parts of the image where you can see parts beyond the backdrop on either side. Thus far I've gone with a white background because many of the people I have taken portraits of have dark hair - black hair against a black backdrop (without a hair light) is problematic.
I have wanted to try to do a composite photo - take several photos and then composite them together into a single image. I decided that I wanted to try this during a recent portrait session with some friends and to keep it relatively simple - everything against a white background.
The first thing I did was sketch out on paper the final setup I wanted to have. This allowed me to plan the lighting and figure out how to try and make it consistent around the subjects (six people in this case), as well as the placement of the subjects. I also wanted each of the individual portrait-pieces to be able to stand on its own as a portrait of each subject.
I began by photographing each of the subjects against a white backdrop, which I digitally edited later to make sure I had a pure white background. The only issue, then, is that everyone looks like they are kind of floating there in white space; I decided to make a faux reflection for each of them. Being the first time trying this, sometimes it worked well, sometimes it didn't do so well. I played with a few different ways of doing this, from just mirroring both legs at the same time to making an individual mirror layer for each leg.
Here are two of the six individual images:
Now that I had the six individual images, the next step was to combine them together into the composite image.
I made one huge blank image in Photoshop and added each of the images as an individual layer. Then it was a matter of positioning each of them and making the layer masks for each layer to put them behind/in front of each other. At the end I just cropped out the final image to the proportions I wanted.
And here is the final composite image:
For me, this was more of an exercise to see what I could do than anything. Having a small studio here, it can be challenging to get a good group shot; usually I end up having to Photoshop out parts of the image where you can see parts beyond the backdrop on either side. Thus far I've gone with a white background because many of the people I have taken portraits of have dark hair - black hair against a black backdrop (without a hair light) is problematic.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Photo of the Week - Using what you have
While I love to use my regular camera, a Canon 7D, I am not always able or willing to take it everywhere. However, my iPod Touch usually travels with me wherever I go. The iPod has a camera and, while not great, may be the only thing I have to take photos.
Better to make the image with what you've got instead of missing it altogether.
My eldest daughter made the above flower design one day while waiting for my wife and I to finish something up at church. My large camera isn't something I usually have with me at church, but my iPod, yes, since it has my schedule, notes, and scriptures. And a camera!
Another example, a relaxing afternoon riding bikes. My plan was to read a book and enjoy doing as little as possible. Fashion diva Natalie, however, needed to be remembered!
Coming in for a sunset landing in Mexico City, it was an incredibly clear evening - something rare for Mexico City. Even better, our flight path took us right by the two volcanoes of Popcatepetl (right) and Itzaccihuatl (left). There is a legend about the two volcanoes, which you can read here.
I came upon these remnants of construction while in Managua, Nicaragua. While they look like abandoned grave markers, they are not, but the thought they could have been was certainly intriguing.
Another series of photos from Managua. I took a series of pictures and then stitched them together in Photoshop for a panoramic image. As you can tell, not perfect quality, but it captures a memory!
Better to make the image with what you've got instead of missing it altogether.
Coming in for a sunset landing in Mexico City, it was an incredibly clear evening - something rare for Mexico City. Even better, our flight path took us right by the two volcanoes of Popcatepetl (right) and Itzaccihuatl (left). There is a legend about the two volcanoes, which you can read here.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Photo of the Week
Another photo from the area where our friends live ...
While we were there it rained pretty good and I wanted to get out and get some photos of the flowers and plants while they still had rain on them.
Here's one of my favorites from that time:
I particularly liked the colors - the pink flower stands out nicely on the grey background of the rock, which is blurred.
While we were there it rained pretty good and I wanted to get out and get some photos of the flowers and plants while they still had rain on them.
Here's one of my favorites from that time:
EXIF Info
Shutter Speed: 1/50s
ISO: 200
Aperture: F/5.6
Focal Length: 200mm
Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/4L USM
I particularly liked the colors - the pink flower stands out nicely on the grey background of the rock, which is blurred.
Photo of the Week
I've decided to change the title and remove the week counter - another goal for next year, to actually post a photo a week!
Some friends of ours live in a small valley outside of Quito and part of the property is a small farm. I enjoy going there and taking photographs since it's such a picturesque area.
On our last visit there I noticed this bucket sitting abandoned at the base of a small tree and it caught my attention:
Some friends of ours live in a small valley outside of Quito and part of the property is a small farm. I enjoy going there and taking photographs since it's such a picturesque area.
On our last visit there I noticed this bucket sitting abandoned at the base of a small tree and it caught my attention:
EXIF Info
Shutter Speed: 1/80s
ISO:800
Aperture: F/7.1
Focal Length: 200mm
Lens: Canon EF70-200mm f/4L USM
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Photo of the Week - Week 37
Yet another couple of weeks have gone by without a post ... I'll have to work on making it actually a photo of the week, but maybe that's a good goal for the new year - next year.
I finally was able to make it back to the Interactive Science Museum and get some pictures of the mill machines there. This time, however, I had my tripod with me, so I didn't have to crank up the ISO and then de-noise the images.
I particularly like the above image because of the composition - I did crop it slightly in LR4. The frame of the machine works well to frame the image, the green of the machine, the blue lights underneath, and the wood in the background.
I also did some toned images there - selenium, a kind of black and white. Take a look at my Flickr page for those.
I finally was able to make it back to the Interactive Science Museum and get some pictures of the mill machines there. This time, however, I had my tripod with me, so I didn't have to crank up the ISO and then de-noise the images.
EXIF Info
Shutter Speed:15s
ISO: 100
Aperture: F/13.0
Focal Length: 25mm
Lens: Tamron 17-50mm
I particularly like the above image because of the composition - I did crop it slightly in LR4. The frame of the machine works well to frame the image, the green of the machine, the blue lights underneath, and the wood in the background.
I also did some toned images there - selenium, a kind of black and white. Take a look at my Flickr page for those.
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