ePHOTOzine's Photo Month

Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.

View August's Photo Month Calendar

View the original article here

ePHOTOzine's Photo Month

Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.

View August's Photo Month Calendar

View the original article here

ePHOTOzine's Photo Month

Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.

View August's Photo Month Calendar

View the original article here

What I learned in Germany & Holland…

…and In Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto..and last year in London….and two weeks ago in Orlando…is that: photographers and Photoshop users everywhere are struggling with the exact same things. The same issues. The same hurdles. The same things that stump photographers in San Francisco, are stumping photographers in Germany.

(Above: Brad took this shot of my seminar in Amsterdam, just hours before his 27th birthday. Happy Birthday Braddo!)

So what is it?
It’s not just one thing—it’s lots of things. Here’s five common themes:

(1) Power They Didn’t Know They Had
A lot of people don’t realize that the things they want to do are actually in Photoshop or already in Lightroom, but since they’re kind of “hidden beneath the surface” (maybe it takes a hidden three-key shortcut, or its buried under a menu they never go under), they think they need to buy some other piece of software to get them where they want to go. I love to be able to show them that shortcut or hidden place. You can see them light up when they realize it’s already there. It’s one of the best parts of my job.

(2) Light Meters Terrify Them
Frank Doorhof (my guest speaker) did a fantastic demo about using light meters during my seminar in Amsterdam, and that’s probably why I’ve never had more comments about them. Apparently a lot of people already have them, but very few are actually using them, and they told me they’re very confused about using meters in general.

(3) Off Camera, Hot-shoe Flash.
A lot of people at my seminars already have an off-camera hot-shoe flash or two, but they are really struggling with getting the results they want. A lot are complaining about triggering problems (with line of sight triggering and TTL), and that their images look too “flashy” and obvious that flash is being used.

(4) Over Thinking Everything
When it comes to lighting, I talked with so many people who are over-thinking everything and they’re just plain overwhelmed. I blame the Internet. They read one person saying one thing, and then at the next site, somebody says something entirely different, and they have no idea which one is right (usually, they both are—because in all of this—there’s not just one way to get to the end result), so basically they’re paralyzed. I think these folks are making a lot of the process of lighting and correcting photos more complicated in their minds than it really is. They’re all tied up in Watt seconds, and the Inverse Square Law, and the physics of lighting, and it has their head already spinning before they even walk thru the door.

(5) They’re Not Sure What To Use
Because so many pros are using so many different tools, they just want some guidance. They don’t want to buy the wrong thing (the wrong softbox, the wrong lights), and they don’t know if they want to continue down the path of hot-shoe flash, or studio strobes, or continuous lights, or a mixture of both or whatever. They want to be smart with their time and their money, and I don’t blame them.

(6) They have business concerns
They’re struggling with either (a) making a living as a photographer, or (b) they’re planing on quitting their current job to become a full-time photographer (I hear that a lot), or (c) they just came out of school trained as a photographer, but they don’t have a job and they’re all looking for some tips to help them make it.

Here’s what nobody ever asks about:

(1) Composition

(2) Creativity

(3) Art

It’s all about sync speeds and settings. I also hear a lot about “Rules” as in “I read your never supposed to do [insert anything about lighting here].”

Oh yeah, more one thing. Most everybody, in every city is already using Lightroom (at least at my seminars). The few that are still on the Bridge/Camera Raw don’t know why they should be using Lightroom at all. They think it’s just another version of the Bridge and Camera Raw, and they already have those, so why switch? Sigh.

What I’m doing about it
I’ll pick up with that right here tomorrow.

View the original article here

ePHOTOzine's Photo Month

Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.

View August's Photo Month Calendar

View the original article here

Video Pimpy Thursday!

Hey everyone, RC here  back for another Pimpy Thursday! Enjoy!

(update:  By popular demand, I went in and gave you the gist of it, in linkable text form. – RC )

Worldwide Photo Walk

The Worldwide Photo Walk has over 500 cities signed up already.  If you want to make sure you take part in this great event in october – Make sure you register for the walk!

Kelby Training App Update

As mentioned a couple of days ago, if you haven’t updated your Kelby Training App – make sure that you download the new version of the app.  With some server changes, and some new features.. this is going to be important for you to get!

Extending the Photoshop World Early Bird discount
The Photoshop World Early Bird discount has been extended!!  Here’s the link with details and/or to sign-up. Jump on it today! If you want to snag a room at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, the same hotel all the instructors stay at , at the special Photoshop World rate of $129, there are only a few rooms left in our block, so go to the Photoshop World travel page and grab your room now. They’re also offering $149 at “The Hotel” at Mandalay Bay (a trendy boutique hotel attached to the Mandalay Bay). See you in Vegas!

Two New Courses  for the iPad and iPhone!
My new App that teaches you how to shoot and process HDR like a pro just hit the App store and right now it’s only $9.95 (sweet!). Here’s the link (or get it from the App store on your IOS device).

Corey Barker also has an app called the Photoshop CS5 3D Crash Course.  If you’ve ever been interested in exploring the world of 3D in Photoshop, Corey Barker is just the guy to take you through it.  Here’s the link!

Matts New Compositing Book

We’re excited that Matt Kloskowski’s book on compositing is here!  The Photoshop Compositing Secrets book is out, and if  judged by the promo video, this is going to be a smash!  Make sure you check it out by clicking on this link

Check out the Kelby Training Tour Dates!

Dave Cross and Scott Kelby have some great tours going out there..  make sure you check them out at the Kelby Training Live page

Scott Kelby’s Light Shoot It, Retouch it Book Available for preorder

Im totally excited about this one.  If you’re into checking out just how to light, shoot, retouch amazing images – you are going to LOVE Scott’s new book!  Make sure you check it out on the Amazon Website!

Ben Wilmore in Africa

Ben’s teaching a workshop in Africa – and it should be an awesome time.  Make sure you check out the tour details over at Ben’s site – Digital Mastery

Rob Sylvan – Lightroomers

Our buddy Rob Sylvan has some great tours and resources on his website.  Make sure you go to Lightroomers to check it all out!

View the original article here

Trip Report: Germany Rocks!!!!

Hi gang: We had an absolutely fantastic seminar in Cologne, Germany on Wednesday. We had nearly 300 photographers there with me for the day, and I met some of the nicest, most gracious folks anywhere. What a warm welcome for my first tour in Europe—thanks to everyone who came out!!!

Here’s a few shots from the day, including one of my special guest retoucher, the amazing Calvin Hollywood (if you haven’t caught his classes on Kelby Training Online yet, this guy is insane!!!). Of course, the crowd loved Calvin, and I loved having him there (that’s Calvin above hanging out in the back before his retouching session—photos by Brad Moore).

(That’s Calvin above during his session where he shared his latest high contrast “freaky stuff.” Very cool techniques–I took notes the whole time he was on stage).

By the time you read this, I’m already teaching my seminar in Amsterdam, and my special guest instructor is none other than Frank Doorhof, and I cannot wait to see what Frank has up his sleeve!!!

My wife and son flew over here to spend a few days with me here in Amsterdam, so I am just totally psyched for the weekend, and I might even have a shot or two to share next week.

Have a great weekend everybody, and we’ll talk again soon.

View the original article here

It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Dave Black!

A Game Plan for Improvement

Hi, and welcome to Scott’s blog. Let me first say what a privilege it is to be asked to write an article this week. Well, as many of you know, Scott and I share a common passion and subject interest, sports photography. So it seemed natural for me to write about a sports related topic.

I’ve been on the road a lot lately and Friday was a rare afternoon at home. As I sat down to write this article I had the TV tuned to the Golf Channel’s coverage of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. I happened to catch the interview with Tiger recapping his poor 2nd round performance. A reporter asked him if he was going to “set a lower goal seeing that he was coming back from an injury and all that has happened.” Tiger instantly answered, “No. Never have. Why show up at a tournament if you’re not there to win.”

You think Tiger has a game plan for a few more green jackets? Ya think? I have always walked into each photographic project with a game plan for improvement. It is this mindset that fuels my passion for whatever I am photographing. Passion can only motivate a person so far before improvement and encouragement is needed to continue on. During my 30 plus years of photographing Professional and Olympic sports I have applied several guidelines that have helped me improve my image making at each event I covered. Let me add that these guidelines can apply to any photographer no matter what subject they shoot. So even if you photograph weddings, portraits, wild life, landscapes or whatever, grab your seat in the front row, buy a hotdog, and enjoy the play-by-play.

Know Your Subject
I began my sports photography career as the team photographer for the men’s and women’s USA Gymnastics teams in 1980. I grew up in the sport and competed at both the High School and NCAA College level. I even coached for several years before stepping into the photography position for the US team. I knew only what I had learned in a single semester B&W photography class in college, but I knew everything about gymnastics. This in-depth knowledge of my subject, gymnastics, gave me a distinct advantage over even the best photographers in the sports magazine industry. I knew the athletes, their routines, their new skills, and all the best angles to capture the action from. It was as if I had seen a video of the competition the day before. I always seemed to be more than 1 step ahead of the photographers from Sports Illustrated, Time, and Newsweek.

So, when Mary Lou Retton landed this vault scoring a perfect 10.0 and won the Olympic gold medal she became the biggest story of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The sport became very popular and I then became the go-to guy for Gymnastics images. This led to other major sports event coverage both Professional and Olympic, and the rest, as they say, is history. Anyone can improve their images just by knowing something about their subject. The great wildlife photographers know the habits and best season to photograph specific animals. A great wedding photographer knows the layout of the church in advance so they can move quickly into position for key moments. And the portrait photographer makes conversation and builds relationship with their subject so as to capture the mood and personality of the individual. If you want your pictures to improve, Know Your Subject, whether it’s an athlete, a bride, a moose, or the environment.

Get There Early
Back in 2003 I had the opportunity to photograph Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts during the final regular season game. Sounds simple enough except that he was scheduled to only play 3 downs before being pulled to save him for the playoffs. Although I did get a nice image or two of him handing off the ball 3 times, this pre-game picture was more to the liking of my client. I had photographed Manning several times over the years and knew that he liked to come on to the field early for stretching and warm-up throws…(sound familiar? … Know Your Subject).

While other photographers were still preparing gear for the game I headed out to the field very early just to capture this image. Stylized by underexposing the image –1.3 stops and then lit using 2 Nikon Speedlights rubber-banded together, I held them well off camera in my left hand. I made a single frame of him running onto the field. Get There Early, you’ll never regret it.

Stay Late
If getting to the game early helps you make a unique picture, then staying late can also be of benefit. When Troy Aikman was injured in the 4th quarter it seemed natural to follow him off the field at the end of the game, but no other photogs seemed to think so. After all, it might be his last game, and I believe it was his last game for that season. Apparently TV also thought it was important to stick around and get coverage of him in civilian clothes and a sling.

I was the last photog on the field when Aikman disappeared into the locker room. It was a small bit of Aikman history that sold and resold several times over the course of his career. My advice is this, after the game is over and your job is seemingly done, stop, don’t pack up the gear yet, and look around to see what might make an interesting picture. More often than not, something will catch your eye, and if it does, then make a picture of it. Stay late, a good picture might be waiting for you.

Think Coffee Table Book
These next few images were made at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

Whenever I cover a sporting event I try and make a collection of images as if I was working for a coffee table book publisher. Not because I am working on a book, but because I want to make a total package of documentary coverage.

You never know what the magazine editor or school’s sports information director will want. So why not give it all to them, from sunup to sundown, from close up, too wide angel, and from event ambiance to heart pounding action.

This allows your client to pick and choose, and perhaps publish more pictures. Yes, it’s more work, but so often my client would request a single image in advance, but when the magazine came out I would have several photos published that they didn’t request.

Think Coffee Table Book and watch how many more of your pictures get published. Besides, it’s just fun to make pictures.

“Go Big or Go Home”
This is a quote from Mike Powell, one of the former owners of the All Sport picture agency, which became the sports division of Getty. What he meant by this was if the photographer next to you is using a 300mm lens, you should use a 400mm. If they are using a 400mm, then you should use a 600mm. And, if they use a 600mm, then put a 1.4 teleconverter on your 600mm. Simply said, use a longer lens to draw in your subject and make a different picture than your colleagues do.

Here is Michael Phelps winning gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Swimming imagery is all about the face, but that’s a very small subject within the Olympic pool. Most photographers had 400mm or 600mm lenses, but I went with a 600mm and 1.4 teleconverter all on a Nikon D2h with DX sensor. Yikes! Some would ask why not just crop the image later, because I want to capture it in such a way that it would have impact when my editor opens the file. I want my picture to get noticed immediately, and have a chance of making the cover, or a double page spread. It takes practice and sometimes it takes courage, and sometimes you can fail, but for sudden impact, Go Big or Go Home.

Have an Edge
I had shot very little golf coverage during my career prior to being asked by Golf Digest to do documentary coverage of the Masters. I would be part of a team of 4 other photographers who were the best in the golf business, and here I was, no one in the business of golf. I felt I needed to walk into Augusta with an edge that would help my work standout and contribute to the coverage. I had brought all my normal cameras with long lenses, but decided to include a small Nikon Coolpix 8700. Sounds crazy, but I felt I could use the silent shutter of this small consumer camera to capture a very rare moment in golf, the top of the back swing.

Clicking the shutter on a 35mm DSLR camera is highly unethical at golf tournaments. The abrupt sound can cause a golfer to loose concentration and result in the golfer’s caddie grabbing your camera and throwing it into the lake, not to mention having your credential taken away. The silent shutter of the Coolpix 8700 along with its RAW file capability was my edge. The editors were blown away when the first round of back swing images came across the computer screen. “STOP!” they said. “You’ll get us all thrown out.” “It’s OK,” I said. “The shutter is silent.” Here is Phil Mickelson at the top of his back swing making his final drive off the 18th tee on route to winning his first major, the 2004 Masters. Have an Edge, and walk in with confidence knowing you can offer your client something new and unique.

Take a Chance
I don’t think of myself as a gambler. My wife would suggest otherwise and say my entire business as a freelance photographer is based on taking chances. After all, I have no daily guarantee of being hired, of making picture sales, or of receiving a paycheck at the end of the month. Well, here I am, still in business 30 plus years later partly because I do take some chances.

Most of the photographers at the 1994 Winter Olympics used fast shutter speeds to freeze the 85mph flight of the Sky Jump finalists, but not me. I took a chance and decided to use a slow shutter speed of 1/30 during the entire competition. This included photographing the jumps of the eventual Olympic medalists. Not an easy task seeing that I was using an F3 film camera with a 600mm f4 lens and a 1.4 teleconverter…hand held (a monopod tends to sink in deep snow). My editors at Newsweek applauded the risky approach and the unique images. So, Take a Chance, you might win.

Capture the Moment

If you don’t capture the key moment, you’re toast. Simple as that.It’s not going to go well for you back at the office.

This image of Kevin Barrnet serving up the winning point during the final game of the World League Volleyball Championships was one of Sports Illustrated’s first digital Leading Off images. Many of the guidelines and advice that I have mentioned contributed to the making of this picture. Although I’m not an expert on volleyball I did Know My Subject from previous competitions and was very familiar with Kevin’s perfect serving style. Once Jimmy Colton, SI’s picture editor, had assigned me the championships, I began planning my Coffee Table Book approach so that I could provide plenty of choices regarding the magazine’s Leading Off section.

I Got There Early during the practice days prior to the week of international competition and spent time with the event organizers in an effort to secure permission to do something special. My Edge would be to install my Nikon D1 as a remote camera in the catwalk over the colorful court, and use Sport Strobe Lighting to illuminate the court. I would trigger the camera/strobes using the wireless Pocket Wizard system from my courtside photo position. This would of course mean I would need to Stay Late after the court was cleared to retrieve the remote camera and shut off the strobes. In 2001 digital imagery was quite new to the magazine industry and I felt I would need to compose the scene very tight in order to have enough quality to be published as the Leading Off double page spread. Cropping the image was not an option so I decided to Go Big rather than Go Home and used a 70-200mm lens at 200mm. To Take a Chance like this is very risky, but I felt that if I could pull this off I would have an exceptional image. This image is not cropped. All my planning and careful study of Kevin’s airborne serves helped me position the camera precisely over the area of court where he achieved perfect form. Capturing The Moment of Kevin serving the final match point to win the World title for the USA was just what SI expected, as did I.

——-

Well, there you have it, A Game Plan for Improvement. Perhaps more effort than some would care to apply, but when a photographer, regardless of their chosen genre, incorporates even some of these guidelines into each event, portrait, wedding, or landscape they photograph, I guarantee that their imagery and their clientele will improve significantly.

It’s been a pleasure to write this article for Scott’s Guest Blog. I hope you have enjoyed the images and commentary.

You can see more of Dave’s images and teaching articles at DaveBlackPhotography.com, and watch his brand new Action Sports Flash Photography class over at Kelby Training.

View the original article here

It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Dave Black!

A Game Plan for Improvement

Hi, and welcome to Scott’s blog. Let me first say what a privilege it is to be asked to write an article this week. Well, as many of you know, Scott and I share a common passion and subject interest, sports photography. So it seemed natural for me to write about a sports related topic.

I’ve been on the road a lot lately and Friday was a rare afternoon at home. As I sat down to write this article I had the TV tuned to the Golf Channel’s coverage of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. I happened to catch the interview with Tiger recapping his poor 2nd round performance. A reporter asked him if he was going to “set a lower goal seeing that he was coming back from an injury and all that has happened.” Tiger instantly answered, “No. Never have. Why show up at a tournament if you’re not there to win.”

You think Tiger has a game plan for a few more green jackets? Ya think? I have always walked into each photographic project with a game plan for improvement. It is this mindset that fuels my passion for whatever I am photographing. Passion can only motivate a person so far before improvement and encouragement is needed to continue on. During my 30 plus years of photographing Professional and Olympic sports I have applied several guidelines that have helped me improve my image making at each event I covered. Let me add that these guidelines can apply to any photographer no matter what subject they shoot. So even if you photograph weddings, portraits, wild life, landscapes or whatever, grab your seat in the front row, buy a hotdog, and enjoy the play-by-play.

Know Your Subject
I began my sports photography career as the team photographer for the men’s and women’s USA Gymnastics teams in 1980. I grew up in the sport and competed at both the High School and NCAA College level. I even coached for several years before stepping into the photography position for the US team. I knew only what I had learned in a single semester B&W photography class in college, but I knew everything about gymnastics. This in-depth knowledge of my subject, gymnastics, gave me a distinct advantage over even the best photographers in the sports magazine industry. I knew the athletes, their routines, their new skills, and all the best angles to capture the action from. It was as if I had seen a video of the competition the day before. I always seemed to be more than 1 step ahead of the photographers from Sports Illustrated, Time, and Newsweek.

So, when Mary Lou Retton landed this vault scoring a perfect 10.0 and won the Olympic gold medal she became the biggest story of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The sport became very popular and I then became the go-to guy for Gymnastics images. This led to other major sports event coverage both Professional and Olympic, and the rest, as they say, is history. Anyone can improve their images just by knowing something about their subject. The great wildlife photographers know the habits and best season to photograph specific animals. A great wedding photographer knows the layout of the church in advance so they can move quickly into position for key moments. And the portrait photographer makes conversation and builds relationship with their subject so as to capture the mood and personality of the individual. If you want your pictures to improve, Know Your Subject, whether it’s an athlete, a bride, a moose, or the environment.

Get There Early
Back in 2003 I had the opportunity to photograph Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts during the final regular season game. Sounds simple enough except that he was scheduled to only play 3 downs before being pulled to save him for the playoffs. Although I did get a nice image or two of him handing off the ball 3 times, this pre-game picture was more to the liking of my client. I had photographed Manning several times over the years and knew that he liked to come on to the field early for stretching and warm-up throws…(sound familiar? … Know Your Subject).

While other photographers were still preparing gear for the game I headed out to the field very early just to capture this image. Stylized by underexposing the image –1.3 stops and then lit using 2 Nikon Speedlights rubber-banded together, I held them well off camera in my left hand. I made a single frame of him running onto the field. Get There Early, you’ll never regret it.

Stay Late
If getting to the game early helps you make a unique picture, then staying late can also be of benefit. When Troy Aikman was injured in the 4th quarter it seemed natural to follow him off the field at the end of the game, but no other photogs seemed to think so. After all, it might be his last game, and I believe it was his last game for that season. Apparently TV also thought it was important to stick around and get coverage of him in civilian clothes and a sling.

I was the last photog on the field when Aikman disappeared into the locker room. It was a small bit of Aikman history that sold and resold several times over the course of his career. My advice is this, after the game is over and your job is seemingly done, stop, don’t pack up the gear yet, and look around to see what might make an interesting picture. More often than not, something will catch your eye, and if it does, then make a picture of it. Stay late, a good picture might be waiting for you.

Think Coffee Table Book
These next few images were made at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

Whenever I cover a sporting event I try and make a collection of images as if I was working for a coffee table book publisher. Not because I am working on a book, but because I want to make a total package of documentary coverage.

You never know what the magazine editor or school’s sports information director will want. So why not give it all to them, from sunup to sundown, from close up, too wide angel, and from event ambiance to heart pounding action.

This allows your client to pick and choose, and perhaps publish more pictures. Yes, it’s more work, but so often my client would request a single image in advance, but when the magazine came out I would have several photos published that they didn’t request.

Think Coffee Table Book and watch how many more of your pictures get published. Besides, it’s just fun to make pictures.

“Go Big or Go Home”
This is a quote from Mike Powell, one of the former owners of the All Sport picture agency, which became the sports division of Getty. What he meant by this was if the photographer next to you is using a 300mm lens, you should use a 400mm. If they are using a 400mm, then you should use a 600mm. And, if they use a 600mm, then put a 1.4 teleconverter on your 600mm. Simply said, use a longer lens to draw in your subject and make a different picture than your colleagues do.

Here is Michael Phelps winning gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Swimming imagery is all about the face, but that’s a very small subject within the Olympic pool. Most photographers had 400mm or 600mm lenses, but I went with a 600mm and 1.4 teleconverter all on a Nikon D2h with DX sensor. Yikes! Some would ask why not just crop the image later, because I want to capture it in such a way that it would have impact when my editor opens the file. I want my picture to get noticed immediately, and have a chance of making the cover, or a double page spread. It takes practice and sometimes it takes courage, and sometimes you can fail, but for sudden impact, Go Big or Go Home.

Have an Edge
I had shot very little golf coverage during my career prior to being asked by Golf Digest to do documentary coverage of the Masters. I would be part of a team of 4 other photographers who were the best in the golf business, and here I was, no one in the business of golf. I felt I needed to walk into Augusta with an edge that would help my work standout and contribute to the coverage. I had brought all my normal cameras with long lenses, but decided to include a small Nikon Coolpix 8700. Sounds crazy, but I felt I could use the silent shutter of this small consumer camera to capture a very rare moment in golf, the top of the back swing.

Clicking the shutter on a 35mm DSLR camera is highly unethical at golf tournaments. The abrupt sound can cause a golfer to loose concentration and result in the golfer’s caddie grabbing your camera and throwing it into the lake, not to mention having your credential taken away. The silent shutter of the Coolpix 8700 along with its RAW file capability was my edge. The editors were blown away when the first round of back swing images came across the computer screen. “STOP!” they said. “You’ll get us all thrown out.” “It’s OK,” I said. “The shutter is silent.” Here is Phil Mickelson at the top of his back swing making his final drive off the 18th tee on route to winning his first major, the 2004 Masters. Have an Edge, and walk in with confidence knowing you can offer your client something new and unique.

Take a Chance
I don’t think of myself as a gambler. My wife would suggest otherwise and say my entire business as a freelance photographer is based on taking chances. After all, I have no daily guarantee of being hired, of making picture sales, or of receiving a paycheck at the end of the month. Well, here I am, still in business 30 plus years later partly because I do take some chances.

Most of the photographers at the 1994 Winter Olympics used fast shutter speeds to freeze the 85mph flight of the Sky Jump finalists, but not me. I took a chance and decided to use a slow shutter speed of 1/30 during the entire competition. This included photographing the jumps of the eventual Olympic medalists. Not an easy task seeing that I was using an F3 film camera with a 600mm f4 lens and a 1.4 teleconverter…hand held (a monopod tends to sink in deep snow). My editors at Newsweek applauded the risky approach and the unique images. So, Take a Chance, you might win.

Capture the Moment

If you don’t capture the key moment, you’re toast. Simple as that.It’s not going to go well for you back at the office.

This image of Kevin Barrnet serving up the winning point during the final game of the World League Volleyball Championships was one of Sports Illustrated’s first digital Leading Off images. Many of the guidelines and advice that I have mentioned contributed to the making of this picture. Although I’m not an expert on volleyball I did Know My Subject from previous competitions and was very familiar with Kevin’s perfect serving style. Once Jimmy Colton, SI’s picture editor, had assigned me the championships, I began planning my Coffee Table Book approach so that I could provide plenty of choices regarding the magazine’s Leading Off section.

I Got There Early during the practice days prior to the week of international competition and spent time with the event organizers in an effort to secure permission to do something special. My Edge would be to install my Nikon D1 as a remote camera in the catwalk over the colorful court, and use Sport Strobe Lighting to illuminate the court. I would trigger the camera/strobes using the wireless Pocket Wizard system from my courtside photo position. This would of course mean I would need to Stay Late after the court was cleared to retrieve the remote camera and shut off the strobes. In 2001 digital imagery was quite new to the magazine industry and I felt I would need to compose the scene very tight in order to have enough quality to be published as the Leading Off double page spread. Cropping the image was not an option so I decided to Go Big rather than Go Home and used a 70-200mm lens at 200mm. To Take a Chance like this is very risky, but I felt that if I could pull this off I would have an exceptional image. This image is not cropped. All my planning and careful study of Kevin’s airborne serves helped me position the camera precisely over the area of court where he achieved perfect form. Capturing The Moment of Kevin serving the final match point to win the World title for the USA was just what SI expected, as did I.

——-

Well, there you have it, A Game Plan for Improvement. Perhaps more effort than some would care to apply, but when a photographer, regardless of their chosen genre, incorporates even some of these guidelines into each event, portrait, wedding, or landscape they photograph, I guarantee that their imagery and their clientele will improve significantly.

It’s been a pleasure to write this article for Scott’s Guest Blog. I hope you have enjoyed the images and commentary.

You can see more of Dave’s images and teaching articles at DaveBlackPhotography.com, and watch his brand new Action Sports Flash Photography class over at Kelby Training.

View the original article here

It’s Thursday, and I’m Feelin’ Pimpy!

Links from the pimpy video above:

> Frank Doorhof’s Behind-the-scenes story and video (link)

> Scott’s tour in Miami on Monday, then Denver, Portland, & LA (link)

> Photoshop World Conference & Expo (link)

> Matt’s Compositing Book in stock at Barnes & Noble.com (link)

> Worldwide Photo Walk (link)

> My “Down & Dirty HDR tutorial on Google+ (link)

> Guest co-host on “PhotoFocus” Podcast with Scott Bourne (link)

> Scott’s Interview from the Adobe Store in San Francisco (link)

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I’ve Never Done an Interview Like This!

When I was in San Francisco a few weeks back teaching during the grand opening of Adobe’s “Photoshop & You” pop-up store (link), I did something I hadn’t done before— an in-depth interview in front of a live studio audience (that surely took the pressure up a big notch).

The interview was for Ibarionex Perello’s “The Candid Frame” podcast (that Ibarionex above right), and I have to say, he asked me some of the most intriguing, thought-provoking questions I’ve ever been asked. I’ve already seen comments where some people are calling it my best interview ever, and if it is, it’s because Ibarionex asked some really compelling questions—ones that really made me reflect and my photography and my career.

He was incredibly engaging and thoughtful in his questions, and it was one of the most enjoyable, and never-wracking interviews I’ve even been in. If you’ve got a chance, I hope you can give it a listen. http://bit.ly/qd2UJO

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Guest Blog Wednesday: Proof: A Photo Short by RC

(want to see the video larger? Click on the full screen icon on the right of the video window – RC)

Proof: A Short by RC
Hey gang, Brad here just to share the story behind how today’s guest blog came to be…
(click on the image to see it larger on the 500px website)

One day as I was browsing 500px.com, I saw that RC Concepcion had posted this photo of his daughter at the piano. The next day, I came into the office and mentioned that I thought it was a nice shot of Sabine. He asked if I knew the full story behind the image, and, though I knew bits and pieces of it, I didn’t know the entirety of it.

Interesting Little Circles
He started to explain the significance of all the elements of the photograph, and that he was going to write a blog post about it over at his website. As he continued on about not only the significance of each element, but how everything was related to one another, I told him, “This isn’t a blog post… This is a video.” Then I asked if he would mind sharing it here, and he graciously agreed.

I think this can remind us of the importance of using photography to preserve the story of our families and heritage. Sometimes we can get caught up in only pulling out our camera when we’re “going out to shoot,” whether it’s a studio portrait, a sporting event, a birthday or holiday, or any other thing that we get excited about. But it’s easy to overlook the everyday moments like this that can end up being the most important and meaningful times that become the stories we tell our children and grandchildren.

So, thanks RC for sharing this on the blog today

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BREAKING NEWS: Grill “Photoshop’s Product Manager” Live!

If you ever wanted some one-on-one time with Adobe’s Principal Product Manager for Photoshop, well…today’s your day. We’re doing a special bonus LIVE episode of ‘The Grid” today and Bryan is our in-studio guest, taking your questions on the air about….well…anything!

Send your questions now (and during the show) via Twitter—just include the hashtag #grillbryan, or you can just post a question here. Hope you’ll join us for a history-making live event, today at 4:00 pm EDT, on “The Grid”

Here’s the link: http://www.kelbytv.com/thegrid

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“What I Learned…” (Part 2)

At every seminar we do, at the end of the day we ask the participants to fill out an evaluation form, to let us know how we did, but most importantly what we can do to make the day even better. I know those eval forms are a pain in the butt to fill out, but after the seminar I personally read every single one of them. I want to find out what’s resonating with the participants, what they want more of, what they want less of, and what I can add or take away that would make the day better.

I take this stuff really seriously
In fact, there are four things I changed, tweaked and added in Orlando, Cologne, and Amsterdam that came directly from  the eval forms from my seminars in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. In fact, I shot a special on location video for my seminar just to be able to add more about shooting with off-camera hot-shoe flash. I also added a product shoot to the day, and I adjusted the amount of time, and type of retouching I’m doing in the sessions—all based on their feedback.

What I learned in Germany and Holland
As I mentioned yesterday, I know people are struggling with light meters, and I’m going to try to find a way to incorporate enough about using a flash meter in the day to at least clear some of the fog and confusion—even just a bit (including a great tip from Frank Doorhof’s presentation in Amsterdam). I’m also going to post a short demo-video they can watch afterward to help them get up and running from scratch. Hey, it’s a start.

The Whole “Lightroom vs Bridge” thing
Matt Kloskowski and I wound up doing something earlier this year to help our seminar participants with the confusion a lot of them are experiencing because they have the Bridge and Camera Raw, so they figure they don’t need Lightroom. We did this in response to question after question about this at our seminars, and so we create one hundred 60-second or less short video clips called “100 ways Lightroom kicks the Bridge’s A$$!” Even though it was made for our seminar attendees, you can watch it right here.

Overthinking and Making the Hidden Stuff More Discoverable
Yesterday, in Part One, I mentioned how a lot of folks seemed to be overthinking all this lighting and Photoshop stuff, and some stuff they want to do is already there—-in Photoshop and Lightroom—it’s just hidden beneath the surface. To that end, I’m going to step-up my crusade to make all this stuff more accessible, more fun and just plain easier. I want to be the guy that lifts the veil from some of this hidden stuff, and I really want to make learning Photoshop and Lightroom less of a mystery and more of pleasure.

I wasn’t judging—I was just reporting
Yesterday I mentioned that nobody ever asks about Creativity, or Composition, or Art, or any of those types of things at the seminars—it’s all pretty much questions about watt power, sync speeds, Photoshop techniques, and stuff like that. More technical stuff. I wasn’t judging—I was just reporting on that fact.

That being said, I’m working on a new project about Photo Composition
Although I don’t get asked a lot about composition in my live seminars, I know from emails and comments that a lot of photographers out there are struggling with it, and recently I had kind of an epiphany about teaching the art of photographic composition (and why every book on the topic teaches it pretty much the same way it has always been taught—-rule of thirds, leading lines, and so on). However, I think I’ve come up with a brand new way of teaching photo composition that I’ve never seen anyone teach ever, and I think has a chance to help photographers in a really impactful and groundbreaking way.

I’m going to start this project by inviting about 150 photographers to join me one evening, in a beautiful outdoor amphitheater in Tampa, Florida, as I present this one-hour class on composition (which will also be taped for Kelby Training Online). More on this as we lock down a date, but it’s the very next class I want to produce, and I’m really excited about it.

I need your feedback
I’m heading down to Miami with my tour next Monday, and then to Denver, Portland, Los Angeles, and Philly—-all in September. If you come out to join me for any of those days, you’ll benefit from all the people who filled out evaluation forms at all the seminars prior to that. But that’s the great part of doing an on-going tour—you get to tweak and improve it as you go. If you do come out, take an extra minute and let me know what’s working and what you want added, so the tour can continue to evolve and grow.

I don’t have all the answers
I don’t have half of them. But I really want to help, and I’ll do everything I can to help you get the most out of your photography, out of lighting, Photoshop, Lightroom, and just enjoying all of these awesome tools we get to use today. Thanks everybody. Your comments on those eval forms, and here on the blog, truly do make a difference.

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Atlanta

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Brugges

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Salisbury

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Sculpture by the Lakes, Pallington Lakes, Dorchester, Dorset

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The old school house

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12 Top Photography Composition Rules

12 Top Photography Composition Rules - Take better photos by following these basic photography rules.

Earlier in the week we talked about breaking photography rules to create shots with more impact, however to break the rules you need to know what they are so here's 12 top photography composition rules for you to learn, shoot with then if you want to, break. If your shot is in danger of losing impact due to a busy background/surroundings, crop in tight around your main point of focus, eliminating the background so all attention falls on your main subject. This works particularly well with portraits when you're trying to capture something more intimate and focused or are shooting in a busy location where what's around them would just cause a distraction. Filling the frame could involve you capturing them from the waist up or for more impact, fill the frame with just their face. Patterns are another subject that when capturing, you should fill the frame with, aligning it up carefully to ensure it's straight. Keep an eye on the edges of your frame to make sure the person/animal you're photographing hasn't had any of their body parts chopped off by it. Cutting off your cat's tail, your dog's ears or part of your model's head, will not only spoil your shot, the unintentional limb chopping can pull attention away from what the viewer should really be looking at. The same goes for shots where your model's arm goes out of the shot and comes back in, such as them leaning on their arm which is bent at the elbow, if you can't see the bottom of the arm and how it's connected to their body, it can look a little alien, like it belongs to someone else. The most basic of all photography rules is all about dividing your shot into nine equal sections by a set of vertical and horizontal lines. With the imaginary frame in place, you should place the most important element(s) in your shot on one of the lines or where the lines meet. It's a technique that works well for landscapes as you can position the horizon on one of the horizontal lines that sit in the lower and upper part of the photograph while you're vertical subjects (trees etc.) can be placed on one of the two vertical lines.
Frames have various uses when it comes to composition. They can isolate your subject, drawing the eye directly to it, they can hide unwanted items behind it, give an image depth and help create context. Your frame can be man-made (bridges, arches and fences), natural (tree branches, tree trunks) or even human (arms clasped around a face). Our eyes are unconsciously drawn along lines in images so by thinking about how, where and why you place lines in your images will change the way your audience view it. A road, for example, starting at one end of the shot and winding it's way to the far end will pull the eye through the scene. You can position various focal points along your line or just have one main area focus at the end of your line that the eye will settle on. Shapes can be used in a similar way, for example imagine a triangle and position three points of focus at the end of each point where the lines of the shape meet. By doing so you create balance in your shot as well as subtly guiding the eye.
Having too much going on in your frame can me the person who's looking at it will just keep searching it for a point of focus and soon get bored of looking when they can't find one. This doesn't mean you can't have secondary points of focus, it just means you should make every effort to make sure they don't steal all the limelight. Take a look at our tutorial on using Points Of Interest In Photography for more information on this.
Unsightly objects, overexposed or particularly bright areas and blocks/dots of bright colour will all pull the eye from what it's meant to be focusing on so take a good look at your background before you take your shot and if possible, find a background that's not so obtrusive. If you're working on portraits make sure there's no unwanted items sticking out of your subject's head and unless it adds to the shot, throw the background out of focus. To do this, select a wider aperture if working with a DSLR or select the Portrait Mode on a compact camera to tell it you want to work with a wider aperture. If you're working with plants and flowers try creating your own backgrounds out of card and material which can be slipped into your bag alongside your camera gear. The problem with following the rule of thirds rule is that it can leave you with a strong focus point on one side of your shot and a big empty space on the other so, to improve this, see how you can add a secondary point of interest that's less important to balance your shot. This could mean moving an object (if you can), cropping in by zooming in with your lens or with the crop tool in your editing software or by moving your feet to find a different angle. This is similar to balance except you use the same object or a reflection of it on both sides of the shot or repeated through the entirety of it. Filling your frame with a pattern that repeats gives the shot more impact, exaggerating the size/number of the objects you're photographing. Shots where there's symmetry in them such as lamp posts lining either side of a street, a long line of trees or a series of arches can also be used to guide the eye to a single point. Just remember you need a focus point at the end of your shot otherwise it won't work as well. Symmetry can also involve non-related objects that resemble each other in shape, colour or texture. To be different, break the repetitive pattern with one shape/colour that stands out from the rest. You'll probably have to play around to see how positioning the 'odd one out' changes the composition/feeling of your shot. Having fore-, middle- and background detail will add depth to your image as well as draw the eye through the picture. Compositional elements that compliment each other, for example with colour or by association, work better but do be careful with the size of objects you use and how you place them as you don't want the shot to be thrown off balance. You don't want a rock in the foreground of your landscape shot, for example, drawing the eye away from the hills and mountains in the background. Adding water to the foreground can also lighten your shot as well as adding an extra element of interest as it reflects the sky back out. For some reason, items grouped together in odds (three strawberries rather than two) give you a shot that's more interesting and easier to focus on as the middle element is automatically framed by those that surround it. Try it next time you're shooting still life work or group portraits. As colours can be harmonious together (reds and yellows or yellows and greens) or complementary (orange and blue or magenta and green) they're great compositional devices. A colour scheme that sits well together will create a sense of rest and calm while colours that complement each other can be used to create more vibrant and dynamic shot.

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8 Ways To Break Photography Rules

Break The 'Rules' Of Photography - As the saying goes, rules are meant to be broken so here are a few ways you can break a few of the photography rules creatively.

Compositional rules are there as guides but that doesn't mean you always have to use them. Sometimes breaking the rules can help you create an image that's far more striking, so here's eight ways how breaking the guidelines can help you create an image that has far more impact. With the rule of thirds, you have to ensure that your main point of focus is positioned on one or more of the four intersecting lines on the nine square grid you have to imagine is sitting over your image. However, there are some shots where placing your subject in the middle of it will give you a more striking image. For example, a road or path stretching off towards the horizon, starting so it fills the frame and winding away until it vanishes can look better when positioned in the centre. The same goes for shots with lots of symmetry. A long table that's set for dinner with rows of chairs and lines of plates, glasses and cutlery on it will make a more interesting photograph if positioned in the centre of the frame, while photographing escalators, steps, piers and tunnels so they sit in the centre of the frame can help exaggerate their length, giving the impression that they go on forever. Portraits are more pleasing to the eye when you use the rule of thirds grid but if you're shooting a portrait that has a more creepy, unusual feel to it, positioning your subject in the centre of the shot will enhance this uneasy feeling.

When you're working with the horizon or lines you should avoid splitting the image in two, so horizons should be slightly higher or lower, depending where the interest is and lines should be positioned to the left or right of the centre line. However, cutting your image in two will give you a shot that has a lot of impact, particularly if you're going for something more abstract where strong blocks of colour are your focus. Keeping your horizons level and your shots straight is a rule that's important for landscapes but there are other subjects where tilting your camera will give them more energy and a sense of excitement/fun. If you're going to do this, make sure you do it properly, really turning your camera. If you don't, it'll look like you were going for a straight shot and angled your camera by mistake. For shots that are clean and sharp, you'll generally need to use the lowest ISO possible. Of course there are many cameras now that cope quite well at higher ISO levels, and they won't leave noise in your shots. However, if you have a camera that still struggles at higher levels, use it to your advantage, shooting some grainy images. If you don't want to create the look in-camera, shoot at a lower ISO and run your image through photo editing software and apply your grain digitally. The grain works even better with black and white shots so while you have your editing software open, try converting your coloured shot into something much more moody. Portraits are good subjects for this but if you have a few landscape shots you've taken on dull days, try converting them to black and white, add a little grain and a grungy frame and you'll breath life back into a boring shot. For a more dream-like composition, try throwing your whole frame out of focus. A wide aperture will be needed and you'll probably have to focus manually to stop your lens focusing on something in the frame. You want the shot to be out of focus just enough to make it look like you did it intentionally but still leave enough detail to make the scene recognisable. Your other option is to blur what would be considered as your main point of focus and have something in front or behind them sharp. A more subtle way to use the effect is by creating a soft focus portrait. Take a look at our Photoshop Tutorial for more information on how to do this.

Photo by David Clapp - www.davidclapp.co.uk

The 'try to keep your camera as still as possible' rule only applies when you're not going for a strong, abstract shot that's full of energy. If you're photographing action, a car speeding along a track or dancers spinning in a circle, moving your camera while you take your shot will add a little blur that can increase the feeling of speed and excitement. Using a slightly slower speed than you'd usually use to capture action will further enhance their movement and you probably don't need to move your camera to do this. Again, having part of the shot a little sharper than the rest will give your viewer a focus point. Try zooming your lens barrel out or in through the exposure too to create a zoom burst. You'll probably want a tripod to hand for this as it makes it easier to turn the barrel of the lens. Zoom bursts work well on stained glass but they can give equally good results on groups of fast moving dancers who are making their way towards you.

Try removing all sharpness from the shot with a drag landscape. We've covered this on site in a previous technique which you can find here: Drag Landscapes OK, so shooting with your camera held to your eye or using your camera's screen to frame your shot isn't a rule, just more of a thing that everyone does because that's the way camera's work! But by leaving your camera by your side and 'shooting from the hip' you can get some interesting results. Sure, it can be a little hit and miss but as it doesn't look like you're taking a photograph you stand the chance of capturing much more candid results, particularly on the street. When photographing someone or something moving through your frame, the eye will naturally follow the path the subject's on and most of the time, people leave space for them to move into. However, forcing them to the other side of the frame, in the direction they're moving can create a sense of speed, giving the impression that you couldn’t keep pace with them.

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Controlling And Using Flare In Your Photographs

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'Old Vs New' Photography Challenge

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Portrait Photography Tips From Damian "The BIG Dog" McGillicuddy

It's my intention while on our photo journey together that I show you an insight into my world but more importantly in to my "photo-philosophy". I want to show you that although good quality kit, that does what it says it will do is imperative, the latest, biggest and shiniest isn’t going to make you a better photographer!

I also want to show you that in my world, in the main, a piece of kit needs to be versatile, if I’m carrying it (actually I don’t carry anything as my assistants will testify to) it has to be versatile and more than just a "one trick pony"!

Perhaps most importantly I want to show you my philosophy of "stacking the odds", as much as is possible, in my favour is the path I always endeavor to take in my image making.

So lets start our next article by refining what we shot previously and making it that little bit more polished.

My intention was to add a little more control and a little more finesse to our first image. I want to show you that it doesn't take too much extra work to incrementally "move" an image on.

The image needs to still have that "grungy", sassy, sexy urban edge to it but with the added refinement of greater lighting control and a softer femininity.

Down by the canal, Castlefields, Manchester.Nikon D700 fitted with Nikons 85mm f/1.8
2x Nissin Di 866 Speedlights
2x Elinchrom Universal Skyport
The “bare bulb” enhancer from the DMLS Portaflex kit.
The 19 inch DMLS “Classic” beauty dish.
Sekonic L-758D light meterImage captured in RAW
ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/160 sec
RAW file processed through Aperture 3.1.3

I'm all about control - especially in my image making! I also believe your last capture can always be bettered, so lets evolve our last image and see if we can!

The technical aspect of the camera craft won't vary much. What I want to demonstrate is the refinement in our lighting and posing. These refinements may require you to look hard at your monitor but I promise you the effort you put in will be well rewarded.

My first aim with this image is to "soften" its overall feel - and I don’t mean to murder the image with gaussian blur. So my first thought turns to lighting which, for me,  is the absolute core quality of an image. If I’m looking to soften the image I’m looking to reduce the contrast within the image and to "blur" the line of transition between the highlight and shadow creating a more gradual and therefore less abrupt change in the image's tonality. In this image my dilemma is that I still have a mood to maintain so I can’t go too soft or it will destroy the intent and narrative of the image - answer softer but not too soft.

I swap the modifier on my key light for the classic 19 inch McGillicuddy collapsable beauty dish. The bigger modifier will give a softer light... but why does the beauty dish design liberate the humble speedlight?

The small flash tube in a speedlight by nature gives a crisp, hard, often harsh light. They were originally designed for the press to get light where there wasn’t enough for them to get a picture that would print well in the then, "low tech" reproduction of the newspaper world. The idea that image wise, something was much better than nothing!

Now I love the thought of the portability of these little packets of sunshine and believe they are highly useable, especially if you liberate them from the top of your camera! If you take a quick look at the close up image of the bowl of the dish you can see that the head of the speedlight is "poked" through the back of the dish.

The flash output is then aimed at the suspended “deflector”, the white bit, bottom left of the image, and this in turn bounces the light back into the bowl, growing in size all the time, then back around the sides of the defector and out of the dish and towards the subject. The illumination now enlarged and therefore is softened so it's now highly controllable, malleable light... magic!

You can see from my behind the scenes picture the exact placement of the key light.

You’ll note that it's been pushed further back from the 45 degree angle, although it's still above the subjects eye-line and angled down. The reason being that this will extend the "loop" shadow cast by the nose and join it up to the shadow on the face opposite to the key. This creates a little triangular patch of light on the cheek and the lighting pattern know as “Rembrandt”. This is a very sculptural, defining light that creates great dimensionality, never forget, our aim is to tell a 3D lie in a 2D medium.

The overview image also shows that we have now introduced a second speedlight. In point of fact it is the exact same light we used as the "key" in our last article. In this shot it has been repositioned to serve another duty. Now the light is behind our subject and on the opposite side to the "key" it can be used as a "rim" or "accent" light to stand the shadow side of the subject off the background and add more depth through lighting finesse. Adding this light has also allowed me to increase the shutter speed slightly and further darken down the levels of the ambient illumination adding a little more drama to the wall.

Both lights were triggered with Elinchrom’s Universal skyports. You can see from the behind the scenes image that the Skyport receiver simply plugs into the pc socket of the flash and triggers it once it receives the signal command from the transmitter which sit in the hot shoe of the camera... it's just like witchcraft really!

As the aim is to soften the image I’ve directed Nic to adjust the pose. The secret of a good model for me is the ability for him or her to listen to the direction and adopt it without fuss or question and certainly without interpretation. I control all the elements within one of my images and leave nothing to chance or third party input!

I’ve broken down the harsh aggressive nature to her pose and made it softer, more feminine and a little lighter by removing the strength from her triangular base (feet) and further adding and enhancing sexy “S” shapes. Simple and subtle... but powerfully effective.

Post is exactly the same as the image in my last piece. I'ts enhancement not rescue! Blemishes erased, skin softened, colour tweaked etc.

I don’t want you to think that a tool is "dead ended". In other words only fit for one use, I want you to understand that there are many ways to skin the preverbal cat! Thats why I feel it worth posting this image.

Theres no explanation needed, it was shot in the exact same way as the image in the last article, just in my studio, using the exact same bare bulb enhancer from the portaflex kit. The light just "pushed" further round to "split" the lighting, the reduction in ambient illumination just increases the contrast... the pose and styling obviously send a different message but essentially it's still the same tools used in a similar vein... just "tweaked" to create different mood and feeling within a different image... it's not rocket science is it?

I’m obviously feeling very generous today! I want to complete this article by talking briefly about another of my photo - philosophy core points. Simplicity is often the key! One thing I notice a lot as a international judge in the work of others (and sometimes my own!) is that it just becomes too complicated in many instances. It is this "gilding of the lilly" that can often ultimately weaken an image. Let me explain: sometimes if something works we should just embrace it, use it and be happy to create. Recently I had the great pleasure of using the Ray Flash speedlight "ring flash" adapter from Flaghead Photographic and boy, this could not be simpler or more effective to use. The unit literally connects to the head of the speedlight, locks on and then positions itself around your lens. It really is that simple! 

It's application was equally as simple in its execution! To get this smooth, shadowless, fashion inspired portrait I did nothing more than set my ISO to 400, put my camera into aperture priority, select f/5.6 and shot away. MAXIMUM effect from MINIMUM effort! Of course I like to think that concept, camera craft, styling and composition have a little to do with the outcome of the image but it really couldn’t have been easier to produce from a technical point of view.
I certainly will be exploring the use of this modifier over the next few months and I’d advise anybody wanting a "tres cool" effect to take a serious look at this tool to!

The post was once more the same as the other images shot in this location to keep them as a cohesive collection.

until next time...

McGillicuddy

To read part one, click this link: McGillicuddy Portrait Tips Part One

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