tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33317959752932860962024-03-12T00:28:47.825-07:00The GoboistWhy not use the "Best Light Money Can't Buy!" Try the subtractive light alternative to blasting people with flash.The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.comBlogger301125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-74680400724211609072021-12-06T11:41:00.001-08:002021-12-06T13:36:45.726-08:00CREATING THE ILLUSION OF A GLASS PYRAMID<p>The two most important things I've learned in my 50+ years as an artist–-with over 35 years as a professional photographer––is that the choice of focal length is the most important artistic decision in photography, which, when coupled with, to quote Ansel Adams, "Where You Stand", relative to the subject, takes care of 95% of the decisions to be made before you click the shutter. These two things can take decades from some photographers to learn (if ever!). The other 5%; choice of aperture, shutter speed and ISO (The Exposure Triangle) I can teach someone in an hour.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbTeCKGpq8wjo5xkihYCc_1Ae80__s3h_9zxcXt4w-F_bsAtE96qFUWWzPpdsyxoGNF_0qn67OzbvzQq25SCTL-qyNgzTEEQd1fcA3Z30C_Pq-IITsEZQ2QBqnMt-yfraqu72wnz7rIw/s990/Glass+Pyramid-0080-2+NEW+web.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="990" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbTeCKGpq8wjo5xkihYCc_1Ae80__s3h_9zxcXt4w-F_bsAtE96qFUWWzPpdsyxoGNF_0qn67OzbvzQq25SCTL-qyNgzTEEQd1fcA3Z30C_Pq-IITsEZQ2QBqnMt-yfraqu72wnz7rIw/w640-h426/Glass+Pyramid-0080-2+NEW+web.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">16mm Fisheye, f11.0 @ 1/125 sec., ISO 100, Ektachrome I.R.Film</span></div><p>So, on to the subject of this blog. I watched this building being built some 46 years ago; it was completed in 1976. It's located on 1st Street and Hedding in downtown San Jose, California. At the time with its all chrome-look surface flanked by the rusty towers that enclosed the fire-escape stairs, it was the most modern looking building in San Jose. </p><p>Its block like shape didn't thrill me. It looked too static and un-dynamic to be an artistic subject if photographed in a literal style. It looked to be the ideal subject for one of my favorite lenses––the 16mm, Rectilinear, Fisheye (The Minolta Rokkor) for my Minolta SRT 101.</p><p>Now, Where to Stand? I knew I had to be close, so I went out there on a weekend so there would be fewer people downtown. Walking around the building I discovered that it was built on a pedestal with a concrete walkway and patio dug out (below grade) surrounding its base. Fantastic, that meant I could stand under the edges of the building! Being that close and tilting-up with my fisheye gave me incredible distortion turning the building into a pyramid when I placed one of its corners near the middle of my viewfinder's frame. In addition, to create a more surreal, dramatic image I chose Kodak, Ektachrome, Infa-Red film and used my lenses built-in 80B filter to make the sky purple.</p><p>Here's what the building looks like in reality today....</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXie0z-OUY1UEoQm4Htvb1HeyClez2fGFpwhFIaAwY9hS_BUdl3BRrEvOkAkEgtDOr5A5zldaUVTzg4L9spLagXnLpLXHnsCOww1fimfijy7CETsC_SuVIqKmSuyleungIpy7Fd4lmps/s990/Glass+Pyramid-0044-1+crop+Web+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="990" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXie0z-OUY1UEoQm4Htvb1HeyClez2fGFpwhFIaAwY9hS_BUdl3BRrEvOkAkEgtDOr5A5zldaUVTzg4L9spLagXnLpLXHnsCOww1fimfijy7CETsC_SuVIqKmSuyleungIpy7Fd4lmps/w640-h438/Glass+Pyramid-0044-1+crop+Web+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">f11.0 @ 1/125 sec., ISO 400, Lens at 65mm</span></div><p>It's actually difficult to photograph a building this large without distorting it. I found that I had to back off about half-a-block with my zoom lens at 65mm to not distort its shape. This illustrates again why Focal Length and Where You Stand are so important especially with large subjects.</p><p><b>The Focal Length you choose:</b></p><p>- determines the artistic canvas (how much you see).</p><p>- determines the perspective.</p><p>- determines the composition.</p><p>- and determines what Kind of Distortion (Extension––wide angle or Compression––telephoto) will be used, if any.</p><p><b>Where you stand––relative to subject:</b></p><p>When using a wide angle: The wider the focal length / the closer to the subject the more pronounced the wide angle (Extension) distortion. Remember, objects closest to your lens will be increased in size the most, relative to the objects farthest away.</p><p>The effect of Extension Distortion is so extremely unattractive on portraits of people that I never move in close to a person with a lens of 50mm or wider focal length. My wide angle lenses are only for Landscapes, or artistic images of things.</p><p>'Til next time... Jerry</p><p><br /></p><p>Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</p><p>Training site: <a href="http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></p><div><br /></div>The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-26677169363866773922019-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:002021-11-09T08:44:13.063-08:00TWO WAYS TO DO CAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATURAL LIGHT<style type="text/css">
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As a professional photographer, one of the ways we practice is to photograph things we own. So, wether it’s a car or motorcycle, of which I’ve had many over the past 50 years, I’ve usually preferred to do them by Natural Light.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Since I want dramatic lighting the two basic times of day to use are in the evening or in the morning.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I usually go for evening “Magic Hour” as it’s easy to work with and I can consistently achieve great results.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>However, for a portrait of our latest Jeep I wanted backlit fall colors behind my Jeep and in my location of choice that was happening in the morning at the River’s Edge in Eagle, Idaho. What was interesting at this spot was the unusual lighting.</div>
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It’s Mixed Morning Light….</div>
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What I mean by mixed morning light is that we have different color temperatures of light on the car. On the left we have warm direct sunlight (low angle sun at 10:30am) and on the right we have cool, blue, sky light. In post I brought the highlights and whites down a lot and you can see that those highlights on the right hand side of the car are not clipping. Then I warmed the image to 5450°K to a more pleasing tone for those fall colors.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The car photography specialists would probably not like using mixed color temperature lighting, but I like this image—it’s different.</div>
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Then there’s the Magic Hour at Sunset…</div>
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It’s hard to beat this kind of outdoor Natural Light on anything!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s warm, directional, smooth and a single color temperature. This was done out in my son’s “backyard” in Lancaster, California about 10 minutes before sunset.</div>
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I really like both images for different reasons. What’s your preference?</div>
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’Til next week…</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1332346206"> </a></span><a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com132tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-9806014189334742962019-11-19T06:00:00.000-08:002021-11-09T08:42:33.513-08:00HONORING OUR VETERANS WITH PROFESSIONAL PORTRAITS<style type="text/css">
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On Monday November 11th we celebrated Veteran’s Day doing portraits of our veterans! This great event all came about when we donated one of our charitable gift certificates for a family portrait to the Edgewood Spring Creek Eagle Island fund raiser in their silent auction.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We donate these gift certificates to about 25 different charities every year.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Soon after they contacted us with their idea of a Veterans’ Day portrait event to be held at their facility.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The event called, “Honor, Salute, THANK” would include portraits of veterans living at their facility (they have an independent, assisted living and memory care facility) and other facilities in the area. Edgewood would cover the cost of a 5x7” color print & folder to be given to each veteran and we would donate all of our labor. With military on both sides of our family—my father-in-law; Navy, WWII; my father, USAF, Korea; and my brother; Army, Military police—we didn’t hesitate to go all-in for this event.</div>
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When the other veterans saw this gentleman walk in one quipped, “Even if I could find my old uniform I could never fit into it today!”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After each veteran had his portrait done they tended to hang around to raz each other and talk shop about their tours of duty in various wars. They all had a good time and really appreciated what we were doing.</div>
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I liked this one because he brought some memorabilia and when I saw the 8x10 print of his official Army portrait I had him pose with it to ad to his story.</div>
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Kathi and I had so much fun doing their portraits! We want to thank all of our vets for spending time with us and also want to thank everybody at Edgewood Spring Creek Eagle Island that assisted us in making this event a success; and a special shout-out to Cindy Barsness—Sales & Public Relations Director—who put this great event together!</div>
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Author:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-52331424104104846652019-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:002021-11-09T13:41:07.806-08:00FALL COLORS AND FAMILY PORTRAITS WITH PETS<style type="text/css">
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We are fortunate here in our part of Idaho (Meridian, Boise, Eagle) to have many pet friendly parks with great trees and features where we can pose family groups, and then it just gets better when fall arrives!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Unfortunately, every other photographer in the valley knows this and if our clients insist on a weekend session our parks can become so crowded that it can spoil the experience for all of us.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>However, since I’m so picky about when and where I do our outdoor portraits our only real problem at say Kathryn Albertson Park on a Saturday is finding a place to park.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So, to reduce these problems I try to book most outdoor sessions during the work week, avoiding the weekend, at about two hours before sunset. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The first part of this planning is obvious, avoid the crowds, but the second part, two hours before sunset, is tactical and technical. Most outdoor photographers think that they must be out there at the so called Magic Hour and so they go out later than I do—which is fine by me—because then I’m leaving the park when they’re arriving! That’s the tactical part, but the important technical part is that the sun in Idaho never gets very high in the sky and at two-hours before sunset it’s plenty low enough to get me the backlight I want to create a fall like look even in the summer. I’ve found that if I’m out there during the last hour of light I can get sun flare in my lens while trying to get backlight behind my subjects. Unlike some trendy photographers I hate flare in my images; lens flare equals soft, fuzzy, portraits and a loss of color density—my clients want great fall colors!</div>
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Here’s what I’m talking about….</div>
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Because I have my lighting taken care of and know how it will look at all my favorite spots, for any time of the year, in my favorite parks (this is Kathryn Albertson Park in Boise, Idaho) all I have to concentrate on are my clients, and in this case, their dogs as well.</div>
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Once we do a family pose and the kids we ask about special poses.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They requested individuals of the kids with their favorite dog. So, we used the log to the left of the tree…</div>
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We like to use a seated pose of individuals with their pets to get their heads closer together in the portrait.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then, in this case, I’m on my knees to bring her head in alignment with that nice glow in the background. In addition, I zoom in to 200mm to knock the background out-of-focus.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRq2foqf_585Ld-6eo6zg_X-AAet6ukcugQWSQ2-onGLdZ1OgPewjULJqyDQZcwSVNMkoYv8IJlVvBIEwXCOuEQpzsEAVsMgSfAAmyt2rK-ICobuG1rQB-pBw2mNqQwj-zN6cmwxiRmM/s1600/3-Robbins-0087-2cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRq2foqf_585Ld-6eo6zg_X-AAet6ukcugQWSQ2-onGLdZ1OgPewjULJqyDQZcwSVNMkoYv8IJlVvBIEwXCOuEQpzsEAVsMgSfAAmyt2rK-ICobuG1rQB-pBw2mNqQwj-zN6cmwxiRmM/s640/3-Robbins-0087-2cropweb.jpg" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.3 @ 1/60 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 135mm</span></td></tr>
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Using the same basic set-up with the boy we managed to get their big black lab on the log next to the boy. It took several attempts, but with my wife’s use of our squeaker toy, we managed to get the dog’s curious attention!</div>
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Moving to a different spot to give the clients at least one other family portrait look…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhfwrGxlWqpreTF54B_eEkIYCNQndKESmDcHLXa_j5JglcvScsmpErOJFpqeXsgz5CK9IJzu_gBnM6Cs8z1o1k1vcxvKmKIkZbKqHC65Cdb9tJLavgo5HOiX_Rpm3WXs9ChLGKoB64yc/s1600/4-Robbins-0127-1-2VigArtweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhfwrGxlWqpreTF54B_eEkIYCNQndKESmDcHLXa_j5JglcvScsmpErOJFpqeXsgz5CK9IJzu_gBnM6Cs8z1o1k1vcxvKmKIkZbKqHC65Cdb9tJLavgo5HOiX_Rpm3WXs9ChLGKoB64yc/s640/4-Robbins-0127-1-2VigArtweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f5.6 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 135mm</span></td></tr>
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This spot peaked in its fall look in the mid-week sessions we did here; by the following weekend it was all on the ground.</div>
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TECH NOTE:</div>
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Even at 1 1/2 to 2 hours before sunset I still had to bump my ISO up to 800 in order to get the f-stop for adequate depth-of-fleld. If I tried to use the last hour of light my ISO would have to be pushed to at least 1600—not my favorite thing to do with family portraits!</div>
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’Til next week…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
<div class="p1">
Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
<div class="p1">
Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-38981192312436621102019-11-05T06:00:00.000-08:002021-11-09T13:43:26.422-08:00A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER'S TAKE ON FALL COLORS; PART 2 <style type="text/css">
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In part one I mentioned that I don’t do Autumn photography like most photographers. I find the big fall colors landscapes of a forrest of color worth little more than a passing glance. Personally I marvel at the details in nature, so even if I capture a whole tree or two I usually chop-up the scene in post creating interesting compositional crops. The preferred method is to start with a smaller scene and then zoom-in to create several different sub-compositions to show more detail.</div>
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One of my favorite settings to capture these artistic compositions is on the edges of tree lined ponds of which there are several here in Eagle, Idaho.</div>
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I’m looking for the reflections of autumn colors…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1vvz7LI3-hHiAYZIlQKaj9rIQ9kMoq2DO06CH9RwG3tg-cTHJRdWYRYoG2YDsGlv_WTpyrc1H-4h8p6ZfBzJzPaDgxShHjHfTqzLRBfNMpJeMQwimfadOU3awjaLlZa4LwUfR96YoM0/s1600/1-Fall-2019-0139edit-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1vvz7LI3-hHiAYZIlQKaj9rIQ9kMoq2DO06CH9RwG3tg-cTHJRdWYRYoG2YDsGlv_WTpyrc1H-4h8p6ZfBzJzPaDgxShHjHfTqzLRBfNMpJeMQwimfadOU3awjaLlZa4LwUfR96YoM0/s640/1-Fall-2019-0139edit-web.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;">f14.0 @ 1/125th sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 60mm</span></td></tr>
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I usually start in the morning because I’m also looking for backlight in the trees. On this morning we had a breeze and even some gusts of wind that made some ripples in the water. Those ripples created these nice abstract reflections of the tree’s fall colors around this pond. Without the leaves in the water this would be a total abstract. The leaves ground this image in reality and provide more interest and an extra center of interest.</div>
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Not content to leave it alone…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYD9kAZTh4o-TCOsi9PjsaR4rjTZ6EzTBqMHMqaJeNMOnHOluF5F9Q5UDCbpA4w6bxOIjhp2bwbVJlGsW-oU6-EMldx5J3jVuZyRqIXY-Pg2BQcND3at-h2ttnHBxhHZCuTdJnwr1vOw/s1600/2-Fall-2019-0139edit-crop-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYD9kAZTh4o-TCOsi9PjsaR4rjTZ6EzTBqMHMqaJeNMOnHOluF5F9Q5UDCbpA4w6bxOIjhp2bwbVJlGsW-oU6-EMldx5J3jVuZyRqIXY-Pg2BQcND3at-h2ttnHBxhHZCuTdJnwr1vOw/s640/2-Fall-2019-0139edit-crop-2web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;">f14.0 @ 1/125th sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 60mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I like this piece of the original, so I cropped in post, to simplify the composition. Now it’s getting somewhat surreal!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I like it. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Then, towards sunset, at a bigger pond in Eagle…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDzNjwLK5ZFsXAjCC7pmpT0wHZw0S5UG6i6gDZ5ftzz_DkUlXkFyDlSOO085euVj3QFs7iJn-BT9q0wGscySUU6v1bKJil3WUWMXP0Ch08QpXupAZvj3UoQlmva-WdtkRcZdWtgdqUxI/s1600/3-FallsEnd-2018-0053edit-cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDzNjwLK5ZFsXAjCC7pmpT0wHZw0S5UG6i6gDZ5ftzz_DkUlXkFyDlSOO085euVj3QFs7iJn-BT9q0wGscySUU6v1bKJil3WUWMXP0Ch08QpXupAZvj3UoQlmva-WdtkRcZdWtgdqUxI/s640/3-FallsEnd-2018-0053edit-cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;">f11.0 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 280mm</span></td></tr>
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As usual, I was walking around with my lens @ 200mm to narrow my view. I had even added my 1.4x extender on it to bring it to 280mm. So, even though the view here appears large, it’s only a piece of the scene. What the lens adds is its compression effect to the scene bringing the foreground tree and ducks closer to the background.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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At still another pond in the afternoon…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwA52DjvkJVZ4fHOVmmOnYuu41iTQtbsZjxea4n8-HG4EzURrKBE3SFZb6u6ZAnIjP6F3YrAHI_SEplbxh9ReX_gSp4Lw6T8dxuYQpoUT4i1JJcyKO5tMLxbmR-iNr1UvjMUBVkNanVck/s1600/4-Early+Fall+2018-0156-2+CropTMdeep1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwA52DjvkJVZ4fHOVmmOnYuu41iTQtbsZjxea4n8-HG4EzURrKBE3SFZb6u6ZAnIjP6F3YrAHI_SEplbxh9ReX_gSp4Lw6T8dxuYQpoUT4i1JJcyKO5tMLxbmR-iNr1UvjMUBVkNanVck/s640/4-Early+Fall+2018-0156-2+CropTMdeep1web.jpg" width="344" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;">f9.0 @ 1/200 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Looking for backlit leaves I found this little tree that had sprouted up in the shadow of a row of big evergreen trees. The backlight made its colors stunning. I really like that I had to frame this up to include the out of focus limbs of the evergreen trees. It really shows how these huge evergreens are dominating this little tree’s environment.</div>
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Time will tell it can flourish in that environment….’Til next week…</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client stie: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-9163315317074450992019-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:002021-11-09T13:43:57.942-08:00A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKE ON FALL COLORS; PART 1<style type="text/css">
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In my 40 years doing fine art photography, in multiple Western states, it has only been these last ten years in Idaho that my fall colors portfolio has truly blossomed. I’ve never experienced such vibrant, colorful, and varied autumn colors until we moved from California to Idaho. My biggest complaint about fall colors in California—we lived in Silicon Valley—was that all the best colorful trees were in the parking lots of malls and businesses!</div>
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When we do portraits our favorite park is Kathryn Albertson Park in Boise. It’s good all year, but it’s exceptional in the fall.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>However, if I want the more vivid fall colors for my fine art I’ll look towards Meridian, but for the best variety of colors, with the addition of water features, I always drive a couple miles into Eagle, Idaho. The key to great fall photography is to revisit the good spots periodically—at least every week in October.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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My recent images from Eagle, Idaho….</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZqUrCOebgcei_BP-nwg0ZiWR2O9EEPSg7SKgwfDxPpwNZKW0ubLuMhUc5dprc8aldQv-TQJcH_IZBX31ea_QnA0ibcum4i2Ub3C5bQ3J-vqewJpa-nCH2e_U6AbEzc7uIhS-lAcNsnY/s1600/1-Fall-2019-0057edit-cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZqUrCOebgcei_BP-nwg0ZiWR2O9EEPSg7SKgwfDxPpwNZKW0ubLuMhUc5dprc8aldQv-TQJcH_IZBX31ea_QnA0ibcum4i2Ub3C5bQ3J-vqewJpa-nCH2e_U6AbEzc7uIhS-lAcNsnY/s640/1-Fall-2019-0057edit-cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/40 sec.,ISO 400; Lens @ 15mm</span></td></tr>
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This was done at 11am to get the rising sun backlighting this marvelous tree.</div>
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<b>TECH NOTE:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If you want great color and detail in leaves use backlight NOT front light, Front light hides detail and will often blow-out, clipping your high lights, on the shiny surfaces of the leaves.</div>
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This composition is about as big as I go with fall trees. I’ll pick ONE tree and then go in for details. I don’t photograph Forests; the best thing about autumn is in the details.</div>
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<b>TECH NOTE:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b> With backlight and proper exposure our fall colors don’t need much work in Photoshop. For this image I reduced highlights and lowered blacks. I only bumped Vibrance +10 and Saturation +8.</div>
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MY PHILOSOPHY:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You can reveal more about a subject by showing less.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That means I zoom-in or crop…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsiNSzxfxFNx8D29nQQu_NV-Jg8IhJ6-lCECL2d1Kvh6RDIu3rlacTiMSN3ON8TIq8lHOu747NO_H2ohYSckgx-y0FeyrLgM3I5_b_yuqyUsl_I9IQq9Hij2yJs86RxOJRsoirz1ysfY/s1600/2-Fall-2019-0214edit-crop2aweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsiNSzxfxFNx8D29nQQu_NV-Jg8IhJ6-lCECL2d1Kvh6RDIu3rlacTiMSN3ON8TIq8lHOu747NO_H2ohYSckgx-y0FeyrLgM3I5_b_yuqyUsl_I9IQq9Hij2yJs86RxOJRsoirz1ysfY/s640/2-Fall-2019-0214edit-crop2aweb.jpg" width="344" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/250th sec., Iso 400; Lens @ 105mm</span></td></tr>
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So, I stand INSIDE the tree looking towards the sun and pick a branch with some great backlit leaves. In addition, I move so that the background is darker behind the leaves to really make them “pop” off the background.</div>
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Then I move in on a special leaf….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB2jSx1T5zGbIXU6fgfFm1rL3iaxQ8kvrNWn-pWkqI9NuR0ArMD4nfQP4ro400AqKqelG6MQ-BzRdDtUEhTmhk_Iq5OZxiOF-b9tTBvVDv-e0tZgK_oWMtaXVq3olb9ZNVTd5UVC5IuM/s1600/3-Fall-2019-0242edit-cropeditweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB2jSx1T5zGbIXU6fgfFm1rL3iaxQ8kvrNWn-pWkqI9NuR0ArMD4nfQP4ro400AqKqelG6MQ-BzRdDtUEhTmhk_Iq5OZxiOF-b9tTBvVDv-e0tZgK_oWMtaXVq3olb9ZNVTd5UVC5IuM/s640/3-Fall-2019-0242edit-cropeditweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/200 se.c, ISO 400; Lens @ 105mm</span></td></tr>
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I really like these leaves at this stage of fall. You can see the autumn colors progressing through the leaves like a slowly advancing virus.</div>
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An Eagle water feature….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHidWkXKE7L10XS9N3KLckHXT8g-1Wz0HkrkQfJgTM5V5TeVDz19teJkD7uBVTKHKJBfwLEiF9ziXSwjf1W3Kd-V-Ebj1waGIDWNH-vZxry6e5SWat-ebCOqe9ph_Ni8VPPoIWK5nx6I/s1600/4-Fall-2019-0196editweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHidWkXKE7L10XS9N3KLckHXT8g-1Wz0HkrkQfJgTM5V5TeVDz19teJkD7uBVTKHKJBfwLEiF9ziXSwjf1W3Kd-V-Ebj1waGIDWNH-vZxry6e5SWat-ebCOqe9ph_Ni8VPPoIWK5nx6I/s640/4-Fall-2019-0196editweb.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f9.0 @ 1/60 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 70mm</span></td></tr>
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This pond, a favorite haunt of local ducks, is on the edge of a housing development. With the trees around it I look for the reflection of their fall colors in the water to align with features on the edge of the pond. I like to create compositions that include foreground, mid-ground<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and background interest.</div>
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Hope you enjoyed this years fall colors and I will share more next week.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>’Til then…</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training Site:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client Site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-87050004020690440432019-10-22T06:00:00.000-07:002019-10-22T14:22:40.712-07:00EQUINE-MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHY COMBINED<style type="text/css">
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We’ve done a lot of photography of people with their horses and many maternity sessions of our clients, as well, over the years, but this was the only time the two types of photography got combined.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It turned out to be a very special session for all of us.</div>
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One of our challenges was the posing of this gal with her horse. One of our mainstays in equine photography was of the owner in mounted poses with their horse. In this type of session I wasn’t even going to ask for that! Only if SHE volunteered a mounted pose would that happen.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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However, the standing poses worked just fine….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpM43hTVw4MwTYBa1kLtsRrezoJhXzPbMPOY6QfyPT7ffAA1KpZw5XMl6J1afEoMZp4u6f_ed2q7d_1ACP65sgx52YWrLsci0MXu1rKSEME8M5Ue6MrVdXzX_TKv8sfpS44nLl_fX-C4/s1600/1-Hayes+Horse0129.editcrop2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpM43hTVw4MwTYBa1kLtsRrezoJhXzPbMPOY6QfyPT7ffAA1KpZw5XMl6J1afEoMZp4u6f_ed2q7d_1ACP65sgx52YWrLsci0MXu1rKSEME8M5Ue6MrVdXzX_TKv8sfpS44nLl_fX-C4/s640/1-Hayes+Horse0129.editcrop2.jpg" width="536" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f8.0 @ 1/800 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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She said her horse was her first baby. They had an obvious connection to each other that showed in all our images. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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A full view of her with her big baby…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSQzI6XeP5RW0O_Gad47Nr18kSppDAH_8fgVO4QdIxgzQvUbfLKfy1VUyJms4a-uccrYVbchtLYOa-wL5Bzd4iBpTyurQGYSSFWz4eKaPM4UFsrySp5qxNPlDa2irQHySkZuTlSVhcIw/s1600/2-Hayes0403web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSQzI6XeP5RW0O_Gad47Nr18kSppDAH_8fgVO4QdIxgzQvUbfLKfy1VUyJms4a-uccrYVbchtLYOa-wL5Bzd4iBpTyurQGYSSFWz4eKaPM4UFsrySp5qxNPlDa2irQHySkZuTlSVhcIw/s640/2-Hayes0403web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f5.6 @ 1/500 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 75mm</span></td></tr>
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We normally discourage people wearing white in portraits sessions, but in this session the color harmony with her in white was perfect.</div>
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A special close-up moment…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ydhbxgOTftWfCPF9o0zszpug6uWGehU1n3dTn3f1iLmJgZwhAjaxxTYh6dRQOotTsTeatlIXzarMvC3t-Mn8INca02ZB0eokxnLTJXRZHPYJO0U4wQKPD_N0nY4T852kgiKPcpYe4Ug/s1600/3-Hayes0151editcrop-editswebnew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ydhbxgOTftWfCPF9o0zszpug6uWGehU1n3dTn3f1iLmJgZwhAjaxxTYh6dRQOotTsTeatlIXzarMvC3t-Mn8INca02ZB0eokxnLTJXRZHPYJO0U4wQKPD_N0nY4T852kgiKPcpYe4Ug/s640/3-Hayes0151editcrop-editswebnew.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f5.0 @ 1/800 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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We started about an hour and a half before sunset for some directional lighting and to control the level of light in the background. Then I use the most telephoto focal length I can—in this case 200mm—to blur out my background (bokeh is great!) isolating my subjects.</div>
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Next time you get the chance try something fun…’til next week.</div>
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Author:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-36774987061466179502019-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:002019-10-15T06:00:01.709-07:00WHY H.S. SENIORS ARE SO FUN TO PHOTOGRAPH!<style type="text/css">
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High School Seniors Photography is among the most creative types of photography. Why? Because we’re photographing an individual we don’t have to worry about group composition and the space it takes to place a group within an outdoor background or a studio set. We are free to creatively use the many small niches in the outdoor environment that we don’t normally use. In addition we can do more variety in poses, with more interesting standing poses, that don’t work for groups. Then there are the clothing changes, something we don’t have time for in group portraits, that can really add creative variety to a session. And since the clothes matter to teens these different outfits tell us something about them. After all isn’t that why we’re doing their portraits at this pivotal moment in their lives?</div>
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One of my favorite types of sessions is what we call the Dual Senior Session.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This is where we do both a studio and an outdoor session—usually on the same day. These sessions are far more challenging, but can reveal a lot more about them as well. And because the environment, the background, the depth and lighting is so radically different in our outdoor versus our studio sessions the teens often act differently—the whole look is fundamentally different. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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This young lady is a good example….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRgBkTluzaCOtkfQLxcMP2rBoGpfIIf0N74D8a5YAaaPLI_aA8q2ZoTAZaYl2xNTb4DgVTULMBjzj-cA7a8CZcXk9RQGU0r4aYRmxfEkDrRfWVMV_nb-qYmrF3Ivx4gmR0JaBLIaRZG0/s1600/1-Clark-057+copyedit-cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRgBkTluzaCOtkfQLxcMP2rBoGpfIIf0N74D8a5YAaaPLI_aA8q2ZoTAZaYl2xNTb4DgVTULMBjzj-cA7a8CZcXk9RQGU0r4aYRmxfEkDrRfWVMV_nb-qYmrF3Ivx4gmR0JaBLIaRZG0/s640/1-Clark-057+copyedit-cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/200 sec., ISO 200, Lens @ 110mm</span></td></tr>
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The parents always want their kids to smile in portraits and we do our best to accommodate them, but sometimes the child won’t comply.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This gal had a definite, single minded, style she wanted to portray in the studio. We can relate to most parents. Our oldest son would rarely smile in front of the camera. I actually like this portrait of her—It has emotional content that is real. It tells me more about her than would a cheesy smile.</div>
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Then we went to a local park…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYvQwg5bDaUSDfXd03iNOQX9wXYWQKJwewxYxsu1VXvw33J2MhoW14sHvTFQIUdgIUS8CBNl6Axk-mh9jyWQAQoExOkz1yExEPa7hmnVGMtjRiXhUEmXTgvC0aaMuI0llnoYsjcz5R_Q/s1600/2-Clark-0188+copyedit-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYvQwg5bDaUSDfXd03iNOQX9wXYWQKJwewxYxsu1VXvw33J2MhoW14sHvTFQIUdgIUS8CBNl6Axk-mh9jyWQAQoExOkz1yExEPa7hmnVGMtjRiXhUEmXTgvC0aaMuI0llnoYsjcz5R_Q/s640/2-Clark-0188+copyedit-web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.5 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 123mm</span></td></tr>
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Now, she’s really cutting loose!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This was the smile she gave us; this is her persona. We were happy with the results and so were her parents.</div>
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Another reason we do a Dual Senior Session is when the clients need a formal studio session for the yearbook in addition to the usual outdoor session.</div>
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This young man was really easy to work with….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEL3iol96jHVNBhD7LAYQR1ex3NWuOZkNrFfsl620fmYIzZFYqJALEvvAlgg3WV7-VritZdexRV3IRCh_c-uk5GMM2SgjQZAj7iXMHhp96A5gc_At_iRArLjD4fg6mC3TVKC98RYjRH0/s1600/3-Vincent-0014new1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEL3iol96jHVNBhD7LAYQR1ex3NWuOZkNrFfsl620fmYIzZFYqJALEvvAlgg3WV7-VritZdexRV3IRCh_c-uk5GMM2SgjQZAj7iXMHhp96A5gc_At_iRArLjD4fg6mC3TVKC98RYjRH0/s640/3-Vincent-0014new1web.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/200 se., ISO 200; lens @ 165mm</span></td></tr>
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I loaned him one of my tuxedos for his yearbook formal (we also provide the black drape for the gals). Then as part of our service we take care of getting their formal image to the yearbook staff at their High School. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Then off to the park for casual portraits…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTRGfqzvIGvXsMePS3exlP924prJQxouGWxXd_ypVVYgJhm6PMIBQFmU_jXKLosc1BctgLaN4s8pS9q4VGOUoyay7VXEuAhHPyCW4_YJ51W54FQgb1hZToxjnQAXANW2AZuHifOsRWEs/s1600/4-Vincent-0109new1neweditweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTRGfqzvIGvXsMePS3exlP924prJQxouGWxXd_ypVVYgJhm6PMIBQFmU_jXKLosc1BctgLaN4s8pS9q4VGOUoyay7VXEuAhHPyCW4_YJ51W54FQgb1hZToxjnQAXANW2AZuHifOsRWEs/s640/4-Vincent-0109new1neweditweb.jpg" width="402" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f4.5 @ 1/200 sec., SIO 400; Lens @ 222mm</span></td></tr>
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Both of these outdoor sessions were done in the fall—our favorite time of the year here in Idaho. These were done in early and late October where we go out about two hours before sunset.</div>
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My style is to only use outdoor locations that are lit by the setting sun—so that when I place my subjects the sun is setting behind them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then I knock it all out of focus with a relativity wide aperture and as much telephoto lens as I can bring to bear. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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That’s it for this week….as usual don’t hesitate to ask questions…happy to answer you….</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-65902183258251220632019-10-08T06:00:00.000-07:002019-10-08T07:40:45.530-07:00OUTDOOR BRIDAL PORTRAITS AT THE WRONG TIME OF DAY<style type="text/css">
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My speciality is environmental natural light portraits. So, when doing family, high school seniors, or any individual portraits outside I decide when we start the photography session. I also usually decide where the session is done from my list of great locations. Since I want every session to be fabulous I need to control as many variables as possible in my portraits. That’s why I have our outdoor sessions start about 2 hours before sunset, depending on the location. Then we work the location saving the best spots for the “magic hour lighting”. Well, then there’s wedding photography; not the best field of photography for a control freak! With my 30+ years as a full time professional photographer nothing has been more challenging than doing weddings. Facing that challenge has made me a much better photographer in every area of my business.</div>
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Sometimes you only have 2 minutes to decide where and how you’re going to “get the shot”…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzqrCmmUwXr5OT8ywkk6a8sTd-fritElzaPe58Oru3Fo9_W40T_XUo1XF1ybU7bdgYBuGw8bl7AZohoipjl5XzsY0KGGSIZimErnmffN9iLJOuPqrWkAmv5J9T3M2Fq-R-gdw2X2r2AM/s1600/1-Michika-0335-1-2Cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzqrCmmUwXr5OT8ywkk6a8sTd-fritElzaPe58Oru3Fo9_W40T_XUo1XF1ybU7bdgYBuGw8bl7AZohoipjl5XzsY0KGGSIZimErnmffN9iLJOuPqrWkAmv5J9T3M2Fq-R-gdw2X2r2AM/s640/1-Michika-0335-1-2Cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.5 @ 1/500sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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It’s 3 o’clock on a very bright, clear, summer day at the Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, California. Obviously not my favorite time of day and the bride wants an image on the bridge—the most open area of the gardens. I oblige my client giving them what they ask for and then I move on to MY choice of location.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Using my lens at 200mm with an aperture of f4.5, I blur out the background giving me some nice bokeh and isolating her.</div>
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Next I moved her into the shade…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJjT6swAK6GUocphdVEZtJdefMBF906j4F9ZGi2Rw7SH1_bitNooSfM-1eMWO_aP-vCJN0mTs584AdERW2p8JRV3X0Iwf0D4XWDT7oLw0AtCgtJ3yJ73qX5rAO8Cjk6nxrXlAEas4Z3w/s1600/2-Michika-0303+copy-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJjT6swAK6GUocphdVEZtJdefMBF906j4F9ZGi2Rw7SH1_bitNooSfM-1eMWO_aP-vCJN0mTs584AdERW2p8JRV3X0Iwf0D4XWDT7oLw0AtCgtJ3yJ73qX5rAO8Cjk6nxrXlAEas4Z3w/s640/2-Michika-0303+copy-2web.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f5.6 @ 1/800 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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Putting her into the shade of a big tree gave me the soft light I wanted on her face. Then I looked for some less harsh background light I could de-focus, creating separation against her face and the black wig. It required very careful framing to get the separation around her wig—especially the upper right hand quadrant.</div>
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Then I moved her again…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GjNSwO2WRTOSWBK0LDz5NYI4RZkwEjOZerZiSdDrvoGo0YMSfKBmlwltVPCqboFv7psP-7a2O-8go1L2Y0U7OprkujvzniMeCced_igNGWD3_uQdSp2IWqt8Gh0MWNR2a1QMsU-q7fg/s1600/3-Michika+371-ACRweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GjNSwO2WRTOSWBK0LDz5NYI4RZkwEjOZerZiSdDrvoGo0YMSfKBmlwltVPCqboFv7psP-7a2O-8go1L2Y0U7OprkujvzniMeCced_igNGWD3_uQdSp2IWqt8Gh0MWNR2a1QMsU-q7fg/s640/3-Michika+371-ACRweb.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.0 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 400; lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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Using this large canvas, created by a visiting Japanese artist, created a relevant background and it blocked the strong direct sunlight behind it. An easy exposure using open sky creating soft light. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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At another shady area….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQaZlFrQbIF62Dr8Nn89HdRu2Me9G1McEhR-6E2xWSSbcc1dBlGMwvVg4xtHNfdWyWOBIQL-CyNOCK-Qpt64ZiWGws3A4_oeHl-MF8H8KB30tbpkAy2S1JYbVGMa_xHVLUdijtKM8rVY/s1600/4-Michika-0425-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQaZlFrQbIF62Dr8Nn89HdRu2Me9G1McEhR-6E2xWSSbcc1dBlGMwvVg4xtHNfdWyWOBIQL-CyNOCK-Qpt64ZiWGws3A4_oeHl-MF8H8KB30tbpkAy2S1JYbVGMa_xHVLUdijtKM8rVY/s640/4-Michika-0425-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.0 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 800, Lens @ 120mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Well known for their bamboo gardens I wanted some as a background. This was done in front of the visitor’s center. I liked the spotty backlight—I just made sure that her face stayed in the shade.</div>
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Then I moved her into the sunlight…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcVFDB5Hs7uFHlJPXmnVLZMjaUPCu9GSBs5by34sWKTlO9tFQ2NNyq5l4lQY9Pf9k1aszj-7dGLxkdABRNQae5QGTnWr5SKXw580R62A2T4dPdeR3ncOz_63o1pNz7zmSPaCKTduvE2o/s1600/5-Michika-SEfx408-1-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNcVFDB5Hs7uFHlJPXmnVLZMjaUPCu9GSBs5by34sWKTlO9tFQ2NNyq5l4lQY9Pf9k1aszj-7dGLxkdABRNQae5QGTnWr5SKXw580R62A2T4dPdeR3ncOz_63o1pNz7zmSPaCKTduvE2o/s640/5-Michika-SEfx408-1-2web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f4.0 @ 1/800 sec., ISO, 400; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="p2">
Now I’m letting the sun light-up her white translucent shroud. This created a soft box effect—except her head is inside the soft-box!</div>
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<div class="p1">
This bridal session was challenging, but with such a great subject I was motivated to create something she would always cherish. We had a lot of fun too!</div>
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I’m open to questions…have a great day, until next week…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Author:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
<div class="p1">
Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
<div class="p1">
Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-75630298110549653452019-10-01T06:00:00.000-07:002019-10-01T09:33:55.379-07:00STUDIO EXECUTIVE PORTRAITS OF WOMEN<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">
Here at The Storytellers we don’t do “head-shots”. We don’t even use the term with clients; it’s always Executive Portraits. These sessions are custom tuned to the look they want combined with our advice gleaned from over 25 years of studio photography experience.</div>
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<br /></div>
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A vital part of each session is the clothing consultation. We advise that more clothing coverage is better than less. The more skin you show the more it takes attention away from the face. That’s why we recommend long sleeves and at most “V” necks. If we’re doing any standing poses we suggest pants or a dress at knee length. Then we move on to clothing colors and picking a background that will compliment those colors. When done right we have color harmony…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIgOtj86ssvkDEMn3S_Xvwk4TU4NtZiq22GERZpevDThX-TM9XdWHWF69AmdlH41_WPDHkcXxiGatpjMwZU_9PlStQWsUoyOlYrSQctEeRt_zYSMQX3Lw95D_rNem6KhoY9aqh3mC7hE/s1600/1-Hawkins-0171new1-2Cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIgOtj86ssvkDEMn3S_Xvwk4TU4NtZiq22GERZpevDThX-TM9XdWHWF69AmdlH41_WPDHkcXxiGatpjMwZU_9PlStQWsUoyOlYrSQctEeRt_zYSMQX3Lw95D_rNem6KhoY9aqh3mC7hE/s640/1-Hawkins-0171new1-2Cropweb.jpg" width="402" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/200 sec., ISO, 200; Lens @ 120mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When we told this gal about our backgrounds and mentioned our Tuscan, hand painted, muslin, in brown tones with hints of blue highlights, she put together an outfit that was in perfect color harmony and looked great on her!</div>
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Here’s the studio lighting set-up….</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzcqsiBZ-UEISW5HvXAC51gyeKpCfle3jBZITeJpg7Q6r3lwmj69SLKHbCBsViBlvrR6LMEPk2v93XX1ZYBXqEfATlbJgqQ4ZdNPGDq4VKH0ffgLW2hT_4zenGO1vTg5OY8IQXmUxwLo/s1600/2-Studio-0002-2Cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzcqsiBZ-UEISW5HvXAC51gyeKpCfle3jBZITeJpg7Q6r3lwmj69SLKHbCBsViBlvrR6LMEPk2v93XX1ZYBXqEfATlbJgqQ4ZdNPGDq4VKH0ffgLW2hT_4zenGO1vTg5OY8IQXmUxwLo/s640/2-Studio-0002-2Cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Studio Set-up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This is my basic 3-Light set-up.</div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Main Light: Photoflex, 7 foot, OctoDome</li>
<li class="li1">Hair Light: Larson, 9x24”, strip-light</li>
<li class="li1">Background Light: one Norman head with grid</li>
<li class="li1">Reflector: Soft white, 42”, Photoflex</li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
Then we changed the background….</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi7NeA_Ya2YhG6ZVtBjUbNp_9RGXyNloJ5q_SQgWUFBixyACaqWGnGKjObc1ML4ygJVwi-FVFWDG_BAndaLOTrIvv88mnalbuJhO_JNdFxKY59IQNTWboYkJslZKgYZbzGVdKGcg_fKY/s1600/3-Hawkins-0144new1-2+cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMi7NeA_Ya2YhG6ZVtBjUbNp_9RGXyNloJ5q_SQgWUFBixyACaqWGnGKjObc1ML4ygJVwi-FVFWDG_BAndaLOTrIvv88mnalbuJhO_JNdFxKY59IQNTWboYkJslZKgYZbzGVdKGcg_fKY/s640/3-Hawkins-0144new1-2+cropweb.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/200 sec., ISO 200; Lens @ 150mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We always do a series of seated poses with this level of framing—head and shoulders or a little wider—to give the client lots of choices This was her favorite image from the series. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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This particular pose is one of our “Power Poses”. In this pose we have the client lean forward slightly with an elbow on a knee.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This put her face forward of her tummy; when the face is closer to the camera than the tummy the size of the tummy is reduced.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s a standard pose for men to slim them, but obviously works well with a woman that is comfortable with it! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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’Til next week…..</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
<div class="p1">
Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
<div class="p1">
Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-60118759295650017892019-09-24T06:00:00.000-07:002019-09-29T12:16:43.241-07:00PORTRAITS OF PEOPLE WITH THEIR PETS<style type="text/css">
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Our pets are only with us for so long. That’s why when we get portrait inquires and they ask if we will photograph their pets, in addition to them and their family, we always say Yes!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They also ask if we charge extra for pets or extended family; to that we always say No! We do not put-up roadblocks to potential clients.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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This portrait session was a fun, simple session of just this lady and her dog done outside in a dog’s natural environment. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You can see these two had a strong connection..</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPN5zVssuBiBk0PhCrcabfp52RZcWir2xAeYig9Lzd7WmvlBacSfCghFS0RPqg8uQguqbFQpApTTj3Jx9xOyqI5VuiDc2Be3opASX9Pd2wcBjRtFWzH6-QD0LuZ7QdOZozo8xDkcjnlyU/s1600/1-Hawkins-0023new-1cropeditweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPN5zVssuBiBk0PhCrcabfp52RZcWir2xAeYig9Lzd7WmvlBacSfCghFS0RPqg8uQguqbFQpApTTj3Jx9xOyqI5VuiDc2Be3opASX9Pd2wcBjRtFWzH6-QD0LuZ7QdOZozo8xDkcjnlyU/s640/1-Hawkins-0023new-1cropeditweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.5 @ 1/320 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="p2">
I really like it when we can get images of people and their pets interacting with each other. It’s not that easy to capture because often the pet is distracted by all of the people, kids, and other animals passing through the park especially on a weekend. That’s why we suggest to our clients that portrait sessions are best done during the week.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Here’s the more formal portrait…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V-lqgc0AykNgxxGUdAYLsImhyphenhyphenxs2CNXfDfmcbH9yAGdQiv-gtvxCZd8rKFOnfeLziEPLu1jaBOqJ_b1UWLeW1kPt7nsNw_WsUL8bGR5JQ4fSYpjV1Fg5_PnfUuBvSAVFHHNqsdRnH7g/s1600/2-Hawkins-0003new1-2+cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V-lqgc0AykNgxxGUdAYLsImhyphenhyphenxs2CNXfDfmcbH9yAGdQiv-gtvxCZd8rKFOnfeLziEPLu1jaBOqJ_b1UWLeW1kPt7nsNw_WsUL8bGR5JQ4fSYpjV1Fg5_PnfUuBvSAVFHHNqsdRnH7g/s640/2-Hawkins-0003new1-2+cropweb.jpg" width="444" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.2 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 150mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="p2">
I love the old fence here at Merrill Park, Eagle, Idaho. At this point, since they aren’t interacting, it’s obvious her dog is now on guard duty!</div>
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So, back to some storytelling….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAy_M_-fk7rKSXz8BShVY7uORG_c1fg2_T_6coTeq5rE-w22Cgvxf7nRzq1hGCc5FSt8Rpsi2mZR5dDWMRgZWTwOGfEu1MTslxbPWqGsxJXQfh1o9hk0-O-rs2Uo2ya4d5OlTMO8tOcs/s1600/3-Hawkins-0044.2-2+cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTAy_M_-fk7rKSXz8BShVY7uORG_c1fg2_T_6coTeq5rE-w22Cgvxf7nRzq1hGCc5FSt8Rpsi2mZR5dDWMRgZWTwOGfEu1MTslxbPWqGsxJXQfh1o9hk0-O-rs2Uo2ya4d5OlTMO8tOcs/s640/3-Hawkins-0044.2-2+cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.3 @ 1/250 sec., Iso 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="p2">
Sitting them on the grass, where I also had a better fall colors background, helped to reestablish that connection.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Dogs outside, in the park, are just like kids. They’re easily distracted and often reach their limit when a portrait session goes longer than 45 minutes.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AOSvrj_JFsA-bML9MkfoJY89J9eOR8UP-IZjR8YkH4xhZlkboMpKK6F6ztEoGt2Lz8xJYCcTo_st31wkvnS4GcDj9JZbn2x-1FN7tAxtoBXmkJXoCXv12GDbC_tikW0ISZC3kPqEw9E/s1600/4-Hawkins-0031new1-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AOSvrj_JFsA-bML9MkfoJY89J9eOR8UP-IZjR8YkH4xhZlkboMpKK6F6ztEoGt2Lz8xJYCcTo_st31wkvnS4GcDj9JZbn2x-1FN7tAxtoBXmkJXoCXv12GDbC_tikW0ISZC3kPqEw9E/s640/4-Hawkins-0031new1-2web.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f6.3 @ 1/320 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 170mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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Her dog, at this point, would no longer look towards me and my camera. She’s saying, “I think he’s done!”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That means we then move on to this lady’s individual portraits without her dog. She loved the images we got of the two of them and scheduled another portrait session in our studio for just her.</div>
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That’s it for this week….As always don’t hesitate to ask any questions…</div>
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<div class="p1">
Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
<div class="p1">
Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
<div class="p1">
Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-45019145523686948822019-09-17T06:00:00.000-07:002019-09-17T08:04:08.551-07:00PROFILE LIGHTING IN THE STUDIO<style type="text/css">
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<div class="p1">
Because we have total control of lighting in the studio it is the best environment to create dramatic lighting. It’s all about <b>direction</b> of light and creating <b>shadows</b>. The fastest way to kill dramatic lighting is the use of a <b>fill light</b>. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That’s why I quit using any fill light in my studio over ten years ago. The most I use to soften shadows is a reflector—and even then I usually use a soft white; rarely do I use silver.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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One of the most dramatic lighting pattens used in the studio is Profile Lighting. In Profile Lighting even the reflector is not needed…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPpCecy13CSxZIP1Ej53K-bF6ksSxhtT2fLQfokdfwncJFDR-qCBQL70HfIgwg2qnjpSTIXWHnqi2qmQppcDAs8EHjpj-kt1aTwt30Hr_bjCTgodjFMLI58OyfzB9FQroLrxgqgOIJWQ/s1600/1-Gasaway-0050TMdeep2-SilEfexFineArtNoiseweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPpCecy13CSxZIP1Ej53K-bF6ksSxhtT2fLQfokdfwncJFDR-qCBQL70HfIgwg2qnjpSTIXWHnqi2qmQppcDAs8EHjpj-kt1aTwt30Hr_bjCTgodjFMLI58OyfzB9FQroLrxgqgOIJWQ/s640/1-Gasaway-0050TMdeep2-SilEfexFineArtNoiseweb.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f13.0 @ 1/200 sec., ISO 200; Lens @ 105mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="p2">
Profile Lighting is a simple 3-Light setup:</div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">The Main Light is at 90° relative to camera with the subject looking towards the light.</li>
<li class="li1">One grided background light (set @ f8.0)</li>
<li class="li1">One Hair light (set @ f11.0)</li>
</ul>
<div class="p2">
It’s simple in the number of lights used, but as usual, the placement and intensity of each light is critical in a successful outcome.</div>
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<div class="p1">
Here’s the original color studio image…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnMgeFZBxnk4G3IcN5RrIfUpGx8NJVfWAClelqKAW6MZS9oP5cSbuCukc4toJ2Jc7MyuckIdCOqN5JgH30fJKI6epe-MQ44ngbzkXb4wbULlfy8ootJEME9NTdPx3mAryO0ErlFOq5B0/s1600/2-Gasaway-0050web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnMgeFZBxnk4G3IcN5RrIfUpGx8NJVfWAClelqKAW6MZS9oP5cSbuCukc4toJ2Jc7MyuckIdCOqN5JgH30fJKI6epe-MQ44ngbzkXb4wbULlfy8ootJEME9NTdPx3mAryO0ErlFOq5B0/s640/2-Gasaway-0050web.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Color Image</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Nowhere near as dramatic as my final Black and White image this was just my raw material to start with. In our film days this would have been our stopping point!</div>
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Processing the file:</div>
<ul class="ul2">
<li class="li1">I first opened it in NIK’s Silver Efex Pro 2, single image, Tone Mapping; Used Deep 2.</li>
<li class="li1">B&W conversion in NIK’s Silver Efex Pro 2 using their Fine Art preset-modified to my taste.</li>
<li class="li1">Noise reduction in NIK’s Define 2.</li>
</ul>
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It’s remarkable how far we can take a digital file today to create our vision of a final image. However, it’s still important that we start with a good basic image; with highlights controlled and Light and Shadows where we want them.</div>
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As always, don’t hesitate to ask questions…’Til next week…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
<div class="p1">
Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
<div class="p1">
Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-37634815433216878922019-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:002019-09-10T06:00:03.262-07:00MULTI-FAMILY GROUP PORTRAITS OUTSIDE
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One of our specialties is doing family portraits, multi-family groups and the occasional family reunion; the more the merrier!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Because of our wedding background, we have considerable experience in putting groups together both indoors and outdoors. But our favorite is doing so outside, by natural light, in nice park-like environments—especially in the fall. We start with the most difficult portrait first, when at all possible, the formal large group—especially when there are small kids in the image.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then we do the family sub-groups, the grand or great grand kids with grandma and grandpa and finally a fun one of the whole group…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLuvL_H_dt5ySVXngRBa4ljLV7I-j3dez4H5d8sPajKYLDOujq1wh_keRKf18-6IPpX5utpArHqghqZARHMATWY6oZxiyczhBukbik8azQrQY_CzHlRLhnAsOugRw_EUVWvUUt7bpPOQ/s1600/1-Bennion-0128new2newweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLuvL_H_dt5ySVXngRBa4ljLV7I-j3dez4H5d8sPajKYLDOujq1wh_keRKf18-6IPpX5utpArHqghqZARHMATWY6oZxiyczhBukbik8azQrQY_CzHlRLhnAsOugRw_EUVWvUUt7bpPOQ/s640/1-Bennion-0128new2newweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">f6.3 @ 1/250 sec., ISO 1000; Lens @ 70mm</span></td></tr>
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At this point we didn’t care if the kids got dirty, so we had everybody throw the fall leaves in the air!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You can tell they were now free to enjoy themselves; the parents as well! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This image was done just 45 minutes before sunset, so the light is really nice with the sun setting behind them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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We usually start our outdoor sessions about two hours before sunset and since not everybody had arrived at the park yet we started with some individual family groups….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylBtCVmF9uBTofDarywmbhZGNKhhzxkkKwccSPiQ5m89bhIYeMk3M5rgXMQvhmcLANgv7cIqJ4r-9V83RxzTxGfkEbtsqRTDfhQCL8IqJFtYJIx4vlmum3OgR7frL8tBUakcDitgVW_o/s1600/2-Bennion-065newweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylBtCVmF9uBTofDarywmbhZGNKhhzxkkKwccSPiQ5m89bhIYeMk3M5rgXMQvhmcLANgv7cIqJ4r-9V83RxzTxGfkEbtsqRTDfhQCL8IqJFtYJIx4vlmum3OgR7frL8tBUakcDitgVW_o/s640/2-Bennion-065newweb.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">f7.1 @ 1/80 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 90mm</span></td></tr>
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For this session we didn’t need to use our posing rocks—the park’s rocks worked just fine. Again, I placed this group with the setting sun behind them to get that nice back-lit glow in the leaves.</div>
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When everyone finally arrived we did our first group portrait…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtgHMTaEXqSuPef4F4rDRdihmJOYTJpp1SybopUC5TIM1slDNpqMICfE40RS0BQWi8ZB9RiMHQsFg6tPFoOv1BXGKYVDrGV7tgGnwluIpwjsxC4SND4hrD6LG6t78ZJquEE6qemZELnk/s1600/3-Bennion-0110new1newweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtgHMTaEXqSuPef4F4rDRdihmJOYTJpp1SybopUC5TIM1slDNpqMICfE40RS0BQWi8ZB9RiMHQsFg6tPFoOv1BXGKYVDrGV7tgGnwluIpwjsxC4SND4hrD6LG6t78ZJquEE6qemZELnk/s640/3-Bennion-0110new1newweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">f7.1 @ 1/80 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 75mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I like this setting with the back-lit fall colors behind them and the unusual contrast with the rock bench and column as places to put our subjects. Artistically the only thing that hurts this portrait are the clothing colors.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I always suggest that everyone settle on a maximum of two-colors that work together; like navy with burgundy or different shades of one-color (light to medium or medium to dark). That makes the group look more unified and then you can focus on the faces of the people in the portrait and not be distracted by the clothing.</div>
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Now this group of families did better…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSltcnLt0svGMkqnPP5ssqm3hjI8dSaqtnfamywmtmtiJ8Xado3RAt7xUo36mLbZ9BbUSTPqgLgRrYcmTjP12ianPpZ3HzMzzEOof0lzVp52m5mSYk0XwJ-Q3_O-rI40x9ewJuV-Ca5e8/s1600/4-Asatani-013.final3+copy+%25281%2529-4web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSltcnLt0svGMkqnPP5ssqm3hjI8dSaqtnfamywmtmtiJ8Xado3RAt7xUo36mLbZ9BbUSTPqgLgRrYcmTjP12ianPpZ3HzMzzEOof0lzVp52m5mSYk0XwJ-Q3_O-rI40x9ewJuV-Ca5e8/s640/4-Asatani-013.final3+copy+%25281%2529-4web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">f8.0 @ 1/60 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 57 mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="p2">
The different shades of blue and the tans and browns worked better together. For this group we used our posing rocks, so the we could have some people sitting giving us a nice variety of head heights.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We like to create triangles and/or diagonals with peoples’ faces in our group compositions. At the same time we keep each family sub-group together and place them around grandma and grandpa. How many triangles do you count? <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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We’re looking forward to this year’s fall sessions in our great Boise and Meridian (Idaho) parks!</div>
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Don’t hesitate to ask questions….’Til next week…</div>
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<div class="p1">
Author:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Jerry W Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
<div class="p1">
Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
<div class="p1">
Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-46938389479160743002019-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:002019-09-03T07:30:15.066-07:00STORYTELLING PHOTOGRAPHY AT EQUINE EVENTS<style type="text/css">
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I’ve done a variety of equine photography over the years, but until I started doing photography at the Western Idaho State Fair I had never heard of draft horse log pulling competitions.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Upon seeing it listed in the fair event brochure with a start time of 7pm I knew it would at least have the benefit of some magic hour light, and that was enough for me to check it out!</div>
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When I got to the arena I was happy to see beautiful large horses and competitors with a lot of character and enthusiasm for their sport.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>One of the good things about this sport is that it has action, but it’s slow…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmTmK4i0s6zHxcpkwLYqTeHyDZ3w-XS6TS-MWagXhwUoxx4G96Hchf_-cl1dbcidkg5vi_eylQ6FLRvF7JDZ3Koa0oNSZ9bK_OXR5FFME2hrV3eRsBYoL3tTKH4wOpolTFnqY10TJiho/s1600/1-IdahoFair2017-0482-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmTmK4i0s6zHxcpkwLYqTeHyDZ3w-XS6TS-MWagXhwUoxx4G96Hchf_-cl1dbcidkg5vi_eylQ6FLRvF7JDZ3Koa0oNSZ9bK_OXR5FFME2hrV3eRsBYoL3tTKH4wOpolTFnqY10TJiho/s640/1-IdahoFair2017-0482-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.3 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 70mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You can see what I like about this light; It’s an hour before sunset making the direct sunlight striking my subjects controllable.</div>
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Really nice friendly people here, too…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3KfnXuEfm8vaYLnVZoZ0YRmR1S-FSAYhl-oEET-I3SgD-wVFcXnMqrN98DhsF4ZqQtMznCHtfqK3pIlLwl0nnn_svDENNSPtmgvOT9jcs4gInUq88W9kaCR8jG8hpr3xfJ10RGe5SYc/s1600/2-IdahoFair2017-0266-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3KfnXuEfm8vaYLnVZoZ0YRmR1S-FSAYhl-oEET-I3SgD-wVFcXnMqrN98DhsF4ZqQtMznCHtfqK3pIlLwl0nnn_svDENNSPtmgvOT9jcs4gInUq88W9kaCR8jG8hpr3xfJ10RGe5SYc/s640/2-IdahoFair2017-0266-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f5.6 @ 1/640 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 88mm</span></td></tr>
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</div>
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A big part of my storytelling at these events is doing images of individual competitors for a glimpse of behind the scenes character.</div>
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An image to illustrate the competition…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBD5Xp4jDtITcs7Vi7a-h9ocFMx9Mi1Q5lGNRhyGl0rCB8-M89tFIST_Ul4iz5JVD914Czh8o4Lo08TTB8KuugG9PpxtNl4L70xqktVV4fqF9tWza-Ex2wZcURUXDesF6HJtmSeKFK5M/s1600/3-IdahoFair2017-0343-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBD5Xp4jDtITcs7Vi7a-h9ocFMx9Mi1Q5lGNRhyGl0rCB8-M89tFIST_Ul4iz5JVD914Czh8o4Lo08TTB8KuugG9PpxtNl4L70xqktVV4fqF9tWza-Ex2wZcURUXDesF6HJtmSeKFK5M/s640/3-IdahoFair2017-0343-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Competition</td></tr>
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This shows the basic idea of the event; to guide the horses through the course and through the yellow course markers without knocking them down with the logs. It looks easy in the stills, but not so much in real life.</div>
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More of the character…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcox1apjh_TT4XEbcIsB3NXZNEBwy3em5IlZZ23BQmIaziu4zIXmBJJMZos6eHA9y4tFTm3TDODc6Fp-RUOhr1_YTDnrakICxYtwzUIyQJNjDLvePvf2AYPnSmY5EnYSu-5VkKxRAMyk/s1600/4-IdahoFair2017-0263-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcox1apjh_TT4XEbcIsB3NXZNEBwy3em5IlZZ23BQmIaziu4zIXmBJJMZos6eHA9y4tFTm3TDODc6Fp-RUOhr1_YTDnrakICxYtwzUIyQJNjDLvePvf2AYPnSmY5EnYSu-5VkKxRAMyk/s640/4-IdahoFair2017-0263-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f5.6 @ 1/320 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Did I say they were friendly? And each had his own style—this guy had kind of a Hawaiian cowboy thing going on!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-QHvdDqe_d1iJAPDor7Zw5vlN0xnnjbq-BpbqTjdtT2qjY0p12TPC1qD6aTi0yFaUC7sX-RsGCoXXrbU2pCbMMPfCMLxaqF-dHX_a1d-cKkRMF9qUhHIuh2eXG3PXTJ7NQZo8Zy32TY/s1600/5-IdahoFair2017-0431-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-QHvdDqe_d1iJAPDor7Zw5vlN0xnnjbq-BpbqTjdtT2qjY0p12TPC1qD6aTi0yFaUC7sX-RsGCoXXrbU2pCbMMPfCMLxaqF-dHX_a1d-cKkRMF9qUhHIuh2eXG3PXTJ7NQZo8Zy32TY/s640/5-IdahoFair2017-0431-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.3 @ 1/200 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 120mm</span></td></tr>
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She was obviously very serious about the draft course competitions, but she wasn’t there to just mind the horses….</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40vBSVC1IjKtJGOb9BBEeeHVYUYaI35RfTYYbjnoU16QsTQAuSsUY6tQpjjnG2T3gjcTDaJ8Oc-9-qVkVt54-9s1gF1MTslf6_BvmWQ8voDF7XrvGkOo4uxdq3aHKZAbiNkyXk1a7jZI/s1600/6-IdahoFair2017-0513-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40vBSVC1IjKtJGOb9BBEeeHVYUYaI35RfTYYbjnoU16QsTQAuSsUY6tQpjjnG2T3gjcTDaJ8Oc-9-qVkVt54-9s1gF1MTslf6_BvmWQ8voDF7XrvGkOo4uxdq3aHKZAbiNkyXk1a7jZI/s640/6-IdahoFair2017-0513-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.3 @ 1/400 sec., Iso 800; Lens @ 150mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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She was in the competition using the same two-horse, two-log, rig as the men.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This image is nice because it illustrates how those logs, as they turn through the yellow course markers, can twist and roll creating a serious foot hazard to the competitors!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They had to be quick and nimble avoiding the errant logs while still guiding the horses through the next turn.</div>
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That’s why staying ON the logs was best…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNKci9MJ90enk_r6beU1tdE4tp1W5KEkJbONnc_DwZeT8CG1HgAPgkrIiahvjGHcj83xqBNDp05Y6o98eL4vuqr-pdaEa0NOHgW-CGiqR3yQslMSL7254daj9SUhsmrStAm7qilzMA4E/s1600/7-IdahoFair2017-0478-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNKci9MJ90enk_r6beU1tdE4tp1W5KEkJbONnc_DwZeT8CG1HgAPgkrIiahvjGHcj83xqBNDp05Y6o98eL4vuqr-pdaEa0NOHgW-CGiqR3yQslMSL7254daj9SUhsmrStAm7qilzMA4E/s640/7-IdahoFair2017-0478-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.3 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 90mm</span></td></tr>
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This image sums up the classic Americana—with old glory flying in the background—of the State Fair here in Idaho.</div>
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I feel privileged to be here to document such things while they are still practiced.</div>
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’Til next week…</div>
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Author:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-52230625465272408252019-08-27T06:00:00.000-07:002019-09-10T09:24:46.632-07:00WHY AN ENGAGEMENT SESSION IS A MUST BEFORE YOUR WEDDING! <style type="text/css">
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Having done wedding for over 25 years, my wife and I have always stressed the importance of having a professional engagement session done way before the wedding to validate your choice in a photographer for such an important event.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We thought the engagement session was so important that we have always included it as our gift to the bride and groom for choosing us as their wedding photographers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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The engagement session is how we get to know the couple in a low stress environment, have some fun, and learn how they relate to each other, to us, and what they will or will not be comfortable with when in front of a camera.</div>
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The couple in the following images came to us a month after their wedding for an “engagement session” because they were not happy with their photographer’s images taken on their wedding day—especially those of just the two of them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We took them to one of our favorite parks in Boise, Idaho—The Kathryn Albertson Park—and did portraits in several locations just like we would if they were about to be wedding clients. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Besides doing looking at the camera, we also do pictorials…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbRiqvAt5vpMJ0JHD1Ur1CD6xVdNTnw1ICIj8ZXW2VMVbDaUdX-EWFzjsHTOm9kRIyPQ7V9NK5TTEb-VOBJaudsGbZK3DrOJIk1naRAR7MLTYog4dfvhTITU96zjj7HlDf-jUfN1Dspc/s1600/1-Cortes-0092-1+copyeditweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbRiqvAt5vpMJ0JHD1Ur1CD6xVdNTnw1ICIj8ZXW2VMVbDaUdX-EWFzjsHTOm9kRIyPQ7V9NK5TTEb-VOBJaudsGbZK3DrOJIk1naRAR7MLTYog4dfvhTITU96zjj7HlDf-jUfN1Dspc/s640/1-Cortes-0092-1+copyeditweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f7.1 @ 1/125 sec., ISO 500; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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Pictorials are portraits designed as more artistic images of the couple relating to the environment instead of the camera. Composing this type of portrait with more space around the couple makes it ideal for a large wall print or a canvas wrap.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDLC_enzVorEDv2Nh0fnPVqJSIuqvFHQvlifpfzfixNPefjQ62nYU3J1xv_Bu1IP1jsuomkLjOo-5xyjztuGoA7NYts1Panej37MlMaoa0ACQ7DQhAbPunsVHJzRb1-qDG7Jfx9q8n-g/s1600/2-Cortes-0038-1+copyeditweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDLC_enzVorEDv2Nh0fnPVqJSIuqvFHQvlifpfzfixNPefjQ62nYU3J1xv_Bu1IP1jsuomkLjOo-5xyjztuGoA7NYts1Panej37MlMaoa0ACQ7DQhAbPunsVHJzRb1-qDG7Jfx9q8n-g/s640/2-Cortes-0038-1+copyeditweb.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f7.1 @ 1/125 sec., ISO 500; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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When we have a couple with a major height difference…</div>
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First we show them a standard wedding pose that we try to avoid for couples of very different heights. Then we show them a different pose…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1mmpWmUWKT83WWs3MNgx3aci7DbjPRHBzA-OB3Vf0h9szkyeQLO25eRS4heAqkSHd4axPGJglJA3eTRruz7cJNZP_9KdLswkUmSvYn8r_W1RTvL6BJCOn661ULE9E0bFSwdPPQW-zpE/s1600/3-Cortes-0053-2+copyeditweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1mmpWmUWKT83WWs3MNgx3aci7DbjPRHBzA-OB3Vf0h9szkyeQLO25eRS4heAqkSHd4axPGJglJA3eTRruz7cJNZP_9KdLswkUmSvYn8r_W1RTvL6BJCOn661ULE9E0bFSwdPPQW-zpE/s640/3-Cortes-0053-2+copyeditweb.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.3 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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Our goal is to get their heads together in most poses so they can relate to each other. This is just one simple way to do that outdoors.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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We always do individual portraits, as well….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsgxm7_gPoev6EvscN5VppO3ygfzGu0Qif7wo3VoENGvDYN9snk8uiz1kqYcgkt4Lhe6aZ8sOmx7I2dlpRsLXvuj-YCGR_u7UQo7jyEYAXnrFq8OvRFVpUBJl18qlMqqaCJIMXtABxQo/s1600/4-Cortes-0079-2+copy-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsgxm7_gPoev6EvscN5VppO3ygfzGu0Qif7wo3VoENGvDYN9snk8uiz1kqYcgkt4Lhe6aZ8sOmx7I2dlpRsLXvuj-YCGR_u7UQo7jyEYAXnrFq8OvRFVpUBJl18qlMqqaCJIMXtABxQo/s640/4-Cortes-0079-2+copy-2web.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f4.5 @ 1/320 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 165mm</span></td></tr>
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For these we always have the other half of the couple standing right next to my camera to get the best expression from their loved-one.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Then we reverse it….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIk2IIMMRIY0hl5i0t5sH9G_2mpFPy5SCuVqkCrhiEK_s15vCoP2_GD6EcYmnpjrfUgvxyULtSm0rddqRbfUTW2ldProDvx_DYeKs4keyTRrg6nylBUgVRmYMTMab8H46dnajyIzbdQY/s1600/5-Cortes-0087-2+copy-2+cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIk2IIMMRIY0hl5i0t5sH9G_2mpFPy5SCuVqkCrhiEK_s15vCoP2_GD6EcYmnpjrfUgvxyULtSm0rddqRbfUTW2ldProDvx_DYeKs4keyTRrg6nylBUgVRmYMTMab8H46dnajyIzbdQY/s640/5-Cortes-0087-2+copy-2+cropweb.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.5 @ 1/320 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 165mm</span></td></tr>
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We always do a bunch of poses in different areas of a park. We do the usual mushy stuff; looking at each other, kissing, holding hands walking….etc.</div>
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This last image was something different….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-0BVat4_CnPmhTJQisH41vBuQxBTYcqg9omWyH1TTJdu21Olfac-3Up1wTPIxR8kuKItR4yoxJ0uNtvkQhm2cGVnstIOfROAAcqkSH4Bc_l_DzSBWsTqjzdXE8XYNxK0uibHviD7XRA/s1600/6-Cortes-0089-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-0BVat4_CnPmhTJQisH41vBuQxBTYcqg9omWyH1TTJdu21Olfac-3Up1wTPIxR8kuKItR4yoxJ0uNtvkQhm2cGVnstIOfROAAcqkSH4Bc_l_DzSBWsTqjzdXE8XYNxK0uibHviD7XRA/s640/6-Cortes-0089-1web.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f6.3 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 500; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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They both liked this one a lot because it had a rather introspective mood to it. This was actually one of my color test images I always do to maintain proper “color temperature’ as the sun sets.</div>
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We never know what our couples will end up liking when they see their slide show later on!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Again, that’s why you should have your wedding photographer do the engagement session way before your wedding.. If you really don’t like those engagement images it gives you time to find another photographer to do your wedding!</div>
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As always should you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask…’Til next week</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-89109686347167659722019-08-21T17:09:00.000-07:002019-09-10T09:24:09.423-07:00EDITING AN EQUINE-OWNER PORTRAIT FOR DRAMA<style type="text/css">
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We knew that photographing this young lady for her high school senior photos with her old horse was very important to her because her mother had told us in advance the horse was not doing well and that this was likely a farewell photo session.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So, my goal was to capture as much interaction between her and her horse as I could—but as most professional photographers working with animals know it’s<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>often difficult and rarely turns out as planned. I was resigned to probably just getting a basic posed portrait—the usual two-up head shot of them looking at the camera.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>When she was bringing her horse out of the corral so we could do portraits in the barn I started the session with some candids and not 20 images in I was amazed to get the image that I desperately wanted showing that connection between human and animal that had always eluded me!</div>
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This is the original image right out of the camera….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ4g3Fye7dfDfSb3ZinqPsdS1t6Q-kwqw6hbOPEVhSwkX1jPcEvhMwN6KBwGUKNVr5FTyLUrb22Z51wsf826otKat9jjnO11ZNeQnrF95rFZ3j3wKzvJCcU4KrboA4ewv0uiJFdEWU60/s1600/1-Mitchell-023web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ4g3Fye7dfDfSb3ZinqPsdS1t6Q-kwqw6hbOPEVhSwkX1jPcEvhMwN6KBwGUKNVr5FTyLUrb22Z51wsf826otKat9jjnO11ZNeQnrF95rFZ3j3wKzvJCcU4KrboA4ewv0uiJFdEWU60/s640/1-Mitchell-023web.jpg" width="502" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f5.6 @ 1/1250 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 180mm</span></td></tr>
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Not expecting this moment as she paused in our walk to the barn, I was too far away, so I zoomed fast and got off one image before the moment was gone.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There is way too much information in the original image, especially for a PPA competition style image. The background is very busy and marred by the corral.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In addition all the legs being shown take us away from what really matters here.</div>
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A major crop was the answer….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22lGp12obqM7AQsKJFWPO9-nCvXjPQZwzIiKNjoXZ3Al6UBT5ddXtatO7_tA42rnjiUurQDRZekPVoKH0bY4NHc-Jw-563kaFsZMjFotoZX4AMc2EOvuOiNBoM4LxI9f12kgh7p9OGa0/s1600/2-Mitchell-023-1-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22lGp12obqM7AQsKJFWPO9-nCvXjPQZwzIiKNjoXZ3Al6UBT5ddXtatO7_tA42rnjiUurQDRZekPVoKH0bY4NHc-Jw-563kaFsZMjFotoZX4AMc2EOvuOiNBoM4LxI9f12kgh7p9OGa0/s640/2-Mitchell-023-1-2web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">Cropped in</span></td></tr>
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I cropped-in using a horizontal format and placed her head in a dramatic “crash point”. I really like her hair framing the right-hand side of the image. But, I did not like the extremely bright color contrast between her and her horse. Aaah ha…Black and White conversion might do the trick!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPR_xi6L6y1zp1wmkL_H5gCJTDDyChf1kiEnGaWVPtZrHVhbPHiDkp9dyZOzBdjJfyR7gfZsx2VeY4dMUXOln9n5WZkYA4y6tsYp5Nx1lgWkAUoLo42kVDYGAXqVcMV_wWx5wvDuSrltM/s1600/3-Mitchell-023SilEfxFulDynHarshweb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPR_xi6L6y1zp1wmkL_H5gCJTDDyChf1kiEnGaWVPtZrHVhbPHiDkp9dyZOzBdjJfyR7gfZsx2VeY4dMUXOln9n5WZkYA4y6tsYp5Nx1lgWkAUoLo42kVDYGAXqVcMV_wWx5wvDuSrltM/s640/3-Mitchell-023SilEfxFulDynHarshweb2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">NIK, Silver Efex, Conversion</span></td></tr>
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The color problem was not just her bright shirt. Her hair and skin color separated them as well. The black and white version made their hair similar and united the two of them in tonal harmony. And very important in a competition image, as it is in art, simplifying a composition will often make it more powerful.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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We went on to get a lot of nice images of this young lady with and without her horse and even a nice solo portrait of the horse.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Sadly, shortly after we created these portraits they had to put her horse down. Rest in peace sweet one….</div>
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As always questions are welcome…</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-47173111998406207462019-08-13T06:00:00.000-07:002019-08-13T06:00:00.860-07:00HOW PROFESSIONALS GET GREAT BOKEH AT ANY APERTURE<style type="text/css">
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Despite all the chatter on the web, great Bokeh is not about shooting at your lenses' widest aperture. Moreover, it’s definitely not necessary to buy those super—fast—and expensive—f1.2, f1.4 or f1.8 prime lenses everyone gushes about! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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As a professional photographer for over 35 years I’ve owned dozens of camera systems and hundreds of lenses and one of the lenses I most regret buying was the Canon, 85mm, f1.2, prime that everybody said I MUST own!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After less than a year I found it to be creatively limiting; 85mm was not enough telephoto for individual portraits and at the same time too much telephoto for anything else. In addition I rarely used it at f1.2 because it just had no useful depth-of-field there; I sold it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>All of my professional work in the last 20 years has been with a variety of zoom lenses with their widest apertures being f2.8, which I rarely use—because most lenses are not at their sharpest wide open.</div>
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Good Bokeh is more about focal length and distance….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstx2_IYrw8_RrKrPj_QeK6yNoVYZpJoLDqmhPNpbj3AiM-y54j7qQeqYllCticR7448Xceso2u5EsrPHzVNAGEXplN_L6FyUMJ6c3NMRJooNNhnUET_GwuI2erEemFjDIKCPaIQR_Vs0/s1600/1-ICE-0089-2webNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstx2_IYrw8_RrKrPj_QeK6yNoVYZpJoLDqmhPNpbj3AiM-y54j7qQeqYllCticR7448Xceso2u5EsrPHzVNAGEXplN_L6FyUMJ6c3NMRJooNNhnUET_GwuI2erEemFjDIKCPaIQR_Vs0/s640/1-ICE-0089-2webNew.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">8.0 @ 1/1000 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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I discovered decades ago that the more telephoto I used when doing portraits the better I liked them—and the sales were better too!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That style carried over into my fine art photography as well. I learned that the bokeh was always better when I backed-up and used MORE telephoto at ANY aperture. This was great because I usually want lots of depth-of-field in my fine art.</div>
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In the above image, the aperture of f8.0 merely gave me just enough depth-of-field and really nice bokeh too.</div>
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TECH NOTE:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>For the best bokeh your background must be as far from the subject as is possible. In addition for the bokeh to really pop, I want those specular highlights back there, too. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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My portraits are built on this premise as well…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTjFnU6OzDG_1SO0_jq5pX9KJsFoFPenQsJsOgD1lsy9IHGrjPs5pDoIbf3iwwi5Zs-kV0JVaC-g5J35shpaa9DXUmNVw2lSLT6PNjj4UNIb54WjV-mW4EBmqJtndQTADqMAiSDmVrqk/s1600/2%252BABorelli+0063-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTjFnU6OzDG_1SO0_jq5pX9KJsFoFPenQsJsOgD1lsy9IHGrjPs5pDoIbf3iwwi5Zs-kV0JVaC-g5J35shpaa9DXUmNVw2lSLT6PNjj4UNIb54WjV-mW4EBmqJtndQTADqMAiSDmVrqk/s640/2%252BABorelli+0063-1web.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.5 @ 1/320 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 280mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For this portrait I placed her about 30 feet from this outdoor, sunset, background. Because she was closer than usual I put my 1.4X extender on my zoom lens—giving me 280mm—and opened up my aperture to f4.5 and this created a very dramatic background.</div>
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To give her parents a different look we moved her….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyoi6eOJpoGphJHvb9F1Ck7lIOYb3t6_VAsFjnrEVLAFr7YkaOcOg_LvEDbcFlUjy4MyG3mENNnppt0jym_QkWmoAJO0ZVTuFpBlhZJTzoNNJ5op8Z27B0R9gxUDNjuzP0km6oLAqbYE/s1600/3-A.Boerlli-0025newA-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyoi6eOJpoGphJHvb9F1Ck7lIOYb3t6_VAsFjnrEVLAFr7YkaOcOg_LvEDbcFlUjy4MyG3mENNnppt0jym_QkWmoAJO0ZVTuFpBlhZJTzoNNJ5op8Z27B0R9gxUDNjuzP0km6oLAqbYE/s640/3-A.Boerlli-0025newA-2web.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.5 @ 1/320 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 250mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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To soften the bokeh in the background I moved her farther from the background; about 60 feet away in this image.</div>
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TECH NOTE:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The widest aperture I use for individual portraits is f4.0 even though my main portrait lens is a 70-200mm, f2.8 lens. I want the ability to place my subject in ANY POSE keeping Both Eyes SHARP.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The aperture of f4.0 will do that , while using f2.8 will make the subject’s far-eye soft in a two-thirds view of the face.</div>
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Back to some small aperture bokeh…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuEq2dmUiNSKk7udPQwUWeBcM_BvEfCP_rOs6P2pGtLwLeAY_2VsQ9dDCrAN0eyJQdMPpcWSb_JeL1JYbeUYqQ8syurZ5OEfpV8H2A59AoIa9uefSTSymnlgmesGaTQDF9qq_Rx-6PgE/s1600/4-Fall2017-0105-1webNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuEq2dmUiNSKk7udPQwUWeBcM_BvEfCP_rOs6P2pGtLwLeAY_2VsQ9dDCrAN0eyJQdMPpcWSb_JeL1JYbeUYqQ8syurZ5OEfpV8H2A59AoIa9uefSTSymnlgmesGaTQDF9qq_Rx-6PgE/s640/4-Fall2017-0105-1webNew.jpg" width="444" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/500 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 105mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Most photographers seem to think this is impossible: Really nice bokeh at f11.0 !<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Again, it’s all about distance to the background. And in this image I’m only using a focal length of 105mm. What was very important to me for this image was getting the depth-of-field to make all those leaves really sharp. I wanted that beautiful back-lit detail clearly visible.</div>
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So, don’t waste you money on those super fast (f1.2, 1.4, 1.8 etc.) prime lenses!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You do’t need them; the path to creative and profitable photography is paved with modern zoom lenses at ANY aperture other than Wide Open.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As usual, should you have questions please don’t hesitate to ask…”Til next week…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
<div class="p1">
Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
<div class="p1">
Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-55610882155183375812019-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:002019-08-06T06:00:03.341-07:00PROFESSIONAL PET PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS<style type="text/css">
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We’ve been doing portraits, here at The Storytellers in Meridian, Idaho, of people with their pets for over 30 years. In this blog I’ll share the most important rules and tips for the best outcome in your photo session. Most of these rules and tips apply to general portraiture of people without their pets as well.</div>
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<b>Rule #1</b> - Do whatever it takes to be at your subject’s level.</div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">I want may camera at my subject's eye level. So, if a family is seated on the grass I’ll have my tripod set low so that I’m on my knees.</li>
<li class="li1">If I’m photographing someone mounted on their horse then I’m on a 6 foot ladder.</li>
</ul>
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<b>TIPS:</b></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Always bring squeaker toys on sessions; these work for pets and people as well!</li>
<li class="li1">Have different types or sizes of speakers toys that make different sounds because the animal will tire of the same sound and not respond after its novelty wears off.</li>
</ul>
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<b>NOTE: </b>On one session after 10 minutes of trying different squeakers with no response from their dog the owner finally informed us that their dog was deaf! There’s a lesson learned in the planning for a portrait session.</div>
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<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Have dog treats on hand to reward good behavior. I wish this concept would work with people, but they’re way too finicky!</li>
</ul>
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The impact of being at eye level….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtnQWb9QQd8jnhqU_9OXUvj4LV80xghdYeByHnglT9GuThQ0k-0NW1BFl2s7LRvegSwMoVN0KW4kD86P3_w3iyemOhEDuouwLSjHXwH4sXaJLFkksZ1E0hLGMf_wNrnQSnGTshl2IlsY/s1600/1-Andrews-0190-1-3web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtnQWb9QQd8jnhqU_9OXUvj4LV80xghdYeByHnglT9GuThQ0k-0NW1BFl2s7LRvegSwMoVN0KW4kD86P3_w3iyemOhEDuouwLSjHXwH4sXaJLFkksZ1E0hLGMf_wNrnQSnGTshl2IlsY/s640/1-Andrews-0190-1-3web.jpg" width="448" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f5.6 @ 1/100 sec., ISO 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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Here we have the girl on one of our posing rocks, so I’m on my knees. Their eyes are on the same plane so depth of field is fine @ f5.6.</div>
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This brings up <b>Rule #2:</b></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Never have your lens wide-open in portraits. Why? It’s simply not necessary.. As you can see in the above image even at f5.6 the background is nicely out of focus and the dog is sharp from his nose to his ears.</li>
<li class="li1">Besides, most lenses are not at their sharpest when wide open.</li>
</ul>
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And <b>Rule #3:</b></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Always focus on the eyes.</li>
</ul>
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Plus <b>Rule #3A:</b></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">In group portraits always focus on the eyes of the person nearest to the camera. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></li>
</ul>
Here’s a typical seated family portrait with their dog…<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaoO9BNEyCDjYFXNJJvIY3XzlsUXV4WOhJj4RdgcPNA8TOXKXVlmvUHJ5Fwi0KfU6XkyAxOHEGqjOr3-Lza8icfc2aZEfIxjAIWdcbVL6eB3X54tyJ-UZIFYWFf-LVzHqBBsbipvIFI8/s1600/2-Huckins-0072-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaoO9BNEyCDjYFXNJJvIY3XzlsUXV4WOhJj4RdgcPNA8TOXKXVlmvUHJ5Fwi0KfU6XkyAxOHEGqjOr3-Lza8icfc2aZEfIxjAIWdcbVL6eB3X54tyJ-UZIFYWFf-LVzHqBBsbipvIFI8/s640/2-Huckins-0072-2web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">f6.3 @ 1/60 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 125mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I’ve placed them near the peak of a grassy hill and I backed down the hill until the parents’ heads were against that light spot in the background. This put me on my knees at about the dog’s eye level, which was fine for the group as a whole.<br />
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The walking portrait with their dogs….</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQK5Eyzmq9dHptq1I1K1JNgoYdgYcfakXNCTRNO1J8RA1vgiQaywZ7jqrJsDEqI0W1LoD2S7HiLaLR1EtY96T4HcL7wHrIUaavCGJSlY9R9ag8FnCn3xllalc833LROfAOqx_ndfp8LDE/s1600/3-Blake-0039-2cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQK5Eyzmq9dHptq1I1K1JNgoYdgYcfakXNCTRNO1J8RA1vgiQaywZ7jqrJsDEqI0W1LoD2S7HiLaLR1EtY96T4HcL7wHrIUaavCGJSlY9R9ag8FnCn3xllalc833LROfAOqx_ndfp8LDE/s640/3-Blake-0039-2cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">f7.1 @ 1/250 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 200mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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Because this is a portrait of the owners walking their dogs I’m standing for this one with my camera at the eye level of the people.</div>
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Portraits of just the dogs on leash…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNR90TkBZqFblnIedUoYNOvIZ5WeXUCpWkyhWlMaRQgvlkzLG4gnQdPYWq8jZ_K8bj1b90i1yqAqUdsUPNCArkNIwgXrooabBYh02gqvsxjOiyzUUwY4uQZEkF5M_r24LewpVCpw-XFI/s1600/4-Blake-0083-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNR90TkBZqFblnIedUoYNOvIZ5WeXUCpWkyhWlMaRQgvlkzLG4gnQdPYWq8jZ_K8bj1b90i1yqAqUdsUPNCArkNIwgXrooabBYh02gqvsxjOiyzUUwY4uQZEkF5M_r24LewpVCpw-XFI/s640/4-Blake-0083-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">Before Retouching</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Rule #4:</b></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Have the owners hold the dog’s leads straight-up over their dog’s heads—not laying across the dog’s bodies when you are not able to remove the leads. This makes the art work easier when removing the leads in Photoshop.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NFZe2_kFsJpb5CmnOBNXGTow805wCDg8oK5tglXpqsZFdJi-ncDlN88XheKjDYql5DDDlF9zaBO8rVPuNcgnGs_I0GK7hjGABRC_6QmDrWC5RTpR0DdAJzT94KZ8WjVEAvCsFbErzyU/s1600/5-Blake-0083-3web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NFZe2_kFsJpb5CmnOBNXGTow805wCDg8oK5tglXpqsZFdJi-ncDlN88XheKjDYql5DDDlF9zaBO8rVPuNcgnGs_I0GK7hjGABRC_6QmDrWC5RTpR0DdAJzT94KZ8WjVEAvCsFbErzyU/s640/5-Blake-0083-3web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">After Artwork</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Then there’s really getting low…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCmak9I_uQMKnuc8o41sECcQls3nTjsXjHQf5Oke3jIoxuXkW-3PYgiifpMoG6NT00QmU0P3bU-C2qS2e414Yrhzlq2JqrdtTw-cE5MtI6zTCMMHeVPxNWdVNp86iOXyoZRS4JW-hZOE/s1600/6-Gadget-2011-032web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCmak9I_uQMKnuc8o41sECcQls3nTjsXjHQf5Oke3jIoxuXkW-3PYgiifpMoG6NT00QmU0P3bU-C2qS2e414Yrhzlq2JqrdtTw-cE5MtI6zTCMMHeVPxNWdVNp86iOXyoZRS4JW-hZOE/s640/6-Gadget-2011-032web.jpg" width="502" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.0 @ 1/800 sec., Iso 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For this point of view I had to be on my stomach. It always seems that wether I’m doing baby humans or puppies (this was our baby Gadget when she was 16 weeks old) I’m on the ground and on my stomach!</div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1"><b>Rule #5:</b></li>
<li class="li1">I use the most telephoto I can within my environment.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
You’ll notice that all of these portraits were done with my zoom lens in some telephoto range; usually at 200mm. That’s because a telephoto’s compression distortion ALWAYS looks better on my subjects than the wide angle distortion (called extension distortion) caused by a short focal length lens. In addition I always get better Bokeh in my backgrounds, with longer focal lengths, even with small apertures.</div>
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As always, if you have questions please don’t hesitate to ask…’Til next week…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
<div class="p1">
Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
<div class="p1">
Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-75211959807363020132019-07-30T06:00:00.000-07:002019-07-30T07:25:54.783-07:00STORYTELLING CHILDREN’S PORTRAITS IN THE STUDIO<style type="text/css">
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Here at TheStorytellers in Meridian, Idaho, we try to do more than just a smile at the camera portrait that so many parents are trained to want.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Often a person’s personality is more apparent in their eyes than in their mouth. In addition, when many people smile broadly their eyes close-up and we lose that all important glimpse into what has been called “the window to the soul”…the eyes.</div>
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The hard part in our profession is getting our subjects to relax enough in front of our camera to really show us who they are. This is always more difficult in the studio and especially so with children!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I think this session went so well because these are returning happy clients. We have been doing their portraits since their daughter was an infant.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If the parents are nervous or anxious their children will pick-up on that energy. These parents trust us and are very comfortable bringing their children to us.</div>
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After we do some smiles the storytelling begins…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-phfiyKs9qsY0llB1OttArVJ5AFAkBWAKdWhwRN34y1h5tSo5-T63R4r9gWMIaItV3aG-5dX6GzZlWruL-rJOreXWzcCIBMU9-BBXWYq6_NYayAGf6ClGhTN1ic3vWqdsbH20I_eDgk/s1600/1-White-0076-2+B%2526W+editweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-phfiyKs9qsY0llB1OttArVJ5AFAkBWAKdWhwRN34y1h5tSo5-T63R4r9gWMIaItV3aG-5dX6GzZlWruL-rJOreXWzcCIBMU9-BBXWYq6_NYayAGf6ClGhTN1ic3vWqdsbH20I_eDgk/s640/1-White-0076-2+B%2526W+editweb.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 200; Lens @ 140mm</span></td></tr>
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I call this one the Future Executive Portrait!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Not many photographers would put a child into what we call a “power pose”, but this little guy fell into it like a pro. I like his intensity! That’s why I converted this to black and white.</div>
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Moving on to some literal storytelling…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB-LBfQOSEh8LayxLtHjn38GxmGqCtF1bLNtzBAwDpkb5YcGfF7NznCUuypqW2ohLEYfPo1kGmumaJgqQM76F5FayS4o13sOEfkacU1H2eN9FI70bHWgjABi_0n3Z-1_C9sTXJeXe6Xs/s1600/2-White-0089-2+cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB-LBfQOSEh8LayxLtHjn38GxmGqCtF1bLNtzBAwDpkb5YcGfF7NznCUuypqW2ohLEYfPo1kGmumaJgqQM76F5FayS4o13sOEfkacU1H2eN9FI70bHWgjABi_0n3Z-1_C9sTXJeXe6Xs/s640/2-White-0089-2+cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f11.0 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 200; Lens @ 102mm</span></td></tr>
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We started doing family reading time when the daughter was a toddler, so it was a natural to do reading time showing their children enjoying this family tradition. You can tell they really enjoy doing this together. Some of the best storytelling is when NOBODY is looking at the camera! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Moving on to the daughter….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUS6HbUonuB6WuThN6Xwh_iL7RIn4EI9quoXvyRNCnqu_a5KJu9QZ6u0RQ_1FycFmdm9fKv_cUJv_NhLagTBhBD77-8iICldQQ3eauDDN0Rjr9G5LSHpfR3UkynRD3jNXKYR5hpGoqpA/s1600/3-White-0130-2+B%2526W+editweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUS6HbUonuB6WuThN6Xwh_iL7RIn4EI9quoXvyRNCnqu_a5KJu9QZ6u0RQ_1FycFmdm9fKv_cUJv_NhLagTBhBD77-8iICldQQ3eauDDN0Rjr9G5LSHpfR3UkynRD3jNXKYR5hpGoqpA/s640/3-White-0130-2+B%2526W+editweb.jpg" width="374" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 200; Lens @ 100mm</span></td></tr>
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Their daughter is now a little more reserved in front of us, so we didn’t push her too much—and she did have a nice easy smile.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I converted this to black and white to show how it simplifies the image when you eliminate the bright colors.</div>
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And back to little brother…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83ij-tG4xr_lbdEXx7n-nfbiJ4hz7D_c_fyXfEB5B734QHhsYyjbQDtNcJ50NUduW9aoNc2b71rkHzaPBiw8_WMqBv70KOKxGddcDllMAHXtQViuEcvJ4_t38URv24uFeBd4jVvID24Y/s1600/4-White-0175-2+cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83ij-tG4xr_lbdEXx7n-nfbiJ4hz7D_c_fyXfEB5B734QHhsYyjbQDtNcJ50NUduW9aoNc2b71rkHzaPBiw8_WMqBv70KOKxGddcDllMAHXtQViuEcvJ4_t38URv24uFeBd4jVvID24Y/s640/4-White-0175-2+cropweb.jpg" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 200; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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That impish smile tells it all! We took our time, didn’t rush anyone, and everybody had fun. We let our dog, Gadget, run around—she’s our studio mascot—and everybody loves our super friendly little dog! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Have questions?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Don’t hesitate to ask…’Til next week…</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-44188478494685240312019-07-23T06:00:00.001-07:002022-08-03T10:33:14.253-07:00FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY—THE LIGHT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SUBJECT
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I don’t particularly love taking images of flowers, unlike so many amateur photographers, so the only time I’m interested in photographing a flower is when the light makes it a compelling subject. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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You see, as a professional photographer and artist, I’m drawn to light and its interplay with the world around me. Maybe that’s why I’ve photographed so many different things over my 40+ year career. I’ve always found it strange to see photographers and artists make a career of doing one type of subject—like flowers or just landscapes or horses. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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I think that’s why I’ve never lost interest in the art of photography. Because I follow the light in its random trace across everything around me I’m always finding new things to photograph.</div>
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I’m fascinated by how light reacts when it hits a subject and how the subject reacts to being illuminated by that light. I may go so far as to say that the light is more important than the subject! To quote a great photographer Gary Winogrand:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">“Photography is not about the thing photographed. It is about how that thing <span class="s1">looks</span> photographed.” <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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That’s why I will usually pass on a great potential subject if the light is not dramatic. I’ll note the subject and plan to return when the light is ideal for that subject.</div>
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The light that I’m look for….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUbiuzCMeylUwaDP33QKce0zOiDLzOoZP_xup1wN_96tTOdegqONPfLsqfE01bCT_hf4UuPtS1I2jQEA0ovyUmTZBhIUyHlNsbcqdOpvZRBEnkXG7u0Q23LnjpuXSfkQEpMjOsLlcrA4/s1600/1-Aflower-0041TMvig-1editd+copyNEWweb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUbiuzCMeylUwaDP33QKce0zOiDLzOoZP_xup1wN_96tTOdegqONPfLsqfE01bCT_hf4UuPtS1I2jQEA0ovyUmTZBhIUyHlNsbcqdOpvZRBEnkXG7u0Q23LnjpuXSfkQEpMjOsLlcrA4/s640/1-Aflower-0041TMvig-1editd+copyNEWweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;"> f22.0 @ 1/125 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 145mm</span></td></tr>
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This is what I’m talking about; I’m photographing The Light and it’s Effect on the surface of the flower. This is late morning light after a rain shower, so we have back light making the interior of the flower glow and nice skimming light dancing through the water droplets and revealing the texture on the petals’ surfaces.</div>
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It’s all about the direction of the light relative to camera position…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbNfKiBxU0br6pMcRrjA0sjPg0cy1pWJx-5gjvb9khyphenhyphenT-2S27KWFcM_B8QCIcYbmle2WtPuQSX5Rj3XAkRAL74W5gA03RuEDPJkoecfBI4j6NbakGPP3zD2rg7XL1-YYPzOyJ62q00SE/s1600/2-Daisies-0059-1largecropweb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbNfKiBxU0br6pMcRrjA0sjPg0cy1pWJx-5gjvb9khyphenhyphenT-2S27KWFcM_B8QCIcYbmle2WtPuQSX5Rj3XAkRAL74W5gA03RuEDPJkoecfBI4j6NbakGPP3zD2rg7XL1-YYPzOyJ62q00SE/s640/2-Daisies-0059-1largecropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">f14.0 @ 1/125 sec.,, ISO 800; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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Here we have nice directional light form the setting sun filtered through the petals of the daisy creating drama in a simple subject. This image, I think, illustrates the philosophy I share with photographer Gary Winogrand when he said,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">“…the photograph has to be more dramatic or beautiful or interesting than the thing photographed otherwise what’s the point of the photograph?”</span></div>
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Another with back and top light….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8UB1T4QBUW37GhVZJkIod3KIdaXLxlRWUW2pILq3usN4d6fmDX3bIzlJ_dfAON_AFUaL0GTcl6ZosHQo9HzRCMGju56zGlsD19AvjgUYG6WTfsvmbHy0i10E_8_W9RwOTv-10vqQX7Q/s1600/3-KatAlbert-0002editscropNEWweb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8UB1T4QBUW37GhVZJkIod3KIdaXLxlRWUW2pILq3usN4d6fmDX3bIzlJ_dfAON_AFUaL0GTcl6ZosHQo9HzRCMGju56zGlsD19AvjgUYG6WTfsvmbHy0i10E_8_W9RwOTv-10vqQX7Q/s640/3-KatAlbert-0002editscropNEWweb.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">f7.1 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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I was doing a family portrait session when these things lit-up from the setting sun behind the family.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I would never have photographed these flowers if the lighting was flat and directionless (Like most amateurs usually do).</div>
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Another quote, on point;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire Light. Love it. But, above all, Know Light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>George Eastman</span></div>
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How are you using the light?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Until next week…</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-62080962418235364312019-07-16T06:00:00.000-07:002019-07-16T06:00:03.577-07:00PHOTOGRAPHY -- LIGHT PAINTING-- INSIDE AN ANTIQUE CLOCK<style type="text/css">
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When I inherited my grandmother’s antique mantle clock a couple of years ago I opened the back and immediately knew I wanted to photograph its’ clock works. The clock is a Seth Thomas “Sucile” red adamantine, No. 765, mantle clock made between 1904 and 1913. It has a marvelous brass movement with a wonderfully funky gong mechanism that looks hand made! I put it aside not knowing how I wanted to photograph the interior of the clock. After some research, finding that it really didn’t have much value, I dismantled the left hand side and found a nice opening through which I could light its interior. So, this became a perfect “Light-Painting” subject!</div>
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All my other light painting subjects have needed LED flash lights with at least a 7-LED head and on some subjects I used a 24-LED array (a wand) in close and that was usually at 3200 ISO for 30 seconds @ f2.8. For this clock’s interior I didn’t have room for my larger flash lights—the back’s opening is only about 6 inches square—since the tripod mounted camera occupied most of that opening. So, I started my exposure test using my smallest LED flashlight with only a single LED.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It turned out to be more than adequate….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2Lva5K6_9olpPSNxiac3Jpsv6uhakFqyEtfI6gkEWUMxiFO23_8IAvQwj_54AI1NCkj1lhyc7BdK4Nu2NUZvYiHufcUgO2M1EXM3vF322Jlm6ZS3LRja8nlPZz41enxumJx4L_s_J-M/s1600/1-Clock-painted-0009-1editsweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2Lva5K6_9olpPSNxiac3Jpsv6uhakFqyEtfI6gkEWUMxiFO23_8IAvQwj_54AI1NCkj1lhyc7BdK4Nu2NUZvYiHufcUgO2M1EXM3vF322Jlm6ZS3LRja8nlPZz41enxumJx4L_s_J-M/s640/1-Clock-painted-0009-1editsweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f20.0 @ 30 sec., ISO 800; Lens: 15mm Fisheye</span></td></tr>
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In fact I had to keep lowering my ISO and stopping down because the metal clock work is so reflective. But that was a good thing because with my camera in so close I needed as much Depth-of-Field as I could get.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> And, since I was focusing at the minimum distance my lens would allow (on the gong's coil on the right) I needed the f20.0 for good depth-of-field.</span></div>
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In this image you can see my main lighting movements through the opening on the left. Here’s my light painting sequence….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPVolBwncrSA1Q_8AbVE2wXbT5g8oS7QbuNZri7loJjqkj1H6huzBNYoUdbi_fno4OolpTYjdEu5h3feX_QcfOQBuTNsbS2FZc9AwFQaHGFDWWZ4FfXFyDHNRaEjjRv5uPbOrSJ7GSbo/s1600/2-Clock-painted-0013web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPVolBwncrSA1Q_8AbVE2wXbT5g8oS7QbuNZri7loJjqkj1H6huzBNYoUdbi_fno4OolpTYjdEu5h3feX_QcfOQBuTNsbS2FZc9AwFQaHGFDWWZ4FfXFyDHNRaEjjRv5uPbOrSJ7GSbo/s640/2-Clock-painted-0013web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sequence 1</td></tr>
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I gave the clock works about 15 seconds through that opening on the left.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Then moving to the right side….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvOulUm6xTe7AwovsQ7uyGNfskpa_R45nNTUsN6xEYbg5cNoeCXLBpaAotvpXe8cpLSVTDZobx1V6y8xkZscWXAPBvB6rKKGDubPz3xJu73WkYWPS6sfKOlZrX2VuE4R1aJklNVG9_-8/s1600/3-Clock-painted-0018web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvOulUm6xTe7AwovsQ7uyGNfskpa_R45nNTUsN6xEYbg5cNoeCXLBpaAotvpXe8cpLSVTDZobx1V6y8xkZscWXAPBvB6rKKGDubPz3xJu73WkYWPS6sfKOlZrX2VuE4R1aJklNVG9_-8/s640/3-Clock-painted-0018web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sequence 2</td></tr>
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I’m now real close to the camera putting light on the gong mechanism for about 7 seconds.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Next I aimed under the camera….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQksKbVacmNyMh2S-9TVFa792wCazCX090KN8dwKkTUMADM3cSDhfgsj6QyaF41tksUmGZIqv-crNG3ADXQmHwaY-e5xjGz-rIhlNytJz823JPGC8oKYPaqwxv7vK72f7L5M67URabQC0/s1600/4-Clock-painted-0017web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQksKbVacmNyMh2S-9TVFa792wCazCX090KN8dwKkTUMADM3cSDhfgsj6QyaF41tksUmGZIqv-crNG3ADXQmHwaY-e5xjGz-rIhlNytJz823JPGC8oKYPaqwxv7vK72f7L5M67URabQC0/s640/4-Clock-painted-0017web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sequence 3</td></tr>
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For the remaining 8 seconds I put some light on the old feather that I found inside the clock.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Here is the final image with retouching….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6moarZW9wf5sAIPYwRds6EtV8TN5lKWJDKTxw8OfiA-U2iIs3-siosTm63QS39d9BOI8t0QN-72LXFp4gmaZezHwuOhv3meQ42qc7hY5W7RzcqkzaqQWHrKLqt-82MaqvQ-yJlxdugus/s1600/5-Clock-painted-0009-1edits+copy-3edit-vigweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6moarZW9wf5sAIPYwRds6EtV8TN5lKWJDKTxw8OfiA-U2iIs3-siosTm63QS39d9BOI8t0QN-72LXFp4gmaZezHwuOhv3meQ42qc7hY5W7RzcqkzaqQWHrKLqt-82MaqvQ-yJlxdugus/s640/5-Clock-painted-0009-1edits+copy-3edit-vigweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Image</td></tr>
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After a lot of interior touch-up and cropping the image to a square I closed-up the left side opening by burning-in and vignetting the image. I don’t know which image I like best—either the first version in this blog or this last one. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Anybody out there have an opinion?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Let me know…’til next week with something new.</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-62432790319070194502019-07-09T06:00:00.000-07:002019-07-09T08:29:21.133-07:00SILVER CITY IDAHO, GHOST TOWN PHOTOGRAPHY, REVISITED<style type="text/css">
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We revisited Silver City on Father’s Day exactly 5 years to the day from when I photographed this iconic Idaho “ghost town” for the first time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>My goal was to revisit some of my favorite subjects—this time using my Pro-DSLR for larger, higher quality images and to find some new features. But, mostly, I wanted to find the old rusting car that I photographed 5 years ago.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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People and nature conspired to deny my attempts to redo some of my favorite subjects. In the hotel where the neat old telegraph office resides they have blocked access to it with furniture and old equipment in addition to added inappropriate clutter on its counters.</div>
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Nature has a nasty habit of making changes; things grow, things die, all just plots to mess up our compositions!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It reminds me of the complaints of today’s photographers wanting to do images from where Ansel Adams photographed his famous image of the Tetons and the Snake River only to find that his view in 1942, with the Snake River’s nice “s” curves clearly seen in the foreground, is all but gone; obstructed by the growth of those pesky trees!</div>
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Thus, stymied at a couple outdoors redos, I was even more determined to find my favorite old car that I knew was up in the rocky hills overlooking the town’s Main Street. After 45 minutes of hiking—30 minutes in the wrong direction—I found it!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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So, here’s my new version of its suicide doors….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguo9BIb8ueHXRGNH-ZzMYC2rAqFuIn2CfNk04iGey9RP4iG3TFrl5D0JuyiKwLNWckM5zk9TaCKnXKmPZmY2Hbz0_ycYpQhhS_UW8E-QDMn8D_VGY4Nj5yXzrBN6UxU9OYEFsv5Dbw44M/s1600/1-SilverCity-2019-0120-2+cropTMvigedits-2Aweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguo9BIb8ueHXRGNH-ZzMYC2rAqFuIn2CfNk04iGey9RP4iG3TFrl5D0JuyiKwLNWckM5zk9TaCKnXKmPZmY2Hbz0_ycYpQhhS_UW8E-QDMn8D_VGY4Nj5yXzrBN6UxU9OYEFsv5Dbw44M/s640/1-SilverCity-2019-0120-2+cropTMvigedits-2Aweb.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f11.0 @ 1/400 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 140mm</span></td></tr>
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I think this old car is the best piece of three dimensional art in Silver City. This view and crop has the anthropomorphic, face-like, effect I was looking for—complete with those sad eyes and the drooping door handles.</div>
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Moving on to the other side of the car…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavNCjGkOZB_WDeSTiMoXuUuAqAa_C9ii6XpdIrQLLGNxOHSdLjbBPCrxBlBaE0ibfyjfFMFoJHJQqK5kdUCU5l8DEk43YqH2aW62BHwjx0h9vHchaikyCtvyj84Bwp8FCFWtaB8WZNPE/s1600/2-SilverCity-2019-0139-1-Original-web+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavNCjGkOZB_WDeSTiMoXuUuAqAa_C9ii6XpdIrQLLGNxOHSdLjbBPCrxBlBaE0ibfyjfFMFoJHJQqK5kdUCU5l8DEk43YqH2aW62BHwjx0h9vHchaikyCtvyj84Bwp8FCFWtaB8WZNPE/s640/2-SilverCity-2019-0139-1-Original-web+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f9.0 @ 1/800 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 102mm</span></td></tr>
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This is the original, unedited, version. I don’t like the big steel grate (covering the mine pit) on the left hand side of the image, but I really like the rocks above that area the I wanted to maintain the negative space on that side so I did some edits…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgMyapxj_PSkYh_p64vlP6QaNo9plQmOPWbJHBCtWlIU_860WJjwFCoJ9rlrFq-GmOwzu2q1rDArQL_2wd22geq0RF2DB7DlFcP_Nd7IxAKFfoNGzX9gwC4RBl-2q1Mr5AqGvtqlbNxk/s1600/3-SilverCity-2019-0139-1ColorEfexIndianSummerEdits-2webNEW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgMyapxj_PSkYh_p64vlP6QaNo9plQmOPWbJHBCtWlIU_860WJjwFCoJ9rlrFq-GmOwzu2q1rDArQL_2wd22geq0RF2DB7DlFcP_Nd7IxAKFfoNGzX9gwC4RBl-2q1Mr5AqGvtqlbNxk/s640/3-SilverCity-2019-0139-1ColorEfexIndianSummerEdits-2webNEW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">After a Lot of Edits</span></td></tr>
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After a lot of Photoshop using the spot healing brush to remove that steel grate (and then touch-up to remove obvious clones!) and remove the piece of chrome sticking out of the rear side window I put the image into NIK’s Color Efex and used the Indian summer preset to create a burnt fall look in the bushes. I think all that greenery was too happy and didn’t match or support the mood I want here!</div>
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Speaking of cars in the dirt…</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMO1jrrhZsdNVuKylNx4HOefSpjDdsCh0sNxnTRpMNjxXnn8hA2sqvXQXSpR0aTbHUKDvRoFnjv_zCby1W0cmSY5SZupRi_J8X_67OVWKbq3S9NYCDHJ9KjNuZLhoraWmhoNhtd5Swj7c/s1600/4-SilverCity-2019-0002-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMO1jrrhZsdNVuKylNx4HOefSpjDdsCh0sNxnTRpMNjxXnn8hA2sqvXQXSpR0aTbHUKDvRoFnjv_zCby1W0cmSY5SZupRi_J8X_67OVWKbq3S9NYCDHJ9KjNuZLhoraWmhoNhtd5Swj7c/s640/4-SilverCity-2019-0002-2web.jpg" width="518" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's our Jeep...</td></tr>
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Here’s our Jeep Cherokee after the long drive up the rutted, bumpy, rocky, “road” to Silver City. I had almost as much fun off-roading to Silver City as I did doing photography there! It’s an interesting contrast to see the old mining town buildings with solar panels on their roofs. If it wasn’t for that technology Silver City would probably be a true ghost town.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> I did find</span> some new subjects….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTiVNfUhpPc12KltSIhGK2r-Da5RGcURu0RPAFmyq7v1yLczBUk0XddpqaeddAf7ga1plf_fvnGfXQ4x4IhUXH60nYQZrvEDdrBO-zzGv7KHaJiExYvcS4fY4T42saOVRKPj2xD8vwLo/s1600/5-SilverCity-2019-0085TMgrannysAttic-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTiVNfUhpPc12KltSIhGK2r-Da5RGcURu0RPAFmyq7v1yLczBUk0XddpqaeddAf7ga1plf_fvnGfXQ4x4IhUXH60nYQZrvEDdrBO-zzGv7KHaJiExYvcS4fY4T42saOVRKPj2xD8vwLo/s640/5-SilverCity-2019-0085TMgrannysAttic-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f9.0 @ 1/800 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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What photographer can resist peeling paint on old wood. What caught my eye though were those colorful power line insulators in the window.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Sometimes even I do pretty pictures….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnG4WGY3ZVO9haUPC-qzv7zB9m50vf_woiPR0-tL3DHVe8711mTPMeyIII2P4R2WBUvrmyy5xDabpHN5Z6rQov33wvMKHy_Itc8Y65NDas0GxIF5L9yRmJw0hovwknedPplIdmqisFY4Y/s1600/6-SilverCity-2019-0032-1editsweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnG4WGY3ZVO9haUPC-qzv7zB9m50vf_woiPR0-tL3DHVe8711mTPMeyIII2P4R2WBUvrmyy5xDabpHN5Z6rQov33wvMKHy_Itc8Y65NDas0GxIF5L9yRmJw0hovwknedPplIdmqisFY4Y/s640/6-SilverCity-2019-0032-1editsweb.jpg" width="434" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f10.0 @ 1/500 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 85mm</span></td></tr>
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Everybody up there has an outhouse…This one is a 5-star accommodation!</div>
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What was your “Father’s Day” adventure…’Til next week…</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer</div>
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Training site: http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</div>
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Client site: http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</div>
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</style>The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-68383540366203286612019-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:002019-07-02T06:00:02.902-07:00BLACK AND WHITE CONVERSIONS FROM OLD AND NEW COLOR ORIGINALS<style type="text/css">
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I’ve been creating black and white images for over 40 years, and like photographers of my age, I started with processing my own film and hand printing B&W on a variety of the classic papers by Kodak, Ilford, and my favorite Agfa—like Portriga Rapid.</div>
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This blog is about “converting” to B&W so, of course I’m talking about the digital process since back in my film days there was NO converting. We decided in advance, based on our subject, wether we were going to use color or B&W film and then printed them on their like media. I had criteria for the use of B&W and color films. And today I have exactly the same criteria for when to use B&W in digital as I did for film.</div>
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The Best B&W images have:</div>
<ol class="ol1">
<li class="li1">Directional light (that means shadows)</li>
<li class="li1">Good Blacks and Whites</li>
<li class="li1">Texture and/or detail</li>
<li class="li1">A strong center of interest</li>
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So, let’s start with something old…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf8m_ZuwVR5_nuiVideV79USGu7hPB2BjFxZIfnMjfhE-dzD_o8tcIFBlGk1eVDS02xspb5E4Aw55dBUNxerwLvQpqLfhdxiNzJvmY4A9d-f-Ww_9iJwa3eawXq9rSg-13CHHG4yftug/s1600/1-MonVelley-144deep1noisecropSilEfexcropEDITSweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf8m_ZuwVR5_nuiVideV79USGu7hPB2BjFxZIfnMjfhE-dzD_o8tcIFBlGk1eVDS02xspb5E4Aw55dBUNxerwLvQpqLfhdxiNzJvmY4A9d-f-Ww_9iJwa3eawXq9rSg-13CHHG4yftug/s640/1-MonVelley-144deep1noisecropSilEfexcropEDITSweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">Monument Valley Cloud Burst</span></td></tr>
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It’s a nice scene, but it was clearly beyond the dynamic range, as you can see in the color image below, of what Kodachrome 64 could record. I don’t have dramatic shadows here and some of the clouds are already overexposed. Since I don’t have a high-end film scanner I used, at the time, my best DSLR—my canon 5D Mk II with a canon 100mm, f2.8, Macro lens and photographed a bunch of my favorite slides, from 40 years ago, on a light table.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(If your interested in just how I did this I will put a link at the end of this blog to my YouTube channel with a how to video.) They turned out nice and I produced RAW files of on average 22MB and Jpgs with on average 12MB to work with in post.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Here’s the original color image….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOenjvnaZQTebBK8HQE0nTBmdy3hmcAl7r7E5x6tCJIV4NALK0gfcDB7JSDo-e5Er1njwRzM5IwOnFXi83EVzQc4lRbpXumFyn4AFJUAwfJ80LyF1jO97sET_iK5sUJ9TLLHONocEs4M8/s1600/2-MonValley-0144crop_1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOenjvnaZQTebBK8HQE0nTBmdy3hmcAl7r7E5x6tCJIV4NALK0gfcDB7JSDo-e5Er1njwRzM5IwOnFXi83EVzQc4lRbpXumFyn4AFJUAwfJ80LyF1jO97sET_iK5sUJ9TLLHONocEs4M8/s640/2-MonValley-0144crop_1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">Kodachrome 64 Original</span></td></tr>
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Post processing to a B&W conversion…</div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Used NIK’s HDR Efex single image tone mapping (deep 1) to pull out the sun rays and the cloud burst on the right hand side of the image; this also helped cloud detail.</li>
<li class="li1">Used NIK’s Silver Efex Pro-2 for B&W; used the Full dynamic harsh preset modified to my taste.</li>
<li class="li1">Used NIK’s Define 2 for noise reduction.</li>
<li class="li1">Cropped off some of the bottom and burned that in as well.</li>
</ul>
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It turned out pretty well. I got the drama I wanted by pulling out the details that were barely visible in the color slide and by deepening the darks in the image it brought a three dimensional quality to the scene that did not show in the color version.</div>
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Moving on to a digital color image I think the following image illustrates how color, as eye candy, has impact, but does not always hold your interest for long….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu86VanO_kCEFzWaZ5FbJ_aP3tES2gLZfzDCPED9TdzV1kJZhskY4LjUgCGnpGhVFBc5J_Y71ZjZaaJuKUSMTuhLtGAvb-XQ8-Ht_oWIhySaTigfxuo_PBhT0ni32OzX-QjiauFiFnuas/s1600/3-SactoFieldTrip-0074web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu86VanO_kCEFzWaZ5FbJ_aP3tES2gLZfzDCPED9TdzV1kJZhskY4LjUgCGnpGhVFBc5J_Y71ZjZaaJuKUSMTuhLtGAvb-XQ8-Ht_oWIhySaTigfxuo_PBhT0ni32OzX-QjiauFiFnuas/s640/3-SactoFieldTrip-0074web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f11.0 @ 1/350 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 26mm</span></td></tr>
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This image, after the initial impact, has little to offer; it’s really, quite literally, flat! Not only is the subject flat, but so its the lighting.. So, looking at the vertical stains on the locomotive’s sides I knew that was something I could enhance with tone mapping….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxMpc5G8njDTd1qzWNn9HQN4vLvNyBPRq1UApCZIRua4G3Rj1YfSArltdhtvqfSBQXgVLN0O49aPCp2SJQYX-34-OuN0uGgQmxQfClY-eXfkbOIXDmo8OCAxTUNBMrG-f69grh32kfjI/s1600/4-SactoFieldTrip-0074TMdeep1-ACRgrayscale-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxMpc5G8njDTd1qzWNn9HQN4vLvNyBPRq1UApCZIRua4G3Rj1YfSArltdhtvqfSBQXgVLN0O49aPCp2SJQYX-34-OuN0uGgQmxQfClY-eXfkbOIXDmo8OCAxTUNBMrG-f69grh32kfjI/s640/4-SactoFieldTrip-0074TMdeep1-ACRgrayscale-web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Now we have texture and Lots of Detail all over the image creating the Illusion of depth where the color version had none.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Post Processing the Image…</div>
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NIK’s HDR Efex, single image Tone Mapping, using the Deep 1 preset with tweaks, to bring out the blacks.</div>
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B&W conversion using ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) grayscale. Tweaked the yellow, orange, and red sliders to further enhance details.</div>
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These are just two of the many ways to create B&W images from your color originals. If you want more complicated methods they’re easy to find, with a search, but you won’t necessarily get better results. It depends on a lot on the quality of the color image you start with.</div>
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As promised, here is the link to my YouTube video on slide duplication with a DSLR: <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3CyAq84vzw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3CyAq84vzw</a></span></div>
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’Til next week…</div>
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Author: Jerry W Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training Site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client Site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-92028509743921717792019-06-25T06:00:00.000-07:002019-06-25T06:00:01.067-07:00FINDING AND USING NATURAL LIGHT FOR DIMENSIONAL PORTRAITS<style type="text/css">
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Like many professional photographers I prefer to use tried and true outdoor locations where I know I can get the best possible portraits of my clients every time. To do that I want to book my sessions at the time of day when I have the best light for both my subjects and backgrounds on each location. You see, in my style of portraiture, unlike many photographers, I build my portrait settings (wether it’s in the studio or outdoors) from <b>the background forward</b>. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I don’t like, dull, dead backgrounds—I want some visual interest and light in my backgrounds; I’m also a Bokeh lover!</div>
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My ideal location for portraits has the setting sun creating backlight in my background at a spot that also has open skylight striking my subject(s) from ONE side; on the other side I want trees or bushes creating shadows for the Subtractive Lighting I prefer for natural looking three dimensionality on my subjects.</div>
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So, when we booked this particular session at 6pm, on June 5th, at Kathryn Albertson Park (in Boise, ID) I knew it was going to be challenging. First, the sun sets at 9:25pm in early June here, so 6pm is a little early; I’d prefer 7:30pm as a start time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Second, when we got there I noticed immediately that the sun was in the wrong spot to be of use in most of my favorite locations!</div>
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After trying one of our usual spots with some success my wife suggested we go deeper into the park—maybe try the big Sequoia tree display by the wedding gazebo. I was not thrilled with that spot because the light there was always blocked-up; just flat light. But at this time of day (6:30pm) and this month it was different….</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKrfDUyYPVVjpqqh9x3FaiVK6QHRqKsUHpGUCl4vNgDxwSUbxK5zupSH9obCHdJGYcACkiezd8yzDCOrJrbKftBLhnzZ-HLqGPHm3D6AfFxWuZy3xUHHUoigVax7AK4w11UBsKsyOmxs/s640/1-Larson-0079-2artweb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="426" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f4.5 @ 1/250 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 170mm</span></td></tr>
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I instantly saw we had a nice warm glow on the left hand side of the big log and when we placed this young lady in front of that background we got a nice kicker light on her face giving me the three dimensionality I wanted in this otherwise flat lighting location. Nice!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKrfDUyYPVVjpqqh9x3FaiVK6QHRqKsUHpGUCl4vNgDxwSUbxK5zupSH9obCHdJGYcACkiezd8yzDCOrJrbKftBLhnzZ-HLqGPHm3D6AfFxWuZy3xUHHUoigVax7AK4w11UBsKsyOmxs/s1600/1-Larson-0079-2artweb.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a></div>
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Here’s a backed-off view of the set-up….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSgFe6MFfheUlTMP19AJ4G1aTdxQi0x3QhG4p4BD9-Ay_LFcCjYvDqJqnzjKzTVYL5N2S5BcePWDHRTfUbAgmqtrCbSM4aP9hjE7ulzPmjgX-7ykL16QtAnmaBlnaX-Ha6YvE9vjzHcc/s1600/2-Larson-0104-1-1web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSgFe6MFfheUlTMP19AJ4G1aTdxQi0x3QhG4p4BD9-Ay_LFcCjYvDqJqnzjKzTVYL5N2S5BcePWDHRTfUbAgmqtrCbSM4aP9hjE7ulzPmjgX-7ykL16QtAnmaBlnaX-Ha6YvE9vjzHcc/s640/2-Larson-0104-1-1web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"> f4.5 @ 1/250 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 142mm</span></td></tr>
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The lighting and the environment was so nice we put her brother into the scene as well.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>As you can see the “kicker light” is being created by the logs on camera left acting as reflectors.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>By now it’s about 7pm and I found a nice spot where the setting sun is creating my ideal lighting scenario….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGunTralnuJVPZ6I6ss1918yZVXCJlFzg1DZhW0JyUW-4a5D8yLWtROeRaqrEVhbht2kSaFaAvz48G7N0vYPlKLrk9_PeIFjNnac5CSrHGij-B26T2KhT8nh94USDtL8CPiWDtPLkqz_s/s1600/3-Larson-0139-1-2web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGunTralnuJVPZ6I6ss1918yZVXCJlFzg1DZhW0JyUW-4a5D8yLWtROeRaqrEVhbht2kSaFaAvz48G7N0vYPlKLrk9_PeIFjNnac5CSrHGij-B26T2KhT8nh94USDtL8CPiWDtPLkqz_s/s640/3-Larson-0139-1-2web.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">f5.0 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 200mm</span></td></tr>
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We have a really nice background glow with backlight that’s also giving us some hair light. Just as important there’s a big patch of clear blue sky, on camera right, giving us soft directional light while on camera left a subtractive lighting effect, created by trees blocking the sky, is providing the shadows on their faces for a nice three dimensional lighting pattern.</div>
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It was challenging, but rewarding going out to my favorite park at the wrong time of day of a so-so month. I was forced to look for the light and found some nice new areas for portraits!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I like it that my wife pushes me out of my comfort zone and I find something great!</div>
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Until next week….</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: <a href="http://www.lightattheedge.com/">http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</a></div>
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Client site: <a href="http://www.thestorytellersusa.com/">http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</a></div>
The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3331795975293286096.post-43638128157155211292019-06-18T06:00:00.000-07:002019-06-18T06:00:06.030-07:00TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY; TIME ON LOCATION = BETTER RESULTS
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As a professional photographer I don’t do tours through iconic locations like those whirl-wind bus tours (“If it’s Tuesday it must be Belgium”, yeah, that movie!). If I’ve targeted a great subject area I want to hang around for at least two or three days to check angles and lighting. One of the most important things I must know is if a particular subject is going to be best at Sunrise or Sunset. So, I’ll usually plan to photograph the subject at both sunrise and sunset and then return again to photograph it at the best time. This is simply what I call “good coverage” of a subject.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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So, when we went to the Isle of Capri, Italy, I did my research and picked a hotel on the Mediterranean side of the island so our view would be of the famous Faraglioni Rocks and the sea. That put me in the position to easily capture this famous view at any time of the day.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Here’s my first version of the rocks…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCfvMqq_KzCJDNyKv0CaDPvSFnun0e9vay3M0_aYsNwsF_S0rqKmOrF06b9q2WeZ_TGrhnEyAEutD1KCUPiiYYVhkFo6gIIw0iLXn5sKekxBihLd5kKQ4p1NYJ8dEDcmXV265WpocgT0/s1600/1-Cap-0338TMdeep1-1editsweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCfvMqq_KzCJDNyKv0CaDPvSFnun0e9vay3M0_aYsNwsF_S0rqKmOrF06b9q2WeZ_TGrhnEyAEutD1KCUPiiYYVhkFo6gIIw0iLXn5sKekxBihLd5kKQ4p1NYJ8dEDcmXV265WpocgT0/s640/1-Cap-0338TMdeep1-1editsweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">f22.0 @ 1/250 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 42mm</span></td></tr>
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This was done about a half-hour after sunrise on May 5th. During the week we were there it rained only at night giving us nice clouds and blue sky in the mornings; perfect photography weather!</div>
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I liked this image, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. I wanted something more dramatic; more like a sunset in look. But, of course, an actual sunset wasn’t going to happen on theses rocks because the sun was setting behind me on the other side of the island.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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After our excursions to the other side of the island the next day I made a point of getting some images of the rocks at a different time of day.</div>
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Here’s a bigger view…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWAsqaIy_6RjQtnJNEly8IzBRbDXeinw8LeY-EhZM5GZHiEH6O7PQ1IahV8NPZ2fkyHLFXZcPqAeI9oneh-frtkO3puxu4XcVpTxZQTqyibQQeyp7iI_kl4tQ_kkOUSvE3ZqPIzfiKu4/s1600/2-Cap-398-1TMbwRealweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWAsqaIy_6RjQtnJNEly8IzBRbDXeinw8LeY-EhZM5GZHiEH6O7PQ1IahV8NPZ2fkyHLFXZcPqAeI9oneh-frtkO3puxu4XcVpTxZQTqyibQQeyp7iI_kl4tQ_kkOUSvE3ZqPIzfiKu4/s640/2-Cap-398-1TMbwRealweb.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
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The weather was marvelous and kept producing terrific clouds, so I went vertical to capture those cloud layers. I converted the image to B&W with a little tone mapping for cloud enhancement.</div>
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A few days later we took a shuttle to Annacapri, the big side of the island, and did the chair lift ride to the highest point on the island, Mt. Solaro, at 1932 feet. With the clear atmosphere we had a great view and I got the Faraglioni rocks again in a really big view.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgob3pWFTS63Of2DivpVONufLPJjjf48EUxqOsVtdLPsHhyJkVvyj4vDElK6yPx3sKYcrHCcyggcBLmqR6Pd9BlAFtCkqgPKQpaKsM78tBEt_EBkuDfTjg18s1PhyphenhyphenRolKTSHKEely0n0hA/s1600/3-Cap-659-1+copy-1+cropweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgob3pWFTS63Of2DivpVONufLPJjjf48EUxqOsVtdLPsHhyJkVvyj4vDElK6yPx3sKYcrHCcyggcBLmqR6Pd9BlAFtCkqgPKQpaKsM78tBEt_EBkuDfTjg18s1PhyphenhyphenRolKTSHKEely0n0hA/s640/3-Cap-659-1+copy-1+cropweb.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;">f19.0 @ 1/180 sec., ISO 400; Lens @ 19mm</span></td></tr>
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It seemed that almost everywhere we went there was another view of the rocks!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>On our fifth day on Capri we booked a jet boat to shuttle us to Sorento for the train ride to Pompeii, so I got up early for another Sunrise attempt of the Faraglioni rocks….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySfBC9nteHFeS1fB1LxsKCavqMG9Eukjck8P7MmsTAdV0iCAfTMhrDbl_tG36IfsUSd7a92yGoB5x8cuX0SWRzVAQmD5X1755341lP3UbCClZs9pCip4fWh-W3PmjRXcHSmlrTLUeUY8/s1600/4-Cap-913-1web+copya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySfBC9nteHFeS1fB1LxsKCavqMG9Eukjck8P7MmsTAdV0iCAfTMhrDbl_tG36IfsUSd7a92yGoB5x8cuX0SWRzVAQmD5X1755341lP3UbCClZs9pCip4fWh-W3PmjRXcHSmlrTLUeUY8/s640/4-Cap-913-1web+copya.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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This time I got up a half hour earlier than the first time (five days ago) and I went up to the roof of our hotel for a higher perspective. This time I captured the “Sunset Glow” I was looking for!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was a great start to what was to be a fabulous day of photography in a place I’ve always dreamed about documenting in an artistic way—the doomed city of Pompeii. But that is another story…</div>
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’Til next week…</div>
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Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman</div>
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Training site: http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com</div>
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Client site: http://www.TheStorytellersUsa.com</div>
<br />The Goboisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10463619242675351733noreply@blogger.com0