Being a photographer in Joliet (Chicago-land area) means one thing: indoor portraits. It gets really cold out outside and there is no way to pose a kid outdoors when it's super chilly. These are a few recent indoor portraits that I took of Jason and Isabella. I wanted some dramatic images of the kids, so I used a couple of different angles and kept the lighting simple. The light is all natural with a little fill to camera right. I like using natural light with kids because I can focus more on my interaction with them instead of with lights.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from this shoot:
By The Way: I don't typically shoot a lot. But I changed that up a bit here since I was shooting at a really shallow depth of field. Most of the photos I took were at f/2.0. I may have shot a few at f/2.8. So in order to get enough in-focus photographs of the children I will shoot a ton.
Christmas Day is tomorrow, and in a flash it will all be over. The older I get the more I see Christmas as a time to spend with my family and friends. It's really fun and cool seeing my daughter open up gifts and dress up in her "fancy dress" as she calls it. It's also fun to see her in a Santa Hat... I couldn't resist the urge to take a bunch of photos of her in that hat.
But this time of year can't just be about shopping and buying stuff for the people in my life. I hope to raise my daughter in such a way that she knows that this time of year is about giving to others and about spending time with the people that she loves.
I can't believe that 2010 is just about done! Have a great Christmas everyone!
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Set-Up
Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing
By The Way: Christmas is also a time to make cool photos like this outdoors. Don't be afraid to step outside in the cold and make some photos.
My approach towards children's portraits has changed this year. I'm still tempted to take really cute photos of babies and kids wearing funny/furry hats, and the like - I have done that in the past and really dig it. But kids are small adults in the making so I want to light them and photograph them in such a way.
The idea has always been to clutter the scene with either a chair, a bunny rabbit, etc, in order to get the kids to laugh or smile and look cute. But with this photo shoot I wanted a totally minimalistic look, and so I photographed them on a white seamless background. I wanted the kids to be the center of attention and to stand out. I didn't want any visual distractions - just their expressions, either sad or happy, or whatever in-between expression they could give me. Plus, I really dig the timeless look that the white background gives.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from this shoot. A few have been composited for the blog:
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Set-Up
Nikon D700 - shooting in RAW
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Pocket Wizards (2)
3 Alien Bee 400's
Medium Softbox and 60" Umbrella
White Seamless background, 4 pieces of 4"x8" foam board and white tileboard
Photo Mechanic for culling
Adobe Lightroom 3 for editing
By The Way: A lot of patience is needed when photographing kids. And patience is needed when shooting on a white seamless background. There is a lot to juggle on this type of shoot: kids, tough background, lighting, and interaction with the kids and the parents. Be ready for an exhausting time, but a fun time nonetheless.
My series in dramatic portraiture continues with Mark Brouwer - a model from Chicago with comedy and acting skills.
So imagine this session: photography, laughter, fun conversation, and music - life is really good when these elements come together. Mark was fun to work with - he kept things lively, and I appreciate that. I am typically the one making sure everyone is laughing at my photo shoots. So having Mark contribute to the liveliness that day was really fun.
I wanted to create some dark images with Mark. I asked if he could bring clothing that would work well with the "dark" themed photo shoot, which led to a conversation about what I meant by "dark". He mentioned that he had a dark green trench coat. Perfect. The trench coat ended up looking great on screen. I also wanted the lighting to be more harsh than with my previous dramatic shoots. I made sure to stay away from softboxes and only used gridspots and bare-bulbs on my strobes.
Here are a few of my favorite images from our photo shoot with Mark. The final composite images will be on a new blog post soon:
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Behind The Scenes
My many thanks to Mark for his professionalism and humor! I hope you have an amazing career in modeling and acting. You rock dude! And a super thank you to my amazing wife, Christina, for being so supportive, for doing a great job on Mark's hair, and for rocking out the Flip Mino HD. Thanks babe!
The Set-Up
Nikon D700 - Shooting in RAW
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens
Alien Bee 400ws (5 strobes)
Medium Softbox (2)
22" Beauty Dish
Pocket Wizard (2)
13" MacBook
Sofortbild - For shooting tethered to my MacBook. It's free for Nikon shooters!
My series in dramatic portraiture continues with Ankita Baxi. I was very excited about working with Ankita. She has done a lot of modeling photo shoots here in the States and in India. Her energy and enthusiasm was very encouraging and made for some pretty cool photos. Ankita's communication skills also added to the great experience - she was very prompt and concise in answering all of my questions and even throwing in a few of her own. I love that. She is a pro and it was a lot of fun working with her.
You can see photos from the previous photo shoots with Camille here and with Debra here.
Here are a few of my favorite images from our photo shoot with Ankita. The final composite images will be on a new blog post soon:
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Behind The Scenes
My many thanks to Ankita! I hope you have an amazing and long career in this industry. Have a great time in Los Angeles. You rock! I also want to thank Gary Middendorf for his assistance, video skills, and ideas. And of course a super thank you to my wife, Christina, for being so supportive and for doing a great job on Ankita's hair. Thanks guys!
By The Way: Talking about the shoot in advance with Ankita was HUGE. I felt like Ankita and I were on the same page before she showed up at my home-studio. That was great because I was able to communicate better and express some ideas a lot clearer.
So my series in dramatic portraits continues with Debra Lopez, a very talented model and actress from Madison, Wisconsin. Working with Debra (and her husband - pics coming soon) was great for many reasons: she is a very talented and professional model, she was very enthusiastic about this shoot (which pumped me up), and she had a great sense of wardrobe and looks that made photographing her a lot of fun.
We ended up capturing some really fun and amazing frames during our 2 hours photo shoot. I love these kind of shoots because we get so many ideas going that it is hard to stop shooting. My wife set out some snacks and drinks, which we ended up maxing out! Pedro (Deb's husband), Gary, and I even chatted a bit about football and Peyton Manning. Photography, beautiful models, food, and sports - does life get any better than that? The answer is NO.
Hey, you can check out a very funny short film called "Spin Cycle" Debra starred in here. Her character is so mean :)
Here are a few of my favorite images from our photo shoot. The final composite images will be on a new blog post soon:
My many thanks to Debra! You and Pedro made this shoot a blast, and I appreciate your willingness to travel into Chicago. You rock! I also want to thank Gary Middendorf for his assistance and ideas. It is always so cool working with a fellow photographer. And of course a super thank you to my wife, Christina, for being so supportive and for doing a great job on Deb's hair. Thanks guys!
The Set-Up
Nikon D700 - Shooting in RAW
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens
Alien Bee 400ws (5 strobes)
Medium Softbox (2)
22" Beauty Dish
Pocket Wizard (2)
Lightroom 2 - For exposure and color adjustments
Photoshop CS4 - For all major retouching and background removal
13" MacBook
Sofortbild - For shooting tethered to my MacBook. It's free for Nikon shooters!
By The Way: Talking with Debra about her wardrobe was key. Not having the right wardrobe would have made this shoot boring and flat. It's all about communication.
I was really excited about Camille's photo shoot. She is a very professional, beautiful, and enthusiastic model and I am very grateful to have worked with her. She came in ready to deliver a great performance and that she did. It is always such a treat to work with others that are just as passionate about this art form as I am.
This photo shoot was going to be a bit different than what I am used to. First: it is the first shoot in a series (yes, more photos coming very soon) of dramatic portraits and model headshots. I have never done a series like this before, so this was new ground for me. Second: it was going to involve a lot of post-production (Photoshop) work, of which I am used to. The end result of this shoot is to create a composite image with a completely new background and a more dramatic feel. I will be posting the final images soon.
This headshot/portrait session was intended to be more artistic in nature and so all of the pieces had to work well together: a great model, a specific type of lighting set-up, great hair and make-up, energy, and me not messing it up :)
It was great having my amazing hairstylist wife there and my talented brother-in-law (a very talented sports photographer) there to assist.
Here are a few images from our shoot. The final composite images will be on a new blog post soon:
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Behind The Scenes
My many thanks to Camille! You made this shoot so much fun. I also want to thank Gary Middendorf for his assistance and ideas. And a super thank you to my wife, Christina, for being so supportive and for doing a great job on Camille's hair. Thanks guys!
The Set-Up
Nikon D700 - Shooting in RAW
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens
Tokina 14-24mm f/4 lens
Alien Bee 400ws (5 strobes)
Medium Softbox (2)
22" Beauty Dish
Pocket Wizard (2)
Lightroom 2 - For exposure and color adjustments
Photoshop CS4 - For all major retouching and background removal
13" MacBook
Sofortbild - For shooting tethered to my MacBook. It's free for Nikon shooters!
By The Way: It was great sketching out pose ideas and lighting ideas before the shoot. I was also able to do some test shots before Camille ever came over.
Wedding rings are truly works of art. I have really come to appreciate my bride and grooms rings this year. I remember going to the jeweler to pick out my wife's ring. I was so nervous and very conscience of aesthetics and price. This was a major purchase for me and I wanted to make sure that I purchased the PERFECT ring. This line of thinking has helped me focus more on the rings, placing them in beautiful backgrounds and giving them the spotlight they deserve. Here are just a few of my favorites for this year.
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The Set-Up
Nikon D700
Nikon SB-800 - Triggered via Nikon CLS. There was no light modifier on the flash.
So what on earth does "Anti-Vanilla" mean? Well, I am glad you asked :)
I met with Brittany (the model) a few weeks back and I was asking her a handful of questions about our upcoming shoot. This is customary as I want to make sure that my shoot doesn't stink and I miss the mark on what my client wants.
So Brittany shows me her comp card and says that she wants to do something "different," something a bit more "edgy" than she is used to. I take a look at her card and say "these images are very nice and Vanilla." So we brain storm a bit more about a theme and the phrase "Anti-Vanilla" comes out of my mouth. We both liked it and off we went.
Here are a few images from our shoot. I love this industrial area in the West Loop. It had the perfect look and feel of what Brittany wanted. I had a really great time with Brittany. She is a very professional young lady and came to the shoot with ideas and energy. I also want to thank Oscar, my art-school homeboy, and assistant for the day. It was pretty rad working together with him.
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This last image was pure gangsta' fun. I am glad that Brittany and Oscar were willing to pose with me.
Lightroom Preset Download
I created a preset for this last image. I thought this image would be perfect for a thug/edgy/desaturated look. Give it a try and let me know how you used this preset.
Download the "Anti-Vanilla" preset for Lightroom
Last nights shoot with Mary Kate was pretty sweet right from the get-go. The lighting was perfect and Mary Kate was a blast to work with. All equipment was working flawlessly, something I was very aware of since I was testing out my new portable power pack: The Vagabond II Portable Power System!
All was good except for the April-like weather in June. The wind started howling about and the chilliness was a bit uncomfortable. So we had to keep moving just to stay warm. I guess these weather conditions are a lot better than what Chicago normally throws our way: humidity and stale air.
There are a few more photographs to see. You can check them out on my Facebook page right here.
This shoot took place on the Amtrak rails. About an hour into the shoot we were stopped by the all might Amtrak Police! The photo shoot was cut short and we were all given an "insightful" lecture about the dangers of being around the tracks. Fun Times. Click here to see the rest of the shoot.