photOgraPHic journal

On location at the Salton Sea

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:38:12 -0800

Yes, I do on occasion haul all my gear into the field and capture subject and background all in camera. For the Michael Anthony Collection shoot we took Bobby, a fitness model to the Salton Sea located about 2 1/2 hours east of LA. For this shoot I purchased a Optima 12 volt car battery to run my Vagabond inverter. I exposed close to 1000 images without a glitch and when I went to recharge the battery back at the studio, it only showed 1/8th loss of power usage. This is petty amazing seeing I had two 1600 Whitelightnings at full power and one 1600 Alien Bee at about 1/4 power shooting for over three hours.

With this set up, I should be able to shoot petty much all day with out ever having to plug into and AC wall plug. The main draw back is I had to contend with a recycle time of about 5 seconds. You just have to make mental note and not rush the exposures.

Below is a behind the scenes video captured that day.

Rangefinder/Aftercapture Article

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:39:47 -0800

In just over a year I have had 40,000 plus visitors on this blog. Little did I realize the kind of attention this site would produce. As a result, opportunities like this recent article in Rangefinder/AfterCapture have come about.

Because we are in an age of communication unlike anything we have seen in the history of mankind, the distribution of knowledge carries great power. Ultimately, what is the photographic world looking for? I have asked this question many times over the last year. If you have followed my writings, I have emphasized one thing over all else. It is the creative process. It is getting people to think like artists and not technicians. It is opening the door of personal expression that is within the bounds of an individual’s uniqueness. There is only one me and one you. We are all one of a kind. There you have the definition of Art.

Canon Speedlites on location

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:49:41 -0800

I love problem solving and creating innovative solutions to achieve the vision I have as an artist. Often I want to lighten my gear and not have to carry all those studio strobes in the field. One way to do that is by using the small compact Speedlites that are available on the market today. Join me as I show how I use five Canon Speedlites in the field to achieve studio quality results.

One light beauty dish

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 15:33:44 -0800

I have often said, that when I teach, I learn the most. During one of the recent workshops I put together here in LA, I demonstrated an array of modifiers. In the end we all had loads of fun getting to see the characteristics of each light source and how they performed. We tried everything from a 80 inch umbrella to the 22 inch beauty dish. The most important thing to remember about lighting and working with modifiers is the larger the source, (in relationship to your subject) the softer the light. I just posted an article on prophotoresourse.com on this very subject.

One light source that I keep coming back to is a small octagon bank or the 22 inch beauty dish and running it very close to the subject. Here with Mustafa, I placed him close to a hard flat wall and allowed the light to hit the background. I have produced a quick behind the scenes video of the shoot and just posted it on youtube.

Post edgy Photoshop techniques

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:17:35 -0800

I am constantly looking to push the creative process and explore new ways of fulfilling the vision I have as an artist. I have written and have spoke extensively on this process. With the ability to manipulate our images in programs such as Photoshop, we are able to push the creative process like never before.

I have received close to a thousand emails over the last year asking to reveal my post Photoshop techniques, and finally I have done so in a 24 minute video. This video covers my step by step process on how I get the edgy gritty look I use in all my images. Click here to see more.