Author: travel67

Clowning Around

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It’s always important for models to practice their smiles. Otherwise, when under pressure during a shoot, things can suddenly go very wrong. Model & Funny Girl – Leia Heider MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S

Organized Chaos – Driving and Riding in India

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Organized chaos is the best term I could come up with for what happens on Indian roads. Millions of vehicles, people and animals, all using the streets at the same time. There is a hierarchy of importance loosely based on size, with the exception of cows. People move out of the way of bicycles, bicycles move out of the way of scooters. This continues upwards through auto-rickshaw, compact car, full-size car, SUV, light-truck and bus, to dump truck. Cows are the anomaly, as even dump trucks stop if these sacred animals are crossing the street. Very few vehicles have side mirrors, so you are expected (and in some areas obliged) to beep your horn while overtaking. As everyone is in a rush, the beeping is incessant. Accidents are very common, but not as often as I you’d expect (possibly due to the slow speed of traffic). You certainly learn to never make any assumptions. When driving on a 6-lane highway with a central divider, don’t assume that the vehicle in the inside lane is the …

Back in the Boat with Baba Jee

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Having got some great shots at dusk the night before, I still wanted to take the boat with Baba Jee the following morning. The light at dawn is both a different color and from a different direction to the warm evening rays. You’d miss many great opportunities if you only shot at one time of day. The rowing boat allowed me to get the photos of pilgrims bathing in the river, and another nice portrait of Baba Jee the boatman.

Leia Heider – Portfolio Shoot (Part 1)

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Spent yesterday photographing a new portfolio for model Leia Heider. I always start these shoots with a simple natural look. It’s something agencies and potential clients want to see, and should be updated regularly. Throw on a jacket and you have a classic look, that wouldn’t be out of place in an advertisement for The Gap. The image is toned slightly to give it a different feel to the white T-shirt image. Model – Leia Heider MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S

F.A.Q.s – What camera bag did you use in India?

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I usually use a Lowepro DryZone 200 bag for hiking, and a Pelican 1510 for studio shoots. However, while in India I used a Lowepro S&F belt and harness system. Attached was a Lowepro Toploader Zoom 55 bag for my 645D, a utility pouch for the other lens, batteries, etc, and a water bottle holder. The above pic clearly shows the system although it’s much less conspicuous if you wear a black t-shirt. Even better is to then put on a loose fitting shirt which covers all the straps. You now have easy access to the equipment, but are not drawing attention to all your expensive gear. Both bags have zippers so your gear isn’t going to bounce out. The shoulder straps make carrying the 645D far more comfortable than using a single strap. They also prevent your gear from crashing to the floor if the waist buckle pops open, or from disappearing if someone tries to grab the belt, pop the clasp, and run. I first tried this setup in Istanbul a couple of …

Blog Changes

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Things are going to look a little different on the blog over the next few days.  I wanted to post slightly larger images online, so I’ve had to make some adjustments to the layout of the page.  Of course, there are going to be some little niggles with the new design, but please be patient, and hopefully everything will be bigger and better in the not too distant future.

Hair Stylist – Aiasha Orick-Fleurantin

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A few shots from a  shoot last year to highlight the work of hair stylist  Aiasha Orick-Fleurant. Aiasha is available for weddings, balls and photo shoots. She will be on Okinawa until June 2015.  You can contact her via email at hairverbage@yahoo.com or her visit her website  A. LaQuin. Model – Desiree Snyder Makeup – Summer Johnson Hair Stylist – Aiasha Orick-Fleurantin

Baba Jee, Boatman on the River Ganges – Varanasi, India

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The image above is almost the exact shot I ‘d envisaged when I started planning my trip to Varanasi. Luckily everything fell into place when I found  Baba Jee a photogenic boatman, warm golden light at dusk, and the three dimensional quality you get when shooting with a wide angle lens up close. Pentax 645D   Pentax FA 645 35mm f/3.5 AL IF Of course I didn’t just take one photo, but dozens. I switched between the 90mm and 35mm lenses, used both landscape and portrait orientations, and also shot  with and into the light. These images were taken at the end of my second day in India, but I knew straight away I’d probably just captured the best shots of the trip.