Author: travel67

Guardian of the Fort

Came across this elderly man while investigating the riverside fort in Varanasi. He was sitting in the shade, and there was some lovely soft backlighting. Normally I like eye contact when shooting portraits, but these were a couple of exceptions to norm.

In the Studio – Aino

First image from a fantastic shoot with Okinawan model Aino. Model – Aino Shimoji        MUA & Hair – Mallika Sharma Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal background. Beauty dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. Medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.

Model K – Portfolio

Just started creating a new portfolio for male model K. Easy work when the guy’s got a chiseled jawline and a symmetrical face. A white T-shirt and a black pea coat gives a classic, timeless look. Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal background. Beauty dish as the main light, rectangular softbox down low for fill, both powered by Profoto Pro-7a. Medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). Another Profoto compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.

Clowning Around

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

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

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.