All posts tagged: studio photography

Knock Out

Published by

An epic Fight Club studio workshop yesterday. In the morning we went through the basics of studio strobes, triggering, and variables such as distance, position and quality of light. Then it was fight time. In the red gloves, Zac “The Flash” Pesicka. In the blue gloves  Andre “The Body” Smith In the early rounds Zac’s speed was a clear advantage,  Andre was thrown onto the ropes with  a crushing right hook.  Shrugging off the blow, and up before the nonexistent referee had counted to 10, Andre continued the fight. A mid-fight tussle with makeup artist Audra Pesicka had left the fighters bruised and bleeding. Keith “Cutman” Robbins stepped into check on the condition of his fighters. Zac landed a punishing blow to the ribs. But moments later Andre retaliated with a fight ending uppercut. The champ. A huge thanks to both fighters for shedding sweat and fake blood during the fight. Thanks to “Cutman” Robbins for the inspiring words and continuously humming Eye of the Tiger. Once again, thank you to makeup artist Audra Pesika …

Sin City Tokyo – Rainy Day Projects

Published by

Rainy season is here in Okinawa. It’s a good opportunity to shoot indoors in the studio, and practice editing at the computer. Last week I met up with photographer Pauline Fortuna to collaborate on a “Sin City”-style studio shoot. Pauline invited along model Sam, makeup artist Deziree, and hair stylist Sherri. We thought we could try a series of  images so Sam, Sherri and Yuki became our three hoodlums. For lighting we used three Profoto B1s and a Profoto D2. They were modified with a gridded snoot, barn doors, a gridded zoom reflector and a gridded softlight reflector.  The models stood in front of a plain black background. We kept the lighting similar for all three shots so that pics would fit together better in a composite image. Back at home I played around in Photoshop layering the three images of the ladies along with a previously photographed image of Shibuya, Tokyo. The background image was darkened, blurred and toned to better fit with the theme and then the image was done. Of course there are …

In the Studio – Sam

Published by

  Studio shoot with model Samantha Armistead. 3 different looks: business, beauty and street. Makeup and hair by Audra Pesicka. Shot using the Pentax 645Z and K-1. Lighting: Beauty dish camera right, Softbox camera left for fill. Two rectangular softboxes behind the model for edge lighting. Really pleased with the images, Sam has a fantastic look and was a pleasure to work with. Audra was a real professional, quickly creating 3 different looks that transitioned from one to the other. For more information on model portfolio sessions. Click here! 

Studio Lighting Intro Workshop

Published by

Great fun was had by all at the first studio lighting intro workshop. After talking about the different types of equipment available we spent the rest of the weekend taking studio portraits. We began with a single light, added a reflector, and eventually got up to shooting with numerous strobes. Things got comical as we got dressed up for our hospital staff portraits. Individual images were composited together to get the group shot of all six people. Thank you Kathy, Molly, Lemont, Kevin and James! I’ll put dates of future workshop up on the Photography Workshops page. If you’re waiting for a specific workshop, or wanting 1 to 1 training, please send me an email.

Pentax K3 in the Studio

Published by

Four studio portraits taken with the new Pentax K3 digital SLR camera. Very pleased with the results this little camera can achieve. Alongside the Pentax K3, I used my medium format digital 645D. Although the K3 could not match the level of detail you get from 645D’s 40 megapixel sensor it produced fantastic images. When looking at the entire shoot in Lightroom the best pics were those in which the lighting or pose were just right rather than those coming from one particular camera. When you consider that the Pentax K-3 on Amazon is a fraction of the price of the 645D this is even more impressive. Like the 645D, the K3 now has dual SD lots. This is fantastic. I’m a huge fan of redundancy (insert Thatcher joke here), and being able to save the data to both cards gives me that extra level of security I want when working with a client. There are a few differences in the layout of the camera compared to its predecessor the K5. Pentaxians will have to refer to the …

Photography Fundamentals Workshop – February 1 & 2

Published by

Photography Fundamentals Workshop Progress beyond the camera’s green automatic mode. Take better photographs of your friends and family rather than point, shoot, and hope for the best. This is a fun workshop rather than a lecture. As we cover new topics we will be taking photographs, reviewing the images, and discussing the results.  You’ll be learning by practicing each new skill. Don’t be the person with all the gear, and no idea. February 1 & 2, 2014 9AM to 5PM Class Size: Max 6 Location: Ishikawa, Uruma City, Okinawa Instructor: Chris Willson Price: US$250  Get in touch via email or Facebook to reserve your place. Class outline: Equipment – The anatomy of cameras, lenses, memory cards, filters and tripods. Learn what gear you need, and what will help you improve. Exposure – Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, Camera Modes, Metering. Take control of image brightness and depth of field, to create the images you want. Composition – Angles, Repetition, Balance, Lines, Simplicity. Whether you’re a sculptor, a painter or a photographer, there are some artistic rules that …

Pentax K3 Studio Test Shoot – Tomoko

Published by

The lovely Tomoko was my third model for my test shoot with the new Pentax K3. I wanted to create a more classical portrait, that would show the balance between light and dark, but still retain detail in the shadows. Model – Tomoko MUA – Summer Johnson Pentax K3 Pentax smc DA* 55mm 1:1.4 SDM 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

In the Studio – Sachi

Published by

Model – Sachi Perry MUA – Summer Johnson Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal background. Gridded Beauty Dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light . Square softbox front and low as fill. 2 medium size strip softboxes behind that were adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.