Recently had a fantastic photoshoot with the lovely and talented model, Erika! Thank you for modeling for me and hope you all enjoy the photos. What we have here is a day in the park. I carried all the equipment myself, so traveled light with an octagon softbox, umbrella, table, and accessories. The scarf I picked up in Korea, and have no idea what it says!
I consider this manageable for just one person to handle, though you don't want to carry this too far by yourself from your vehicle! At this point, an assistant starts becoming helpful.
Inventory prior to location photoshoot
Let's see if I can list out most of the items here:
And all packed up!
My preference, light edits rather than over editing. I'm not a fan of the overly smooth, highly edited, fashion photos, and like a bit of texture, realism, in my photos. That's me, by the way :-) I think it's better to start off with great lighting and composition, rather.
Things I saw in Baltimore this Labor Day: a crab, DUCKS!, the flag, a boat, water squirting, a strange leaved plant, and a whole lot of random rosemary!
When you start taking your photographs to the next level and consider your composition and framing more carefully, checking for leading lines, rule of thirds, symmetry, etc., a fun way to play with these concepts is through your perspective. And in this tip, I'm not talking about just your point of view, but that which is coming back to you in the form of a reflection. Reflections can be an exciting way to add to your story telling, or even be a consideration for the main event! Sometimes they can add to your photographs by accident, such as the reflected light in my swans photo, which in turn looks like a light reflection of the swan I was taking a picture of!
Look at how the light in the lower right appears to be a light reflection of the swan!
Or you might chance upon a reflection that makes itself known and almost shouts out at you to have its picture taken. Take advantage of these rare moments and make sure to capture them before the moment passes. Such is the case with the two photos below, when I was able to grab these wonderful shots just at the right moment and enhance the story through the reflection. And what better reflective surface than a mirror, what luck! :-)
And of course, reflections can be carefully planned to be a part or even a main aspect of the photograph. Make sure that when you have time to do so, to change your perspective by also moving around! Look at different angles and see how the subject and reflection interact. This is where a prime, or non-zoom, lens is helpful because it forces you to move if you want to zoom in or out. In doing so, you may find that the angle of the reflection is improved and you have a better shot than if you had just zoomed into your image.
Walk around and experiment with different angles and even distances.
Release the Kraken! This could well be the only line I remember from the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans. Not every introduction evokes so much potential... for memes that is. And, well, isn't imitation the purest form of flattery? I do hope that as this blog populates, and as you come back for more news, information, and tips in brand, design, and photography, that you are inspired and educated enough to do more than just imitate and are left with some tools and resources that help you create! And if you are new to any of the latest trends in tools and technology, don't worry because the concepts have been around for at least ten years. ;-P Only kidding, we're talking since before the internet was a thing, and social media was spread through word of mouth!
So, sit back, relax, and wait for the Kraken to emerge. It's really not as scary as it sounds and, who knows, there might be a friendship to be had here!
Steve Lusher
