Studio Portraits with Jay

Jay and I have worked together twice so far and we have plans for many more sessions. She has helped me explore new directions in my fine art projects. If you are interested in seeing more of Jay's sessions with me, you can find them on my other photography page, Eden's Edge Studio. Be warned that content on that page is for mature audiences and some images are Not Safe For Work. Below you will find a beautiful series of portraits from our first session together.

Outdoor Family Portraits

I love helping my friends capture their families in photos. I have been asked by friends, both old and new, to take their portraits and its always an honor to help them. For this session, Kerri wanted photos with her son outdoors showing off the fall colors. We decided on this park by the river and walked the nature trails stopping in various locations to take some amazing photos.

Hand-Made Halloween :: Thanos

Thanos costume build for my 12 year old son. I found a template for the Infinity Gauntlet and for the helmet but was not able to find a suitable template for the armour or for the double-bladed weapon, so I created those by looking at comic-book references and screenshots. I started with the gauntlet and then proceeded to build from the head down the body. The blade was the second piece I built after the gauntlet, but was the last piece to be finished. I couldn't find a suitable mask for the costume, so I re-purposed a cheap, plastic Hulk mask I had in my Halloween box and built up the chin and other features to match reference images I had for Thanos. I documented the build process and finished with a studio session to show off all the different aspects of the costume.

Hand-Made Halloween :: Iron Man

I created this costume by hand. The only store-bought parts of this costume were the electronic components. The arc reactor in the chest and the right hand glove with the repulsor light were integrated into the design. Every other part of the costume was cut, shaped, glued, painted, and assembled by hand. I found templates for the basic design online but it didn't fit properly so I had to make adjustments to different parts for my son's body size. I documented the build process as it progressed over three months.

Outdoor Wedding Day Part I

Revisiting this beautiful outdoor wedding from July 7, 2017. The engagement, rehearsal, and ceremony photos were all captured on the same day and all within twelve hours. I divided the day into four posts to share with you all here.

Introducing Lacey

Lacey is a part-time model who graciously agreed to help me build my portfolio and hers while playing around in my studio. We shot for over two hours, and had tons of fun playing around with lighting, props, wardrobe, and lots of fun poses. I have so many favorites from our session, it will take time to share more of them.

Dia de los Muertos :: A Do-it-Yourself Mask

While shopping a few weeks ago, I came across a flimsy Day of the Dead mask with an attached veil. I liked the concept of the piece, but I wasn't impressed with the execution. I wanted to make a mask using some of the skills I have developed over the years painting on canvas. I knew I had a blank white mask at home, as well as a section of black lace fabric. The rest of the build is pretty much just paint. The only item I had to purchase is the purple flowers attached at the very end. 

Playing with Light and Tattoos

After an open-call on facebook, I only had one taker for a free photo session for a person with tattoos. I wanted to play with different lighting scenarios to achieve some looks I hadn't attempted before. This setup was done in-home, in-dining room to be specific. I brought my backdrops, lights, and my box of props and we spent almost two hours mixing and matching different ideas.

Dramatic Lighting with Savanna

I took some time with Savanna to experiment with my studio lights, and explore new possibilities with light and shadow. I wanted to create new images that I hadn't thought of before. Since my space is limited, I rented a room in a reception hall that allowed me more ceiling height, and enough space all around to have lights, backdrops, and distance to allow me to pull my lights and model further from the background to create the effects I desired.

Living Room Studio for Christmas Portraits

My parents were in need of new portraits of themselves to share with family members for Christmas this year. Once we agreed on a day where we were all available, I brought my studio cases to them and set up my lights and backdrop in their living room. I had about five feet from left to right for the width of the room with the sofa on one side, and for length it was about ten feet from where I could stand to my backdrop stands. Not a large studio shooting space for any photographer, but we decided that full length poses would be impractical, so we focused on 1/2 to 3/4 length poses. We started with my hand-dyed fabric backdrop and some simple poses both standing and seated. 

I photographed both my parents individually as well as together. I also shot portraits of my brother and sister and my nieces and their friend who happened to come over unexpectedly. Once we were finished with the fabric backdrop, I brought out my seamless white paper for some high key closeup portraits. The white paper is not wide enough for multiple people, which is why I only use it for individuals. I rearranged my lights several times throughout the session, moving them closer or farther and up or down to change the direction of the shadows. My kit for this session included two umbrellas, one large soft box, a home-made strip light, a collapsible silver reflector, two backdrops and backdrop support stands.

Dining Room Studio Setup for Kristie and Her Girls

I have photographed Kristie and her girls before, and it is so much fun to photograph them as they grow up. Watching them change in photographs is a privilege and is a big part of why I enjoy taking portraits for others. This session was set up in her dining room complete with a low hanging light fixture which we tied up higher to the ceiling. I brought a white paper roll as well as a full length black fabric to use as backdrops during this session. I set up with four lights this time using a large soft-box on the main light and a white umbrella for the second. The third and fourth lights I initially set up facing the white paper in order to get a nice bright background. I also added a square white reflector below the main light to help fill in shadows. All the portraits using the white background were shot this way. I included a set-up shot below, but the space was so tight, I couldn't get all my lights in the wide-angle setup shot. That didn't stop me from getting some beautiful images though.

I changed things up a little bit with the black fabric by putting the two background lights into my DIY-made rim-light modifiers. The soft-box and umbrella were brought closer, and the white reflector remained in place to fill in shadows. In the final closeup portraits I brought the main soft-box to the center of the room with the white reflector tight up underneath it with a very small gap between the two, which is where I was shooting through. The two rim lights were aimed at their hair and the white umbrella I kept further back and to the right of the camera to add  more dimension to the reflections in their eyes.

Below are a few of my favorites from this session.

Living Room Studio ::: Family Portraits

After premature labor and delivery prevented us from holding a maternity photo session, we were finally able to schedule a family photo session when the baby was four months old. He was born two months early and stayed in the hospital for nearly as long. Two months after coming home he had his very first formal photo shoot. To keep things as simple as possible, I arranged to bring the studio to them in their own home. We moved the coffee table and a few chairs from the living room into the kitchen, and then I set up a fabric backdrop on one end of the room along with a few strobe lights to complete the location studio. 

I brought a few small props with me including the alphabet blocks which spelled out the names of the two boys, my small white step-ladder for sitting and climbing, and the soft white blanket used to photograph the baby. All this fits in the trunk of my car and is accessible for anyone who wants to schedule a session. I have more props, modifiers, and backgrounds which I can bring on a case-by-case basis, depending on the desired outcome of the photo shoot. If you are interested in scheduling a session with me, you can contact me by following the link below the photos. 

Headshot Lighting Setup

This session focused on the play of light and shadow as it travels across facial features. I have included a wide-angle setup shot for the final portraits with placement and modifiers labeled within the image. Power settings were adjusted up or down depending on the dramatic effect I was trying to achieve in each portrait. Please also note that the exposure settings for each setup shot may be altered from the finished portrait to allow for better visualization of the lights and modifiers within my shooting space.

My New Open-Air Studio

When I was arranging a portrait session with Dylan and Melissa, it became clear that we would be unable to find an indoor location to hold a photo shoot. I knew I wanted more that just natural light portraits, so I simplified my kit even further than usual to include two cameras, two lights, and a shoulder bag for my backdrop. My usual kit includes a hard case for holding my light modifiers and stands, a separate bag for backdrops, my backdrop stand bag, and my camera bag. An extra case for props can be brought along if the need arises. I still prefer the control an indoor space provides, but it is no longer a necessity. I can create a studio within minutes of arriving at a location.

We agreed to shoot in a local park along the river, and shot some portraits at a pond using the natural landscape as our background. For those shots, I alternated using one light, two lights, and all natural light. We then walked the nature trails until we found an area just off the main path with enough space to set up a backdrop without being interrupted by passers-by. A light-weight backdrop support  with a fabric backdrop and two lights created my brand new open-air studio. The part I like best about the images shot using this technique is that, until you see the wide-angle view, you wouldn't know the images were shot outdoors. Can you tell the difference?

I had a very simple setup for my lighting. I placed one light on my left hand side with a plastic diffuser that softens the light like an umbrella (without the bulk and kite-like behavior in the wind). My second light was set to my far right without a plastic diffuser, but using a blue gel coating that gives a coolness to the rim light you see on their hair and shoulders. With the shaded location, I was able to achieve very dramatic shadows by using the main light at a higher angle and from the side. The rim light helps to separate them from the black background and offer some definition on that side of the image. To amplify the dramatic look in some of their individual portraits, I turned off the rim light so that the shadow side of their faces merges with the background.

I have included several set-up shots taken during this session so you can see how I was able to achieve these looks. On the behind-the-scenes shots I also include a break down of my equipment and settings for anyone who is curious about my techniques.

Below are samples and behind-the-scenes shots from our first two shooting locations. We continued along the nature trail taking more shots along the way, but I will save those for another post.
Enjoy!

Fire Spinning

 

My brother, Joe, has recently taken up the hobby of fire spinning. To get these photos, I brought two strobes with me and put an orange colored filter over them to keep them from contaminating the orange glow of the fire with the traditional white light of a flash. I slowed down my shutter speed to allow the spinning of the ring of fire to show up in the exposure. A tripod is an absolute must for a session like this. I triggered my camera with a remote to eliminate any shake I might have caused by pressing the shutter manually. The spinning fire was exposed first, followed quickly by the flash to freeze his movements and so you can see who is doing the fire spinning. There were a few shots where the flash did not fire because I did not allow it enough time to fully recycle/recharge before the next shot. In those images, the flame is clearly visible, but his face is shrouded in darkness. I anticipated this effect, and like the effect it offers. I just wouldn't want an entire session shot this way.

Before we started shooting with fire (and before we lost daylight) I set the lights and adjusted the power on each unit to allow for the lighting effect that I wanted. I used a small strobe with a grid and orange filter above and behind where Joe would be standing. My second light was set inside my DIY strip light and placed to the right of my camera position. With the orange gel and the size of the light modifier, I had to push this flash up to full power. This also is what kept some of the shots from getting a full exposure. When the flash is set this bright, it takes longer for it to recycle. I also wanted to get the shutter speed right before we started playing with fire. Joe owns a double ended light saber replica, so we started spinning it and adjusting the shutter speed faster and slower to get different levels of light blur. We ended up in the range of 1/3 to 2/3 of a second. While that doesn't sound like its long enough, with the staff spinning it is long enough to create a full circle light blur.

Check out my favorites below including a bonus animation at the very bottom of the page: 

Kahlan: Model Portraits

Its always great when a model will help you realize a creative concept.

Kahlan is a wonderful model to work with, and makes selecting favorites a challenge because of the sheer number of good poses she is able to achieve. I came to her with several different ideas in poses and lighting and she was happy to help.

Introducing Kahlan

 

I met Kahlan through Model Mayhem. You can find more about her here. We both wanted to improve our portfolios, but without a studio, it proved difficult to find a suitable location. We were able to use a small bed and breakfast for our shoot, and made use of the decor as our backdrop. She brought several outfits, and we also used items from my kit to achieve different looks and combinations during our session. She has a large tattoo of angel wings across her back which made for some very cool looking images.

Product Photography for a Local Etsy Shop

Handmade jewelry, candles, scrying mirrors, and soaps. These are some of the products I photographed recently for Rocky Mountain Witch, a small company who sells "Magickal Items for the Modern Day Witch" Please take the time to check out her page, and support her business.

Family Photos At The Park

For baby's first photo session, we arranged to set up at a local park using the natural surroundings and weathered bridge as our backdrop. I brought two battery-operated flashes to use as we walked around the park to take advantage of the beautiful scenery. We started with some seated family shots, and moved on to some poses of just the mom and dad, then we laid a blanket over a park bench and focused on taking baby portraits. I was able to balance the natural light with my flashes to create depth without washing out the background, or having the portraits turn to silhouette.

As with all of my portrait sessions, I have trouble choosing favorites to share because there are so many fantastic images to choose from. I am never satisfied with just a few snapshots during a photo session, during this session I shot over 200 images. The first part of every session is used to get the jitters out and help everyone relax and let their natural expressions come out. Although I pick favorites, and edit those images; I provide every image from my photo sessions to my clients. I would rather you have them all to cherish than let those images sit unused on my computer. My clients are free to share the beautiful shots with friends and family, laugh over the funny ones, and scrapbook the rest. I allow them the freedom to choose how to preserve their memories.

Have Camera ... Will Travel

This summer, I moved out of my studio.
It was not something that I ever wanted to do.
I was simply unable to continue using that space, given my current budget.

I am not giving up on photography. I am also not selling off my studio equipment.
Given enough time and patience, I will be able to set up a permanent studio again in the future.

I am still scheduling portrait sessions, only now I have the opportunity to set up a portable studio in the homes of my clients. I have offered this service in the past, and have been able to provide beautiful results. For those unfamiliar with this idea, I bring a background support with a fabric backdrop to set up in your home. I then set up several battery operated lights to create an in-home studio for you.

I also shoot outdoor portraits in natural light as well as natural light enhanced with battery powered strobes. There is nothing quite like having your portrait shot outdoors with the addition of controlled light that  allows you to be part of your surroundings. When shooting with natural light by itself, you tend to get backgrounds that are blown out, or silhouetted portraits. With battery powered strobes, I can balance the light to bring you into your environment instead of separating you from it.

An additional service I have recently begun offering is lessons in photography lighting either as a studio setup, or learning on location. I will share my knowledge with you to help you understand the basics that took me years to understand. There are so many circumstances that can cause your camera to misinterpret the existing light, and a pop-up flash is not always the best solution. I can provide insight from my years of experience to help you eliminate bad exposures and improve your next photographic outing.