Heroic Portraits
My agent Ronald Bolden found us a new client last week in American Basketball Association’s East Bay Pit Bulls. After meeting on Monday we sketched out a tentative shoot schedule and some collateral needs for re-branding the team. However right as we were wrapping up, the team’s owner Debra received a call from the New [...]
A Star is Born…
When on location conditions are not always optimal. For this shoot with the amazing Jennifer Roberts we where faced with a low ceiling, huge floor to ceiling windows and a narrow room. Because Jennifer is like 5’10″ and I wanted to upshoot her to create a bit of drama and a feeling of sitting in [...]
PHOTOSHOOT: Katelyn
I get a lot of questions about my lighting and many say they would love to use Profoto and my modifiers but they are just too expensive. Well for this video, I shot all the images with a basic strobitst kit – 2 flashes and two light stands. Beautiful light is not expensive Katelyn Kline [...]
What’s In the Bag?
Overview of the minimum amount of equipment I take in my Think Tank bag to shoots. http:///www.facebook.com/kandidzportraits http://www.wootenweb.com http://www.kandidz.com
CANON Refurbs are IN STOCK
Canon has many refurbished lenses and flashes back in stock. If you want them ACT FAST as they go VERY quickly… http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductListingViewAll_10051_10051_-1_2275
Long Term Review: Lastolite All-in-One Umbrella
Long term review of the Lastolite All-in-One Umbrella
My New: HoneyGrids Profoto 25° White Beauty Dish Grid
I find that photographers fall into two camps, the extremely helpful and the highly secretive. This classification is not absolute, as photogs will move from either classification from time to time. I find nothing will create secrecy as fast as a new post processing technique or a new lighting setup. In a industry that on [...]
Adobe Nav for Photoshop is HERE!
I wanted a way to get news out quickly. This is a very raw series of videos that we are calling KATNs. We produce them rapidly so we can get you the latest info as fast as possible. This KATN is about the new Adobe Nav iPad App “With Adobe Nav—a Photoshop Touch app for [...]
Make Books in Lightroom with Blurb Plugin
From photo editing to bookmaking in a flash. Blurb teamed up with Adobe® to unite the best of Blurb and Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® in one simple creative solution that means more streamlined bookmaking for you. If you use Lightroom 3, you already know what a powerful tool it is. Now you can seamlessly flow the [...]
On Location Podcast is on iTunes!
Subscribe to my podcast on iTunes or via the direct link. Our first episode is the follow up to the Windy Day episode. I show you how we took the 3 different sessions and composited the photographs into one image for a March magazine cover using Adobe Photoshop CS5. I would love to get your [...]
Review: Photek Softlighter II
I have wanted to own a softlighter for a while now but between the 60″ SL6000 being constantly out of stock at B&H, Adorama and Amazon and the fact that I already owned an umbrella softbox by Creative Lighting our paths did not seem destined to cross. Besides I liked my Creative umbrella softbox. Its [...]
Shooting in a near Typhoon…
Set up and precautions for location shooting on windy days.
NOTE: not covered in the video is the fact that I use bb’s in my sand bags for extra weight.
Let there be LIGHT!!!
Photography is latin for ‘drawing with light’ but light is the most overlooked aspect in amateur photography. Every great photo is a masterful application of light whether intentional or accidental. When I make a photograph I first ask what is the intention? How do I want the viewer to feel about the subject? Then I [...]
YouTube – Silver Efex Pro 2: The Artist Exposure Series
Congratulations to Joel on being selected as the featured artist for Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro 2: The Artist Exposure Series. If you have not seen his landscape work, it is in a word… stunning! His skill with long exposure and composition is only second to his humility.
Exotics
Last week’s shoot was a favor for a friend and brought us to San Francisco Sports Cars in San Bruno, CA. With the exception of a few supercars, they had just about every sports car I have driven or dreamed of driving. It was like Top Gear heaven. While I would have preferred to shot [...]
The TFP Conumdrum..
I get a lot of requests for TFP (time for print: photographer will give subject images in exchange for subject’s time) photo shoots. The majority coming from unsigned, amateur or hobbyist, part-time models who want to shoot after hours or weekends and achieve the looks presented in my portfolio especially the iconic images by Brittany [...]
PROFOTO: Gregory Heisler whiteboards his Rudy Giuliani Time Magazine cover
Gregory discusses his lighting setup for the Rudy Giuliani Time Magazine cover. Gregory Heisler is a New York-based photographer who is renowned for his technical mastery and thoughtful responsiveness. His enthusiasm, curiosity, and drive are manifested in his hands-on approach to all aspects of the image making process. His iconic portraits and innovative essays have [...]
BMW Logo: Viewers’ Eyelids Burnt with BMW Logo
Want a BMW Logo burnt into the back of your eyelids? Moviegoers in a German theater had just that as BMW managed a clever trick that caused the luxury automaker’s logo to stick on their eyelids. How did they do it? The stunt was accomplished using a giant Profoto Pro-7B that was hidden behind the [...]
Halloween Special FX Makeup
I love shooting with the students at Pigment Cosmetics Blush School of Makeup. The enthusiasm and effort they exhibit is only matched by the consistent degree of professionalism delivered by Catherine Kalessis and her team. They make me feel appreciated and welcome every time I enter the building. On this day the students were completing [...]
Melissa in Autumn…
Melissa Sweeney is one of my favorite muses. So when we finally found a date that worked, I jumped on it. Our first shoot was a night session during a full moon in Berkeley. I used Canon Speedlites that evening but found the resulting images to be a bit grainy. So this time we decided [...]
Traveling Lite
In preparation for my recent road trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion and then Las Vegas, I toyed with the idea of bringing my studio lights. They weren’t that heavy right? How much would the airline overcharge me to bring them? Maybe I could ship them ahead of me via FedEx? Maybe I could rent them there? But after considering the effort, security of the places I would be staying and practicality I opted for my speedlites (4 x 580EX II) instead.
Profoto BatPac Issue
After testing it is our assumption that when the Acute 2R fires, the flash heads power draw is so great that the BatPac can not supply enough electrical charge which effectively turns off the Acute and the built in Pocket Wizard receiver. With the receiver memory now cleared, during re-charge the Acute pack has to re-learn the Pocket Wizard transmitters code again. FLASH, nothing, learning, nothing, learning, nothing, learned, FLASH, unlearn, nothing… You get the point. Perhaps this is a defective BatPac and Profoto USA is looking into that possibility but if not Houston we have a problem that will have to be addressed.
Christmas in July: Profotos are Enroute
I started my photography career as a natural light disciple. Waking at pre-dawn to take advantage of the best possible light, I would curse cloudless skies and midday sun. Soon I began manipulating mother nature with filters but was increasingly growing tired of the solitude of landscape work. But I am grateful as that period [...]
