Halloween Fun

Halloween Haunting

Shooting a lot of basic things in studio and lots of models on white it is always fun to get out of the studio. I was given a change to shoot in a Halloween “Haunted House” and think I got some interesting images. After scouting the area we picked 3 rooms to shoot in. The first was a mock up of a house, with a yard, axes, and just lots of junk. Second was a graveyard and cage. Finally we shoot in a butcher’s house with tables, and kitchen area.

Most was shot with just simple costumes but we did add some stage blood for the butcher’s house. I didn’t know if we would have power so this shoot was done completely with speed lights using the Nikon ® CLS. I brought some modifiers like Gels, Umbrella, and Snoot plus light stands. I used the built in commander on my D300. This was nice because I could make adjustments on the fly if I didn’t like the lighting.

Nice Kitty

I chose to use the manual zoom sticking to my 50mm 1.8 and my 35mm 1.8 lenses. For those of you who don’t get the “manual” part… I just walked closer to model for the zoom. I also played a bit with the lens baby® to get some wild creepy effects. All the lenses I chose were fast primes because of the poor lighting. I did find this limiting in some areas but it was just something I had to work around. All in all this was a great shoot, now what to shoot next….

Glamour Photography Workshop Review

I had the pleasure of attending another workshop by Danny Griffin on glamor photography. We started with the basics. First setting the camera for our location. The location was a nice studio in downtown Kansas City on the top floor of an older building. Lots of large windows, bright color walls and old hardwood floors. It was a really nice location. Next we setup the lights to create highlights on the model. The back lights were more of a harsh lighting. These were set about 1 stop above the main light. The main light was a large soft box set slightly off center. We also used a kicker to ensure our model had even lighting.

We then had the pleasure of working with model Jessica Vaugn. We shot several different outfits. In addition we changed up the lighting to several different styles ranging from a single center to color gels for our back lights. Our photoshoot with Jessica was about an hour and a half.

Following the photoshoot we had a photo editing session. I always learn a lot from these. Even if it is a simple tip it really helps.

The other great part about the editing session is the fact you get feedback on how your images look. You get to see how others shoot the same model in the same setting. This is a great tool to learn what to change or not change.

Now as I always say I don’t give ratings. I think like any training you get out of it what you put into it. Each person learns differently. So, here is what you will get out of the workshop. First a chance to work with an experienced model. Second lots of lighting tips, ideas and the ability to put them to use with practice. Finally, a chance to learn new editing techniques. If this sounds good then the workshop is well worth your time. I know I enjoyed it and learned a lot. I would recommend this workshop.

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