This would be longest shoot I have ever done non stop, it lasted about 5 hours!. . Neecie come over the studio after seeing some photos I had done for her sister and we organized a shoot Chap chap.It was also the most fun I have ever had in a shoot, we got like 70 stunning images from about 100 that I took.
Below are some that I did on a seamless white backdrop with rock music keeping our mood upbeat.
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This week I got to do two things I have always wanted to do all at the same time. Night Scene and HDR. After hooking up on twitter with couple of other photographers we took to the Kenya Railway headquarters for a shootout. I didn’t manage to hook up with them in time as I was running a little late. By the time I got there It was already dark and some of them had already gotten the shots they wanted. I did a few shots and then joined in on photography discussion which turned out to be what we did most of.
It was already pitch dark and this meant really long exposures glad I had my tripod with me. The railway station is such a scenic location with railway line converging at the horizon and city lights painting the Night sky with kaleidoscope of colors. I didn’t get enough of the place I plan on returning soon this time to capture the gothic hue and texture of the wrecked trains which are rusting away at the station with a model (on gothic styling) in tow.
If you are a fun of the female form like me then today`s post might help ease the Monday blues. I did these a while ago while doing some practice on my lighting with mercy (can`t use her regularly as I used to since she`s now on attachment and is only available on Sundays). I posted some of the images from this test shoot on One hard light post.
The background was a seamless backdrop I designed myself (DIY is my domain). I lit the backdrop but noticed that the colors were washing off so I fitted a red filter of my background light and blam! the color was restored. I had to remove a distracting hotspot on the backdrop in post though.
Am thinking of doing two post per week (Photography on Monday and web/design/Illustration on say Thursday) but finding time for one post a week is still an uphill task (I work from 6am to 9pm) maybe this means that I need an assistant!.
Nuff said,Enjoy reading (viewing actually) the rest of the post.
I went though my hard-drive looking for some documentation I had done while creating my studio lighting after receiving a number of email inquiries on my DIY studio (Lighting mostly). The lights are made from PVC pipes,straw-boards,tracing paper, high wattage energy savers and other locally available materials. Make no mistake, just because some of the equipment I use is Jua kali (Home made/DIY) it by no way mean that the product is mediocre. I`ve seen crap photos taken with cutting edge equips.
Going Jua kali was not a matter of preference, but my only option due to financial factors. I have always harboured passion for photography and started learning photography with my P&S camera ( Metering, White balance etc) but after acquiring a DSLR lighting was a necessity I couldn’t do without.
To set up this studio, meant I had to buy tools like hammers,saws,pliers,brushes pliers etc ( A good thing, just in case photography/design doesn’t work I could always turn into carpentry or plumbing ) I also had to do a crash course ( googling) on light and electricity (You just don’t mess with electricity willy nilly unless of cause you are on a death wish).
Before I embark on any project that is out of my profession, I alway carry out intensive research, every profession goes by some basic principles (layman approach to some professions like electrical installation could kill ya).
It doesn’t take architectural classes to build a structure this simple Ingenuity,logic,adherence to some basic rules and passion should suffice. I started off with measurements, symmetry is not only a requirement in aesthetics but is also essential in stability of the structure.
Professional photography rely on effort,creativity and technical know how and good equipments, producing good images every time does not depend on luck.Am still learning photography and experimenting is the way I choose develop my style. Mercy lives just a block way from the studio… I need to schedule a test shoot.. ring.. ring.
I am blasting her with a thousand watt off light {hard light} am mostly a florescent guy but today am going Tungsten so I dial my White balance to about 2700 {I normally use 4950} a couple of dials later{I shoot manual} we are snapping.
On the Picture below the white wall opens up the shadows on her face and a subtractive {black} bookend behind her catches spills and prevent bounce resulting is deep shadows behind her.
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A weekly post of my source of inspiration
The Roots is a Hiphop band from Philly. USA.
