New Lighting Technique

Well.....not new but new to me. I first saw this done on Scott Kelby's blog. Instead of using a white backdrop, I have started using a large softbox or octabox as the background. I've found this to be a very nice backlight effect as it wraps around the subject, highlighting the hair, sides of the face, and shoulders. The key is to shoot tight so you don't allow too much light back into the lens which will cause a washed out look and make sure the subject is all the way against the softbox/octabox.


I usually have my key light powered just a tad over the back light and use a reflector as a fill. Here are some images I have made using this lighting setup.

My biggest night as a photographer

I was honored to be a part of the Boys and Girls Club fund raiser last weekend. Hall of Fame Baseball player Cal Ripken Jr. was a part of the event as well. The day started off with Cal visiting the local Boys and Girls Club in Newport News. I was able to be there to photograph Cal playing with the kids. I rushed home to change into a suit and picked up some more gear and Michele. Jim (Brikee), Jerry Gammon, and Mark Warren, and I rushed to setup our lights, backdrop, and table. Mark powered the AlienBees to perfection. Several people made a hefty contribution to the Boys and Girls Club to have their portrait made with Cal Ripken Jr. Once Cal arrived, the show was on. The line for photographs grew fast but it went smoothly. Nothing failed, thank God! Cal was very kind and gentlemanly with everyone including the photographers.


Once all the portraits were taken, we hurried and broke down all the gear, packed what we no longer needed into our vehicles, and setup in the convention center where dinner was served to close to a thousand people. Mark, Jim, and I photograph every moment.
All in all, it was a great experience and I was honored to be involved with it.

Cal pitching to a kid at the Boys and Girls Club



Michele with Cal:


Cal talks to the crowd about what he's up to these days:


The dinner at the Hampton Convention Center:

A Full Weekend

I had a full weekend of shooting. It started Friday with my first shoot in my new studio.

Lauren in her mother's wedding dress:



Anastasia & William's Wedding on Saturday:



....and the TRADOC U.S. Army band at the Ferguson Center for the Arts Saturday night:



More images to come.

A Day in D.C.

On the way back from Pittsburgh, Steve and I met Melinda, Michele and Andrew, oh yeah and Rick in D.C.. We had lunch, took the metro and walked around taking pictures.

Taking some shots, waiting for the metro

22 images stitched together, converted to B&W of the Washinton Monument.

Michele under a Cherry Blosson tree. Used a reflector on camera left to light her.

Andrew trying on a hat at Pentagon City Mall

Jefferson Memorial

A shot of some high window washers viewed from Pentagon City Mall.

This striking young lady sold me some Raybans and I made her picture.

Used a flash from camera left, bounced off a mirror on camera right and illuminated her face and added a cool rainbow on her face.

Michele and me under a Cherry Blosson tree. A flash in a shoot through umbrella at camera left.

A trip to Pitt

I took an 8 hour road trip to Pittsburgh with my friend Steve to see a David Ziser seminar. The long trip was well worth it. The lighting portion of the seminar was pretty much a review of what I knew already by David talked also talked about how effective marketing techniques can really boost business.




We also hit the town for lunch and photographs.

The is a restaurant named the Grand Concourse. It was converted from a old rail road station. The food and service were excellent.





A view of Downtown Pittsburgh from the Incline
20 images stitched together

More Boston Pics

Took a bit longer than expected but I finally have some more Boston photos to display. These images were not taken by me.

The first 3 were taken by my buddy Harold.  I love the angle and perspective of these images:








This shot was taken by Dave Sage. His wife Lisa won a Guru Award in Boston. That's me trying to compose a shot.




And the last is Brian Matiash's image. This image was selected Editor's Choice last week at NAPP.




I had a great time in Boston learning, getting inspired, and most of all meeting some really nice and creative people.

Stay tuned tomorrow for images of my Pittsburgh trip.