A shoot with Kelsey - original portrait photography on location
A few weeks ago, I caved and added some additional gear to my photographic kit. Since learning about off camera flash a few months ago, I've become highly enamoured with using off camera lighting, and in particular, doing this in location.
I've added a Godox AD200 to my collection, and yesterday was the first time I employed it in the real world. I used it in conjunction with a beauty dish.
I'm pretty happy with the results.
This series of images was shot in Adelaide, South Australia in a public park called Thorndon Reserve. It's got a lake, a waterfall, a reservoir tower, and a few other amusements like barbeques, play equipment, and wide open spaces for outdoor activities.
It also had myself and Kelsey Burgers yesterday. The vision for this series of images was to be dark, moody, and with a Pre-Raphaelite painting vibe, a throwback to the first shoot Kelsey and I did together. I set myself the challenge of using one light, (the new one!) and one lens. All these images were shot on a Nikon 105 F2 Defocus Control lens.
Here are the results:
Even though dark and moody was the brief, some brighter images also prevailed.
All these images have light retouches in Photoshop - vingettes are added, in addition to lens correction. The nautre of the 105 F2 DC lens means no skin retouching is necessary at all. The fact that Kelsey has an amazing complexion definitely helps with that, too.
A rare insight - also, this final image is straight from the camera, and I did not make any adjustments in Photoshop, lightroom, or camera raw, other than lens correction (to fix perspective). I'd probably straighten the image a little bit as the water tower in the background is a bit slanty, but I'm pretty proud of what I can now achieve without any Photoshop (and for the most part --- with out thinking too much about what I'm doing in the moment).
Would love to hear comments, critique, and feedback on this set of images.
My Camera Kit and Gear:
2x Nikon D750
Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC USD G2
Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 VC USD G2
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 D
Nikkor 105 f/2 DC
2x Godox TT685N
1x Godox AD200
1x Godox Pro X1 Trigger
nice photo shoot m8, I should probably do more photography on my camping trip coming up next week :)
Enjoy the time away from the big smoke :)
Challenge beaten? :D Certainly looks like it to my untrained eye XD
You should be pretty proud of the straight off the camera shot, it's lovely, and you can call it an artistic tilt right ;D
Your eye is definitely not untrained! :)
Thanks for the support and encouragement!
Great separation from the background, plus the focus is tack sharp.
Thanks mate, always improving. This particular lens has a pretty soft focus when you're pixel peeping, but what it does to backgrounds is simply incredible!
You just get better and better, Steve. Said it before and I'll say it again - I'm incredibly proud of you for picking up the camera again and rediscovering your passion. Not a lot of people can do that when they stop doing something, and I hope to one day get the passion for it again.
I never really lost the passion for it, I don't think!
What I find incredible is that in the past 7 months, I've produced more photographic work and "art" than I did in five years of university.
I'm feeling prolific and don't feel like I'll be burning out any time soon, either!
The flash is my nightmare. I should be learning to use it and I have one as a loan from school. I just don’t like it, it doesn’t inspire me, I don’t get why I would need it. It’s so hard to wrap my brain around using a flash especially when natural light is present, I think it makes everything look super fake.
See if you can find this book: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Magic-Introduction-Photographic/dp/0415719402
In a library nearby.
It is extraordinarily valuable (minus the default sticker price of textbooks!) - but it discusses the nature of all sorts of light, whether it comes from the star burning away 8 light minutes away, or the one powered by some handheld batteries.
I recently picked up a copy, read it, and I feel so much more in control, whether I'm using available, or artificial light.
Interesting, that looks like a very different, more scientific, approach to light in photography. I need to try and find it to at least have a little browse.