Recently, PhotoConstrux.com crossed a milestone by having 50 views of a single post in a day.  Invariably, you start to get a few emails, some are supportive and inspire you to do more, others are… well, not so inspiring.  Today, I received an email asking if I’d ever done a portrait with all natural light.  Well, here’s my third favorite portrait that I’ve taken and it is all natural light and no alterations.  I do shoot in RAW mode in case I’d like to adjust the white balance, but I seldom make the adjustment. 

Background:  About an hour before her first dance recital it was time to get the hair done.  This is one of the photos that you just know she’s not enjoying the salon treatment, yet you get the feeling she’s going to endure.  What can I say, but a superstar attitude in a pint sized package?

Photo Info:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 31 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

It’s out.  Assignment #3 involves shooting rooms in a house.  Here’s the catch, I’ll need someone who really needs to sell their house to volunteer to allow me shoot pictures of each of the rooms for 3 or 4 hours.  Yes, it will really take that long, and while the pictures may not win awards they will definitely be better than 99% of the real estate agent photos taken with a point and shoot.

So, if you would like me to consider shooting your house photos, there will be no fees associated and you will receive a CD (or emailed copies) with the best, processed images that I take.  I will ask you to sign a property release form, similar to a model release form so that I can use the pictures on my web site and submit them for this contest.  I’m only going to shoot one house so and I’ll need to do this before August 14th, 2009 so contact me quick and I’ll let you know if I’m interested or not.

One more thing, after posting to my FaceBook account I almost immediately received a request to take pictures, though I haven't formally accepted, yet. Thanks, I’m looking forward to this opportunity!

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/07/boot-camp-ii-assignment-3.html

Many times I’ve searched for a free model release and I’ve never found one until now.  I’m not going to run out an use it until I have it reviewed by proper legal counsel…ya’ right.

Here’s the link

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC060870551033.aspx?CategoryID=CT062100661033&ofcresset=1

This photo was taken in my drive way as I was just flashin’ around.  I would have liked to reduced some shadows on the left side of his face but in the end I decided enough of his character shows through to make an interesting presentation.

Photo info:

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 40 mm
Exposure: -1.91
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off Camera
Location:  Olathe, Kansas

Strobist info:
Canon 550EX on the right at 1/16 power behind an umbrella.  285HV on the left...it's bare because I haven't bought another shoot through umbrella.

This was the first time I'd had a chance to try two flashes, one was fired off with my Cactus v4 trigger and the other via a cord.  I got the second trigger ordered but it's not here yet!

 

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas: Part 6 of 7

Another tip from my good friend Bryan Orr led me to Lenexa Lake off of K-7 and 95th street.  There’s a small, easy accessible lake that has a range of wild life and wild flowers.  This particular flower is the Indian Blanket, a native to the midsection of the United States and found throughout the country in semi arid environments.  The name is derived from common patterns found in Native American blankets.

Photograph Information:

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 255 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia
• Common Mullein - Verbascum thapsus
• White Milkweed - Asclepias syriaca
• Daisy Fleabane – Erigeron annuus
• Petunia – Petunia axillaris

Sometimes you swing for the fence and wonder why it just rolls off the tee!  The ball just started to roll off and the batter’s helmet was just starting to twist around.  This little girl is tough as you can see her staring the ball down.  I took the name of the post off of the bat which can be perfectly read, too.

This seems to be a good post until I figure out my next project.  I’m sure I’ll find inspiration shortly.

Image Information
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/2000)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 135 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Olathe, Kansas

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas: Part 7 of 7

Hen and Chicks ranked high on my Grandmother’s list of succulents and this one survives well in my flower bed next to my front door.  This is first time I had seen one in bloom, ever.  Not sure if the soil conditions or the climate prevented my Grandmother’s from blooming but she would quite literally have hundreds of these things around the house with no blooms.

This is one tough plant with a native habitat ranging from the Sahara Desert to arid mountain ranges.  The latin word Semper means Always and the Vivus portion means living.  I don’t think Grandma killed many of these! 

Image Information:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 160 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Location: Olathe, Kansas

Strobist (Flash) Information:
285HV 1/8th power behind a white shoot through umbrella placed 2 feet above and the left of the subject.

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia
• Common Mullein - Verbascum thapsus
• White Milkweed - Asclepias syriaca
• Daisy Fleabane – Erigeron annuus
• Petunia – Petunia axillaris

New challenges always inspire me to be more than I was yesterday and drive my innovation.  This is a dual purpose project that not only helps a small town pizza shop but also allows me to fulfill an assignment of the "Strobist Boot Camp II.”  Though my sister would doubt my smiling calzone is truly innovation I love how he turned out.  The dessert pizza is probably a candidate to put on a menu or brochure, but my other two photos are the ones I consider to be the best out of the shoot.  The bottom two photos do have the owners blurred beyond recognition as well as their kids.  These are located at the very bottom of this post.

All of the shots that are in the this post were shot with a 285HV behind an umbrella turned down to 1/16 power, backlit by the natural light of the front windows.  My lovely assistant held a silver reflector to the right of the food angled down to further any backside shadows opposite of the flash.  Not missing a single hit were my Cactus v4 wireless triggers.  My lens of choice for this shoot was my 17-40mm which I’m an advocate of being anyone’s first “pro” series lens. 

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas: Part 5 of 7

This flower photo really distorts the viewer’s perspective.  While the Canon 75-300mm lens was about 4 feet away from this subject the end product give the feeling that this is a close up of a monstrous sunflower sized behemoth.  Sorry to disappoint the huge flower theory, but this is a tiny 1/2” Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus).  This native wildflower grows readily in fields and roadsides and was commonly thought to drive fleas away from the home.

This photo was taken under a canopy of trees approximately 35 feet from the bank of a small creek.  The camera was handheld and shook quite a bit as the Daisy Fleabane waved in a mild wind.  Only this web quality photo was captured, but I’m interested in returning to shoot this subject again with better results.

Image information
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 300 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia
• Common Mullein - Verbascum thapsus
• White Milkweed - Asclepias syriaca

Today, I was playing with my camera outside with my 285HV and the new Cactus v4 wireless triggers and took the flash off camera.  The flash is underneath his head and to the right about 3 feet, set on wide angle and dialed down to 1/8th power.  The pose is the model’s favorite, which tends to create a good natural looking pic. 

I’ve read numerous cases where the Cactus triggers are called “Poverty Wizards”, though I believe the true poverty wizards are those shipped directly from China and heavily modified by their owners.  The v4s are great and I haven’t experienced a misfire yet and all of my 100+ flashes have fired exactly as expected.  My next test will be to see how far I can go before the transmitter doesn’t send enough signal to the receiver. 

If you’d like to check out the whole off-camera flash, aka strobist, movement try David Hobby’s web site, the Strobist.

• The original Strobist Boot Camp
• Strobist Assignments
• Lighting 101

Questions and comments are welcome and I’ll attempt to point you into any tutorials I might deem helpful.

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas:  Part 4 of 7

The fourth flower in my series is special to me in a couple manners.  The most obvious is the capture of the bug in the left corner.  Somehow he just seems to fit in this photograph.  Next, this milkweed is a little far North of his range.  I’m not sure if he’s a transplant that’s only going to stick around for the summer or if he’s native and going to stick around for several years… only time will tell.  The entire set will be posted on my Flicker Photostream.  I welcome questions and comments.

The above photo was hand held and taken in slightly overcast conditions in the early evening next to a creek with a canopy of trees overhead.  f/5.0 was necessary as I tried to handhold the shot without loosing too much of the focus.

Flickr URL:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_reynolds/3696136351/

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia
• Common Mullein - Verbascum thapsus

Image information

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 230 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

 

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas:  Part 3 of 7

The third flower in my set of seven doesn’t possess the natural color or vibrancy of the former two, but it provides a name to a flower that is commonly seen throughout the United States.   The entire set will be posted on my Flicker Photostream.  I welcome questions and comments.

When identifying wildflowers a field guide is indispensible, being able to see plants similar helps determine what features offset your specimen from others.  Personally, for wildflowers I recommend National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers--E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition. * For example in the photo above it would be very hard to determine what type of wildflower you are looking at, while in the photo below you gain some perspective of height and leaf texture.  While the Common Mullein is not native to North America it quickly adapted to life in the States upon introduction.  Native Americans used the leaves to line their moccasins to provide an extra layer of warmth during bitter winters.  It is said that Romans dipped the stalks in grease which made a great torch, maybe I’ll try to produce a Mullein Torch this Fourth of July (does anyone read this?)

 

The above photo was hand held and taken in slightly overcast conditions in the early evening.  f/7.1 was necessary to bring the stalk and blooms into as much focus as possible while still providing some blur to the marshland in the background.

Flickr URL:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_reynolds/3679820503/

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia

Image information

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 80 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

*  I firmly believe in full disclosure.  I do receive a very small amount of money as a referral fee from Amazon if you buy this book after clicking the link mentioned above.  With that said, I own the above mentioned field guide and have done so for more than two years prior to this posting.