Portrait
Byron-
This is James. He has spent a lot of time in the desert. Usually driving modified Toyota trucks in a desert race. Today he is riding a mountain bike. He pauses for a moment to get his bearings in this desolate country. Because of the magic of television, whoops I mean photography, he actually isn't very far out in the country. In fact, he is across the street from where I live. By shooting from a low angle and strategic use of a bush, it looks like he is much farther away. I also used a flash set to -1.3 stops to lighten the shadows but not eliminate them.
ISO 200, f4, 1/250 sec, Fujifilm camera set to Acros film simulation.
ISO 200, f4, 1/250 sec, Fujifilm camera set to Acros film simulation.
Darin-
I don't even know if this counts as a portrait.
Kevin-
Well timing was unexpectedly lucky for once. I knew that the theme was Portrait, and I wasn’t certain who I would photograph, or how, when Ed LaCroix got in touch with me and let me know that he wanted to drive to Palm Springs to photograph a collection of flatten beer cans he has been collecting.
I had borrowed and photographed one of those cans myself in March of 2019 when our theme was Trash.
Ed’s stated reason for making the drive was his relative unfamiliarity with studio setups and the Canon flash units he owned but had barely used.
But after Ed photographed the cans, against a white background, I set my own gear up in the garage/studio to capture a portrait of Ed himself.
I went with a black background, and set up rim lighting for the monochrome portrait, two full power strobes behind Ed (one on each side) with a lower powered strobe in a gridded softbox providing the front light.
Now my image is, in a sense, only a photographic illustration of Ed and his Canon EOS 5D Mark II. In reality Ed might be laying on the ground, the legs of his RRS tripod splayed wide, with Ed completely concealed by a black focusing cloth. Normally cloths like like were used by view camera photographers. But it’s a rare occasion when Ed shoots with any lens that is not a tilt/shift, So he throws a focusing cloth over his head and the camera.
Nikon Z7 body, on a Manfrotto tripod with an Acratech ballhead, 85mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens mounted using a Nikon FTZ adaptor, ISO 64, f/11 at 1/200th of a second, three Nikon SB-5000 flash units as described above.
I had borrowed and photographed one of those cans myself in March of 2019 when our theme was Trash.
Ed’s stated reason for making the drive was his relative unfamiliarity with studio setups and the Canon flash units he owned but had barely used.
But after Ed photographed the cans, against a white background, I set my own gear up in the garage/studio to capture a portrait of Ed himself.
I went with a black background, and set up rim lighting for the monochrome portrait, two full power strobes behind Ed (one on each side) with a lower powered strobe in a gridded softbox providing the front light.
Now my image is, in a sense, only a photographic illustration of Ed and his Canon EOS 5D Mark II. In reality Ed might be laying on the ground, the legs of his RRS tripod splayed wide, with Ed completely concealed by a black focusing cloth. Normally cloths like like were used by view camera photographers. But it’s a rare occasion when Ed shoots with any lens that is not a tilt/shift, So he throws a focusing cloth over his head and the camera.
Nikon Z7 body, on a Manfrotto tripod with an Acratech ballhead, 85mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens mounted using a Nikon FTZ adaptor, ISO 64, f/11 at 1/200th of a second, three Nikon SB-5000 flash units as described above.
Paul-
A woman with whom I work owns an antique store here in Lincoln. (No, I don’t walk in and ask her “What’s new?”) She was kind enough to allow me to use an alcove in her store as the setting for this week’s submission.
It’s what I like an antique store to be: an asymmetrical layout of irregularly shaped rooms with (almost) adequate lighting, pointless fire exits, and sections of floorboards that groan like Prometheus when the locals flock in to dine. It’s the kind of place that settles into comfortable architectural niche that resides somewhere between a disused barn filled with who-knows-what and a froufrou store fill with everyone-knows-what. You basically go in with sneakers, a pith helmet, and time on your hands. I like it.
What’s old is still old again… Nikon D5200; Nikkor 18-55mm focused at 26mm; pattern metered; WB set for Flash; aperture priority; ISO 500; 1/6 sec. at f/11; -1.0 EV. I had an SB-25 (with a small softbox on it) seated on the camera providing a bounce flash up and slightly to one side. The camera was mounted on the girder-legged tripod I use to work upper body muscles when I’m so inclined, and the camera was remotely triggered. To get a decent tonal range, fine-tuning courtesy of Lightroom; very fine-tuning courtesy of easyHDR 3. (Though this image was not taken in HDR mode.)
I couldn’t resist the obvious “easter egg.” There are a couple others but they’re just for me to find if I look at this picture many years from now.
It’s what I like an antique store to be: an asymmetrical layout of irregularly shaped rooms with (almost) adequate lighting, pointless fire exits, and sections of floorboards that groan like Prometheus when the locals flock in to dine. It’s the kind of place that settles into comfortable architectural niche that resides somewhere between a disused barn filled with who-knows-what and a froufrou store fill with everyone-knows-what. You basically go in with sneakers, a pith helmet, and time on your hands. I like it.
What’s old is still old again… Nikon D5200; Nikkor 18-55mm focused at 26mm; pattern metered; WB set for Flash; aperture priority; ISO 500; 1/6 sec. at f/11; -1.0 EV. I had an SB-25 (with a small softbox on it) seated on the camera providing a bounce flash up and slightly to one side. The camera was mounted on the girder-legged tripod I use to work upper body muscles when I’m so inclined, and the camera was remotely triggered. To get a decent tonal range, fine-tuning courtesy of Lightroom; very fine-tuning courtesy of easyHDR 3. (Though this image was not taken in HDR mode.)
I couldn’t resist the obvious “easter egg.” There are a couple others but they’re just for me to find if I look at this picture many years from now.
Jerry-
While Coronavirus is nothing to celebrate it did give me this idea for a photo. Hiding out in the basement, staying far away from possibly infected individuals, Gerald hangs out in his basement watching last seasons Walking Dead episodes.
Light was from nearby table lamp. Camera was the venerable Sony A6300 on a tripod with 16-70 zoomed to 27mm. Exposure was 1/6 second at f8, ISO 1600.
Light was from nearby table lamp. Camera was the venerable Sony A6300 on a tripod with 16-70 zoomed to 27mm. Exposure was 1/6 second at f8, ISO 1600.
Don-
I was doing a portrait for a gentleman running for political office
in Aztec. Friend Bill was standing in while we were setting up lights
lens was a 35 to 150 set at 35mm with a circular polarizer because
I forgot to remove it.
Exposure was Manual setting; 1/200 second shutter; ISO 100; f/8 and
three studio strobes
in Aztec. Friend Bill was standing in while we were setting up lights
lens was a 35 to 150 set at 35mm with a circular polarizer because
I forgot to remove it.
Exposure was Manual setting; 1/200 second shutter; ISO 100; f/8 and
three studio strobes
Elroy-
My new neighbor.
Canon Rebel T3i with Canon lens EF-S 18-55mm
ISO 200 55mm F/14 0.6s
Lighting by flashlight
Canon Rebel T3i with Canon lens EF-S 18-55mm
ISO 200 55mm F/14 0.6s
Lighting by flashlight