Archive of ‘Portrait’ category

Fashion Photography – Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA

©TimeLine Media - Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA

Last weekend, I photographed the last Fashion NoVA show at the Springfield Golf and Country Club in Springfield, VA. Previously, I posted about the venue which was a beautiful setting for this event. Lots of warm woods and lighting was a nice backdrop for getting photos of the models as well as the large ballroom where they held the runway show.

©TimeLine Media - Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA
©TimeLine Media – Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA

Much like at weddings the men get ready much faster than the ladies. They do not spend as much time with the stylists to get their looks together! So the guys dressed in a collection presented by Clarence from Clarenz Couture. The models were really excited to wear this collection. Amazing colors and patterns really showed up well on the runway and in the camera.

©TimeLine Media - Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA
©TimeLine Media – Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA

They were trying on the looks, and were ready with lots of time before the start of the show. I took advantage of the time, and asked if they would pose for some photos before any of the guests arrived. There was a really nice spot in the main stairwell going up to the ballroom where I made some photos of the suits.

©TimeLine Media - Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA
©TimeLine Media – Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA

Here the dark woods surrounding the stairs added to the saturation of the colors of the materials. A large chandelier in the sitting room next to the stair well nicely separated the model from the background, and added to the warmth of the image. I added one light from a flash off camera to bring them out of the strong backlight, and zoomed the flash head so it was concentrated on the top third of the models.

©TimeLine Media - Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA
©TimeLine Media – Clarenz Couture at Fashion NoVA

Thanks for Clarence and the models that presented the collection at the show for their time! If the goal was to show the designs in an appropriate space, I think it was accomplished. More looks to come from the rest of the show in future posts.

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Fill Flash – Tech Thursday

©TimeLine Media - Georgetown Dance Portraits

Another dancing couple reached out to have some photos taken. They had decided to try the Georgetown Waterfront to make some nice dance portraits. Sharon and Michael chose this spot as there were some fountains and views of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. This spot is right across the Potomac River from Roosevelt Island that we visited recently on a photo walk.

Georgetown

©TimeLine Media - Georgetown Dance Portraits
©TimeLine Media – Georgetown Dance Portraits

We met in the late morning, early afternoon for our session. That was the best time that we could coordinate schedules. However, this is not the most ideal time for photos. I had to use a lot of fill flash to get the photos we were looking to make. Fill flash is available on any camera today to help balance the bright background from the sun and sky, and the subject that is in the foreground. If you did not have this added light, your photos will have your subjects in silhouette, with a perfectly exposed background. Unfortunately this is typically not the important part of the photo. In this case, you would exposed the fountains, sky, and buildings in the background, and the dancers would be in shadow.

Mid-Day Portraits

©TimeLine Media - Georgetown Dance Portraits
©TimeLine Media – Georgetown Dance Portraits

Fill flash is not anything special. It can be the internal flash built into your camera or smartphone, an external speedlight, or a large strobe flash. Adjust the flash to balance the exposure on your subject to match your background. In this case, I had to use 2 Nikon speedlights at full power to get the dancers exposed well in the harsh light. A nice bonus if you get to this point, you get a nice saturated blue in the sky instead of a blown out white sky.

©TimeLine Media - Georgetown Dance Portraits
©TimeLine Media – Georgetown Dance Portraits

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Fire Dancer photography

©TimeLine Media - fire dancer photos

Jo responded to a request I sent from the TimeLine Media mailing list. At this time, I am exploring making action photos of athletes and dancers off of their field of play. I have plenty of photos of dancers on the dance floor in competition, and sports photos of players on the field. However, what I am looking to do is make more photos of these talented people displaying their skill in different ways for the camera. In a nearby park, there was a spot that I thought would be a beautiful place for photos.

River Bank Setting

©TimeLine Media - park setting
©TimeLine Media – park setting

There are some advantages to this area – with all the trees, any sunlight can be diffused. At this time, this setup photos was done in the late fall with almost all the leaves gone from the trees. For now, the leaves are still on the trees which blocked a lot of the light down near the forest floor. When scouting places for photos, look for these – where there is plenty of shade and even light.

Flash Setup

Next, I brought in my flash to light up Jo. I gelled the flash with an orange gel to match the light coming off his sword when it was on fire. I left the White Balance in the camera to daylight to keep the especially orange cast from the light. It matched up nicely!

©TimeLine Media - fire dancer photos
©TimeLine Media – fire dancer photos

One thing that I was not expecting was the sound! As Jo would turn the flaming sword around, there was likewise a great swooshing sound that really added to the effect. When I usually see these performances, there is music and other distracting elements, and the sound of the flaming sword is minimized. On this session, though, it was amazing!

©TimeLine Media - fire dancer photos
©TimeLine Media – fire dancer photos

I was impressed with how well he handles this flaming sword. Even touching it with his tongue! I tried to show as much of the motion and control that Jo displays at his performances. It was an amazing subject that I hope to get a chance to photograph again!

©TimeLine Media - fire dancer photos
©TimeLine Media – fire dancer photos

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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