↑

Posts Tagged ‘technology’

Event, Photography, Portrait, Technology | 0 comment

Updating Headshots – Tech Tuesday

College Park, Maryland

Last week, I was booked for an assignment for updating headshots on location. This is yet another different kind of photography project that has its own challenges compared to the events I have been covering lately. In one sense, I had a lot of time to setup for this shoot arriving early at the location, with plenty of time to situate myself before anyone had arrived. You can make a portrait lighting setup as simple or as complicated as you want, but this was a very special event, so I brought out all the big guns. I setup the on-site studio with 4 monolight flashes. If you were following me on Twitter or Instagram, I sent out photos after I had set everything up.

Headshot portrait setup for updating headshots - ©TimeLine Media
Headshot portrait setup – ©TimeLine Media

This setup made it very easy to make headshots for everyone quickly which was the goal. The organizers were expecting 300 attendees, so I did not want to have a line of people that did not have the opportunity to get a photo at the end of the night. Having lots of lights setup correctly before the first photo was taken was essential to making as many photos happen as possible. Having a dedicated light meter on hand to measure the output from the flashes ensured that everything was setup right where it needed to be – from the placement of the posing chair, to the kicker light that would separate the subjects from the background.

Mobile Lighting Setup

Using a hand-held meter really reduced the amount of “test shots” I needed to make with the camera. When I took the first shot after metering everything manually, the lights were ready to go! I was so happy with the setup, and I hope that the people that came in for their new portraits like the results. Thanks to the University of Maryland University College Alumni Association for having me provide this service for them. I had a great time with their recent graduates, and made some awesome photos of them! If you need updated head shot portraits for commercial work or social networking, please let me know. I had a great time making these portraits, and would love to make more for you if you need. Tell me – would you trust this man to make your portrait? 🙂

Updating Headshots portrait setup for self portrait - ©TimeLine Media
Headshot portrait setup for self portrait – ©TimeLine Media

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

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

Analog Efex Pro 2 – Tech Thursday

Post Processing

There is a proliferation of images these days. Affordable digital cameras, and smartphones has made photography so accessible to so many. Looking on Flickr, one of the most used social networks for sharing photos shows that the 4 most popular cameras used in its community are iPhone models! With so many of these similar cameras in use, it is easy to see why Instagram, VSCO, and other filter apps are popular. They all have filters that allow users to easily change the default image coming out of the camera. There is enough in these apps that you can drastically change an image right on your phone prior to sharing. This adds to the popularity of taking and sharing images online.

Original photo out of camera - ©TimeLine Media
Original photo out of camera – ©TimeLine Media

For professional photographers, these kinds of tools have been available in Photoshop and Lightroom for many versions. The difference to me is the ease of use. The complexity of these programs keeps photographers from taking advantage of these tools. Lightroom does come with presets that can give your images different looks by applying adjusted sliders to an image. Instantly you can get a different look by changing color, contrast, or any of the sliders in Lightroom.

Software Plugin

Lightroom edit of original photo - ©TimeLine Media
Lightroom edit of original photo – ©TimeLine Media

Some functionality you cannot get in Lightroom includes adding frames edges, creating double exposures, or adding grunge with layers. This is a function that is typically done in Photoshop which is not really my specialty. That is where Analog Efex Pro 2 from the Google Nik Collection. This is a plugin for Photoshop that allows you to make changes like adding dust, grain, and light leaks. You can also add a grunge, or sloppy frame that makes your photo look like it was taken out of a developer bath in the darkroom.

Analog Efex Pro 2 edit of photo - ©TimeLine Media
Analog Efex Pro 2 edit of photo – ©TimeLine Media

Analog Efex Pro makes it easy for you to made adjustments using sliders. There is no complicated switches or menus that you encounter in Photoshop, so it makes it easier to experiment and try different settings before finalizing your image. I’ll post more about this new program as it is really in depth as to what you can do. It is very powerful, and a great tool to add to your post processing.

Arthur Murray Chevy Chase - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Chevy Chase – ©TimeLine Media

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

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

Changing Backgrounds in Photos – Tech Thursday

Wide angle lens pointed upwards - ©TimeLine Media

Chantilly, Virginia

If you were doing an internet search for this topic, you may expect to have an extended Photoshop tutorial. This is definitely not a selection/replacement background tutorial as I am really not the most creative with software. The post comes from looking over backgrounds in ballroom dance photos. This idea works best from the last Arthur Murray Spring Freestyles event that was held at the Westfields Marriott hotel in Chantiily, VA.

The main ballroom has some interesting lights hanging from the ceiling. They are pyramid shape, and hung with the small pointed side facing downwards towards the floor. Moreover, they have very large plain sides creating their shape which makes them an interesting background element in the photos. They do not have the small, rounded out of focus circles that you get from chandelier or smaller light sources. Here, the entire shape can take on a different look depending on the focal length of the lens used. This first image is taken at a very wide angle of 17mm:

Wide angle lens pointed straight ahead- ©TimeLine Media
Wide angle lens pointed straight ahead- ©TimeLine Media

Working the Angles

This makes the lights clearly in focus along with the dancers on the floor. You can clearly see all the detail, mounting, and edges of the lights. From this angle which was taken from a standing height with the lens pointed towards the dancers. It is possible to drastically change the background in the photo by changing only the angle of the camera. In this next photo, the focal length is still 17mm, but I changed my position by going to my knees, and pointing the lens up towards the ceiling. With this wide angle lens, the lamps on the ceiling become much more elongated looking much larger than in the previous photo!

Wide angle lens pointed upwards - ©TimeLine Media
Wide angle lens pointed upwards – ©TimeLine Media

This can be to your advantage when shooting events. You can to give viewers different looks from the event by changing backgrounds. Once you already have one angle, change where you are shooting and more around the scene to see what different looks you can get when the action is not changing much. It keeps your eyes looking through the frame and avoiding fatigue. It will also make for different looks to see when post processing later.

Spring Freestyles Photos Released - ©TimeLine Media
Spring Freestyles Photos Released – ©TimeLine Media

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 … 16