A few months ago, I found a tutorial at ishootshows.com about making your own beauty dish. I finally found the pieces that I needed and got to work on project.

Well, one thing leads to another and the project was pushed to the back burner. The problem is, when the back burner is my den and I can’t walk a straight line to get through it anymore, something has to change. So I started working on the dish. A large bowl with an internal reflector that directs light from the back of the bowl in a way that spreads that light around and produces a soft even light on the subject. Since the center of the bowl is covered by the reflector, the dish usually leaves a doughnut shaped catchlight in the eyes of the subject if you use it as a main light, as I did in the attached pictures.

After working in earnest over the weekend, I finished painting the exterior black for a more finished look, just as more rain started to fall on Sunday afternoon and left it in the studio to dry. Today, I picked it up from the studio and finish putting it together. I was like a child at Christmas! Laying out all the pieces and test fitting the nuts and bolts. Finally, it was complete and on the stand. All I needed to do was hook up a flash and test it out.

This was a quick first test and Lyz was gracious enough to sit for me while I fiddled around with the settings and the fine tuning on the dish.

Go ahead and read Todd Owyoung’s excellent tutorial on the subject. I’m not going to bother trying to revise already excellent work. If you feel inspired, try it! Or something better. And don’t forget to share. I’m looking forward to it!

Click on any image to start the slideshow.

In June, Kelley came out to get some new headshots. She brought along her friends Ally Jacobus to style her hair and Jeremy Veltre to work on her make-up. Kelley is always fun to work with, she doesn’t take herself too seriously and always manages to crack jokes while we’re working.

We managed to work for 6 hours between hair, make-up and lighting set up. We worked in the studio, in the freight elevator and even got up on the roof for some wicked sunlight shots that left us both squinting.

The lighting is pretty simple; a couple of studio strobes for a summery look, a clamshell setup for a heavy glamour look and one softbox in the elevator. I also want to mention that the first shot in the slideshow is from my Mamiya C330. Using the 180mm lens was challenging without a tripod. It weighs a ton and the depth of field is so shallow that I had a heck of a time keeping focus! Even after facing those challenges, I think it was worth it. Film is beautiful and Kelley makes the best of it.

Enjoy!

Ah, the simple things in life!

Lyz is sporting my new Pork Pie hat, I suspect that it will no longer be my hat unless I hide it!

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little sloppy with my photography and I’ve wanted to get back that loving feeling. I wanted to get back to honing the skill of knowing what my shot looks like before I release the shutter. With digital, it’s so easy to fall into the routine of checking that display and adjusting the settings until the shot is right. Affectionately known as “Sprayin’ & Prayin’”.

The Mamiya forces me to compose and adjust my exposure beforehand. There is no feedback. No screen. No delete button. I have to know what the shot’s going to look like before I hit the shutter. For those of you who have lived through that experience, you know what a thrill it is to hit the button and not worry about checking your work. It helps me develop my vision, to see my shot before I take it. To know that by setting the camera to what I calculate to be the right exposure I will have the shot I saw in my head is so empowering!

On the downside, I have the added expense of film, processing and scanning. And the waiting. The waiting kills me! Seriously, I’m considering processing and scanning myself. But that will have to wait, for now.

Here are some samples of my work so far, I hope you enjoy them. Click on any image to start the slideshow.

I had fun helping Carl out with the lights or reflector and helping Alex in between shots. Being the light and coat guy isn’t as fun as being the shooter, but it has its benefits.

Being at a photo shoot and not having the responsibility of being the primary shooter is helpful to developing shooting workflow, light placement technique and looking at alternative ways of shooting. It also helps you develop a good dose of “shut the heck up”. When someone else is shooting and you see something that you would or would not do, have respect for your fellow shooter and don’t blurt it out. Take an aside with the photographer and mention it. That’s all! Don’t get hurt if they choose not to use your suggestion. You don’t usually know what the other photographer is thinking unless you are collaborating on a project.

I would mention something quietly to Carl when I had the opportunity, but there were times when I did blurt something out during the shoot. Carl would be grateful that I caught a potential problem, but when it comes to creative issues make sure you know who’s running the show. If it’s not you, then understand your place in the pecking order. I had to shush myself on more than one occasion after seeing a potential shot or pose. I had to give the shooter the space to find their shot and not be pressured or undermined by my “creativity” creeping into their shot. When I was asked about a set up or lighting situation, I provided my input. And I was grateful that they asked. I think that some photographers are good enough that the last thing they need is my input, but I appreciate being asked!

I did get an opportunity to work with Alex when Carl was done shooting. She was a joy to work with, an adventurous model who is willing to try what she can to get the shot. Since this was our initial meeting, I really didn’t have an agenda. It was a new location and a I wasn’t sure how much time we had. I scouted a couple of locations within the complex and my favorite spot was the large windows and a small alcove with natural light coming through a hole in the roof. I had Carl help me with the flash in the window shots. I had actually warmed up the light with a colored gel so that the natural light would go toward the blue side. In the alcove I had no flash, it was all natural light, and forced the scene to go blue in the camera.

I look forward to working with Alex again.

Click on any of the pictures to see the larger images.

On February 6th, our Saturday school topic was off-camera flash. We covered the basics and had an opportunity to shoot a model, Elizabeth, who was kind enough to brave the cold to be our subject. She was wonderful to work with. Since off-camera flash is something that I’ve been involved in for a while, I decided to step back and let the other class members indulge and didn’t start shooting until we were nearly done. Considering that the class of 13 were all trying to get her attention, Elizabeth was quite patient.

I also managed to get a shot of another local photog Val Sorrells. During a break in the action, I was able to get her close enough to my light that all I needed to do was focus and shoot.

I love Saturday school! It’s a great opportunity to get together with other photographers that I don’t see on a regular basis and share experiences and ideas. Thanks again to John Larkin for giving back to the community and helping others expand their skill set.

Please click on any of the pictures to get a larger view.

Members of a Rochester juggling club were practicing on the second floor of Village Gate. They were kind enough to let me take a few pictures and even invited me to get closer while they worked. I’ll have to arrange to go back with some lights and shoot a some portraits! This was the perfect example of why I have a camera with me. You never know what you’ll find in the world.

Click on any picture to get a larger image:

As we’re waiting for dinner, we wandered upstairs at Village Gate and spotted jugglers. Bob, the gentleman on the left, told us that this juggling club meets everything Sunday! All this time we’ve been coming here and missed them.

That just goes to show that photo opportunities are all around me, all I need to do is look for them. Would we have seen these great guys practicing their art had we not wandered off our regular route and ventured beyond our self-imposed boundry?

It’s not so easy to go beyond what we know. There is comfort within the cocoon that we weave. There is little incentive to go beyond that. Into that part of the world or ourselves that we can’t see clearly or don’t care to know. Yet there can be such beauty in that place once we allow ourselves to settle into a frame of mind to see what wonders the whole world can show us.

Posted via web from justjoephoto’s posterous

This is not me. Please do not confuse the two! I cannot be defined by a headset, a computer, a job or a salary.

What I do to live and what I choose to do with that life are not related.

This is me; I am defined by the company I keep, not the company I work for. I am the result of my education, my experiences, my scars and my life up to now. Tomorrow, my life will be different.

But this will still only be my job.

Posted via web from justjoephoto’s posterous