Chefs Delight

Eric Masson

I always enjoy portraits on location. The subject is usually already comfortable in their environment. So with a little conversation about what they do and whats going on in their life, they become relaxed and you get those moments we all look for! Preparation again is key. In a busy restaurant like the Brentwood, http://www.thebrentwoodrestaurant.com/  you can't keep the chef from his burners, so lights were set and a 'stand in' tested to get the balance of ambient, key, fill and kickers. With speed lights and a shoot thru umbrella, all we needed was Eric Masson winner of the Chefs Challenge at this years Coastal Uncorked festival. http://www.coastaluncorked.com/

    Here's a pic that includes a little of everything from past posts.  This shoot combines a lot of ideas shared from this last year. Planning and prep can only get you so far.  As I‘ve mentioned, a little luck is just part of the equation!. Establishing a point of view is 1st priority.... Choosing the elements you wish to frame up. 2nd you must begin to arrange those elements into a pleasing composition.....remember the rule of thirds, placing centers of interest at the imaginary intersection of a tic tac toe sign.  3rd lighting is dictated or chosen or combined to flatter and shape the main subjects, and accent surrounding’s. Exposure is a balance of shutter speed and aperature depending on selection of depth of field or motion enhancement. Use a tripod if the length of exposure is longer than a 125th of a second. Luckily the models showed just in time. We wet the pavement and turned on the lights. There’s a shoot thru umbrella with speed light behind pillar to the left, a speed light on pavement behind car directed at the doors and rim lighting the models, a diffused speed light behind pillar on right to light car and ceiling, and one on camera for general illumination, all set for f8 on camera and shutter speed to accommodate available tungsten lights. All in that 10 to 15 minute twilight time that is the sky to rear.  The rhythm of the rafters adds to what I like to think is a successful image. Enjoy!

Photographing glass and dark liquid is always a  challenge. To illuminate the liquid without diluting it, required some creative lighting. The label was also a metallic foil which needed specific lighting to show off  the reflective foil. The overall general light was attained by placing the bottle within a translucent tent. The label required a metallic fill light very close to the bottle to provide the highlights. The bottle is on a clear glass pane with a hole cut in the black paper. (Same technique on black and white paper.) A light was placed below the base and then reflected thru the bottle back to camera with another metallic foil card, behind the bottle. This provided the translucent detail and color to the product.

A must have in your camera bag is a polarizer, it will allow you to see thru reflections like magic, and enhance color saturation by reducing highlights...... Here's an example of a polarizer, allowing the camera to see past some of the reflection of the water. These guys were only visible for seconds and then they were gone.
 

On These Airwaves

This was a fun shoot of some of my buds. A local band that needed some PR pics. The music studio where we shot was small and I had in mind a directional light but soft. Space simply prohibited umbrella or softbox so just hung a large white sheet on the wall and bounced a couple hand units. It gave a nice broad and directional light that gave the guys a little shape and is much more appealing than straight flash. Eric Long on the right just released the second album. (I also did the cover art) from On these Airwaves (OTA) Check out some great music and Like it on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/On-These-Airwaves/158574750925959

Geese

While doing some aerial golf work, we spooked some geese. A nice unique angle on these quite large birds. What struck me beside the water pattern was how they were already set up in their customary V pattern before even taking flight. A fast shutter and long 300mm again stops the action of not only the birds but the vibrating chopper.

Stop and smell the daisies

 I was contemplating how very brief we’re here. (Gasping for air will do that).  You know the old adages “its never to late”,.....”never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”...and most notably “live today as if it were your last”. Well I really don’t think they meant you should  go skydive or race indy cars or aspire to be Ms. America, I think it simply means to appreciate every single moment you have and to love and treat with respect the very next person you come face to face with, because bottom line is.... nothing you can do will make more of a difference than that.   So ... Don’t forget to smell the roses...er uhh..... Daisies, like these just below the treeline of the Alaska Range.