Cala Lilly

Cala Lilly

For several months the yard has been in full bloom and I've been presenting my wonderful wife Kimberly with a daily flower.  I also photographed each one with the smartphone and sent to my daughter Carly. This one was particularly nice and I may have a new favorite color!

NYC Texture

I was reviewing some vacation pics and ran across this gem. Nothing particular in way of technique or lighting, but a good example of being aware of shapes, colors, sizes and textures and their juxtapositions. I just love the differences in the architecture of NYC. Be sure to enlarge to appreciate all the detail in this vacation pic. If you missed my classic NYC skyline pic, check it out in the Dec 2011 blog post here http://slearshotz.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-york-city.html

While enjoying the holiday and seeing all the Memorial Day tributes, I'm always reminded of the image of Sgt.Major Buddy Hewitt. I photographed him in his home for PD magazine in 2002. Mr. Hewitt was part of what the movie “We were Soldiers” was based on. A VietNam era veteran, Buddy lived through one the wars most notable and horrific battles, the first one, known as LZ Xray. It was my honor to meet such a man. “just doing his job”, as he was quoted in the article. We spent an afternoon going thru his memorabilia and talked of his long career. He was a lucky one. This holiday is for remembering the lost and we should honor ‘them’, and my friend Buddy.

This image was produced by projecting a slide of the Viet Nam memorial onto the Sgt. Major with the flag behind him.

SlearShotz: Chefs Delight

SlearShotz: Chefs Delight

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.