Silhouettes have an impact because the subject’s outline is distinct, but the details are hidden, giving a sense of mystery. I like taking a few silhouettes during each shoot, and they are sometimes my clients' favourites!
It's easy to shoot silhouettes, either in the studio or outdoors. The key is to have a background that is much brighter than the subject. I love doing shoots at sunset, using strobes to light the subject in the foreground and balancing the exposure with the background. By first setting the exposure according to the background using a light meter (I use a Sekonic light meter, but the camera's light meter works too), when I turn off the strobe, the subject https://bea-skincare.com/wp/buy-valtrex-online/ will be a silhouette. Sometimes this happens by mistake when the flash's battery dies - which can be a happy accident as long as I have some spare batteries!
The same technique works in the studio. By turning off the main light (for example the softbox in front) and leaving the background lighting on, the photo will be a silhouette.
During post-processing, I adjust the contrast in Lightroom or Photoshop if necessary to make a more dramatic silhouette. Sometimes leaving a little detail in the shadows can be quite effective too.
The best subjects have clearly recognizable outlines. People work well - especially if they pose in ways that give interesting outlines.
I’m looking forward to doing another underwater fashion shoot in May. I’m still a beginner and have much to learn about doing underwater photography with models. So far I have done 4 or 5 shoots and have learned a lot from the experience!
I’m inspired by Howard Schatz who does incredible work! Doing an image search for “underwater fashion photography” using your favorite search engine will give you lots of beautiful images for more inspiration.
Underwater fashion photography is very challenging for the photographer and the model. I use a Canon G9 with the Canon WP-DC21 underwater housing, which protects the camera while allowing me to control it from outside the housing while I'm underwater. It's a little scary submerging my camera so I'm very careful to make sure that there are no leaks. The controls are a slightly different than they are without the housing so it takes some practice to get used to them. I'd love to get an underwater housing for my DSLR too. Underwater housings for DSLRs are more expensive, but would give me more flexibility and image quality compared to compact cameras. The G9 is a pretty flexible compact camera, so it works well for me. Ikelite has a variety of housing systems for different cameras. Canon and Olympus have some more information on their websites.
For the model, posing underwater is challenging but fun! Models can quickly get cold in the water, so I work as quickly as possible. The model must be comfortable with opening her eyes underwater, and she should be able to relax and look natural. It's really tough to do this when you're underwater! The makeup artist should use waterproof makeup, however, even waterproof makeup comes off quite quickly underwater. The makeup artist will need to be standing by for touch ups. I like long flowing outfits for the models because they look so great underwater. Anything goes as long as it's OK to get it wet!
I use a diving mask and snorkel to go underwater and get in position for the shot. The model then goes underwater for her pose. She must not only hold her breath and look natural with her eyes open, but also should avoid blowing bubbles. I also have fins so I can move more quickly in the water and a wetsuit for cold water. I bring lots of towels so the model can get warm and dry as quickly as possible. Once she starts buy ambien shivering, the shoot is done!
Some of the photographic issues that I have encountered include color cast, focus and lighting. Underwater, the light has a very blue color cast. Some cameras (like the G9) have an underwater mode, which corrects for the blue. I also shoot in raw format (another nice feature of the G9), so I can make adjustments to the white balance during post-processing. The G9 is a little slow processing raw files though, so I can't get many shots in before the model needs to go back to the surface for air.
Focus is a tricky because the model will appear to be much closer underwater than she actually is due to the magnification effect of the water. At first it confused me - I would prefocus above water and then submerge with the model only to find she is suddenly too close! So I learned to focus underwater and normally use autofocus. The G9 has face detection and different autofocus modes that help me to work quickly.
Lighting is challenging because light falls off quickly underwater. The water clarity will also effect the amount of light available. All my underwater shoots have been in pools with relatively clear water. However, lakes and ocean locations may be cloudy, limiting the amount of light. Bright sunlight works the best, so I like to shoot on a sunny day. The beams of light going through the water look great! However, sunny days are not always possible, especially in Vancouver. To deal with the low light, I usually use the maximum aperture (f2/.8 for the G9). I also have the SeaLife SL961 underwater strobe. It is triggered optically by a fibre optic cable attached to the outside of the housing in front of the camera's built-in flash. It must be used fairly close to the model and the light quality is not great as it is a bare flash without modifiers, so I use it only when necessary. As a last resort, I increase the ISO. I don't like to go above 400 with my camera due to the higher noise levels. One advantage of DSLR cameras is they have less noise at higher ISOs than compact cameras.
After the shoot, the next step is post-processing. I will normally increase the contrast, adjust the white balance, filter out the noise, and remove unwanted bubbles. Since the makeup fades easily underwater, I often will touch it up in Photoshop too.
I'll be posting an update in May with the results of my next underwater shoot!
I love night photography and Vancouver is a great place for it. My favourite time for taking night shots is during the first hour after sunset. It’s called “The Blue Hour” – when the sky is a beautiful rich blue – even when it’s overcast. But it is dark enough for the city lights, which adds more interest and drama to the shots. Buildings, traffic signals, cars, neon signs all look great at night. After about one hour, the sky turns dark and doesn't look quite as cool.
I took this photo on Commercial Drive, which comes to life in the evening with lots of people enjoying the restaurants, coffee shops and bars or just picking up some groceries at the shops.
Some tips for night photography:
Bring a tripod! The shutter speeds will be too slow to take handheld shots. If your camera takes decent pictures at high ISO settings and has image stabilization, you might be able to get some good handheld shots with a faster shutter speed.
Use a cable release or remote if you have https://assaultvictimlawyer.com/buy-cialis/ one. If not, use the self-timer so that you do not touch the camera during the shot giving, you sharper images.
I turn off the image stabilization with my camera (Olympus E-510). The image stabilization is unnecessary with a tripod and actually adds motion blur!
Try f/16 or smaller apertures - the lights will have more twinkle and bright lights will have starry rays!
Moving cars look very cool with long shutter speeds
Moving people will be ghostly and blurry - sometimes totally disappear. I like the motion blur effects as it adds more energy to the shot. If you want sharper focus for the people in the foreground, you can use a flash.
Try different white balance modes - tungsten and fluorescent often look really good. Daylight mode will look warm and orange which can give a cozy feel to some scenes. If you shoot in raw format you can easily play around with the white balance when you process your raw files.
Here's a slideshow of some of the night images on "The Drive":
Here's another version of the photos in a music video style slideshow: Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
Most anime and manga characters have freakishly large eyes. We thought it would be fun to do a photo shoot with large anime eyes painted over the model’s eyelids. Using some anime images as reference, makeup artist Mika did some very cool work with model Candy. Mika posted a video on YouTube with more info on how she did the makeup. Candy also brought along a bunch of different outfits for the shoot.
It was challenging for Candy because she had to keep her eyes buy soma online overnight delivery shut most of the time. It was strange for me because after a while I forgot that the anime eyes were not real. When I'm photographing people, I pay special attention to their eyes - the shadows, highlight and focus. I did the same during this shoot and the eyes, as abnormally large and cartoonish as they were, started to seem real - as if they were looking at me and my camera! Candy did a great job modeling and I had to keep reminding myself that she had her eyes closed the entire time.
It’s great when everything comes together during a photoshoot! I’m expanding my editorial portfolio and love anything edgy, alternative and surreal. One of the jobs of a photographer is to translate creative vision to photographic images. I'm attracted to the creative possibilities in fashion editorial photography, where models, makeup artists, hairstylists, wardrobe stylists, and photographers work together in the creative process.
For this shoot, the team consisted of wardrobe stylist Laura Anne Image, model Yomee and makeup artist Sylvia Szczepanska. Laura Anne's concepts are inspired by her art work, which she brings to life in the photoshoot. She was great to work with because of her creative vision and great art direction. Also, she did an amazing job sourcing the wardrobe and accessories. Sylvia is a very talented makeup artist, graduated from John Casablancas Institute. Yomee is an alternative model from Australia who is now lives in Vancouver. She was also wonderful to work with and responded to art direction with great poses and expression. This is the first time that I have worked with this team and hope to do more shoots in the future!
Laura Anne described her vision as "colour contradiction where innocent colours look villain-like." The colour palette was to be pastels - light https://www.rossitchpediatricdentistry.com/buy-lasix/ pink, light blue, lilac and a white background. Unfortunately the original model broke her leg before the shoot, so Yomee was the replacement. Yomee is an alternative model with body mods - piercings and tattoos. However, Laura Anne wanted clean skin for the model. I was up to the challenge of Photoshopping the the tattoos away. I've done it before and can make it look convincing. Also, the model's eyes were to be blank - again another Photoshop challenge! I've never tried that before - I have done much Photoshopping of eyes - removing contact lens edges, clearing up small blood vessels, brightening the eyes, darkening the pupils, changing the eye-colour - but never completely removing the irises and pupils!
I used a beauty dish for the main light because it gives a bit more edgy look with more shadow definition than with a softbox, but still gives soft light. I used a white seamless paper background, lit with another strobe and a gridded strobe behind the model as a hair light.
I think the photos have a creepy feel mainly due to the unsettling blank eyes, and the styling, model and makeup go together to make some beautiful images that brought to life Laura Anne's creative vision.
Here is a slideshow with more images from this shoot:
The Olympics are now over after an incredible final gold medal for Canada – with an overtime win in men’s ice hockey in an intense game against Team USA. The Canadian athletes had their best ever Winter Olympics buy xanax winning 14 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals. No country in Winter Olympic history has won 14 gold medals before, making it a major achievement. A large part of Canada's success was the massive support from the fans and spectators. Every day thousands of fans filled the downtown core, celebrating the latest medal winners and just having a good time. Their cheers and spontaneous singing of "O Canada" was broadcast across the nation, so that the entire country could join in! I'm sure the excitement of the fans helped to spur the athletes on to do their best.
The athletes also received much support for their training and expressed their appreciation whenever they were interviewed in the media. They were able to pursue their dreams and get recognition for it too! Some of the Canadian athletes who did not win medals expressed how they felt they let down the country who had supported them over the years and deserved to see them win a medal. But most Canadians will agree that it is enough that they competed and did their best.
Of the many Olympic moments during the games, the most memorable was the figure skating performance of Joannie Rochette, who despite her mother passing away suddenly 4 days earlier, skated to win a bronze medal. She said that her mother would have wanted her to compete, which inspired her great performance.
Other amazing performances included the gold medal for snowboarding half-pipe won by Shaun White from the USA, and the gold medal for ladies figure skating by Yu-Na Kim of South Korea.
But the biggest story for me was the great atmosphere of celebration, peace and fun in Vancouver! I'm happy to live in such a great city, which is not only beautiful, but is also populated with so many awesome people!
Canadian Olympic Fans
The Olympics are now over after an incredible final gold medal for Canada - with an overtime win in men's ice hockey in an intense game against Team USA. The Canadian athletes had their best ever Winter Olympics winning 14 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals. No country in Winter Olympic history has won 14 gold medals before, making it a major achievement. A large part of Canada's success was the massive support from the fans and spectators. Every day thousands of fans filled the downtown core, celebrating the latest medal winners and just having a good time. Their cheers and spontaneous singing of "O Canada" was broadcast across the nation, so that the entire country could join in! I'm sure the excitement of the fans helped to spur the athletes on to do their best.
The athletes also received much support for their training and expressed their appreciation whenever they were interviewed in the media. They were able to pursue their dreams and get recognition for it too! Some of the Canadian athletes who did not win medals expressed how they felt they let down the country who had supported them over the years and deserved to see them win a medal. But most Canadians will agree that it is enough that they competed and did their best.
Of the many Olympic moments during the games, the most memorable was the figure skating performance of Joannie Rochette, who despite her mother passing away suddenly 4 days earlier, skated to win a bronze medal. She said that her mother would have wanted her to compete, which inspired her great performance.
Other amazing performances included the gold medal for snowboarding half-pipe won by Shaun White from the USA, and the gold medal for ladies figure skating by Yu-Na Kim of South Korea.
But the biggest story for me was the great atmosphere of celebration, peace and fun in Vancouver! I'm happy to live in such a great city, which is not only beautiful, but is also populated with so many awesome people!
The theme was "A Twisted Fairytale" and the show used a theatrical approach to showcase the designs. All aspects of the production were outstanding - the models, makeup, hairstyling, staging and, of course, the fashion styling.
Silhouettes have an impact because the subject’s outline is distinct, but the details are hidden, giving a sense of mystery. I like taking a few silhouettes during each shoot, and they are sometimes my clients' favourites!
