I usually work in the studio with strobes and controlled lighting, so I wanted to try something different and used only natural light and a reflector for this shoot.  I loved just having the camera and the model to work with, and not worrying about the strobes, stands and umbrellas. Tessa helped out with the reflector to fill in shadows and brighten up the model in shaded areas.  Without all the lighting gear, we could move around quickly to wherever the light was good and the background was interesting.

The shoot was during the evening “golden https://gigglesgobblesandgulps.com/buy-valtrex-500mg/ hour” where to buy soma bras before sunset. The light was beautiful and worked perfectly. We had to move quickly though because the light changed rapidly as the sun was setting, and it also started to get cool and windy.

The location was an older industrial park near Main and Terminal in Vancouver. I love the decayed and worn textures of the buildings - lots of faded, peeling paint and rusty metal. We also went to a more modern area with glass and bold colours to work with.

I used Lightroom 3.4.1 and Photoshop CS5 for the post-processing, trying out several different styles and colour schemes. I'm looking for some feedback - which ones do you like/don't like and why? Thanks!

Soundtrack: Gothic by zero-project

This is the third in a series of sugar skull inspired collaborations that I have done with Jennifer Ruth, and several different models, hairstylists and fashion stylists. The previous shoots were Winter Muertos - In the Darkness of Winter  and Primavera de Muertos, each following a seasonal theme. I also collaborated with Catriona Armour and Kyla Lee for my first sugar skull photoshoot last year. The images for all these buy tramadol online shoots were inspired by the beautiful artwork of Sylvia Ji and the very cool work of 666photography.

The Día de los Muertos sugar skull shoots have resulted some of my post popular photos. I've been fortunate to work with very talented teams - the models, makeup, hair and fashion styling have been amazing!  I love the photos and proud to have them in my portfolio.

I will be doing at least one more for the autumn season, and probably some others in the future because they have so many creative possibilities! Click on the image below to see more photos from the Summer Sugar Skull shoot.

Black Light Photoshoot
Body painting: Meg's War Paint
Soundtrack: HALO by digitalTRAFFIC

UV Photography by Vancouver based photographer Lloyd K. Barnes.
Video created using Animoto.

Model: Chloe G.

Beautiful Chinese opera inspired makeup: Nikki Simpson

Hair Styling: Nikki Simpson

Photography by Vancouver photographer Lloyd K. Barnes

I Dream of Languages Anew written by Lloyd K. Barnes

Music: dream mechanics – blow and blow

Here is a gallery with more photos from the photoshoot

What is language?

According to Dictionary.com:

Language [lang-gwij]

Languages can be chemical - pheromones or the genetic code of DNA. In the short story "The God's Script" in Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorge Luis Borges, an Aztec priest searched for a divine message in the spots of a jaguar.

I'm intrigued by the idea that one language could express ideas that cannot be expressed in another. There is a visual language used in photography that communicates ideas and emotions that cannot be expressed by words. Is is possible that anything can represent anything else if we know how to translate or decode the message?

The techniques include:

• skin smoothing with the surface blur filter
• using layers & blend modes
• layer masks
• making selections using luminosity
• digital makeup
• using the photocopy filter
• merging & copying layers
• dodging & burning by using curve adjustment layers

Have you done pin-up photography? Please share your links and any techniques in the comments section - thanks!

Kurvy Model Pin-up

The theme of the shoot was based on the Dia do los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday in Mexico, but with a seasonal spring blossom twist. I'll be posting more information about this shoot soon, so keep an eye on my blog.

Here's a preview of one of the photos from this shoot:

Tia with Spring Muertos Sugar Skull Makeup

Video created using Animoto.

Here’s a video slideshow created with photos shot using a 400 watt UV cannon as the main light source.  In an earlier post about black light photography, one of the readers suggested trying a UV cannon, a special effects light often used by clubs and DJs.  In my other shoots, I used four 40 watt fluorescent tubes. They worked well, but it would be nice to have a more powerful light source to allow me to use a faster shutter speed and lower ISO.

American DJ UV Cannon

The black light cannon worked well, but was different to work with compared to the fluorescent tubes. The main advantage of the UV cannon was how is easy to set up. You just point it at the model and plug it in. It takes about 10-15 minutes to warm up and gives a good strong light. It can be moved around and repositioned, although it should be turned off and cooled down before moving it to avoid damaging the bulb.

I was surprised that it doesn't give off as much buy ambien online without prescription light as I thought.  I expected it to be much more powerful than the 160 watts from the 4 fluorescent tubes. In practice, it was not really more powerful than the four fluorescent tubes, mainly because I can put the tubes very close to the model most of the time, which is not practical with the UV cannon.  Also, the UV cannon is a hard light source that casts a sharp shadow, making the light quality quite different than the fluorescent tubes.  I surround the model with the tubes, reducing shadows and creating a more even light. I placed a white nylon diffusion panel in front of the UV cannon to help soften the light, which further reduced the power from the light.

Overall, the UV cannon would probably work best placed in front and above the model in a butterfly lighting setup. It also would be best to use when you want dramatic shadows. It's high power would also work great for lighting backgrounds and sets. I'm continuing to explore different ways to use it.

I'm interested in hearing from other photographers who have done UV photography - any suggestions or ideas? What is your favourite UV light set up?

Here's the same video on YouTube for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch:

Check out my portfolio!
I am following my passion for photography! After 19 years working in the corporate world as a scientist, approved I made the switch to running my own photography business in 2009. As a kid I was developing my own film and printing my photos, view and later I got more serious with a 35mm camera. I bought my first digital camera in 1999 and love both film and digital today. In 2007, troche I started taking photography courses at Langara College, one of the top photography programs in Canada. I expect to complete the program by the end of the 2010.

Check out my portfolio!
I am a freelance photographer located in the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada. I'm passionate about photography and will work with you to get that shot that makes you go "wow!". Anything from portrait to glamour and fashion, and edgy conceptual shoots. I'm open to ideas and love collaborative work. My goal is to get that shot that will blow you away!

Check out my portfolio!
I am following my passion for photography! After 19 years working in the corporate world as a scientist, approved I made the switch to running my own photography business in 2009. As a kid I was developing my own film and printing my photos, view and later I got more serious with a 35mm camera. I bought my first digital camera in 1999 and love both film and digital today. In 2007, troche I started taking photography courses at Langara College, one of the top photography programs in Canada. I expect to complete the program by the end of the 2010.

Check out my portfolio!

In this video I show you how I do basic retouching on a beauty portrait, including cleaning up blemishes on the skin, removing stray hairs, brightening up the eyes, retouching lipstick and smoothing the skin using Adobe Lightroom 3.2 and Photoshop CS4. The final image is still very natural looking and does not look like it has been significantly altered.

Here is the final image:

Olympus E-510, Zuiko 50-200mm f/2.8-35 lens at 200mm, 1/160 s, f/9.0

Thanks to model Kaitlin Sullivan and makeup artist  Jennifer Ruth!

Please feel free to comment and pass along any tips that you might have. I would also be happy to answer any questions on retouching so please ask!

... and a short video of the black light images:

Rhi and I  did another black light shoot yesterday with fluorescent body painting which I'll post in Part 2!