More tests with my 50mm and natural light

Did recently several shoots, but need to find the time to post them on my blog.  With each shoot I did some more tests with my Nikor 50mm 1.4 G, getting used now.  I can only say that it is indeed a fanstastic lens and very sharp.  Now saving for a 70 – 200mm 2.8…. keep dreaming.

Below are some samples of several shoots, all of them with naturel light and using the California Sunbounce or Sun-mover.  For every picture sun was behind model.  One problem I experienced, that it was almost impossible to use the lens and go below f2 during daytime, as the sunlight in Spain is currently getting very bright in April…so the model needed to be 100 % in the shadow, and sun peaking slightly from behind a tree to get some on the hair of the model !

Model Jade standing in the shadow, just used the sun-mover Zebra bouncing a bit of light on the face                                    f 1.4    1/8000    200ISO

Model Liam standing in the shadow, but lucky to have a little sun coming from behind a tree.  No sunbouce, just   natural light.      f 2    1/8000    200ISO

Model Kojo also standing in the shadow, using California sunbounce silver ( due to a darker skin color needed the silver side) and it was also a cloudy day but taken at noon so light was bright.     f 1.6    1/5000    200ISO

Testing my 50mm & CLS

Have not done much during winter time … Just got recently my prime in Nikkor AF-S  50mm f/1.4 G.  I had a schoot last week, so good time to test it out.  Its certainly working a bit different and getting used to it,  I had put it on autofocus – very fast and smooth, great results but will need to test as well manuel focus which might be better.

It was a grey day and no sun at all.  So I have been using my flashgun and pointing it to the California sunbounce gold which gave a nice reflection on the model.  As Nikon has this great CLS build in, shame I never used it.  Using it for the first time I was very happy with the result it gives.

f2   1/6400   ISO 400   50mm    underexposure -0.7

f1.8   1/500   ISO 200   50mm

f1.8    1/6400   ISO 400    underexposure -0.7

Gaelle at the finca

Here some more pictures of the shoot with Gaelle at the Finca (Spain).  As explained in previous posting it was an interesting shoot and experimenting with light.  To make the pictures look a bit more dramatic, I have been changing slightly the white balance in Raw processing and adjusting the colors.  Then in photoshop I have adjusted as well the blue and red color tones.  Note: white balance and color correction in Raw has been kept mostly the same for all pictures of this shoot, but in photoshop all color adjustments have been different for each picture as I did not want all pictures looking similar in color.

Technical details below for each picture.

f10    1/250    50mm    Iso 200    -0,3 under exposure

Late afternoon sun coming in from the left of camera, golden California sunbounce right below and in front of the model, behind the model but on the right of the camera wireless Flash set at 1/8.  Some dust was thrown from the right of camera but behind model in front of the flash.

f5.3    1/60    90mm    Iso 200    -0,3 underexposure

Sunlight coming in from the back of model and just used a wireless flash put on the floor about 2 meters in front of model lighting up slighty.  The picture was too clean (2 results on my flickr page) so I used ( very light !!) a texture over the picture.

f4,5    1/125    48mm    Iso 200    -0,3 under exposure

Horizontal version of picture in previous post.  Sun left and California Sunbounce right of camera but below model.  Some dust have been thrown behind the model but we waited till there was only a little bit of dust in the air.  Flash behind model on the right of camera set at 1/8 with diffuser clip over the flash.

I´m back… teaser with Nikon D300s

First my apologies for being absent so long.  Moved temp. house during summer and had almost no internet.  Then sold my D200 and since end of October I have now a Nikon D300s ( so happy about it !! ).  Did lots of model shoots in the summer but for a model agency and there was some pressure.  You will find my last pictures with the  D200 on my Flickr page.

Yesterday I took the time to do a nice photo shoot with my daughter (and model) Gaelle.  A location which I had already long time in mind and with the right outfit, it was great.  Took my time to experiment a bit with light sources.  Below is the first picture, which is post processed last night, there might be better ones coming.

This picture is taken with the sun coming from the left ( photographer side ), Golden California sunbounce below on the left side in front of the model.  I put on my right but behind the model SB 600 flash to give some depth.   At the same time with my new camera I decided to start a bit of a new style which I had already long time in mind…. so would appreciate any comments if you like or dislike 🙂

f5    1/160    75mm    Iso 200    exposure -0,3

Mediterranean colors with Laura

I´m currently swamped with photo shoots, which I had more time to experiment a bit more…but sure I will have now a choice of models to make some new shoots later in the year.  I also have to make time to test some new ideas I have with Gaelle my daughter 🙂

Anyway the shoot with Laura was interesting, she never modelled officialy before…but has a very strong interest to become a model and she has been testing some fun shoots with friends.  We didn´t plan any location before hand, but upon arrival we checked what outfits she had…looked around and found immediately an interesting spot ( a blue tower in mosaic ).  It was fun with Laura as with every click she changed facial expression or pose.  Below are the first pictures, more to come later.

f 6.3    1/160    200mm    ISO100    California sunbounce Gold

f 5.6    1/250   200mm    ISO100    California sunbounce Gold

Below: different outfit and different location across the harbor

f 5.6    1/125    46mm    ISO100    California sunbounce Silver

Shoot with a Scottish male model Stuart

Stuart arrived recently at the Costa Blanca and did some modelling before but not in Spain yet.  So perfect place for him to add some additional portfolio pictures.  In posting below you have seen a teaser…. just finished post processing.  Below a selection of some pictures I like.

Went out of my safe zone for the pic below, tried a different angle and did my post processing a bit different than usual.  Sun was coming from left behind model.  Put a flash on the right of the model at the same angel of the sun

f6.3    1/160    24mm    ISO 100

To give this picture something different, I put the saturation and the luminance of the blue higher in the post processing.  Used California Sunbounce Silver side.

f8    1/250    50mm    ISO 100

Picture below slightly desaturated.  Used California Sunbounce Silver side.

f7.1    1/180    44mm    ISO 100

Male photo shoot….teaser

The last 2 months I had plenty of female photo shoots….couldn´t find any interested male of boys, but now they are all coming together.  Last week I had 2 young male models and 2 others this week.  A bit different of female, had to step away from soft colors, flowers, etc… and more lloking into metal, concrete, etc. as a background.

The first male model had a little bit of experience, so that was good for me.  He is from Scotland but lived around the world and settled down since a couple of months in Spain.  Below is a picture I like, of Stuart ( more to come), the shoot went well, but couldn´t use the California sunbounce as strong winds at the coast.  So I used  for several pictures a flash SB 600, put on the floor lighting up….didn´t want to have that soft light of an umbrella.  The below picture is just natural light, no flash and no sunbounce, sun coming from right behind…it was a bit searching to make sure the body and face was still well exposed.

f 6.3    1/160    65mm    Iso 100

Interesting shoot with Charlotte

Just a small posting.  In the last weeks I was asked to shoot some aspiring young models, they had never done it before but just love to be in front of the camera.  Certainly not always easy, as sometimes you have to look more at the model and tell them what to do, how to look and pose, etc…  all fine and at the moment you click, they just looked somewhere else…damn 🙂 .  Charlotte was an exception, very natural in looking and posing.  She was also interested in my camera settings and wanted to see afterwards the pictures that were not successful.  The second picture in the previous posting was a good one of her.  Here 3 other pictures of Charlotte, number one seems to be the best one ( more pictures of her will be posted on my Flicks page).

f 5.6    1/125    70mm    Iso 100    California Gold sunbounce

f 5    1/250    70mm    100 ISO    Flash thru white umbrella at 1/8

f 7    1/160    60mm    100 ISO       here I used the effect of soft glow

Gaelle & Graffiti shoot

Here some of the final results of the graffiti shoot with Gaelle.  I wanted something different than previous shoots and much more color.  The shoot should have been earlier to catch more sun and be able to use the sunbounce as the graffiti wall was the dark side of the place and under Pine trees.  But overall I´m pleased with the results….just a broken translucent umbrella, from Walser…they are fragile, probably made in China 🙂

Some pics are taken with Sunbounce Silver side and others with 1 SB 600 with the white translucent umbrella.  LET ME KNOW YOUR COMMENTS & FAVORITE PIC.

f 6.3   1/160    150mm    Silver sunbounce ( late afternoon sun)

f 5.3   1/60   95mm    Flash 1/8 with translucent umbrella on the left side of the model, still some little sunshine from the right of the model.

f 4.2   1/60   32mm   Flash 1/4 with translucent umbrella in front of model.  This is the full size of the crop you have seen in the teaser.

f 4.2   1/160   32mm   Silver sunbounce on the right of the camera.  Used some gaussian blur in photoshop.

I´m back…..with a teaser

Finally I have some time again to take pictures…so glad.  Also my daughter wanted a new look and cooler pictures she said, more teenager and fun…not the beach stuff anymore.  And she is right.  I still have to process the pics, but here comes a teaser, as in a couple of hours have a photo shoot with horses.

The picture below is a crop of a larger full body, but these colors are so lovely, and Gaelle wanted a cool face pic for her boyfriend 🙂

f 4.2    1/60    32mm    Iso 100

Taken with SB 600  on 1/4 with translucent umbrella in front of the model on the right of the camera ( was very late afternoon and no more sunlight)