I’ve posted some previews of the portrait session with sisters Léa & Mathilde 2 weeks ago on my Facebook & Flickr profiles, almost instantly I received questions about the colors & post-processing techniques I used. Some were speculating about added texture to the background others were asking me which actions I used in Photoshop.

These are the images:

RAW conversion:
In the first screenshot I have 2 views, left-side view is the original RAW file (nef) – right-side view is the raw-conversion with a custom preset that adds contrast and decreases the color-temperature (Kelvin). This is a custom preset I always use because my camera white-balance is standard set to “flash”, why I use the “flash” white-balance in camera is something I discuss in my #CreateThatLight workshops (let’s call that my ultra-secret-technique). This first step takes me to a converted file on which I can start working on, I like to call this “base-level”.

Coloring & finetuning:
On this “base-level”-file I start adding brightness and contrast, the “blacks”-slider is used to control hard contrast. After these adjustments I try different settings in the HSL panel in Lightroom, this is a great tool to fine-tune your color-range. Left-side view is the result after contrast-control and fine-tuning the 8 different HSL ranges. After adjusting the color-range I do a final tweak on the color-balance and finish-off by adjusting the clarity-slider, as you can see in the right-side view. Next step is exporting the image to a high-resolution & web-resolution jpeg.

Images you’ll love or hate … this is a little lighting test I did with the California Sunbounce Wind-killer. This great tool blocks a large part of the wind by placing it next to your subject, that’s what it’s designed for. The rebel in me was curious to see which light-pattern the Wind-killer screen would create by using it as a “swatter”. I always try different product usage situations because they learn me how natural light travels and reacts.

Verdict:
As I suspected, the special woven screen material creates a very hard visible pattern but I like the “broken” look. The Wind-killer can definitely be used as a swatter but only in some cases (don’t buy it for that purpose). If you are looking for a gentle (more controllable) pattern then I would recommend using the Sun-swatter with “Le Louche” screens (mtk).

Colleague photographer Ioannis Tsouloulis was kind enough to share some BTS images from the set-up:

During my last “teaching #CreateThatLight trip” in the Netherlands I planned a meet ‘n shoot with the young and talented Laura Vink. She’s a Dutch photographer with a great vision on children’s photography and her work attracted me a while ago … We’ve made contact and I asked Laura if she could arrange a freestyle session with a local child-model, so she did and in no time the session with Bente was a fact. I’m VERY happy that it’s possible for me to be able to expand my network this way, viva social media!

The location for our shooting was “Maritime Museum” in Rotterdam, a fantastic outdoor location near the Erasmus bridge … If you ever plan to visit Rotterdam by night, this a location to discover!

I’ve started the session with a 1 (oldskool) bare speedlight set-up, off-camera and triggered by the PocketWizard TTL system. As I already mentioned in my previous blogposts I’m becoming a regular user of this system, it’s a bit difficult to get into your personal workflow and to get the TTL system to do what you want but once you’ve discovered the advantages it’s a bless! The  AC3 ZoneController is a must have add-on to control the ratio’s and the flash exposure.

CALIFORNIA SUNBOUNCE SPOT-SWATTER TESTDRIVE

I also took the time to test a new product by the people @ California Sunbounce, the “Spot-Swatter”. This tiny version of the well known Sun-Swatter is designed to be used as a diffusion screen to soften hard light like direct sunlight, speedlights and flashes or Arri lamps. When unpacking it for the first time I had my doubts because it has a very small surface, 60 x 65cm. Setting-up and handling the Spot-Swatter is a big advantage over the larger Sun-Swatter, within 1 minute the Spot-Swatter is unpacked and ready to use.

For the following example I used hard sunlight as the main lightsource, between the sun and Bente I placed the Spot-Swatter to create soft light. Due to the small diffuse surface it’s not possible to take full-body images off-course.

The Spot-Swatter can also be used to create soft light when you point a speedlight towards it, using the Spot-Swatter this way enables me to really find a perfect balance between available light and fill-in flash.

Here are my Pro’s & Cons:

+ Portable, fast & easy set-up
+ Lightweight
+ Build quality
+ Can be used as a Sun-Swatter (to swat hard sunlight and create soft portraits)
+ Turns your “hard” flashlight into a softbox quality lightsource

- Price-tag*, for many “strobist” this product will be too expensive (€ 129,00)
- You need to buy an extra grip-head to mount the Spot-Swatter on a lightstand

(*) A note on the price-tag: when using this product professionally the build quality is very important, Sunbounce people have decided to use the same high-quality materials for this product.

BTS by Laura:

It was a pleasure to work with Laura, big kudos to Bente also!
Enjoy these BTS images that Laura shot and after enjoying them head over to Laura’s blog to watch her results!

My photographic work mainly consists of child fashion-photography but sometimes those commercial clients also create womens clothing lines. A great thing about being the in-house photographer for clothing brands is the extra opportunities you get, like shooting their womens clothing line. This time I want to give you a inside look on one of those shootings, there was no strict plan to follow – just a (lovely) model, a location and a bunch of clothing … this is what I call a “guerrilla” shoot.

A few days before the shooting I launched a call for 2 assistants via Twitter & Facebook … I found myself a crew of 2 assistants who happened to be great photographers as well.  As I mentioned before there was no plan … toghether with Jan & Jef we literally went from corner to corner to decide what would be the next (best) suiting place to shoot the images.  Working with assistants who can see and read light is a big advantage, it reduces stress on an already hectic shooting day and leaves more time to fool around while waiting for the model when she’s changing outfits. All BTS (BehindTheScenes) images are taken by Jan De Coninck, my other assistant aka. voice controlled light-stand was Jef Janssens. Big kudos to both of you – and thank you for the fun … Oh boy

BTS slideshow video …
Each time I have to work against “a” clock … I don’t know why but every time my clients underestimate the time-schedule. But with the right amount of humorist approach I tend to ignore the pressure and try to create a fun atmosphere for my client, the model and the crew. Here’s a BTS video that perfectly describes that feeling:

Here are some results … enjoy! (these are all California Sunbounce lit images – watch the video above for set-up images).

Often I get questions why and when I use speedlights … I prefer to use my Pocketwizard TT5 receivers triggered with a TT1 & AC3 zone controller while shooting motion because I can shoot wide-open (f2.8) and sync at high shutter speeds.

Here’s a screenshot of a RAW file after camera calibration (left) and a processed jpg (right), the only real difference after processing is the overall contrast.

NO tech gear blogpost this time but a plain and simple point and shoot session with my son Lennert (#Littlefolio) in available light, not a planned session but a real-life situation with results I’m sure we’ll (as mum&dad) enjoy many years from now. The GF-1 is always charged with a fresh battery and packed with an empty CF card to be ready to capture those great moments because you never now when #littlefolio will be doing his thing. It’s the best compact camera I’ve ever had and it’s able to shoot 720p video, a great feature …

Here is a iso800 video example of the 720p video quality, shot in available light – custom B&W color scene – 20mm pancake at f1.7.

Here are some stills, GF-1 iso800 – aperture priority – 20mm pancake at 1.7. Processed trough my custom LR presets which turn the raw GF-1 shots into dynamic jpgs.

Are these images the most perfectly lit shots?
Are these images a good example for my professional photography?
Are these images showing my skills as an experienced photographer?

… NO …

These are all snaps that captured a moment in time …

A moment when I forget what forums try to tell me
A moment what online classes want to teach me
A moment when I just forget what I stand for in the photographers community
A moment when it’s just my son and me

This moment is golden, and I wanted to share it with you …
#littlefolio … papa loves you!

A month ago I was cleaning up an old camera bag that was laying around in the garage, besides some useless gear I discovered a 3stops neutral density filter in it. A filter I bought about 2 years ago but to photograph the setting evening sun at the beach but never really used it. The idea behind ND-filters sounds great … being able to have longer shutterspeeds works great in combination with a (setting) sun, the ND8 filter enables me to reduce 3stops of light hitting the sensor or about 12.5% of the available light. Which means I could use a wide-open aperture of f2.8 without a blown out sky & sun.

It gets really interesting when I add a lightsource to fill in the dark areas I want to be lit, I could do this with highspeed sync but using a ND8 in combination with speedlights would require at least 6 of them on full power ratio. For this testdrive I used my Elinchrom Quadra 400Ws powerpack at full power, the light modifier was a 100cm Elinchrom Deep Octa without the external diffuser (with internal baffle).

Here’s a testshot with the Quadra & Octa on 30% power, without the ND8 filter. The setting sun was left out of the frame leaving me just enough detail in the back at max. sync speed 1/250sec (iso200 / f5.6).

Shooting without direct sunlight (sunset) into the composition without the ND8 was possible but I lost the whole feeling of the setting sun, here’s an example shot at 1/250 (iso200 / f4) – Quadra set to half power (200Ws).

After these testshots I screwed the 77mm ND8 onto my Nikon 70 – 200 VRII – I also cranked up the Quadra ratio to full-power (400Ws). This image was shot at 1/250 (iso200 / f2.8).

Using flash to fill-in the subject isn’t always necessary to create interesting images, sometimes a silhouette shot adds more feeling / drama to a scene (IMHO). This image was shot at 1/160 (iso200 / f2.8) NO FLASH.

For comparison … this is the same frame as the previous one but with the Quadra ratio to full-power (400Ws). This image was shot at 1/250 (iso200 / f2.8).

Another silhouette example from later that evening without the ND8: this shot is taken with flash-fill (400Ws) – 1/160 (iso200 / f4).

This is the same frame without flash-fill at 1/160 (iso200 / f4). For you to decide which one you like the most.

Overall BTS (BehindTheScenes) shot:

Additional image to call it a wrap

As you can see, the use of flash fill-in with a ND filter isn’t always the perfect choice. For me this shooting was a good opportunity to test the advantages & disadvantages of ND filters with rater powerful light sources. In some shots I like the fill-in in other shots I would definitely choose the silhouttes, I hope this little insight blogpost gives you enough ideas which set-up suits your personal needs.

I own the most sexy twin flash bracket in the world and like to share my findings with this great tool with you … a RSO (Review Sort Of).

Most people know me as a 100% California Sunbounce user but I still use speedlights in some cases. During a Communion session with Margot I wanted to try out the different TTL & iTTL functions of my PocketWizard Flex units. Mounting a speedlight + Flex receiver on a regular flash bracket is no rocket science but when it comes to mounting 2 speedlights & 2 Flex receivers there aren’t many options left, unless you are very handy with CNC machinery and build your own bracket. You can always DIY a twin bracket but in my own experience these projects always result in unstable structures that give you more stress than satisfaction on location.

What about the Lastolite TriFlash?
I own a Lastolite TriFlash bracket, which works good when shooting Nikon CLS, but once the PocketWizard Flex receivers are mounted the whole bracket is a piece of cr*p. It does what it does … it can hold up to 3 speedlights but I don’t recommend to use it in combination with Flex receivers.

The Holy grail?
Yep! I’ve found my “Holy grail” … The GEMINI from Damien Lovegrove.
The best bracket I’ve ever used and it looks sexy too. But there’s a price for it … an investment in a tool I would never regret though.

Product description from Lovegrove Consulting:
The Gemini has a hard-wearing silver anodised finish and the build quality is fabulous with radiused corners. The Gemini is locked in place by a multi-positionable lever arm. The knob on the top is used to secure an optional umbrella. An asymmetric foot plate allows a perfect clearance for the PocketWizard Flex units and keeps the Speedlight heads close and parallel to the umbrella shaft. The Gemini works equally well with smaller and larger Speedlights from both Canon and Nikon. The flashes are situated near the end of the umbrella shaft to ensure a full and even light coverage. The flash units mounted in Gemini offer the least possible blocking of the light output from the umbrella. You can see below the evenness of umbrella illumination too. Another industry first. When used with an umbrella the Gemini is in near perfect balance. The weight of the Speedlights close to the lighting stand counteracts that of the umbrella set further out.

When using speedlights I always try to compensate the flash exposure to create a more natural looking fill-in light. The following images are some quick edits from the session with Margot, the “real” communion shots will be posted soon. In this setup I used 2 Nikon SB900 speedlights with SD-9 batterypacks, a large 40″ shoot-trough umbrella was used to create a soft but crispy fill.

BTS image of the set-up, I used a California Sunbounce Mini to create shade … normally I would do this with a California Sunbounce Sunswatter but I traveled light with only a mini-sized Sunbounce. Using speedlights in this setup is an advantage, sure I could shot this with no fill-in flash but the result would be more “creamy” and less “crispy”. Mounting 2 speedlights on the bracket gave me a faster recycle time which I could not have when using 1 speedlight (faster recycle times when shooting kids is essential).

More quick edits:

Final thoughts:
NEGATIVE:
- Pricey for the “Strobist” movement followers – DIY is cheaper but think twice

POSITIVE:
- Great build quality – sturdy as a brick.
- Foot plate & cold shoes are the best I’ve ever seen.
- Lever knob is Manfrotto quality.
- Light-weight aluminum.
- Looks very sexy

I’m a big fan … I’ve used Damien’s twin flash bracket on many shoots and this is the first time I’m 100% convinced that this tool is my not-to-be-missed “Strobist” accessory.

No long description this time, just 5 word-tags:

#Routine-Break
#Detachment
#Change-Perspective
#Practice
#Allow-Imperfection

Please take a break and watch the slideshow to experience the full shooting…

The images below are only a few examples of many more to be found in the slideshow.

Clothing credits:
Les Zigous
Bellerose
Antik Batik
Mod8
Comptoire des Cotonniers
Sonia Rykiel
Nathalie Verlinden
JBC
Bensimon
BrandAlley
Elvis Pompilio

Big thanks to:

Gana!
Also watch her images & blogposts covering this shooting on her great blog (which you must add to your reader! – French)

Dimanche, quelque part par là…
Toujours là-bas, mais un peu plus loin encore…

Make-up & hair by Raphaëlle Laline

Here are some quick edits from the practical session of the #CreateThatLight workshop I held today. Again … as always on my workshops lately … there was no sun, a cloud covered sky with a lot of wind, but the weather didn’t stop us from shooting a great outdoor session with our model Chiara.

Today was a perfect day to show and teach my attendees how to create light on location with various California Sunbounce products and how to bend & reflect the light on a cloudy day to deliver good looking portraits to their clients.
(FYI: All images where lit by a California Sunbounce SunMover Silver and a Mini Silver – No flash was used).

During my last visit in Amsterdam & Rotterdam to teach #CreateThatLight workshops at Calumet I’ve planned a “freestyle” session with Lois. It’s always fun to meet people IRL you’re connected to trough the social networks and to combine that get-together with a non-pressure session of their kids. These “freestyle” sessions are perfect opportunities to test gear and set-ups with no high demands from paying clients. I’ve decided to shoot at least 50% of the session with my Panasonic GF1 & 20mm pancake, a funny thing to experience … pointing a white (tiny) camera while looking at the lcd-screen instead of a viewfinder. The plan wasn’t to look “pro” but to deliver “pro”-a-like images from a fit-into-your-pocket camera.

Here is a selection of images I took with the GF1 (iso800) & edited in LR with my home-cooked GF1 presets: