My world has changed with the arrival of my new little lad, Sebastian. The world that I used to have, included music photography and going to many gigs of an evening. Now, with no time to see my boy other than at night, the other stuff has faded (like that proverbial flower) into the background. I think then, that I might reinvent myself and start looking at different types of photography – my second or third love – so that it doesn’t stop altogether! I was having a think this morning that I’ve hardly picked up my camera since Sebastian arrived, and that when I do it was to take a photo of him – which is great! – but I’ve just been snapping moments in time rather than creating photographs. Why? because I’m not actually a very good photographer as such – I built up a “way to shoot” musicians live, and I pushed myself off the live sound that was filling my head at the time, working with some sort of rhythm and watching what came of it as a result. Now, it’s all change – the mood and ideas behind the photos are a lot different and I don’t actually know what I’m doing.
The basics of lighting and composition are beyond me! I move light around (when it’s not the Sun, that would be hard to move) and try framing things differently.. The shot above, it was a “I wonder what the light will look like if I hold it here and click this button” You might not like the result, but I do… M was telling Seb at the time “It’s not time for food yet” I imagine this will be the case for at least the next eighteen years!
He is a captive audience and a great, facially expressive little fellow, but he gets jacked off if I take too many photos (as you can see below)
So, what I need to do is to learn the basics again and enjoy what I have around me to photograph, but, most of all, to actually go out and photograph it (or stay in!)
What’s your best tip for lighting photographs of people with a single flash unit? – comments below appreciated!
Sime
I think there are a few things you could look at in terms of learning to light with 1 strobe/flash:
1) STROBIST (www.strobist.com) and their 101 & 102 series. That’s probably your best bet when it comes to “off-Camera” lighting. You wiull find all you need in there, but there is a lot. So some people feel like it looks a little too daunting at first.
2) http://www.zarias.com: the guy has a OneLight Workshop DVD which is pretty amazing. You can see the kind of result you can get with a single flash, and it’s very impressive. There are also a few tutorial on the blog itself. Worth checking out.
3) Practice. (but you knew that already!
Spk soon mate
Romain.
These photos are great as they have so much expression in them!
I’m by no means a pro photographer and am just learning to use a flash unit (a Speedlite on my Canon 450D), but as with the photos in this set (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregnbaker/4200233950/in/set-72157622911479733/) it has been a case of pointing it up in the air, using the diffuser and just playing with bouncing it off the ceiling/walls/bounce card on the flash…and seeing what happens. You’ll quickly find out what works and what doesn’t!
G
“not a very good photographer” #stu coughs cornflakes over monitor#
damn man – talk about selling your self short. If your not very good then that speaks volumes for the rest of us! I’ve been a BIG fan of your photography for over a year now and it’s not just your music stuff that floats my boat.
Capturing the moment is just as much of a skill as pulling off the most technically accomplished shot in the world and for my 2 cents you rock in both departments…..anyway enough gushing.
Shots with one flash. my top 3 tips. (being no expert)
1. get it, and keep it off camera.
2. big light is beautiful. diffuse that bad boy with an umbrella, , softbox, disc, bounce it off a ceiling or wall. whatever you like.
3. do something different- play with shadows rather than eliminate them, play with gels, snots and grids to create some drama or fun effects.
.-= disco~stu´s last blog ..This isn’t Healthy? =-.
Hey Sime,
Can’t help with the lighting thing as I still have a VERY long ways to go in learning that. Just wanted to say Congrats on the addition, he’s a cutie. Enjoy your new adventure the next 18 years will zip by so fast. Can’t hardly belive my baby boy turns 21 next month.
Karen
OH, I hear DPS is a great place to learn!!