speedlight – Page 2 – Gavtrain.com

Getting Creative With Colored Gels

Coloured gels are one of the “must have” light modifiers in my studio. They don’t adjust the shape of the light but they modify it’s colour and with a bit of know how you can get some amazingly colourful effects.

The gels I usually attach to my lights are always the heat resistant type, flashes produce loads of heat at higher powers. However if the gel is away from the light then I also have 70cm rolls of coloured cellophane which I get from my local florist and craft store.

Fun as gels are, why limit their use to altering the colour of light? In the video below I’ve got some creative alternatives uses for gels.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkG62J2tSBc&[/youtube]

As always working with a great model makes the world of difference and Beth did a great job here https://purpleport.com/portfolio/bethsmithmodel/ Similarly close head shots need great make-up and I have to thank Kate for this https://purpleport.com/portfolio/katechalkleymakeup/

Shooting Winter and Snow Studio Portraits

I love shooting portraits outside on location but winter can pose problems. Changeable weather and short days don’t help but cold, wet weather are my nemesis. So perhaps it’s not surprising that I find myself spending more time in the studio at this time of year.

Being stuck in my studio doesn’t mean that I can’t also embrace winter and bring the outside inside. A great way to do that is to make it snow.

In the video below I walk you through both the lighting and Photoshop post processing.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5QU9Jvc7v8[/youtube]

If you’d like to try my Photoshop Snow Action you can download it from https://www.gavtrain.com/?p=2490

If you’re after the falling snow in a can that I used for this shoot then check out the Snow Business store http://www.snowsupermarket.co.uk/falling-snow-c4/falling-snow-spray-in-a-can-p9

Best Focal Length for Portraits

Knowing the best focal length for shooting portrait isn’t as easy as it may sound. Different focal lengths give very different results, some more flattering then others. In this video I take the same head shot at several focal lengths and compare the results.

[youtube]www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGYqWULIUp0[/youtube]

Traditionally a 50mm lens (on a full frame camera) has been considered the closest to the human eye but generally I prefer headshots with 70mm or more.

As you can see in the comparisons above, zooming in (and therefore stepping back from the model) has a few benefits. The longer focal lengths give even tighter crops on the background and stepping back compresses the facial features. Of course there’s plenty of scope for creative portraits when shooting head shots with a wide angle lens but for most photographers, longer focal lengths are better.

Ambient vs Flash for location portraits

When it comes to shooting portraits on location I know many photographers who love to make best use of the ambient light. I also know lots of photographers who wouldn’t dream of shooting on location without flash. Although I prefer flash, I’m very happy to work with ambient light if it does what I need. If you’re undecided about moving to flash or perfecting your ambient shooting techniques then this video should answer a few questions.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA-vsOm-mk[/youtube]

I must thank the Gatwick Aviation Museum for the use of their location and the loan of the pilots outfit. Part of the reason for the look and location in these shots was to test out the venue and one of the outfits for my big Aviation Apocalypse workshop. Judging by what we learned on this shoot, the workshops are shaping up to be very exciting!

Flash

Ambient

Low Key Lighting

If you have a small or portable studio set up then low key portraits should be high on your list of “must have” lighting skills. Why? Apart from looking amazing, great low key lighting can be achieved with simple equipment against any dark background.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba1Hiq3w3kc&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

As the video above demonstrates, black backgrounds are the obvious choice for low key shots but grey backgrounds work too. So what makes a shot low key?

An underexposed image is not the same as a low key image. Whilst a true low key shot will have the majority of it’s tones on the dark side it will also have a few areas of highlights too. Contrast is key and that needs lighting but how you get there is all part of the creative process.

Creating shadows with D.I.Y. Gobos

Placing an object in front of a light source will usually cast a shadow of some sort. In the studio, if the object is solid it’s known as a flag but if it’s full of gaps (or semi translucent) it’s called a GoBo and can be incredibly useful. The shadow cast by a GoBo is often used to add texture or shapes to an otherwise plain background but there’s more to GoBo’s then that.

GoBo’s can cast shadows directly on to your subject for dramatic effects or they can be used to give reflections of the light source a little more style. And you don’t need a fancy GoBo projector to do it. Fabric, glassware, twigs or even tinfoil with random holes in are just a few things you can find around the house.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sBK4xFmF3Q&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

One last thought. Many photographers will tell you that GoBo is short for Go Between because it’s something that goes between the light and the subject. Well, if that’s true why aren’t they called GoBe’s?

Four looks, one grey background

Sometime back I made a textured wall for my studio which I love but the most important thing about it is the colour. If you can only choose one background for your small studio then for me it’s always going to be grey. Why? Because with a little bit of lateral thinking and lighting knowhow a grey background can be black, white, coloured or grey (obviously).

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIoWwx-elCE[/youtube]

Grey
This is the easiest to do. If you only have one light get your model as close to the grey background and shoot away. If you want a darker grey simply move the model and the light away from the background. For a lighter grey you’ll need at least one more light. Scroll down to “white” for more info.

Black
Black is basically a very dark tone of grey so to make the standard grey go black you can do one of two things. Either move the model or light as far from the background as possible or move the light as close to the model as possible. An egg crate grid over the light can be used to reduce light spilling onto the background.
In a small studio the latter way is how I go, it does mean that the softbox ends up in the shot but if you watch the video you’ll see my Photoshop / Lightroom trick to hide it.

Coloured
For this you’ll need at least one more light. The extra light(s) is placed behind the model and a coloured gel is fitted. The background colour is from the gel but also from the light output. A stronger background light will give brighter colours which can bounce off the background and onto the edges of your model in a small studio. A lower powered light will created a background with darker, richer colours. It’s all about balance and experimentation.

White
This is the toughest to nail. Adding more light onto the background from the rear light makes the background record as a lighter tone of grey. Add enough light and the grey will be white. Add too much light onto the background and you’ll lose detail on the model. You can find out my tips for balancing light to get the perfect white background in this video.

My 2016 UK Photography Show Schedule

There’s just one week to go until The Photography Show opens its doors at the N.E.C. in Birmingham and this year my free demos are bigger and better then ever. Running from the 19th – 22nd March, it’s easily the UK’s biggest and busiest photography show with 30,000 amateur and professional photographers attending. It’s packed with a great mix of stands from the major photographic suppliers to the small independent retailers.

But this isn’t just another trade show, there’s also loads of things to see and do. There’s a constant stream of free demos and talks on various live stages and that’s on top of all the smaller demos on many of the booths dotted around the show.

I’ll be there for the whole four days giving various talks and demos on Photoshop, portrait lighting and photography. I’ll be dashing from demo to demo (see below) but if you’re coming along it would be great to meet you.

Saturday

11.15 am	PiXAPRO E91	Small Space, Big Impact Lighting
12.30 pm	Adobe Theatre	Photoshop CC Hidden Gems
3.15 pm	PiXAPRO E91	One Flash Lighting
4.30pm	Olympus E31	Losing A Mirror But Finding Focus

Sunday

11.30 am	TPS Live Stage	Fearless Flash Photography
12.45 pm	PiXAPRO E91	Small Space, Big Impact Lighting
2.00 pm	Adobe Theatre	Photoshop CC Hidden Gems
3.15 pm	PiXAPRO E91	One Flash Lighting
5.00 pm	TPS Behind the lens	Snap Happiness (Talk)

Monday

11.00 am	Adobe Theatre	Photoshop CC Hidden Gems
12.15 pm	PiXAPRO E91	Small Space, Big Impact Lighting
2.15 pm	PiXAPRO E91	One Flash Lighting
3.30 pm	Adobe Theatre	Photoshop CC for Photographers
5.30 pm	TPS Networking Event	Mega Mess Ups! (Talk)

Tuesday

11:00 am	Adobe theatre	Photoshop CC Hidden Gems
12.15 pm	PiXAPRO E91	Small Space, Big Impact Lighting
2.15 pm	PiXAPRO E91	One Flash Lighting
3.30 pm	Adobe Theatre	Photoshop CC for Photographers

All my demos are free and available on a first come first served basis. There’s no need to book but as the Adobe theatre in particular has limited seating I’d recommend getting there early!

Show tickets are free for professional photographers and the trade (if booked in advance) and £13.95 for enthusiasts (£18.00 on the door)

Fashion Photography Workshop Wrap-up

Last Sunday I was in London with a great bunch of photographers. I’d been asked to be part of a workshop organised by my friend Robert Pugh and hosted by Olympus UK at their Art Bermondsey Project Space.

The day was themed around fashion photography with Rob running through a fashion set up with Profoto studio lights in the afternoon and me covering as many lighting tips and tricks as I could fit into the morning. Rob had secured the services or Amber Tutton as our model for the day, make-up was in the expert hands of Michelle Court and the clothes were supplied by Rob’s contacts in the fashion world… or so he told me 🙂

I kicked off the session with a single PIXAPRO speedlight in combination with either a MagMod snoot or just random house hold items used as GoBo’s

Next I moved on to a more powerful PIXAPRO flash inside a Westcott Rapidbox Duo softbox. Adding a grid to the softbox made controlling the light much easier and gave some great effects.

Finally I moved from the plain white walls of the gallery and on to Robs roll of black paper. The lack of background shadows makes black a great choice but a little uninteresting, that’s where background lights really help and when you throw gels into the mix, things can get really fun.

With my time up, I had one last tip. Learn the rules of photography so you can break them. My last shot did just that by pointing two speedlights right at the camera. The result was hard to predict but great fun.

You can check out Robs photos and write up of the day on his blog. Thanks to Clare Harvey-May for the behind the scenes photos

Make a simple LED Background

All sorts of random things can be turned into an amazing portrait background but last year I was shown something called the Pixel Stick which looked amazing. It was a Kickstarter backed project that combined LED’s and long exposures in a way I’ve never seen before. Although the pixelstick was out of my budget the basic idea wasn’t.

My low tech LED stick took just a few minutes to make and worked amazingly. Take a look at the Adorama TV video I made with the spectacular Mark Wallace to see for yourself.

I’ve had loads questions all asking the same thing… How do you make my LED stick?

eBay proved to be the perfect place to start my search. There are loads of low cost LED’s on the market and I found a 2 meter roll of multi-coloured LED’s complete with battery box and controller for about £17.00.

Each LED is actually several coloured LED’s clustered together which turn on or adjust their brightness to change the colour. The controller is very basic but allows you to set the colour, brightness and any effects such as flashing or fading through the spectrum.

The LED strip is very flexible and sealed inside clear silicone (or something like it), so I found a spare bit of 1.8m timber and attached the LED strip to that. There’s adhesive on the back of the strip but I just used a few rubber bands to hold it place. Just make sure the bands don’t cover the LED’s!

Then it’s just a matter of attaching the batteries and choosing a mode. Some colours worked better then others as did some modes. The key as always is to experiment and have some fun!