Meet Spencer and Michelle

Engagement sessions are always fun, but I love it when I get to tell a story with my pictures.  It takes a bit more work in the planning stages (more than say, "show up at this location and we'll take pretty pictures").  We need to plan out the story line, what to bring to the photo session, what the sequence of events will be and so on.

The session with Spencer and Michelle was intended to be like "going on a date".  We decided on the outdoor ice skating rink at The Gallivan Center (downtown Salt Lake City).  And indeed, it was Spencer's first time ice skating (he does roller blading, so he wasn't a complete newby to the concept).  So we set up where we would meet, discussed going into the rink, coming out for hot chocolate after wards, and so on.

And here are a few pictures from the story line:



























I had told them that part of my vision for the ice skating rink was to make it seem as if they were in their own little world together. One way to accomplish that photographically is to separate the subject from the foreground and background by blurring those parts of the photo. Depth of field is the tool used most often, but I wanted something different. So I brought my tripod and planned to set up a long exposure which would blur the people moving around Spencer and Michelle while they remained still in the middle of the scene. Here is an example of what I came up with:



In hindsight, I wish I had taken a Neutral Density (ND) filter with me. I have several, but forgot about them until after I had arrived. The above image was shot at 1/4 of a second, but in order to get the shutter speed that slow I had to shoot at f/32 which mean the background was in focus even while the surrounding skaters were in focus. A ND filter would have allowed me to further isolate them from the background by shooting at a larger aperture for shallower depth of field.

Later on we left the rink and the couple brought out the hot chocolate they had brought with them to warm them up.

































All in all, it was a fun experience. Sure, the pictures were less posed and less perfect. But the genuine emotions are there and the couple enjoyed the picture making process much more than if I just had them pose for pictures.

For another example in the story telling process, check out The Proposal where I actually took pictures and video of a couple as the guy proposes to her.

Temple Square at Christmas

A tradition amongst many who live in Utah (and some who come from far away), visiting Temple Square at Christmas Time is always a delight.  The beautiful Christmas lights and decorations, the Nativity scenery, and the warm fellowship of those who share your appreciation for Christ's birth all play a big part in celebrating Christmas for me and my family.

On this page are a few of my favorite Christmas on Temple Square pictures. 

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Processing

Because of limits in what the camera can capture, details in highlights and shadows are often invisible because the highlights are too white or the shadows are too black.  High Dynamic Range (HDR) Processing has been around for years as a means to take several images (under exposed, normal and over exposed) and merge them together into a single image while preserving the details in the highlights (from the under exposed image) as well as the details in the shadows (obtained from the over exposed image).

I don't consider myself an expert at HDR Processing, but I have long been a fan of HDR Soft's Photomatix Pro and have used it from time to time as I felt appropriate for specific kinds of images.  

Recently Nik Software, a well respected author of many image manipulation tools, released their own HDR software called HDR Efex Pro and I've been anxious to try it out.  I finally had time to do a short comparision between Photomatix 4.0 and the new HDR Efex Pro 1.0.

Let me briefly summarize my findings first and then let you examine the photos:

• I don't believe there is any "one true way" to do HDR processing.  There are many interpretations, from realistic to artistic to surrealistic and everything in between.
• The one big advantage that Photomatix always had for me (as compared to Photoshop's own built-in HDR processing capabilities) was the ease with which I could deliver something "usable" (as a side note: I never once produced anything that I liked using Photoshop's HDR capability).  Photomatix 4.0 adds the notion of Presets which quickly allows one to home in on the "look" he or she is trying to achieve (or to simply experiment with an image) by clicking on each of the presets and then playing with the sliders to fine tune the results.
• HDR Efex Pro 1.0, right from this first release, comes with presets as well - and has many more than presets than are found in the new Photomatix release (and showing a wider variety to begin your experimentation).

Conclusion

So now that I've played with both, which do I prefer?  I have to say Nik HDR Efex Pro!  And the thing that wins it for me are the presets because, once again, a new tool has made it "easier" for me to arrive at an interpretation of an image that I find pleasing to the eye.  But I also think that the quality of the output I got from HDR Efex Pro beats the output I got from Photomatix Pro.

So I started by capturing 3 images (under exposed by 2 stops, normal exposure and over exposed by 2 stops).  I used a tripod so that all three images would align well and easily merge in an HDR tool.

The images below are simply INTERPRETATIONS of those three images.  Both HDR Efex and Photomatix offer a wide variety of interpretations and these are but two from each.  So don't take these as the "final word" on what either tool can accomplish.  I merely show them to help you see the images I used when evaluating the capabilities of both tools.

Click each image to view large.

Nik HDR Efex Pro:

Photomatix Pro:

Nik HDR Efex Pro:

Photomatix Pro:

Flash Diffusion

I was recently asked what kind of diffuser I would recommend for a Speedlight.  Rather than just giving a quick answer, I thought I would give a bit of background information and instruction on the the subject.  And rather than just email my response back to the person asking, I thought perhaps it was better to post it here so that others may benefit from the information as well.

Here is my response in a Q & A format:


Q. Why do people think that flash is "harsh light"?  
A. Two reasons: 1) because of the "sharp shadows" it creates, and 2) often because of the location of those shadows - creating unflattering shadows on the subject due to the position of the flash on camera.

Q. What makes light harsh? (sharp shadows)
A. The "apparent size" of the source of light.  The smaller the source of light, the sharper the shadows.  I say apparent size because think of the sun. It is the largest source of light we have, yet it is harsh light because of how far away it is.  So distance matters.  The further away the light source is, the sharper it gets.  But in general, a 5' Softbox is softer light than a 2' softbox which is softer than a flash with no softbox.  (and, of course, a cloud covered sky is the largest softbox of all)

Q. Does the diffusion panel on the flash (or any other type of small diffusion accessory mounted on the flash)  make it less harsh? 
A. Not by itself, it does not!  It can however .... if diffusing the light causes it to bounce off of walls, ceiling, floor, etc, thus creating a "larger source of light".  But in wide open spaces (especially outdoors), a diffused light source that has nothing to bounce off of is still small and is nothing more than a weak, but still sharp, light source.

Q. So, does diffusing the light while it's on camera help?  
A. Maybe a little.  It's still coming from a bad angle.  But if it causes some extra light from nearby walls or ceiling to bounce into and fill in shadows it can be helpful (so let's just say "better than nothing, but not by much").

Q. Are there better ways to diffuse light?
A. Definitely!  Rotate the flash head and point it at the wall instead of at the person. The wall will turn the source of light into a much larger source of light.  And it will be side light rather than straight-from-the-camera.  And therefore will produce much more pleasing 3-dimensional shadows.

Q. Does a flash accessory such as the Gary Fong Lightsphere help? 
A. Yes, with caveats (see above).  Ignore their sales pitch. If you are outside it does absolutely nothing except waste light (and battery power!).  If you are inside with nearby walls or ceiling to bounce the light off of, then it can be helpful because the Lightsphere sends light in all directions and those nearby walls and ceiling can, indeed, create a larger source of light.  But ... consider the direction of your light.  And, consider that the walls and ceiling may be colored (thus affecting the color of the light on your subject).

Q. What would you recommend instead?
A. Get the flash off camera.  Have someone hold it or put it on a light stand.  This gives you a more pleasing direction of light.  Then use a softbox or umbrella to create a larger source of light. (for umbrellas, a shoot through umbrella is easier for me, but reflective works too)

Q. What is your favorite flash diffuser?
A. My current favorite flash accessory is the Lastolite Ezybox.  It comes in two sizes, a 24x24" softbox or a 15x15" softbox.

Q. Why do you prefer it over an umbrella?
A. Well, I have to admit that an umbrella can create a much larger source of light, and that umbrellas are ultimately very portable (and the two biggest reasons why I shot umbrellas for many years).  But the biggest problem with an umbrella is that it catches wind like no other.  The tiniest breeze can knock over a light stand.  I've broken dozens of umbrellas over the years.  And sadly, I've also had several speedlights break (usually the umbrella falls on itself and cushions the fall, but every now and then the crash is hard enough that the speedlight breaks, usually off the hotshoe connector).

The biggest reason I resisted going to a softbox for such a long time was time and portability.  It takes time to put together a softbox (all of the rods need to be inserted into the base and the diffusion panel put into place, etc).  Such a time consuming process (compared to simply opening a closed umbrella) that I rarely take my softboxes apart.  But a softbox that is assembled is generally not very portable (again, as compared to a folded umbrella, the assembled softbox occupies a lot more space and is harder to transport to an off site location).

Q. Why is the Lastolite Ezybox different?  
A. Because, just like the fold up reflectors that you probably already have in your camera bag, it folds down flat and pops-up in an instant!  No assembly required!!! You pop up the softbox and attach it to the mounting bracket (which I leave my flash attached to at all times) and violá, in mere seconds I'm up and running with a mini-studio regardless of location.

Q. Are there advantages to a softbox over an umbrella?  
A. There is generally less "wasted light" because all of the light is moving forward.  When using a shoot through umbrella, some of the light bounces out the back (I like this fact, and still use umbrellas in a room where the backward light can hit walls or ceiling and create a still larger source of light), but by having all of the light going forward the softbox can be more efficient, reducing recycle times and increasing battery life.

A softbox with internal diffusion is generally softer light than an umbrella which will still have a hot spot in the center.  I typically use the diffusion panel on my high end strobes, but don't use the diffusion panel for my speedlights because outdoors I generally need all the light I can get (and my strobes are only used indoors and are more powerful / faster to recycle anyway).  The Ezybox comes with the internal diffusion panel and you can choose to use it or not (I might use it if I'm indoors and not as concerned about recycle times).

Q. Are there any advantages that an umbrella might have?
A. Yes. The umbrella is much cheaper and, as mentioned above, can produce a much larger source of light.  But did I mention wind and broken umbrellas?  Yeah, the price difference will disappear quickly if you are shooting outdoors.

So I still use both - umbrellas and softbox.  But if I had to pick one over the other, I would pick the Lastolite Ezybox.

The Proposal

Yesterday I had the honor of witnessing first-hand the marriage proposal between two good friends, Tyler Willey and Carolina Castillo.

But let's rewind the story a bit!

Back in August I needed a male model for a Trash the Dress photo shoot that I had scheduled with Carolina.  The scheduled male model had to cancel and so I asked Tyler if he would be willing to fill in.  And that is how he and Carolina met - all dressed up in Wedding Attire on their very first photo shoot!  And to think that they later started dating and fell in love, I've never been a match-maker before and this is just cool.

Tyler let me know in advance that he was thinking of marrying Carolina and he asked if I'd be willing to take pictures of the engagement.  But he wanted it to be a surprise and so he suggested that I present the idea to Carolina as a "modeling session" instead of an engagement session.

And so I did.  I told Carolina that I had this idea for a "romantic getaway" type of photo shoot and that I needed two models and wondered if she and Tyler would be willing to help me out.  She eagerly agreed and the hook was set.  The three of us then began brainstorming what the photo shoot would be like, where and how I wanted it to be like a story.

I suggested going up to my brother-in-law's cabin (Big Cottonwood Canyon) where we could shoot some scenes outdoors in the mountains leading up a scene in the cabin.  I figured the coldness of the mountain air would be conducive to the "closeness" that I wanted to see between them.  But even I didn't realize how cold or that there would be several inches of snow on the ground.  But the idea was to spend some time outdoors and then go into the cabin for a scene in front of the fireplace.





Tyler and I set up some code words that we could use to inform each other whether he was ready to propose or whether I was set and ready to capture the event in pictures.  So after moving inside the cabin, I began setting up my equipment.

Trying something new... I set up one camera, a Canon 5D Mark II, on a tripod where I could use it to capture HD quality video.  Then I set up my lights so that I could use my other Canon 5D Mark II camera to capture stills.

Carolina is still thinking that this is a modeling session and so I am directing the events.  I had them over by a window where I told them to simply interact with each other.  We got some great expressions as they are very obviously in love with each other:



And the stage was set.  Tyler broke away for a moment, during which time I instructed Carolina to look at the window so that she wouldn't see what Tyler was doing (he was retrieving the box with the wedding ring in it). He returned to embrace her and she still hadn't seen it coming.  I told her to turn around and face him and that's when things got under way.



Tyler spoke lovingly to her for a moment... and then, to her surprise, he got down on one knee.  I was amazed at how quickly she realized what was happening.  I love her response.  You can see it captured in video here:



The sheer joy in her voice and the look on Tyler's face...  the video and this picture tear me up each time I see them:





When then finished the rest of the photo session that I had discussed with them - utilizing the fire place in the cabin to showcase their love and romance for each other.  Such genuine emotions, it was an honor to be there and to see them and take their pictures.







Here is a video slide show that I put together comprising the images and video from the photo session:



Congratulations Tyler and Carolina!  What an honor to be present at such a tender moment in your lives.  Thank you for inviting me.  I look forward to your wedding day when you two will be married and sealed in the Temple.