Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO!

On day 160, I was enjoying the realization that I still don't have to go to work for three more days, but the running around and errands seem endless after a vacation.

So, I needed a quick shot but I specifically wanted to do something experimental. I've been thinking about using supplemental flash in daylight shots and this seemed like a nice day for it with blue skies and white clouds.

By the time I got my idea together, and my subjects ready and willing, a little gray had entered the white clouds, but I still like the shot:



It's Super Baby! I think every kid on the planet likes this game... This was shot in the shade at 1/125th, f/16 (sunny 16!) and ISO 100. The shot is done in shade, with the 580EX II on-camera at 1/2 power, using the LumiQuest SBIII softbox. The effect is what I was hoping for, with a properly exposed foreground and the sky a nice shade of blue with definition in the clouds.

What more can I say about this? I had an idea, and it worked the first try! The shot itself could use a little more artistic flair, but getting the technical elements right is a challenge and a thrill in itself.

I have some portrait time scheduled with friends who are getting married soon, and this is valuable experience for that shoot.

Portrait Day

Well, shooting the grandkids' portraits went pretty well all in all. There was a certain amount of time that was spent herding them, and trying to get them all to look in the same direction at the same time, but the results are good overall.

The rental studio was set up with four AB400s which were very nice to work with, two softboxes for the key and fill lights, and straight reflectors for the background lights.

Here are the best of the shots taken today, all taken within 40 minutes or so. We got in and out way faster than I expected:





This has a guest appearance by Po, the stuffed Hippo:






Another guest star, Javelin the stuffed cat:


Mid-air shot!


Mid-air, part two!


Any comments are welcome!

Sunlight portraits...

So, today was one of my first chances to really take any pictures. I've been shooting snapshots, but nothing really worth sharing at this point.

However, in my sisters back yard I managed to corral all of the kids for a minute or two and got them to sit down for a couple of natural light portaits.

My son and daughter are the first two shots, my nieces the latter two. All shot with the 70-200 at f/4, ISO 100:









I'm pretty happy with all of these, although the focus on my son is a bit soft. Tomorrow we are heading to the Royal Ontario Museum so there should be photo opportunities galore!

Backyard Bubbles

I hope you aren't all sick of pics of my kids. The more practice I can manage with portraits, the better. Besides, my kids are cute!

We picked up this 'Bubble Typhoon' device on the weekend and set it up in the backyard today. Of course, Daddy was right behind with his camera.

Here are the shots from today:





Both shot with the 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM which I'm finding a very helpful kid-shooting lens. The autofocus is damn quick, the fixed aperture is just incredibly helpful for sorting out exposure, and for full body shots the zoom range really is ideal. Combined with the much better AF on the 7D and all my shots were crisply in focus. These were shot at ISO 100, f/4 in aperture priority.

I've really come to like this post processing style as well. It's almost become a go-to for me for strongly lit portraits. I'll need to branch out, but it's also important to develop a style to show your clients. I think this one works for me.

Mummy Luv!

Back to the portraits! I am travelling to Ontario to visit my family, and I've booked a small studio for a day while I am there so that I can shoot my nieces, so I'll try and get as many shots in as I can right now. Day 153 was a portrait day.

I was using my son as my subject today, and since he started crawling getting him to settle down is a chore. My wife sat nearby to help but all that did was make him stare and smile at here. This isn't the shot I planned, but it's a shot I love:



Same post processing technique as I used for the twig splashing shots from a few weeks ago. I like the effect, and it can be subtle while still being interesting. I'm not 100% set on it, but I do like it.

This was shot with a white muslin background, the 580EX II camera left, and an LP160 camera right, both with shoot-through umbrellas at just a bit above his head height. ISO 100, 1/200th shutter at f/3.2 on the 17-55mm at 55mm. A good setup for headshots with only minimal cleanup needed in post processing. I managed this shot, including setup of the lights, in under ten minutes.

I'm getting there, I hope.

Babies everywhere!

We had friends visiting today, and although I hadn't really planned on pictures, when you get babies together, cute stuff happens.

My boy, Marcus, and their daughter, Norah, did the classic baby thing of staring at each other in amazement and pawing away at each other's faces. I only took a few shots but I kept one and I thought it would be more post processing practice time. I think I'm getting a style down that I like, not fully Lomo or anything, but slightly contrasty and desaturated.

Anyhow, here is the picture for today:



Shot with the new 7D, and my 50mm. She's a little doll, but I couldn't get a lot of smiles out of her. I wasn't really trying to force the issue, it's not a shoot, but she was quite a serious little lass. A good visit with friends though.

This picture also illustrates the value a big wide aperture. There was not going to be a good background to this shot, period. We were all sitting around on the floor, so it was going to be someones knee or elbow or something, so dial back to f/2.2 and blur the heck out of it!