Sherome & Erin | Engaged

Here is a set from a recent engagement session I did with Sherome & Erin. We shot half of the session at Wade Park in Cleveland (also commonly known as the “Duck Pond”), which is a very nice spot for portraits. In fact, EVERY time I have taken a client there for a session there is always a bridal party or two taking portraits there. The other photos were taken at a nearby church, which proved to be a great location as well. We had to dodge some rain towards the end of the session, but overall everything went smoothly. These guys were so fun to work with. Thanks for looking and congrats again to Sherome & Erin on their engagement! More to come in the next few posts!

Portia | Maternity Session

Hey everyone! I’m back with some brand new images! (About time, right?) These are a few from a maternity session a few months ago. Hope you enjoy these; I’m going to get this blog caught up with some more of my recent work in the next few posts, so stay tuned!

Summer glamour shoot with Jadea

In keeping with the beautiful, yet uncharacteristically good weather we’ve been having these past few days, I thought it would be appropriate to share some images of the lovely Jadea I shot in the studio last summer. This was a fun, but hectic shoot…and if I remember correctly, I didn’t get home until after midnight! (And yes I still had to get up and go to work the next morning). My lighting setup was very basic; I’ve posted it below (*Note: the last shot was without the softbox, and the BD was gridded). I hope you enjoy these images and the weather today! Make the most of it because the snow will be here again next week…hide ya wives, hide ya kids…

Affordable semi-DIY snoot for Vivitar 285HV

If any of you photographers out there started out learning basic lighting concepts using small studio flashes off-camera (aka the strobist method) like I did, then you probably have used or have heard of the revered {Vivitar 285HV} flash. There’s really no question why the 285HV is so well-liked among strobists since it is relatively cheap and packs a bunch of power for the price. It does have a few negatives such as a proprietary sync port and no settings for 1/8 power, but the biggest flaw of this flash is the awkwardly-shaped flash head. Compared to modern flashes like the {Canon Speedlite 580EX II} or {Nikon SB-900 Speedlight}, the 285HV’s head is ridiculously large. Consequently, it makes finding lighting modifiers that will fit this flash a REAL pain. Now contrary to the title of this post, I really prefer to stay away from DIY stuff when it comes to my photography equipment. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with making your own snoots, brolly boxes, beauty dishes, etc. if you are handy and have the time to do this. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or the patience to sit down and do all of that when there are companies out there that make the equipment I need. Plus, I care about the image I portray to my clients during our sessions, so I would rather not bring something to a shoot that looks like a homeless man made it unprofessional. With that being said, I really needed to find a good snoot that would work on my Vivitars. After doing some research online, I came across someone using a {Caselogic ANC Neoprene Mobile Catch All} to snoot their 285HV. This was the answer I had been looking for! It’s really a case to hold personal items such as a cell phone, glasses or other small items that you can attach to a car dashboard or the like. But it works PERFECTLY as a snoot. It’s made out of neoprene and the opening is adjustable, so you can control the shape of the light a little bit if necessary. Another great asset is that it looks professional! I call it semi-DIY because it does take a few minutes to cut the strap off that comes with it as well as the stitching that holds the bottom of the case together. But for $3.99 and a few minutes of your time..I’d say this purchase is well worth it if you own one of these!

Studio Implied Nude shoot with Estee

Hey guys! These next few posts will be short and sweet—I just want to share with you some of my favorite images (along with lighting setups) from the latter part of 2010 before I jump into some more recent work from this season. This is one of my favorite images I shot last year…not necessarily due to the risqué nature of the image, but just because it is just a beautiful image to me. From her facial expression to the flowing lines of her body, everything that this image yields to the eye is just graceful and aesthetically pleasing. For the lighting setup, it was very simple to go along with the “au naturel” theme of this shoot. My main light was a B800…shot through a beauty dish of course. The light from this light modifier, coupled with the fabulous makeup done by Rachel Newsom, really helped to give her skin tone that nice glow that I wanted. I used a snooted 285HV for the background light to give it some shape as well. Camera and lens combo was a 5D and 70-200mm f/2.8L. That’s it! Leave a comment if you like ;)

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