Filed under: Danise Cavallaro, flash photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, New Jersey, Uncategorized | Tags: Danise Cavallaro, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, New Jersey, Photography, Photography tips
Spent a day last week at a workshop led by Joe McNally, one of the modern masters of lighting. Joe is particularly skilled at using small flashes (he shoots Nikon, so the SB900 is the current weapon of choice) and simple tools (like reflectors, bed sheets, and white walls) to create stunning, dramatic photographs. He demonstrated several of his techniques during the day, including making corporate portraits and sports/athletic images. If you’re interested in lighting and ever have the chance to learn from Joe, don’t miss the opportunity!
A few days later we met up with a couple of friends who were kind enough to spend time in front of the lens as the sun faded in the sky. We followed some of Joe’s advice and used one SB900 off camera to create these images. Many thanks to Mary, David and Danise for their willingness to stand in the cold while hungry!
David and Mary
David at Sunset
Danise
Mary
Mary in the Hood
Filed under: Danise Cavallaro, flash photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, Photography tips, Sailors, tom bol photography | Tags: Danise Cavallaro, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, Photography, Photography tips, Sailors
Most of our shooting takes advantage of natural light – bright sun overhead, sparkling water below, and big white sails that act as giant reflectors. Last evening we took the opportunity to head to the beach and experiment using a combination of natural light at twilight and a Nikon SB600 flash unit.
Danise donned her bright red foul weather pants to add color to the shot, picked up a surf fishing pole, and was ready to go. We placed our sole SB600 on a light stand and set it for wireless shooting. Our first few test shots were decent, but we wanted the light to be a little warmer. Solution: we dialed up the White Balance to around 8300K and, voila, instant warmth! The sun had set so we had limited time to shoot. Danise made cast after cast (taking great care not to hook Mike as she did!), and we captured a few shots we liked.
Next time: start earlier, hope for more clouds, experiment with an umbrella or softbox, and add an additional flash unit for some other effects.
Our inspiration for shots like these come from Tom Bol. Check out tombolphoto.com and be sure to visit his blog to see some terrific recent work with flash.
