In last week's Photographing People Part 3 class we had a lot of fun playing with a bunch of different light sources. When we come to part 3 it's time to put into practice what the students have learned in Part 1&2. They work 2 and 2 together spending 45 minutes at different workstations with different kind of lights. They trade off shooting and assisting. This is a great way for them to experience how an assistant can help improve their work. MaryLyn and I go from group to group giving input. Class by The International School of Photography.

The workstation in this image is window light with several great tools to help them. Reflectors including a black reflector for subtractive lighting, daylight bulbs with or without a silver umbrella and a diffusion screen if the sun comes and hits the window directly. We also have a metal halide lamp for daylight at a different work station.

In this image the window light was not strong enough and we wanted it to wrap the light more around the face so she could look more straight towards the camera without getting a dark side of the face. This was achieved when we added the 4 daylight bulbs Lisa is holding right inside the window, increasing and extending width to the light. The bulbs are very reasonable if bought in the right place. I love getting great light and results with simple and inexpensive methods. It's also fun for the students to come home with new great ideas that don't take thousands of dollars to put to work.

PS. So I added a "finished" image as requested. My Photoshop expert is busy with a magazine deadline, so I ran a file through our workflow action "ColorPerfect" so it's  a one click file. What is the biggest difference with our actions is that they are made for normal workflow not effects, except a couple of them. The set is called: Linge's Action Packed PS 1 v.1.03 Price US$ 175. It might add some sleep to your life :-)

 PSS. Here is a link to the holder etc .

The Photographing People Part 2 class last Saturday was a blast. We went through so many different light sources and ways to use them. The craziest moment was photographing a wedding couple a few feet from a train passing by full speed ( Image 1). You can also see in image 2 the same technique under more normal circumstances. This lamp is a Lowel 650 watts Fresnel spot, one of many great things about fresnel spots is that they can be focused. It's so excellent to use in cloudy weather to replace a nice evening sun. The color temperature on the lamp is 3200 Kelvin. Sometimes we clip on different blue foils if we want colder light, but real sunsets are very warm. The lamp gives a VERY even light and being powered from the car it last almost forever. We hook it up to a car battery with the car running using a power inverter( image 3) this you get for under $100 from a car parts store like Checkers. Sadly enough Lowel discontinued this lamp due to high production cost, but Arri have one just as good.I used Arri for years in Europe. Have fun playing with the huge amount of different light sources out there. The International School of Photography site is now up www.intsop.com not all the way done, but worth a visit.

Are You Ready for The Wedding School                                        The International School of Photography presents the Wedding School, November 16-18th @ InStudio in Orem, Utah. If maximizing your potential as a wedding photographer is your goal then this course is the answer you've been looking for. Three days of intense instruction from internationally renowned photographer Kenneth Linge M.Photog. Cr. CPP. PFP.XXV. is just the thing to take you to the next level. This course includes both classroom theory and actual application demonstrations on location. The number of students is limited to ten per class providing an intimate learning environment. The Wedding School also includes a must-have workbook packed with lighting diagrams, ideas and information as well as room for notes so that you will leave with an invaluable reference guide. Take a look at the mini syllabus below and see what we mean. The Wedding School is a must for anyone serious about the field of wedding photography. Photographers completing the course will even receive a diploma.

• Outdoor Lighting-learn reflective, subtractive, diffused, tungsten and other location lighting techniques to wow your customers. Midday sun? No problem!
• Indoor Lighting-effective and powerful set ups.
• Perspective-choosing lenses and f-stops to set you apart from the crowd.
• Posing-how to use it, avoid it, and everything in between.
• Backgrounds and location-learn to see solutions, anytime, anyplace.
• Digital workflow-learn to be efficient so you still have a life! We will demonstrate and have for sale the Photoshop actions that cut our computer time in half without compromising quality.
• Color vs. black and white-how and when to best use both. Plus, effective and modern use of color.
• Proofing-how to deliver digital proofs your customers can't copy.
• Post Wedding Services-a source of extra income or a time consuming trap?
• Effects-some easy yet powerful, some complicated; how to really stand out.
• Pricing and Contracts-what you really need to know.
• Marketing-the heart muscle of your business, learn our tried and true techniques.
• Image, Image, Image-tips for defining and creating yours.
• Photo Demonstrations with Models- Learn to thoroughly understand each technique taught both in theory and application. Demonstrations will be both indoors and outdoors on location. You will even get to follow the workflow through to the final print.

Discounted Tuition with Early Enrollment!

Full tuition for The Wedding School is $1200. This includes a light meal each day. 
If you enroll by midnight PST on Saturday October 31st, 2009 you will receive our $250 "Fired-up Photographer" discount—lowering your tuition to $950!
(Remember, the course is offered on a first come, first serve basis with room for only 10 photographers so don't delay, enroll today!) You can also call 1.801.221.1100 for more info, or if you want to set up a Wedding School in your state or country.

Midday sun solutions. This image is from a wedding I did in The Canary Islands. The sun is high and it's hard to light them without interfering with what's between them and me. Too bright for my spots etc. A mirror would have  been the best "try". My personal rule photographing people outside is: If you can't get good light on them, don't have them look in the camera! Dark eyes looking at you is like an autofocus hitting a white wall, you just keep searching and searching without getting contact.

If I had wanted an image with eye contact, I would have kept the camera frame, but moved them close to me on the right and added some nice light on them, maybe also a diffusion screen over their heads (a California Sunbounce Sun Swatter would been the ideal one, since you can keep it so high and out of your shot). If you know me, you know I love photographing in midday sun, and it is one of the main things I teach.

A second thing about this image: I got low to get more lines, but mostly to get their heads clear of the ocean line to keep it peaceful between them. 

Workshop in Oslo, Norway together with Roy Gabrielsen and Michal Tomazewicz

When I do workshops I love to challange myself to do something nice with not ideal conditions. Of course the location here is faboulous, it's the new Opera in Oslo. I really liked the glass corner as you see. So i took the challange of hard dirct sun, sometimes we get forced to photograph with light like that, normally I will go up against the sun since I love backlight. Then add whatever ligthsource is best for the given situation. Anyhow here I am shooting in direct sunlight as you can see very well in image number 2, see how hard the shadows are on the ground. It's June 8th at 5:57 pm and that day the sun went down 10:34 pm, yes it is some very nice long days in Oslo this time of year:-) The diffussion panel we had was big but not large enough to diffuse her and the building, so no diffusion. I'm shooting laying on the ground under the reflector shooting @ 28mm full frame. To make my model look good I have her lean forward to get more in level with the camera plane. Have her keep her hips back. This way I avoid distorting her getting big hips, small head etc etc. I use a silver/gold reflector to add a touch of warmth and to lighten up the hard shadows somehow. I tilt her head up more than normal so the sun will hit the triangle on her face. It is really important that everything face the sun right to not get unplesent shadows on her and the dress. Some other things that makes this image work well: She is the most important part of the image, so her skin/hair etc is the minority, the blue creates depth. Blue and yellow are also complimentary colors as you know. So there are several elements that make your eyes go to her more than the surroundings. Hope to see you somewhere in the world soon :-) Thanks for following my blog.