Tuesday this week I photographed 22 Wedding dresses for a 13 page editorial in a magazine. I only had about 15 min pr. dress so I had to think how can I light well and change it fast without adjusting to much power etc. I came up with this 5 light set up (see overview) after lot's of thinking the night before. From left lamp #1 a 74inch Elinchrom Octa Bank working as an even backlight for the whole body. Lamp #2 a square pan reflector with grid in the middle above the thunder grey Superior seamless paper background. Then lamp #3 a 2nd octa (this one medium) on the right side of the bride, is in this overview pulled more forward then in the sample shots (more back like the large octa on the left). The next light #4 is essential for this shots, it's a spot with a grid pointed to the brides face, trying to avoid the dress. Last lamp #5 is a fill about 2 f stops under the spot and octa's sent into my neutral grey wall and ceiling for a large fill in a high angle. The whole thinking is to light the dresses best possible which leave the face dark in the middle (see image underneath), then punch the face with the spot in a flattering way for the model (image number 2 underneath text). I almost always, inside and outside light the dress and face separately, simply because they look their best in different light :-) Last image shows a variation with profile, we can work so fast when assistant here quickly follow the models face with the spot. All lamps Elinchrom , camera Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, lens Canon 70-200mm. f2.8 

PS. I am generally against many images in a blog, but felt this one needed it to illustrate the light well.

I promised a few weeks ago to post some images from my super fun shoot with Kurt Bestor. The shoot was done at the Covey Center for the Arts. When Kurt came in, I introduced myself and Kurt said, "I know you, you photographed me back in the mid-eighties! I still have the picture; I like it, but not the clothes I was wearing in it :-)))" We both connected back to the Osmond Studios and the eighties. The Osmond Studios was my first work place in the USA. Kurt has done more then 40 film scores, won an Emmy etc., but what he is most known for is his Christmas Concerts and albums for the last 21 years. I learned something cool from him: He is forty-eleven years old, so now I'm forty-fourteen :-) For more on Kurt Bestor here is a link to his website. and to the article.

On to the photographic part. First the back lighting. What gives both this images a performance feeling is the 650w Fresnel spot on the cover placed straight behind him many rows up. See how it spreads down the seat rows in the wider shot underneath the cover. It's sitting on a very high tripod to create more even distance to the rows and get some of the top of his head. In the image underneath the fresnel spot is more to the right as you can see in the overview .The tungsten fresnel spot gives a nice and warm backlight, to separate him well. Compared to the strobes ( 5500K), the Fresnel is about 3400K. 

Cover shot: Main light and fill light in this shot is Elinchrom strobes. Main light is an the 53" Junior Octa 45 degrees from the right, as close as possible to him with out being in the image, placed right in front of row 1. The fill light is a silver umbrella right behind me up on the stage. Camera Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III 70-200mm 2.8 at 115mm and f 5.6. ISO 400.

In the image underneath it is NO strobes, just the fresnel from behind him to the right, existing light from bulbs, room, etc, then a Vector 3 mill candlelight spot with a diffusion screen slightly from the right of me. Camera Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. Lens 50mm 1.4 @ 2.8. 1/160sec. handheld to be more free and faster for angles etc. ISO 400.

PS. To learn more about use of Fresnel spot and how it looks see this blog entry.

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.

• 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. 

I think this image speaks more then a thousand words.

Excuse me for being more personal then photographic today. I grew up in wonderful Asker, Norway a 25 minute drive from Oslo along the Oslofjord. It's right by the ocean but still close to the mountains. About 91% of Norway is considered mountainous. 

I know live in beautiful Utah famous for its red rocks and skiing. Always since I first visited here in 1983 I wanted to get a picture I liked of Mount Timpanogos. It's the mountain up the hill from The Osmond Studios where I first worked when I moved here in the 80's. It's also the mountains I can see from my house today after I moved back here in 2000. Timp as we often call it rises to an elevation of 11,749 feet (3,582 m) above sea level. This picture is taken on my way home from work yesterday, in a park along Center Street. I'm standing about 4700 feet (1,432 m) above sea level. What a powerful experience it is to look up at this beautiful mountain so high.

5 minutes after this picture was taken the sun on the mountain was all gone, today 24 hours later almost all the snow is gone. I think the ultimate magic of this mountain is days like yesterday, when it is nice and green in the park, fall on the mountain side and snow on the tops. Just wanted to share this image I wanted and now I feel I got. Please have a wonderful week end wherever you are, mountain, ocean or whatever it may be. More then anything I see, I love and enjoy difference.

PS. New classes added, including a 3 day Wedding School 

Here is an Animoto video from Jamie's shoot  for my "Lighting that Rocks" and "Color and Colour" program sections. (See Lighting that ROCKS! blog) We always start a sales appointment with an Animoto video from the clients shoot. It gets them so excited and happy. We include the video in some of our packages and love it when they post it on their Facebook etc. great free marketing.

A little info about Animoto: Animoto is created by TV & film producers, Animoto for photography turns your photos into stunning videos in minutes. Fast, award-winning production value. 300+ free, commercially licensed songs. And now, totally white label.

If you are signing up for an account, you can get a free month and/or save a few dollars using this promocode :-) qwapsjvz Here is a link to the Animoto site, enjoy!