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Blue!

Jul, 2013

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this image in my livingroom.

Time

Early evening, though the time of day is actually irrelevant.

Lighting

I lit this with a single off-camera camera 580EX II in a 24" softbox. I'm a Syl Arena disciple, and almost always shoot with the camera in manual and with the flash(es) set to eTTL - and that's exactly what I did for this shot.

Equipment

I handheld shot this with a Canon T4i (which has since been rebranded to the T5i) and a Sigma 50mm lens. As noted above, the light is provided by a single off-camera 580EX II in a softbox.

Inspiration

I'd been preparing to run a photobooth for my church's Vacation Bible School and so had, much to my wife's consternation, a bunch of random camera and lighting gear strewn about the living room. My wife had some classic Blues going on the stereo (probably Blind Willie or similar) and was playing along on one of her harmonicas. My step-daughter, not quite 4 at the time and pictured here, came cruising in and decided to join her mom with another harp. So long as she didn't move, the flash and lightbox were already set where they needed to be (or close enough) - making an opportunity I couldn't pass-up!

Editing

I adjusted crop, exposure, and contrast in Lightroom and then performed the black and white conversion with Nik's (Google's) Silver Efex Pro. Otherwise, this is "straight from the camera".

In my camera bag

These days for just walking around, I normally pack a Canon 70D and a Canon pancake 40mm STM lens. Depending on my plans, I might throw in a collapsible reflector. If I'm doing a for-fun shoot or am going out with friends or family and know I might want to get a bit more technical, I'll add a 580EX II, a large Rogue Flashbender, and a pair of Yungnuo YN-622Cs. If I'm doing an actual paid gig, I'll replace the pancake lens with a Sigma 70-200mm zoom and then throw in an extra 70D body, a Canon 17-55mm zoom, a 600EX-RT, a 120cm Westcott Orb knockoff (Chinese), a light stand, another pair of Yunguo flash triggers, and several spare batteries. I'm a big fan of one-light / reflector rigs.

Feedback

At the risk of sounding cliche, the best photos are those that capture and retell a story. Stories worth retelling unfold all around us all the time - and as a photographer, you should always be on the ready. For this shot, I lucked-out with the flash placement - but the fact that I didn't have to reach more than a few feet for my camera was no coincidence. Even if the flash hadn't been in place, and even though the lighting may not have been what I wanted, there was no way I was going to miss this shot. Which is all to say: keep your camera close and ready. Oh, and unless you're trying to build a portfolio, there's no such thing as cheating: if you can get award-winning shots of your kids, more power to you!

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Blue!

Behind The Lens

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