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‘Lighting Experiments’ Category

  1. Lowry Lights

    November 6, 2011 by cat

    Since September I have been volunteering at The Lowry. Its such a wonderful place to be and the people are always so cheerful that I’m really starting to feel creative (photographically) again.

    With the night’s drawing in (note these photos were taken between 4:50pm and 4:55pm) I thought I’d look to the evening lighting at The Lowry and around Media City UK.

    Just a few for now – was in a rush to get to a birthday party and had no tripod!


  2. Studio Session :: Self

    February 28, 2010 by cat

    This week I ended up in the studio on recommendation of one of my tutor. To get comfortable about going into the studio before taking other people in there for a project I’m currently doing for my degree.

    I was given the choice of two cameras, a Fuji 6×9 (which I used in first year) and a Mamiya RB67. I thought I’d play with something I’d yet to have time with so chose the Mamiya with a 120 back.

    The exercise started with me shooting a film with my eyes closed.

    By the end of the exercise I had my eyes open and trying to pose – you would not believe how hard I find it to pose in front of a camera!

    The lighting was setup in this way so that it would not distract from the simplicity of the photographs themselves.

    The aim of the session was to get me to look at simple lighting akin to David Bailey, Sally Man and Richard Avedon to try to open up the possibilities of a series of portraits I’m currently shooting. I may have more from this set (I’ve got photographs of two other people too and if they will let me post them I’ll share them with you lot!).


  3. Last Of My Kitties My Flash

    September 18, 2009 by cat

    Just after dinner this evening Apollo came in from the cold. Thankfully I had some chicken leftover and he was quite happy to pose for the chicken.


    Apollo (aged 4 years 3 months)


  4. My Kitties My Flash

    September 17, 2009 by cat

    In recent weeks I realised that I had no up to date photographs of the cats. Recently we got some “Yongnuo” CTR-301P Wireless Flash Trigger, which frankly they are the best set of triggers I’ve had my hands on.

    So I’ve been playing with the new triggers and off camera flash. At the moment I’m only playing with a single flash gun (although I can up to a second thanks to the Vivitar 285HV working happily with the triggers).

    In no particular order


    Hannah (aged 12 years)


    Hathor (aged 6 years)


    Henery (aged 8 years)


    Seti (aged 6 years)


    Squeaker (aged 4 years)


    Walnut (aged 16 months)

    That’s all the cats, bar Apollo (aged 4 years) who hasn’t been around to photograph for a few days. I’ll be getting a photograph of him as soon as I possibly can.

    Each of these photographs was taken in the cat’s favoured place. Hannah being in bed, Seti near my dad in the living room, Walnut on the stairs, Henery on top of the fridge, Hathor under the bed and Squeaker at the top of the stairs (well he likes to hide..). So I hope you like them.


  5. Lighting Playtime: Stofen, Vivitar 285HV, Canon 10D and Blown Back Drops

    September 19, 2008 by cat

    I wasn’t much in the mood for arranging my face today so I thought I’d try an idea that’s been bouncing around my head for a few days – a blurred, backlit portrait.

    Take:
    Canon 10D
    Vivitar 285HV
    Stofen
    Cable release
    PC Sync cable
    tripod
    lighting stand
    and a blank piece of wall

    Mix together in an appropriate way. Camera pointing at subject, flash (on 1/2 power) with stofen behind subject at shoulder height. Subject, in this case, holding the cable release. Auto-focus off and focused at the very minimum.

    The only post-processing done – added a vignette, image size and saved as jpg!


  6. Lighting Playtime – On Board Flash Defuser

    September 16, 2008 by cat

    As the caption from the images says:-
    “Captured with Canon 10D, on camera flash with a home-made “stofen”-like defuser about a foot away from the subject. The defuser is made out of a film reel canister with a cut about a cm wide to accommodate the flash unit.”

    For a while I’ve been having to use sheets of paper with any photograph that needed flash (and not using the Vivitar 285HV) with under 5ft between camera and subject (many of my portraits, macro-ish shots, etc) to defuse the on board flash. Well, no more! I now have a defuser and it came free with film!

    On top of all that – I’ve not had to edit the file, just convert it to jpg.


  7. Lighting Playtime: Stofen, Vivitar 285HV, Canon 10D and new hair colour

    August 30, 2008 by cat

    The last few days I’ve been playing around with the flashgun and how to use the light on camera. Trying to get my head around how to use this strobe in portraits on the go and with little prep.

    The strobe is in the hot-shoe so, about 4inches above lens, pointed straight forwards at the subject(ie, me) on 1/16th power. 75mm, 1/125th sec, f.4. Used a hand trigger – wired clone – and tripod slightly higher than the default height.

    This photo is manually focused and for once looks to be spot on..

    So what do you think of the colour?? It was meant to be a redy-brown, but it is over my old purple hair. 🙂


  8. My Miniture Dr Jones

    May 29, 2008 by cat


    Adam Joshua

    This is my nephew, Adam Joshua. He’s 8 and this might just have been the only time during the weekend I was in Edinburgh that he sat still!

    Main light (room feature) camera right and flash gun 2 foot above camera with stofen at 45° either 1/16th or 1/4th power.

    Gallery


  9. 50s Pin-up/Candy Girl

    May 29, 2008 by cat

    This is my most recent shoot from the Studio at university. It’s main purpose was as a piece to go in my portfolio and to go in the portfolio of a make-up and hairstylist Sarah Spears.


    Suzy

    The gallery


    Nat


  10. Play time in the studio

    April 14, 2008 by cat

    So last Thursday I developed all of my backlog of film. Most of it was 120 (medium format) black and white, although there was one roll of Ilford HP5+ (developing for someone else).

    I found the roll that I used in the studio on March 3rd (2008). While I was in the studio I had the chance to use a Fuji 6×9 – the only one that my uni has.


    This is Cassie – one of my class mates.


    This is Joe – another of my class mates