Monday, September 21, 2009

The Joys Of Lighting (Impromptu Shoot)

Once in a while, you have to be in front of the camera, not always behind it.


Yesterday's lunch gathering turned into an impromptu photo shoot, this time with me and Roxanne as the subject. I didn't have my camera, but it didn't seem to matter anyway. We all had fun.

George called this one "free-nup", because it was a sort of
pro bono prenup shoot. Actually, it's a practice shoot for all of us. For me and Roxanne, it was a way of seeing how a prenup shoot is done, since Jayson and George had been in one already. For the rest of the guys, it's a practice on lighting techniques.

In the years I've spent in photography, it seems that I'm missing an integral part of it: good lighting techniques. Seeing how yesterday went, proper (or should I say dramatic) lighting isn't an easy thing, but the results can really inspire you. I have always tried natural lighting, seeing this as the way to go, buying fast lenses and not caring about flash units. But natural light doesn't always behave the way you want it to. Of course, flash units are not as useful when shooting landscapes, wildlife, and long exposures. With people though, you can really unleash its power. Same goes for product shots.

This morning, I received an SMS from Canon, my 400D is ready for pickup. Now it's time I consider getting a flash unit, maybe a 430EX II, and some wireless triggers. I have been contemplating on this for a long time now, but seeing how fun it is to shoot with creative lighting, I now want to unleash the strobist in me.

And with all my friends using Nikon, I'm also contemplating on shifting systems. But that's another story.

The guys at work.

Credits to George for the pictures above (more from his gallery here), with lighting help from Jayson and Gelsen.

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