Manipulate The Light

As an aspiring professional photographer I'm always trying to better myself and my work. One common way to achieve these goals is by doing research, experimenting, and learning. As I stated in my last post I review alot of other people's work for this reason. On Friday I met a gentleman who happened to be a seasoned professional from the Washington D.C. area recently moved to Arizona. My reason for meeting the man was simple, to buy a lens for my D80. Upon speaking with Frank we started to talk alot about technique. Our main topic was light and how to manipulate it. As most photographers know lighting is everything, so when you know how to manipulate that light you really add that something extra to your photos. With so many possible light sources and light modifiers the possibilties are endless and can become quite overwhelming. I often use this photoflex Website for advise and tips when I'm doing my research. On the subject of technique, this weekend I decided going downtown at night could provide some striking images only capable while its very dark. When shooting at nighttime and using long exposures you need some simple yet vital tools to accomplish the task. The most important being a decent tripod that allows multiple positions and tilting angles. The one thing I really like and enjoy about shooting at nighttime is something that could look quite dull and uneventful during the day simply comes alive at night. Here are some of my favorites from my recent outing. As always, have a look and let me know what you think. Enjoy

Expanding

This past weekend was good for me in photography sense. I met up with Rochelle Habeck and Melissa Lynn. Rochelle is a friend who happens to be a photographer as well. She had set up a shoot with Melissa on Sunday and I had asked if I could come along. We met up in the morning and headed out to Green Valley area. They had a location already in mind. Once we arrived their choice of location happened to be a pecan field. Being January the field had a much different look to it. This look would end up turning out quite well for their desired feel. Melissa was wearing a custom outfit which was very interesting to photograph. The wind picked up quite a bit and I managed to get some good shots with that. Generally most of my portrait work has been done indoors in a studio setting. This was a big departure from my usual style of portraits, but I felt up to the task. One thing that's interesting about outdoor portraits is the natural lighting. Lighting is a key component to any portrait, but when using natural sunlight you have to be conscious of its placement. I will be including original and edited photos for comparison. Have a look and let me know what you think.

Photo by: Rochelle Habeck. Straight from camera

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Rochelle Habeck. Straight from camera

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Rochelle Habeck. Straight from camera

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Ricardo Chao. Straight from camera

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Ricardo Chao
Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Ricardo Chao
Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Ricardo Chao. Straight from camera

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Edited by: Ricardo Chao

Motivation

I knows it been a bit since I've updated my blog but I felt compelled to bring up a topic which has surfaced. The topic is motivation and how to achieve it for whatever you're trying to do. As a photographer I try to be motivated by anything which can be photographed. One of the great things about this is actually viewing other people's photos, Regardless if they are professional. A good friend of mine jeff recently emailed me some photos he took while on a trip. Simply based on the subject matter I was instantly engaged in what he sent me. With that being said one of the things I really love about photography is editing. Im all about trying to get that wow factor from each photo. Here is what i have been working on. Enjoy

Photo by  Syndenn Kae. Straight from camera

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Editing by: Ricardo Chao

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Editing by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Ricardo Chao
Processed in Photoshop CS5. Editing by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Jeff Pichotta. Straight from camera

 Processed in Photoshop CS5. Editing by: Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Jeff Pichotta. Straight from camera

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Editing by : Ricardo Chao

Photo by: Jeff Pichotta. Straight from camera

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Editing by: Ricardo Chao

Processed in Photoshop CS5. Editing by Ricardo Chao