Photos of this life: 2014

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Savage Black Seamless Paper Review

When I first received the black seamless paper from Savage as a present, I was really excited about shooting on it. Considering I had been shooting on white seamless for a bit, it was nice to not only switch it up, but give me more flexibility. There is simpy something about shooting on a dark background that when used properly, can highlight your subject very nicely. The other side of that flexibility is being able to illuminate the background in a subtle manner. When shooting on white paper, light bounces EVERYWHERE unless it's not falling on the background. This can be troubling if you're going for a low key look in a tight space. Unless you're new to light and its properties, black absorbs light to an extent and this allows for some creative uses. I've actually shot on it quite a bit since acquiring and I must say I enjoy it thoroughly. My biggest observation came in the form of the actual thickness of the paper. The pure white paper from savage is very rigid and stuff compared to the black seamless. The black seamless is more flexible and seems to be softer like construction paper, this allows the paper to flex during setup. This is an issue when it comes to defects in the paper showing up behind the subject, you are shooting on seamless paper for a clean look after all. Overall, I'm really impressed with the versatility shooting on this background. The option to go for a super dark dramatic look with a deep black background, or throw some light on it for a light grey color, its all up to you. Let me know what you think of the following images, until next time

All images in post shot with Canon T2i and 18-55mm, 50mm, and 70-200mm lenses

Gold Shoot

Vanessa

50mm, 1/200s, F/14, ISO 100

John x Hillary

Silver Shoot

Kali x Courtney

Lighting Setup - Before - After

Alisha

Jessie

30mm, 1/60s, F/13, ISO 100

Fin

Sunday, November 30, 2014

SevenStock 17 +

This year I hit the road headed to SevenStock with three of my good friends. The plan was simple: attend the event, take a lot of pictures, and enjoy southern California. In that aspect, it was mission accomplished. Upon arriving/leaving the event, I noticed myself and my good friend Eric couldn't help but feel wanting a bit more. After a long discussion in the clouds, it became apparent we were no longer content with simply attending the event as a spectator. We wanna be in the event, from staging the cars, to getting on the track with the best of them. It will certainly require a large amount of work but we have high hopes of bringing our rotaries in 2015. After SevenStock, we headed into the City of Angels to stay at our hotel in Redondo Beach. Winding down after a long day 17 stories in the sky with a killer view was the agenda. Sunday would bring our next adventure, San Diego or more accurately, Coronado Island. Traffic greeted us during our travels down the I-5, but not to be outdone, I took PCH for a scenic detour route. Driving over the bridge into Coronado is an experience in itself. How often do you get to drive your car over the pacific ocean onto an island? Pretty cool stuff. Our hotel that night would be none other than the Hotel Del Coronado, a vintage property with an amazing view and history. The architecture and layout are really cool, add to the fact its a fairly exclusive island, and you can see why people come here. My last photographic act before hitting the road back to the Tucson desert was to shoot the sunrise over San Diego. I've stated before that traveling is very important as an artist. The ability to leave your home, venture into the unknown (or well known), and experience the multiple differences associated with a place you don't live at is inspiring. Even if the place you visit isn't better or you don't like it as much, you'll gain an appreciation of where you do live. Travel often as you can and grow as a result. Until next time