by laurenawagner | Mar 15, 2017
Einsteins, Westcott Spider Light, and Speedlights
Auxiliary lighting is a great way to ensure good consistent lighting in your portraits. Now there are many different types of auxiliary lighting including flashes and continuous light. I used Einsteins, the Westcott Spider Light, and Speedlights in the examples below. The first 5 images were taken with the spider light. The next two images were with the einstein, and the last image used a speedlight. If you want more tips on lighting patterns or speedlights click the word.
by laurenawagner | Mar 15, 2017
Tips on Capturing a Group
Group portraits are very hard to capture. It’s hard to get everyone looking in the same direction, with a normal face. So some tips on how to overcome that to take lots of pictures of the same pose. One of those is bound to look normal. My next tip is to not be afraid to tell the models were to look. This will ensure that they all look at you. My last tip is make sure your models look natural. It shows when they are uncomfortable, and no one likes that. If you want some more tips the digital school of photography has some great tips.
The group portrait above was taken with a continuous light, whereas the group portraits below were taken in natural light.
This last group shot was taken to be turned into an advertisement. I know it’s cheesy but hot hands do make happy hands.
by laurenawagner | Mar 9, 2017
Creating Magical Portraits at Night
My friend Ana bought some battery operated fairy lights and we decided that we needed a photo shoot asap. We knew that the fairy lights would make our portraits seem magical, and maybe even dreamy. A good example of this is Brandon Welfel. He is a really popular photographer on instagram and he takes these kinds of portraits all the time. You can visit his website by clicking here.
Taking these photos was a fun and exciting challenge. Here are some tips if you want to try and take some portraits like this. First, SHOOT IN RAW. It’s going to be dark and you are going to need all the extra data that a raw file will give you. Second, pick a lense that has a wide aperture. It’s going to be dark and you are going to need all the extra light you can get. My settings were f/1.8, 1/60, ISO 800. After that I took the photos to photo shop where I was able to manipulate the colors and lights. Over all these portraits were really fun, and I can’t wait to try it again!
by laurenawagner | Mar 4, 2017
Balancing Light and Special Effects
Speedlights are great tools for photography! By properly exposing the background in camera and using a speedlight to properly expose the subject you are able to create stunning portraits. By using this method you are able to see sky and not have it be blown out, like it is in the example below. Speedlights are also amazing because you can use them to create special effects. When you use color gels you are able to manipulate the color of the light. Another tip is to combine this with fog you can get some really neat portraits. If you want a better explanation on how to balance light click here or if you want tips on shooting portraits with color gels click here.
Properly Exposed Subject
Properly Exposed Background
by laurenawagner | Feb 26, 2017
Ghost Town Photography
I had the amazing opportunity to be a group leader for a university photography excursion. The excursion is for a digital imaging class in the communications department, and I loved it so much. I helped a group of students get their creative images. Then I set up a continuous light in the saloon for when the students did their portrait rotations. I worked with three amazing models, and helped students with their lighting, and helped give posing ideas for when they got stuck. It was very cold but I was so impressed by everyone’s positive attitudes and energy. During one the rotations I got free time so of course I took a few photos really quick so just scroll down to see them. Overall it was a really fun trip. If you want to see my portraits, fine art, creative, or themed series from when I took that class last year just click the word.
