Our “Birthgifts”
Truly wonderful, the mind of a Child is ….”Yoda”
The power to discover our true voice lies in the limitless potential that was given to us at birth. Here the seeds of greatness were sown. We were blessed with magnificent “Birthgifts”, such as talents, intelligences, opportunities, capacities, privileges that would remain largely unopened except through our own decisions. The potential within each of us is tremendous, if not infinite – we really do not know what we truly are capable of.
All children are born geniuses – only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn’t developed all those filters which prevent us from seeing things we don’t expect to see. A baby may be the most frail and dependent creation in the universe, yet within a few short year, becomes the most powerful. The more we exercise our given talents, the more talents were are given and with that, our capacity just keeps growing.
If Only…
If Only I had eaten my Wheaties this morning….
Thoughts beginning with these words are pregnant with our deepest feelings. “If only I had told her (him) of my love, life would be so much different”, “If only I had enough money, I could be free to enjoy life” or in the case of the Jockey who came in second at a horse race at Del Mar in California, “If only I had made my move in the third turn!” Clearly, the look in his eyes is brimming with resentments and if onlys! If onlys can be directed to the past, present and the future – we are somehow hoping outside events will save us or make us different or better.
However, we can change our programming, catch ourselves and chose to think something completely different! The rational mind, after all, is a servant to our programming, or as we have trained it in the past. There is nothing to prevent us from changing the software algorithms! Realize that the only power past events hold over us is what we give them. Just as you have created your perceptions of the past, the creative power within you can create a joy-filled today! Here is a thought for today:
“This is the beginning of a new day given to me to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important as I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow arrives, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place what I traded for it. I want what I traded to be gain and not loss, good and not evil, success, not failure…in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.”
Today is Friday, May 11, 2012. It is the only Friday, May 11, 2012 that you will ever have…make it a great one!
MCAS Miramar – Red
A continuation of our series from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, or MCAS. You may recall a movie by Tom Cruise called Top Gun? It was filmed here. The Museum inside is full of gems, and outside there are so many wonderful planes it boggles the mind. Here we had a photo shoot where Models and Hair and Makeup Artists were kindly asked to bring military or Pin-Up type outfits. Here, this is in the shadow of a Fighter Bomber. We liked the colour contrast and the red contrasting with the subtle camo jacket.
This was very challenging light being Mid-day in San Diego. Without hauling portable Studio Strobes, we accomplished this shot with our trusty Nikon D7000 mounted on an Alzo Bracket, powered by a Turbo-3 Battery pack which juiced the amazing Q-Flash. The lens was a 17-70mm Sigma f2.8 which is spectacular for close in Portraits! This time we used the flash in Manual Mode (as well as the D7000), shot in RAW (or NEFF as Nikon likes to call it) to allow subtle corrections in Post Processing.
The point is, that for any situation, The Photographer needs to arrive prepared and ready to have quick solutions to technical problems. The job of the Photographer is to make their subjects look Fabulous! Hope we accomplished this…What do you think?
Thanks for your kind visit to our Photoblog . If you have ANY Questions just drop us a note contact@kerstenbeck.com
Kathleen and Erik
Boudoir Part 14 : Dramatic Lighting
This stunning image of our model Danila, was taken using very simple techniques. A black backdrop stretched from floor to ceiling, Two strobes left and right provide the wash over Danila. We converted this to Black and White for added effect. Kathleen is “The Mistress of Posing” and just has a way to bring the best out of all of our models! One Professional Model once asked if KK would help with some Pro Sessions – wow.
Studio Lighting does not need to be expensive or complicated. The best source of light is the Sun! For soft light, take your subject to a window. Have her/him turn the nose towards the light and watch as the sunlight goes from Dramatic to Rembrandt. These shots are the easiest and perhaps the most complimentary since they convey a subtle mood. The most important thing is to get your DSLR out of “Portrait” or “Auto” mode and learn a bit about Exposure, Light and just have Fun! You will be amazed with your results!
Thanks for your kind visit and if you have ANY questions, just drop us an email contact@kerstenbeck.com
Kathleen and Erik
Boudoir Part 13: Soft Lighting, High Angle
This continues our series of Boudoir Photography from our Studio. Here, we again, have our lovely Model, Daniela (You should look at some of the other posts of this stunner). Boudoir Photography does not have to be overly complex, crazy Studio Lighting or elaborate sets. This was shot with a simple black backdrop, large softbox to the left and we adjusted the fill lights on the right to get a soft wash over her face. To get the high angle, we used a small step stool shooting down. Most of the time it is a good idea to shoot women from a higher perspective. It allows for accentuation and concealment of good and trouble spots. Men are a different story – usually from a lower angle to give a sense of power. Sometimes for Corporate Women, you can also use the lower angle, but for Boudoir, this is not typical.
The Gear: Two Alien Bee Strobes, Radio Triggers, Nikon D90 with an 18-55mm lens. Light Modifiers are from Paul. C. Buff, large softbox to left and large reflective umbrella to right. The softbox has a silver interior that can be further softened with a velcro attached diffuser and focussed with another velcro attached grid. The umbrella surface can be changed from silver to white and again, one can also add a diffuser on top. It all depends on the vision, some experimentation and most of all, just having fun!
Thanks for the visit to our humble PhotoBlog! If you have any questions or would like to book a session, drop us an email at contact@kerstenbeck.com
Happy Holidays, Kathleen and Erik
Home Studio Boudoir Part 11
This is another shot of our lovely Model “D” from several weeks ago from a Glam Photo Shoot in our Studio. We have been privileged to shoot her Family Pictures and have witnessed a huge transformation. She has worked so hard over the space of a year to transform herself into a new person. Diet, exercise, everything to become the stunning beauty she is now. We are so proud or her and to be able to be part of her Journey! You may recall some older posts:
https://kerstenbeckphotoart.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/total-transformation-our-own-biggest-loser/
Here we used a black backdrop and as you can tell from the “Catch Lights” there were two strobes in action. Clearly the one to the left is a large Soft Box, and the right is smaller umbrella. The trick to these shots, when the Model is lying down is to adjust lights to get the most flattering image.
You also do not need to buy expensive gear – you can start experimenting with lights that you can but at Home Depot or any Hardware Store, and they are inexpensive!. Any Incandescent light can be used for Hair Light, Back Light etc. Just adjust your White balance and you are set! You can fashion Diffusers out of white cloth, stretched with a K-Mart Hula-Hoop and Duct Tape!. Then focus on Composition, and get your Camera off your Auto Setting. Then have Fun!
Thanks for visiting our Humble PhotoBlog and please, if you have any questions, contact@kerstenbeck.com
Kindest regards, Kathleen and Erik
Boudoir Part 9: Simple Lighting
This continues the series of Boudoir and Studio Photography. The previous post detailed a bit about Complex Lighting and showed a behind the scenes shot of the lighting set up. There were Speedlights everywhere, large Soft Box etc. The results were wonderful, but to haul, set up and fine tune all of this equipment is quite a chore. To do things right, many practice shots need to be taken before the model should even consider entering into the set. It is somewhat boring for a model to have the photographer give instructions like, “Just stand there. OK. Can you wait a second while we adjust the brightness of this light? OK, one more. Hmmm, looks like the angles are all wrong”. You get the idea. Everything should be set up and ready to go – a model’s job is to help create the vision of the photographer, not to be a dummy for light balancing!
The point of this is that sometimes simple is also good. For this rather dramatic shot, a large Softbox was used in a dark room with black background.. This is an easy set up to haul, construct and dynamically adjust as the session progresses. It is also relatively inexpensive and can be used for dramatic Profiles, Rembrandt, Flat and High Key. There is no Hair Light from behind or fancy edge lights, but sometime you just don’t need this – and often all that stuff just gets in the way of a nice shot!
Thanks for you kind visit to our Photo Blog!
Boudoir Part 8 : Complex Light
This behind the scenes shot demonstrates the gear involved with a shoot. Here we wanted to conserve the Rembrandt Light on our model and get High Key Back Light. The concept was to get a bit Hollywood into the shot – like Runway Photographers. The background flare comes from a bank of portable Speedlights. The main light is from a large soft box. To get the Rembrandt Lighting one only needs to direct the model’s nose position to look to or away from the light. Here is a shot of the setup.
Studio set ups do not need to be expensive or overly complex. One does not need to invest hundreds of dollars for Nikon or Cannon TTL Sppedlights – you can buy older models for a fraction of the price and not have to worry about when you drop them. We have broken several expensive Nikon SB600 Speedlights through incidental damage. An old Vivitar does the job just as well. The only other tools one needs is some light stands, perhaps a few light modifiers like umbrellas and most importantly, radio triggers to control the lights. If you shop around, all of this gear is really not that expensive.
The fun part is learning how all of this works with your camera, lots of trial and error and learning to see the light.
Thanks for the visit to our Blog – we really appreciate it!
Boudoir Part 7: Use of Props
Ready for The Show
When we were studying The Art of Boudoir Photography we noticed that there are some common props that are used, like the acoustic guitar. The guitar is typically used to hide portions of the model to generate an “Implied Nude” shot. Here we tried something a bit different – we went Electric and Rock and Roll. One can imagine a lead guitarist walking onto a smokey stage, her “axe” ready for a great show, high heals and fish nets. Somewhat Eighties feel like Pat Benetar, don’t you think?
What is fascinating about this shot is that the female form follows the lines of the guitar in a very flattering way. Perhaps the designers at Ibanez had this in mind? We think it worked. As far as lighting goes, black backdrop, low lights, great music and as one can see from the reflections on the guitar, a huge gridded softbox. The grid (aside from adding complementary textures to our models fish nets) allows one to create soft lighting and yet it is very directed. Think about shooting a flash through 100 straws, very similar to a single Snoot but a lot more of them.
Please let us know what you think of this shot and thanks for visiting our humble blog!
Behind The Scenes
There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes at a Photo Shoot. Lighting and Concept needs to be determined, Models needs to be prepped. Then technical issues need to be fixed, like exposure, lens choice, test shots. From the first image you can see we used a large Soft Box on the left and a couple of Speedlights from behind. The idea was to get nice light on Dinah and have the Speedlights give back fill on the hair. There is deliberate over power to the flash on the upper right – shows a bit of Glam.
As we are still learning, the experimentation will continue. We hope you are enjoying our journey!
Total Transformation- Our own Biggest Loser!
It was October of 2010 when we were asked to take photos of a beautiful family here in San Diego at Sunset Beach. The beach had a very special meaning for the couple and the photos turned out beautifully. The couple also renewed their vows a couple of weeks later in a beautiful ceremony and life was happy for the family.
Now because we are very close to the bride, we know that shortly after the renewing of the vows- she decided she needed to make a change in order to be happy with herself and show her son what a healthy lifestyle is all about. The results were that at the model shoot the first week in November 2011 at our studio- she was not only beaming and still a knock out- but she was also 75 pounds lighter!
This is a challenge to all of us- even to me who after she met her 75 pound goal- decided it was time I took hold of my life & health as well. It is a very long hard road to lose this amount of weight and this is a tribute to her and all of the hard work she put in to it. I watched her week in & week out- and I know just how determined & how much will power she had to have.
Congrats my dear friend- you are rocking it- and you are just such a picture of happiness!!
High Key Lighting
We continue our Series of Studio Shots. Here we were at a Pro-Am Studio in California and had the wonderful opportunity to work with Dinah. She is a member of Model Mayhem (#2291268) in case you would like to shoot with her. The concept was High Key Lighting. Sometimes one needs to branch into different lighting styles. High Key is complementary, up beat and subtlety beautiful. Our inspiration was from a T-Mobile image of their cute model which we saw in Time’s Square! We will post a few more of Dinah shortly and also a bit of “Back Scene” so you can see how we captured the great shots! Now just a bit about High Key!
High key photography uses unnaturally bright lighting to blow out most or all harsh shadows in an image. High key methods were originally developed as a solution to screens that couldn’t properly display high contrast ratios, but has developed into more of a stylistic choice.High key images usually convey a positive or upbeat tone. This method is perfect for a subject that is funny, lighthearted or beautiful.
Many thanks for visiting our Photo Blog – please visit our website for all of our other Images of amazing International Landscapes and just Cool Stuff!
Kindest Regards, Kathleen and Erik
Glamour: A Practice Shoot
We spent the afternoon in San Diego’s Pro-Am Studios practicing High Key Lighting. The idea is to flood a white backdrop with lights and illuminate the Model from left and right 45 degrees. The Camera is then adjusted for a slightly over exposed shot. This gives a washed out look which is, in some well executed images, quite flattering. We found coming into someone else’s Studio and adapting to their concept of lighting to be challenging. We like to be able to control all aspects of light right down to subtle minutia, including props, angles, poses.
We also like to have a High Definition Monitor hooked to the camera so that both the Model and the Photographer can immediately see the image and mutually adjust poses, lighting and camera settings. This makes the shoot a joint effort. It was a bit frustrating to have the Instructor start shooting and directing the Shoot – we paid for it after all (She is a super nice person, BTW). We were spending time to learn about High Key Shooting.
Our expectation was that the session would begin with concept pictures, how lights would be set up to achieve the concepts, followed by some time with our wonderful Model. Then, a review of the results, corrections and critique. After that we could refine our techniques and arrive at the expected results. Being and Engineer (Erik), he is very analytical about all aspects of Light and The Art of Photography. That is why we love and hate these sessions. The Studio Owners set up the Lighting and let folks snap away, however for seasoned Photographers, perhaps this is not really optimal. Our Visions clashed many times. We still did manage to get some great images if Dinah and would love to work with her again in some other setting.
Thanks for the kind visit to our humble blog. Kathleen and Erik
Boudoir Part 6: It’s For Everyone
Hot Mommasita
It is easy to take stunning pictures of the people who are in their twenties and thirties. They have not yet developed their “experience” lines. In the Studio, they can be illuminated with harsh flat light, 90 degree light, Rembrandt and essentially anything (even Monster Lighting) and they look wonderful. The job of the Photographer is to make their models look fabulous, period. This requires some analytics technically for lighting and also knowing how to pose the model during a shoot to make them look fabulous! Boudoir is for everyone – as mentioned in previous posts, this is not about “Gentlemen’s Magazines”, it is all about subtle and sensual images that are shared with a loved one. Implied is always better than displayed in our opinion.
Standards of Glamour Photography have changed over time, reflecting changes in social acceptance. In the early 1920s, United States photographers like Ruth Harriet Louise and George Hurrell photographed celebrities to glamorize their stature by utilizing lighting techniques to develop dramatic effects. During World War II, Pin-Up pictures of scantily clad Movie Stars were extremely popular among US servicemen. However, until the 1950s, the use of glamour photography in advertising or men’s magazines was highly controversial or even illegal. Magazines featuring glamour photography were sometimes marketed as “art magazines” or “health magazines”. How times have changed!
Thank you for visiting our Photography Blog!
Boudoir Part 5: Different Perspectives
Are those Handcuffs?
Sometime the use of different perspectives makes the model provocative without going over the top. In this shot, immediately the eye is drawn to the red shoes, the tattoo and then follows the lines down to the model who is on her back. What an Ab Workout! Her hair flows into darkness. Often these types of shots are about subtle suggestion and not necessarily how fancy the britches are (We purchased all of the garments for this shoot from K-Mart by the way) and how “The Girls” are displayed.
A great deal of “Boudoir” is now created in the Photographer’s Studio or in luxury hotel suites, where it has become very fashionable to create a set of sensual images for women in “Boudoir Style”. This often takes the shape of partly clothed images or images in lingerie, and has become more than just a passing fad for Brides to surprise their future Husbands. Although in the past there were many negative connotations associated with Boudoir Photography, in recent years the trend has begun to gain momentum, and the entire look of Boudoir Photography has begun to change.
Bridal Boudoir Photography is becoming particularly popular. Brides often have an album of Boudoir style photographs made as a present for their soon to be Husbands. Other common themes for Boudoir Photography are anniversaries, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, weight loss, maternity, any form of body change or alteration (breast augmentation or reduction, etc.), and for soldiers overseas.
We have been increasingly developing our Portfolio in these areas, working hard and producing eye pleasing and tasteful images. We welcome any inquiries. Thank you kindly for the visit to our humble Blog!
Boudoir Part 4: Implied Nude
We have shot several sessions with Professional Models in a Studio Setting and found that nude is truly challenging. To give credit to the models, they are typically in fine form, but tuning in posed and lighting to get the best representation of their full form takes years of practice. Glamour Photography allows the photographer to use props to enhance the image and bring some mystique into the story. Here, the use of a simple rd towel implies that our model is disrobed – perhaps yes, perhaps no, but this does not matter. This helps both photographer and model to be more comfortable and allows both to concentrate on what is truly important – the character of the shot and the emotion of the model. Now a bit about this Genre and some History!
Glamour photography is a genre of photography whereby the subjects, usually female, are portrayed in a Romantic or sexually alluring way. The subjects may be fully clothed or semi-nude, but Glamour Photography clearly stops short of ‘Playboy-Type” shots.
While there is some overlap in the time periods, the term glamour photography did not begin to be commonly applied to such photography until the 1960s. Before then, the term erotic photography was more commonly used. Early types of this kind of modeling were often associated with “French postcards”, small post card sized images, that were sold by street vendors in France. In the early 1900s the PinUp became popular and depicted scantily dressed women often in a playful pose seemingly surprised or startled by the viewer. The subject would usually have an expression of delight which seemed to invite the viewer to come and play. Betty Grable was one of the most famous pinup models of all time; her PinUp in a bathing suit was extremely popular with World War II soldiers.
In December 1953, Marilyn Munroe was featured in the first issue of Playboy magazine. Bettie Page was the Playmate of the Month in January 1955. Playboy was the first magazine featuring nude glamour photography targeted at the mainstream consumer. We will stick to Glamour, much more suggestive and comfortable for all!
Soft Lighting
The Soft Box
This is another example of a lighting technique that is often complementary to both young and somewhat older models. Young models with flawless skin are easy, one can use essentially any lighting and they look great. Older models pose a bit more of a challenge. If one uses low-key lighting, like in the previous post, it highlights imperfections and wrinkles – not very complimentary. One solution is flat light. Here one would employ a large soft box and shoot the model at almost zero degrees (straight on). This smooths out the shadows cause by “experience” and make the model look fantastic. The closer the light is to the model, the smoother the image and the bigger the box, the softer the light. Now a bit about a soft box!
A soft box is a type of photographic light modifier, one of a number of photographic soft lighting devices. All of the various soft light types create even and diffused light by directing light through some diffusing material, or by “bouncing” light off a second surface. The best known form of bouncing source is the umbrella light where the light from the bulb is bounced off the inside of an umbrella to create a soft indirect light.
A “soft box” is an enclosure around a bulb comprising reflective side and back walls and a diffusing material at the front of the light. The sides and back of the box are lined with a bright surface – an aluminium fabric surface or foil, to act as an efficient reflector. In some commercially available models the diffuser is removable to allow the light to be used alone as a floodlight or with an umbrella reflector.
A soft box can be used with either flash or continuous light sources or “hot lights” such as quartz halogen or tungsten bulbs. We use an Alien Bee Strobe (flash) inside a large stand mounted soft box. Typically to get soft light we cover the soft box with a white diffuser, sometimes to get more directional lighting, a grate is added to focus the light. Here the model was laying on the floor, as was the photographer. The strobe was controlled by a radio trigger.
The beauty of using Studio Lighting is that the Photographer is in control of all aspects of how the light is cast upon the model! During a shoot, we always connect our camera to an HD TV monitor. This allows us to fine tune the lighting dynamically and show the results to the models so they can adjust their poses. We discovered that showing models a shot from a 2 inch square LCD on the back of the camera is not really effective. With this feedback, the shoot can be dialed- in in minutes and the the models are really engaged. Oh yeah, it is also a lot of fun!
Natural Light
Happy Sunday!
This is another shot from just around the corner from our Studio in Ramona, California. Danicka is The Barista on Sundays while the proprietor of the Coffee Stand, Bob tends to chores, Church etc. We experimented with some Off Camera Flash but without having time to tune in the lights (and not disturb their Customers) the images were not all that great. This directed us back to look at the original shots which were executed on a brilliant sunny Sunday morning. Danicka was in the shade of the Shop. The rising sun allowed us to take advantage of Natural Light. There is nothing better than not having to haul lights to location – unless, of course, one has a specific vision in mind. Setting up strobes, light modifiers, dialing in exposures is tricky and sometimes just using Natural Light (or available light) is the best and most effective solution for making a fine Portrait. We think this one is pretty awesome – 10 Minutes of shooting (Hundreds of hours of study and practice). This was shot with a Monopod mounted Nikon D7000, 70-200mm set at f2.8 to get the nice blurred background. This is our “Go-To” portrait lens. We use this for Beach Family shots, Trash The Dress, Weddings, Boudoir and even Landscape! It rocks! Now a bit about “Portrait Photography”.
There are essentially four approaches that can be taken in photographic portraiture — the constructionist, environmental, candid and creative approaches. Each approach has been used over time for different reasons be they technical, artistic or cultural. The constructionist approach is when the photographer in their portraiture constructs an idea around the portrait — happy family, romantic couple, trustworthy executive. It is the approach used in most studio and social photography. It is also used extensively in advertising and marketing when an idea has to be put across.
The environmental approach depicts the subject in their environment be that a work, leisure, social or family one. They are often shown as doing something, a teacher in a classroom, an artist in a studio, a child in a playground. With the environmental approach more is revealed about the subject. Environmental pictures can have good historical and social significance as primary sources of information.
The candid approach is where people are photographed without their knowledge going about their daily business. Whilst this approach taken by the paparazzi is criticized and frowned upon for obvious reasons, less invasive and exploitative candid photography has given the world superb and important images of people in various situations and places over the last century. The images of Parisians by Doisneau and Cartier-Bresson to name but two, demonstrate this. As with environmental photography, candid photography is important as a historical source of information about people.
The Creative Approach is where digital manipulation (and formerly darkroom manipulation) is brought to bear to produce wonderful pictures of people. It is becoming a major form of portraiture as these techniques become more widely understood and used.
Thanks for the kind visit – we try to update this Photoblog Daily!
Visit our Website for a huge variety of our other Shots and Genres http://www.kerstenbeck.com
Eating Sand
Yummy
We had the privilege of taking some Family Photos at Solana Beach today. The weather was perfect, skies gorgeous and the Family was very receptive and patient as we scrambled around trying to get the poses right, making adjustments and chasing with the ever-changing light.
Here we have three ages – what makes this one funny is the one on the right kept on eating sand, the one in the middle was encouraging such activity and the one on the left just wanted her Mommy. It is extremely challenging to shoot three children, let alone a whole Family (6 Adults, 3 Children). Everyone had fun, we learned a lot and that is the best reward for a Sunday at the Beach!
First Studio Session Practice
First Portrait Attempts
This was from the afternoon before our first Studio Session which we booked with a Pro Model. We are members of the Pro-AM Photography Meet-Up Group in San Diego. We have attended many group shoots where Models and Photographers meet at a Session, on location or in a Studio and we exchange ideas, techniques and mutually help build our Portfolios. Often one can find aspiring Models who will work for free in exchange for a CD of your shots! If you would like to meet like-minded Photographers, I would strongly suggest you check out your own local Meet-Ups!
We are members of these two:
http://www.meetup.com/Pro-Am-Photography-and-Models/ and http://www.meetup.com/Southern-California-Art-Photography-Group/
So, back to this shot! This was shot outside, flat knighting, no off camera Flash. Somewhat interesting pose from this young Model. However, the background is Studio like and could have been a lot more interesting. A combination of several off camera lights combined with a beautiful background shot with a 20-700mm at f2.8 would have made this model pop and would have been stunning. Lesson learned!
Reflecting
Looking Back
We spent the entire afternoon with Master Photographer, Ben Chen from LA. Along with his private and commercial work, Ben’s work has been used in national and local publications such as Cosmopolitan Magazine, USA Today, The LA Times, The New York Daily News, Popular Photography Magazine, ESPN Magazine, Sporting News, PC Photo Magazine, Professional Photographer of America Magazine, Range Finder Magazine, The Magazine, The Pasadena Star News, and the San Gabriel Tribute, as well as used as cover art for a sports photography book. Recently, several Ben’s photos were published in a Professional Wedding Photographer’s book.
It was humbling to listen to him speak about Portrait Lighting – we learned more in 4 hours than 6 months of study. He brought his Guerilla Lighting Kit to the course and showed us his basic kit which he “humps” to the beach and other places. Essentially some Speedlights, Quantum Flashes, Light modifiers, Battery Packs, Cheetah Stands, Pocket Wizards. He has refined this kit over the years and discussed its benefits and pitfalls!
This brings me to the posted image – this was one of our first Studio Sessions after learning some fundamental lighting techniques. Looking back, it is pretty good, but compared to a Master Photographer, we are Rookies! We look forward to honing our skills and perfecting our style…”Fresh Classy Fun”
Chippendale’s Dudes
Not long ago we were involved in creating a Calendar for The San Diego Insurance Women called “Men in Insurance”. We invited professionals from the San Diego Region to the Studio with instructions to come prepared with “In Character” attire, props or whatever else they wanted to portray their hobbies or interests. For these two Gentlemen, they had mentioned that they would arrive as San Diego Surfers. To our surprise, they strolled into the Studio as Chippendale’s performers. At first we were somewhat taken aback, but as the shoot progressed and they got warmed up in front of the lights, things got hilariously crazy. This shot was the one they chose for November 2011!
007 “Oh, James”
We recently were asked to cover an Insurance Professionals Council Meeting in San Diego. The organizers planned a James Bond themed evening party and had arranged for several handsome young gentlemen to dress in tuxes and escort the Council Members into the Ballroom where we took a number of candid shots. Here we have one of the members, dressed in a Classic Bond bedsheet with one of the Bond Escorts, complete with black eye – must have been tangling with some bad guys! She looks captivated!
James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. The fictional British Secret Service agent has also been used in the longest running and most financially successful English-language film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr. No.
Commander James Bond, is an intelligence officer of the British (SIS; commonly known as MI6). He was created in January 1952 by British journalist Ian Fleming while on holiday at his Jamaican estate, Goldeneye. The hero was named after the American ornithologist, James Bond, a Caibean bird expert and author of the definitive field guide-book Birds of the West Indes. Fleming, a keen birdwatcher, had a copy of Bond’s field guide at Goldeneye. Of the name, Fleming once said in a Reader’s Digest interview, “I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, ‘James Bond’ was much better than something more interesting, like ‘Peregrine Carruthers.’ Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure — an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department.” Fascinating!
A Photographer’s Vision
I'll be watching You!
This is not a pontifical dissertation of what constitutes a “Photographer’s Vision”, just some spontaneous creativity with this wonderful media of photography. Perhaps one day I will look back and make cohesive statements of what I was trying to achieve, but right now it’s just the joy trying new things everyday. That’s why I post a new image every day – some good, some not so good, but for me, all good as I am constantly trying new things and learning from my peers. Everyday – shoot and shoot some more!
This shot is a self portrait using a “mouth mounted” Nikon SB-600 Flash and Nikkor 100mm lens. When I was “somewhat” younger, I used to fire my Vivitar flash off in my mouth to scare my Mother. So I had an idea of capturing this as the Image of the Day as I was driving home. It’s curious that it appears that I have a moustache (I don’t), but I am guessing it is the hair follicals under the skin that are lit from inside. Just a bit of photographic fun! Try it and scare Your Mom!
Kerstenbeck Photographic Art 
