With the Holidays approaching quickly, we decided it was time to start taking a few pictures to send out with our Christmas cards and such. I decided to tinker with a Nikon mode called Auto FP (aka High Speed Sync). Both Canon and Nikon have this mode that syncs the flash, or flashes in this case, with a high speed shutter. The effect is really different. These pictures were shot today at about noon with the full Florida sun above us. I wanted something creative for our background, so I decided we would trek into the muddy woods near our home. There are charred trees and stumps all over as these woods burned in a wildfire last Spring. After a little exploration, we found a small clearing about 100 yards into the woods. Once I'd set up our lighting and began to take a few test shots, I realized that although it is now much cooler than it has been here in Florida, I was sweating a good deal. Nothing better than a sweaty Christmas photo, huh?! 
After shooting a couple unimpressive shots of us together, the shoot quickly evolved to become much more about my patient and beautiful model than about getting a Christmas card shot. After all, we didn't haul two light stands, a tripod, and gear through 2 inches of mud and dense brush for nothing. Sara noticed a fallen tree - the one in the upper left of the shot of us together, and said she'd like to try a few shots sitting on it. I was reluctant because she wanted to climb up onto the tree and balance herself about 8ft off the ground. She isn't usually this adventurous, so curiously, I encouraged her. 
Once we got her up and situated on the trunk of the tree, I began to set up the strobes to light her. For my key light, I used one strobe (SB-800) on a 10ft light stand, and another flash, dialed down a stop, on camera for fill. Here's a shot of our little setup. Notice how freakin' dense the brush is down near the ground. She was a trooper. She was probably up there for a good 15-20 minutes. It's really tough to find a subject that doesn't mind (or will tolerate) being uncomfortable for even a quick shoot.
Who would have thought some of these were taken 8ft off the ground, in mosquito infested woods, and at high noon in bright sunlight. Once again, Nikon's CLS system proves itself. I think the pictures we got speak for themselves. We were both pleasantly surprised, but next time we venture out into the woods, Sara will wear close-toed shoes, and I'll bring some mosquito repellent, a sweat towel, and extra flash batteries.
After shooting a couple unimpressive shots of us together, the shoot quickly evolved to become much more about my patient and beautiful model than about getting a Christmas card shot. After all, we didn't haul two light stands, a tripod, and gear through 2 inches of mud and dense brush for nothing. Sara noticed a fallen tree - the one in the upper left of the shot of us together, and said she'd like to try a few shots sitting on it. I was reluctant because she wanted to climb up onto the tree and balance herself about 8ft off the ground. She isn't usually this adventurous, so curiously, I encouraged her. 
Once we got her up and situated on the trunk of the tree, I began to set up the strobes to light her. For my key light, I used one strobe (SB-800) on a 10ft light stand, and another flash, dialed down a stop, on camera for fill. Here's a shot of our little setup. Notice how freakin' dense the brush is down near the ground. She was a trooper. She was probably up there for a good 15-20 minutes. It's really tough to find a subject that doesn't mind (or will tolerate) being uncomfortable for even a quick shoot.
Who would have thought some of these were taken 8ft off the ground, in mosquito infested woods, and at high noon in bright sunlight. Once again, Nikon's CLS system proves itself. I think the pictures we got speak for themselves. We were both pleasantly surprised, but next time we venture out into the woods, Sara will wear close-toed shoes, and I'll bring some mosquito repellent, a sweat towel, and extra flash batteries. All rights reserved. © Mark Stern Photography.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment