So do you have much planned? Maybe a photo shoot you’ve been playing? A Photo Walk?
Later today I’ll be taking a flight over to Denmark where I’ll be for the weekend teaching a 2 Day version of my Dynamic Duo Photography & Photoshop workshop.
The workshop is to be the very first held at the BRND Studio in Odense; owned by friend Christian Gram Bredskov whom I first met at the very first of our Dynamic Duo Workshops in Germany back in January of this year.
We’ve a SOLD OUT workshop and a packed couple of days where on Day 1 we’ll be concentrating on the Photography and then on Day 2 it’s retouching time PLUS plenty of socialising too
I’ll be sure to give you the low down next week once I’m back but for those of you on Facebook you’ll be able to see all the goings on as it happens [Link]
So whatever you’re up to this weekend be sure to have a good one and I’ll catch you back here in a few days.
Enjoy,
Glyn
Today I’ve a few things to share and to let you know about so let’s get cracking…
Video Podcast
First off I wanted to show you the video intro to my upcoming video podcast / show.
I start putting the first episode together early next week once I get back from Denmark but I thought I’d give you a teaser. The video intro and bumpers (very short video clips in between each segment) have been created by ArmeeDesign based in the Netherlands.
I was amazed quite how quickly they came up with something following, it has to be said, my rather vague brief…however they came up trumps and I’m really pleased with the result.
Be sure to check out ArmeeDesign by visiting their website here [Link]
Topaz Clarity
This week one of my favourite plug in makers Topaz released their latest offering…Topaz Clarity.
As I’m lucky enough to have Topaz as one of my sponsors I’ve been using Topaz Clarity for a while now to get the chance to dive in, test it and see what I think.
Well, in short…I love it!
The recent pictures I’ve been sharing over the past couple of weeks have all had the Clarity treatment to some degree or another and what I like about it is how there’s not just one slider to increase / decrease clarity but 4 main ones which can be used to add more control over where the clarity is and how much is applied. I’m a BIG fan of the Clarity slider in Lightroom and Camera RAW as for some images it can really give them a lift and that’s the same here.
I’ll be recording a tutorial showing it being used real soon but to answer the obvious question “Why would I use it when I have Clarity in Lightroom and Camera RAW?” Well, it’s pretty much like saying why would I use Topaz Details when I have Nik Detail Extractor? The answer is because each produces slightly different results and what works on one image might not work so well on another.
Why not head on over to the Topaz site and download the free trial and give it a whirl [Link]
Adobe Creative Days comes to London
This event is one in a series of 14 Creative Days happening all across Europe as part of Adobe’s bumper Create Now World Tour. It’s taking place on Tuesday 4thJune and will be a celebration of creativity and expressiveness in the UK.
Hosted by tech enthusiast David McClelland, whom you may remember hosted the Adobe Creative Week in 2012 , Creative Day will be a showcase of all the latest and greatest offerings from Adobe and the Creative Cloud.
Creative Day will be packed with lively debates, exclusive demonstrations and inspirational case studies – all broadcast online at www.adobecreativedays.com/uk from 9.45am.
In addition to that there’s the chance for you to be in the live audience. Now these seats are going to go fast and indeed may well have gone already but give the registration a whirl and fingers crossed you’ll snap one up and I’ll see you there.
Right that’s all from me for today so have a good one and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.
Today I’ve a couple of new pictures to share with you that are actually some of my results from my Dynamic Duo Photography & Photoshop Workshop last Saturday.
Our model for the day was Photographer Glenn Richardson whom you’ll recognise from my Wolverine and Skinfull pictures.
Composite
The day was split into two sections with the first half of the day being Photography but also talking through how to plan and prepare for a successful photo shoot.
With regards to the photography side of things we covered lighting for composites as in this picture below called Tough Guy:
One of things I love about planning a photo shoot is how doing so really helps when it comes to setting up the lighting you want during the actual shoot. Some people may think that it’s always a 3 light set up when in reality that certainly isn’t the case. For example…if I was going to place somebody in a scene where they may be stood near a street light at night then I would only really think of using 2 lights i.e. one to represent the light coming from the street light and then another to act as a fill light and put and bring out a little more detail in the shadow areas. Basically, lights are place in certain places in order to replicate the light that will be in the the picture eg sun light, moon light, street light and so on…
Low Key / Limited Light
I also touched on using limited light which is a style I love to use when photographing physique athletes and also for adding mood / atmosphere into a picture:
HUGE thanks to Glenn for modelling and also to everyone who came along and made it such a great day followed of course by the obligatory curry and social.
I’ll be announcing new workshop dates very soon so if you’d like to come along be sure to keep an eye both here and over on my Facebook page.
Right, that’s all from me for today so whatever you’re up to, have a good one and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow.
Ok so if you’re a regular reader of this site you’ll have heard me mention about a photography technique I call the Invisible Black Background.
It’s basically a technique that shows how you can use your camera to create pictures with black backgrounds and a flash to just light your subject; giving the impression of being in a studio but being able to achieve it anywhere…indoors or out.
It’s been great to see that the written walk through I originally posted has proved to be so popular and even grabbed the attention of the New York Times in 2012 [Link]
For today though I’ve a video for you where I’ve recorded a short tutorial showing how to do the technique; recorded during the lunch break at my recent Dynamic Duo Workshop.
Hope you like it…
A Couple of Points to Note
You don’t need PocketWizards…Any way to trigger the off camera flash will do i.e. Infra Red, Pop Up Flash as Commander etc…
You need a modifier that directs the light such as a closed down umbrella, a softbox, grid etc… and that also gives the lighting effect you’re after (soft, hard)
Examples Photos Here’s some example photographs taken using the Invisible Black Background technique where on some I’ve used 1, 2 or more lights…
Links:
Be sure to check out my original Invisible Black Background post where I wrote down all the steps [Link]
And, check out the follow up Questions and Answers post [Link]
Right that’s all from me for today so have fun giving this a try and as always if you have any questions / comments then feel free to make use of the comments section below and please feel free to share this with folks you think would like to see it too.
Have a great day and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow.
Enjoy,
Glyn
Here it was a weekend consisting of a workshop on one day and a photo shoot with Ironman the next.
Dynamic Duo Workshop
On Saturday I held the latest of my Dynamic Duo Workshops in Wokingham, Berkshire.
We had a great turnout of folks with Glenn Richardson returning as our model for the day with the first half of the day going through lighting for composite images and limited lighting techniques. I’ll post more of a look at what we got up to plus some retouched images from the day later in the week but just to let you know, I also recorded a video of my Invisible Black Background technique that I’ll post online tomorrow.
Ironman Photo Shoot On Sunday I drove up to the North of England to catch up with friend, Photographer and Lighting Wizard Kieron Nevison as we’d organised a photo shoot with the one and only…Ironman
I tell you I’ve been like an excited kid at Christmas this past week in anticipation of the shoot and having done it, it was so worth the 8 hours of driving.
Later this week I’ll also post more of a look at what we got up to on the day and needless to say I’ll be working on the images now I’m back home and will show them as soon as they’re ready.
Ok so that’s all from me for today; just a quick post so have a great Monday and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow.
Glyn-Roberto…I can’t wait to get started but first…a Calzone…what a great idea
May 20, 2013 - 9:47 am
Roberto Palmari -That’s cool!
I wait for the results, the photos you posted in the last two days are a juicy appetizer…now go for the tasty “Calzone” Glyn !!
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I’ll be sure to give you the low down next week once I’m back but for those of you on Facebook you’ll be able to see all the goings on as it happens [Link]
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Hosted by tech enthusiast 
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by Glyn