The Backgrounds I use when Capturing Portraits

I’m often asked what backgrounds I use when taking portraits, and then when I say, I’m then asked which of the material choices I opt for.

WW2 Veteran Geoffrey Pulzer ( 29th Armoured Brigade , 11th Armoured Division )

Up until recently when Westcott released the Pro version of X-Drop Background Support System, there was just the choice of Canvas or Vinyl, and I ALWAYS opted for the Canvas.

Although not actually canvas, but rather a canvas effect, the material choice is way better as it doesn’t have any shine to the surface at all so you don’t suffer with hot spots when using lights.

So, Canvas was and is always the choice I go for.

Now though, with the introduction of the X-Drop Pro things have defintiely upgraded.

The X-Drop has always been a VERY portable system however if you opted for a background other than the washable material, the backgrounds themselves came in a long cardboard tube and that’s how they had to be transported.

Not now though with the X-Drop Pro as this also introuduces a new material background; the same VERY popular backgrounds but now in a machine washable material meaning you can fold it down making it very small, and like the X-Drop Pro Support Stand, VERY portable.

The new X-Drop Pro Backgrounds also come in a larger size so as well as the 5’ x 7’ , there’s also 8’ x 8’ … and you can use the X-Drop Pro Support Stand for both!

So, 5’ x 7’ is the one I use the most becuase it’s a great size forusing when not in a studio, and I use the new X-Drop Pro material version because it makes the whole background so incredibly portable.

Here’s Brnadon from Westcott showing the X-Drop Pro and how to easily fit the new foldable and washable X-Drop Pro Backgrounds …

Hope that helps,
Glyn

Note:
For folks in the UK, Carmarthen Cameras are the Offiical Westcott Stockist / Supplier, so if you give them a shout, ask for Krish … a great guy and a great friend!

Sony A7RV - I WAS WRONG !!! 😳 User Review + RECOMMENDED SETTINGS for BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY 🦅

This is my full user review of the Sony A7RV. Along with my thoughts on using the camera, I go through the settings I recommend for photographing birds, which made a big difference to my results. I also look at the features the camera finally brings, including focus bracketing, a screen that both flips and tilts, and its artificial intelligence, before answering the question of whether I'd actually buy it.

MIND BLOWN 😲 Mobile Phone Photography + LIGHTROOM MOBILE and PHOTOSHOP on the iPad

Taking photographs and editing them on a mobile device makes for a fantastic workflow, and here I show the whole process from start to finish. I capture a set of long exposure photographs with my iPhone, then edit them in Lightroom Mobile before taking them into Photoshop on the iPad for the rest of the work. From there it goes all the way through to a finished print, and the print I ended up with is fantastic.

iPhone Long Exposure at Durdle Door, Dorset

Headed down to Durdle Door in Dorset the other week; just over an hour away so not a long drive, but wow … what a great place.

I met up with my friend Steve Healey with the intention of photographing the sunrise but lack of local knowledge put a stop to that. Little did we know that there’s a gate preventing access that doesn’t open until 9am BUT you can take a short coastalwalk from nearby Lulworth Cove to access the beach and the famous arch … didn’t know that until later in the day though.

Still, we drove off for a while to grab a coffee and came back an hour or so later and got down to take some photographs; Steve with his Fuji and me with my iPhone and SmallRig combo.

Here’s my favourite; a 5 second long expsoure that was taken using the Lightroom Mobile App camera and a quick edit in Lightroom CC and Photoshop …

HOW I made these PORTRAITS: Complete Workflow including PHOTOGRAPHY, LIGHTROOM and PHOTOSHOP

This covers everything that went into creating these portraits, from start to finish. I begin with the kit I used and how I set it all up for the shoot. From there I move on to the retouching, working through each of the edits in Lightroom and then Photoshop to show how the final portraits came together. It's the whole process in one place, rather than just the lighting or just the editing on its own, so you can see how each stage leads into the next.

Here’s a list of all the kit I used to take the portraits, which you’ll also find on my GEAR Page …

• Westcott FJ80 II Speedlite

• Westcott FJ-X3 Remote Trigger

• Westcott Rapid Box Switch Beauty Dish

• Westcott 32” 2-in-1 Reflector

• Westcott X-Drop Poro Background Support

• Glyn Dewis Vintage Grey Canvas (for X-Drop Pro)

Long Exposure Sunrise with my iPhone and Lightroom Mobile

This Mobile Phone Photography is addicitve!

A couple of weeks back I headed over to West Bay, Dorset to meet up with my friend Steve Healy and to catch the sunrise.

Taking only my new iPhone 14 Pro Max and SmallRig Univeral Holder, whilst Steve shot away with his Fuji XT-5, I shot using the Lightroom Mobile App and experimented with the long exposure settings.

This is my favourite from our time there before the rain came down and stopped play; still … we were recommended a great café the round corner so alls well that ends well 😃

West Bay, Dorset

iPhone 14 Pro Max
Lightroom Mobile App Camera (Long Exposure)
Edited in Lightroom Mobile on iPhone and iPad

Sorry SONY but I tried the CANON R5 and LOVED IT ❤️

I've been shooting with Sony kit for a few years now, so this one's a bit different. Canon sent me some of their kit to try, including the Canon R5 and a bunch of RF lenses, simply to have a play with and see what I thought. This video shares my thoughts after using it, and as the title gives away, I came away really liking the R5, even as someone who's been shooting with a different system.

DO THIS for PERFECT COLOUR 🌈 in your PHOTOGRAPHS

Accurate colour matters in both photography and video, and getting it right doesn't have to be complicated. In this short video I show how I use the Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Duo to do exactly that. The whole process comes down to taking one extra photograph with the ColorChecker and then a few clicks in Lightroom, which gives you a reliable starting point for the colour in the rest of your images.

HIDDEN SETTING in LIGHTROOM MOBILE for Long Exposure Photography 🤷‍♂️

How did I not know about this? There's a setting in Lightroom Mobile that, once it's turned on, makes fantastic long exposure photography possible, whether you're shooting handheld or on a tripod. It works by taking multiple photographs very quickly and then blending them together into a single image. Here I show where to find the setting, how to switch it on and what the results look like.