Learning High Key

Yesterday afternoon and evening I decided to toy with some techniques. What started out being an attempt at bracketing some shots for testing out HDR in CS3, turned into an amazing find. I found one of my shots turned out a natural High Key effect shot.
[Light from bathroom doorway (incandescent)to the left of the model; natural light streaming in from the right; no flash] (0.5 f/2.7 ISO 200)]

I of course looked at my settings and proceeded to try it again (could it have just been a fluke? Unfortunately my second attempt on my oldest son proved more difficult, it was taken several hours later, so the natural light had disappeared. I had to rely strictly on my flash and two static lights placed to each side of the model.

[The conflict of the flash color/static lights (incandscent)caused this image to need a lot of work in Photoshop CS3 to recover the true white] [1/60, f/3.5, ISO 200; flash set at full with Gary Fong Diffuser]

I had a willing victim with my younger son Michael, he decided to be the ham of the evening. He was the most difficult because of his dramatic posing, after half a dozen shots, and the resulted harsh shadows, I couldn't test this technique with him lol. He kept moving forward past the lights causing those shadows, but I had to post this shot because it was so hilarious!

[1/8, f/2.7, ISO 200; on static light to each side of model outside of framing; no flash]

Upon my final trial, I used my youngest daughter Alexis. At this point there was no natural light coming in whatsoever(9pm). I positioned her in front of a bare wall, placed the two static lights to each side, again not using flash. This shot I would have to say was my favorite for the day.

[1/6, f/3.5, ISO 200; one static light to each side of model outside of framing; no flash]

In the end what did I learn? Lighting is the most important factor, learning your cameras settings are very important, and lastly, if you are looking for a point and shoot that can give you the quality and range of usage as an DSLR, the Canon S5 IS can give you the same technical rewards as an DSLR when trying out special techniques, for quite less the price. I love my S5!

Henry's Ark - Prospect, KY

Today John and I met up with Christy & Jason (our close friends) for an outing to Henry's Ark and Yewdell Gardens (Look for previous blog post by me about Yewdell Gardens).
Henry's Ark is a little secret hidden in Prospect, Kentucky. It is a unique exotic animal petting zoo open to the public, with the only cost being donations to enjoy.
When we arrived, we found ourselves being greeted by a parking attendant:

He was more than eager to show us the sign that stated, Henry's Ark was not liable for personal accidents, property damage etc. lol
The zoo being a non profit privately owned organization, is struggling to keep afloat due to the costs to care for these extraordinary creatures, such as their pair of Capabaras:

There are Water Buffalo, Zebras, Yaks, Llamas, Goats, Pot Bellied Pigs, Sheep, Emu, Ostrich, Capabara, various unique birds, Camels, Monkeys, Elk, Deer, Antelope, and many other special animals. The rarest being an Albino Peacock.
This massive creature was staying cool by hiding inside his shelter:

Visitors can come in and bring bags of carrots to hand feed most the animals. Feeding time being the most exciting time to visit, is around 10:30 am.

This is really a great place, and a place I will definitely bring my children to, it is a great hands on learning experience for young and old alike, where you can spend some time with some truly special creatures. The staff on site are very friendly and glad to answer any questions any visitor has about the animals they are visiting. I hope that their struggle is met with reward, because to lose a place like this would be tragic.
If you feel so inclined to visit, or to donate to their plight, follow the link to their newsletter: Henry's Ark

Portraits & Textures

This photograph was taken in a long hallway full of doors, at the end of the hallway, I had Jessica sitting in front of the last door in front of a swing arm desk lamp. With Photoshop, I added a texture layer, which enabled me to completely edit out the hall, doors, and lamp, then used the eraser tool to uncover the model and light, to give that focus to the model and create a magical effect with the light as an orb floating in her hand.



This portrait of Jessica was set up on a stairwell, note completely unattractive area, with grey patterned carpeted stairs and oddly colored two tone walls. But the natural lighting created by the entrance glass, made for a nicely lit portrait. Adding a texture layer with Photoshop, to the photograph, then using the eraser tool to uncover the model, allowed me to completely draw the eye to the model, and completely remove the distracting walls and carpeted stairs.

I am by far not an expert in photography or texture usage, but I thought that sharing how I created this effect might be nice to share with other people who are just learning like me! It is a fun added way to create a unique portrait style to any portrait composition. Regarless of where you take the photo. All that is needed is good lighting, and a texture overlay. There are many free resources for download on the internet as well as on flickr. Happy texturing!