I’ve always felt that I am stronger as a journalistic shooter. Portraits presents a different challenge. Instead of observing & documenting, I have to create, light, pose, direct and illicit responses, all of which I do not do in photojournalism. It started off as an awkward exercise, and after five years, shooting portraits become something I am quite fond of. Here are some of my favorites from 2010.
1. High key, clean and simple.
2. Looked down from the top of this hotel suite. The sofa, huge window and the mirror reflection present an opportunity that I can’t resist.
3. Had only 15 minutes with Irene & Dylan. Isn’t this familiar? Photographers always groaned about not having enough time. But the couple just said “I do” to each other. Can’t be hard to photograph people who are madly in love. Find the light, location, frame…then shoot quick.
4. Shot this portrait of Michael in Havana, Cuba at 2pm. Use the sun as backlight and filled it with three SB800s with three Radiopopper.
5. The sun was low on the horizon, lighting up only the top part of this chapel. The couple was complete under the shadow. Filled them with a single flash on CTO. I like this picture because the light is seamless. Sometimes flash should not stand out but blend in.
6. Couldn’t have planned this better. Lucky to have a large spot of clean light cutting through the foliage.
7. Again, I didn’t have much time to photograph Kristie & Carlos. Reception would start in 10 minutes. This was the exact spot Carlos proposed to Kristie…meant a great deal to them to get married in the same place they got engaged. “Can we have a picture here?” Sure! Nevermind that the sun was almost gone. Clients want, clients get! Quick wireless lighting solution with Radiopoppers save the day.
8. Probably the shot that’s the most un-Louis in 2010. It was a hallway in the belly of a hotel. Reflective surface of the floor and walls made it possible for the red light to skip. Made it under 10 minutes.
9. All available light. A fair bit of LPS fine art treatment here.
10. 100% available light. There was a huge window just in front of where Lee Ee stood. I like the feel it carries.
11. Just enough light coming from a gap on the top of the couple. Sometimes we don’t need a lot of light to create an image. Often, it is not the quantity of light but its quality that matters.
12. This picture screams MICHAEL, the most stylish & adventurous groom I had ever photographed.
13. All available light again…the wall behind the camera position served as a huge reflector that bounced plenty of light back to Natalie & Shaun.
14. Shot this at ISO 1600 at twilight. Borrowed the boat from a bunch of fishermen on the coast. Amazing things happen when we just open our mouths and ask. D3S with its high ISO capacity is amazing.
15. A great example of how to nail a picture. Find the best light. Put great looking people in that light. Frame the shot. Voila. The afternoon light from right was just perfect.
16. Probably the 2nd most un-Louis picture that I shot last year. Tungsten WB; flash behind Priscilla was gelled with CTB; grid on the flash on Priscilla gelled with CTO. We held the elevator for about 8 minutes. By the time security confronted us, we were ready to wrap up the shoot.
17. Yes, the background makes the image but don’t forget the couple, more specifically Kevin’s expression. It is usually harder to get the guys into the shoot, but when you do, the reward is tremendous.
18. A shot that could potentially cost us U$2500. That was what the resort wanted to charge us when they found us shooting near this amazing chapel. It didn’t matter that Jenny & Kevin are staying in the resort. Very please to have nailed it very quickly.
19. The key is to subdue the background and lit the model with the best light. Accomplished this by moving the model closer the opening of a shaded area. The contrast between the foreground and background is so great that I get an almost blackened background. That’s what I want: full attention on the model and zero distraction from the background.
20. I am please with how the warm artificial back light blends in with the colors of the sky. Too much and it overpowers. Too little and it’ll appear subdued. The key is control.
21. People look better when they are well lit. While a cloudy day gives you great diffused light, I added a SB800 with a 24″ Ezybox Hotshoe to give the girls and their orange gowns an extra pop of light. The sky is my key light, the Ezybox is the secondary light. The background is about 1 stop under versus the subjects. Most importantly, I love the expressions!
22. All available light. Eileen is turned away from the light to ensure her coat is not overexposed. The sun was so strong that it gives lots of bounced light from the floor back to the subjects. Not a typical shot of the Golden Gate Bridge, that’s why I am pretty please with this one.
