I finally have some of the photos back from my trip to the South, Chattanooga Tennessee. There were so many interesting things to photograph there, and I wish I had more time to explore the city and the area around it. Anyways, here are some of the photos from my trip...
Pug Life – Yashica TL Electro X
Update: Check out my Yashica TL Electro-X Review on my new Film Photography Club website here:
http://filmphotography.club/film-cameras/yashica-tl-electro-x-review/
Last weekend I went to visit my cousins in Carlsbad San Diego. They just got a new puppy, a little pug, and she made for a great photo subject.
She was super hyper, and mostly wanted to bite my fingers off, but I was able to get a few shots.
I shot these on my Yashica TL Electro X, using my Yashinon 50mm 1.7 lens. I was shooting on Ilford FP4.
B&W Film Portrait – Yashica TL Electro X
Last week I shot a few photos in my garage with my buddy Kelsey. I was testing out my new Alien Bee 400 strobe with the Paul C. Buff 64" Parabolic Umbrella and my 35mm Yashica TL Electro X.
I was shooting on Ilford FP4 Plus which is a 125 speed film. I was using a 50mm prime at around f2.8. Shutter speed was at 125.
I'll be posting some photos and video of the gear mentioned above very soon.
Here are some of the photos... These photos haven't been photoshopped either, they're untouched scans of the developed film.
Killer Dana – Landscape Photography in Dana Point
Not too long ago, I visited Dana Point Harbor on my way home from work. I was planning on shooting some time-lapse video, but I was pressed for time and decided to shoot some regular stills instead.
I made my way to the jetty, where there is beach access, and set up my tripod. Here's what I captured...
Here's the gear and settings I used for this photo:
- Canon 60D
- Tokina 11-16mm f2.8
- Davis and Sanford FM18 Fluid Head Tripod
- Focal Length: 11mm
- Shutter Speed: 20 Sec
- Aperture: f16
- ISO: 100
- Focus: Manual
- Drive mode: 2 second timer delay
- File format: Raw
Then in Photoshop, I used Adobe Camera Raw to process the photograph, and did a little dodging and burning to get the final image.
This is a great place to photograph. It has easy public access and there's a lot more to see and do in the area. There are also tide pools a little ways down the beach.
Here are a few more photos I captured Dana Point Harbor...
Creating a Panorama in Photoshop CC
Video Tutorial
This tutorial will go through processing raw images, merging images, correcting lens distortion (using the adaptive wide angle filter), and finishing touches to create a panoramic image of a nighttime cityscape... it's kinda long.
I also give some tips on how to capture your images while you're out shooting.
BreakDown
- Select images
- Process images
- Merge images
- Correct lens distortion with the adaptive wide angle filter
- Fill in empty areas with clone stamp tool
- Save final image
Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or if this was a helpful tutorial.
Shooting a Family Photo Session - San Juan Capistrano
Photo Assignment
I recently had an opportunity to shoot some family photos for a friend of mine. It was great because they already had a location they wanted to shoot at, and it turned out to be a great spot. We met around 3 in the afternoon on a Saturday at the Los Rios District in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
There wasn't really a game plan for the shoot, other than they wanted a few shots by a specific tree where they had their photo taken about a year prior. My main goal was to avoid the white-shirt-blue-jean-beach-at-sunset photos that are a staple in many homes around Orange County.
The Gear
I used my Canon 60D, a Canon 50mm 1.2, Canon 24mm 1.4, Canon 580EXii, Canon STE-2, and a light stand. I rented the lenses and flash from Pro Photo Connection in Irvine, CA. They have a great rental department. Check out their site here.
It was a pretty bright day, and I wanted to use a wide aperture to get a shallow depth of field on some shots, so I needed to use the high-speed-sync feature with the STE-2 and the 580ex ii. The STE-2 always seems a little quirky, and I had some trouble getting it to stay on HSS. Also, since it was very bright that day, the direct sunlight was probably throwing off the IR sensors on the transmitter and speedlite. The 580exii and STE-2 are definitely good products, but radio triggers are the way to go if you have the means.
Summary
I wanted to get some posed photos, and then some candid photos. Luckily, my subjects were all very photogenic, took direction well, and also had a lot of great ideas themselves. Directing subjects is one of the hardest parts of photography.
Many of the photos turned out well, and they really seemed to enjoy them too. But next time, I'd really like to use a modifier on the speed-light. The shadows are a bit too hard for this type of photography. I'd like to use a medium size octabox or something similar. An octabox, and maybe a lower power output, would help too with blending the speedlite flash with the ambient light.
If you live in the Orange County area, or are planning on visiting, the Los Rios District is a great place to get some gorgeous shots. I know I'll be going back there many more times.