Klyment.com - Journal

I haven't felt so unprepared since I started shooting as I felt for today's session. It wasn't because the expectations were unreasonably high for this shoot since it is a conservative editorial disguised as a fashion shoot. It isn't because I was attempting to displace a high profile photographer since I wasn't displacing anyone. And it isn't because the art director threw in a location that likely won't have AC power and to keep things interesting I chose to work only with continuous light sources. I felt mentally unprepared. I felt as though I was being constrained by this publication with limitations I don't even encounter in commercial photography on a budget of about 25% of what I typically command for this amount of effort for a commercial shoot. However, when I saw the published piece, in spite feelings of uneasy apprehension as I handed over the full resolution versions of the files Rodrigo requested, I am thoroughly pleased and even impressed by the final product. The January 2011 issue of Avenue Magazine Edmonton featured the first cover that I have shot that I was completely happy with and I feel that Rodrigo López Orozco, supported by Anders Knudsen, creative director of Avenue Calgary,
is whom is most deserving of the credit for this cover . . . aside from our model, designer, and stylist, Natasha Lazarovic and our makeup artist, Hailey Ginn. I'd also like to thank Adam Goudreau, my co-photographer for the shoot, for setting up while I ran back to the studio to grab a few items and for allowing our shoot to flow smoothly. And thank you to Carla Alexander and her staff at MRKT. And as always, thank you to Curtis Comeau for repeatedly recommending me to Avenue. Because of you I've had the privilege of working with my third Avenue art director.

All photos taken with the Nikon D3 through either the 135mm F/2 Defocus Control Nikkor, 24-70/2.8 AF-S Nikkor, or the 70-200/2.8 VR I at sensitivities ranging from ISO 800 to 3200.

Web-res of the January 2011 cover of Avenue Magazine Edmonton as borrowed from Avenue's website.

I just noticed that this image was reversed for design reasons. Maybe that's why Jonathan couldn't recognize her even though they were high school chums. Illuminated with an ARRI Locaster color adjustable LED fixture set at 6500K for the background and with an ARRI Locaster with diffusion gel clipped onto the barn doors for the foreground at 2800K. White balance set in Adobe Lightroom 3.x to 2800K. My only non-essential edits were the removal of some arm freckles. =P

One of my favourites of this part of the shoot.

An all existing light shot that didn't make it past the first round of selections.

This image was lit with two ARRI Locasters to the left of the frame, one above the other and about five feet away. Both lights were set to the same colour temperature. If this photo were to have been published I would have smoothed out the edge of the nose shadow. Working with smaller light sources it's important to properly centre the light over the face axis if a photographer needed a shot to be usable right out of camera without a displeasing nose shadow.

We spent the most time on this set of images both in shooting and in setting up. It's Natasha's brand new "Soviet Russia" piece and, at least at the time this was taken, no one has had a chance to photograph it yet. We used three tunsten Dedolight 100W Fresnel fixtures all set within about a stop apart and on the same C-stand. The lights were used unmodifed to provide separation lighting for Natasha's body and for her head piece. Two ARRI Locasters set up one above the other camera right provided the key light with the higher light softened with a diffusion gel clipped to the barn doors.

Literally our first shot after moving the lights. Diffused ARRI Locaster camera right and dimmed ARRI Locaster set at same colour temperature for rim camera left.

Natasha making Rodrigo feel uneasy holding all of the repurposed little animals. Locasters in the foreground. Leica M7, 35/2 Zeiss ZM Biogon, Delta 400 pushed to 1600 in Kodak XTOL and scanned with the Nikon Coolscan 5000 ED.

From left, [ridiculously skinny] Adam, Rodrigo, and Hailey. Very small crew this time.

Shortly after leaving Cinec in Munich, Germany, I had the opportunity to check out some goodies primarily targeting still photographers at Photokina. Some of the highlights include a ball-based alternative to geared tripod heads by Arca Swiss and Manfrotto, Priolite's battery-integrated monolights, the Panasonic DMC-GH2, Brightcast LED lighting, a discussion with Elinchrom's Vice President and head of Swiss and UK distribution Christopher Whittle about Elinchrom's product development philosophy, the upcoming Elinchrom Skyport iPhone app, and some of the company's new products, Michael Hejtmanek, president of Bron Imaging Group, and his discussion of Broncolor's new entry-level pack and head system, the Broncolor Senso, a walk through of Dedolight's product line and a look at some new things with Profoto.

Broncolor Senso

NEC Spectraview PA271 (Spectraview LCD2690WUxi replacement . . . sort of)

Brightcast LED lighting for cinematography and live performance

KPS Design's "geared" tripod ball head

Lots more on my YouTube channel.