On Assignment for OSU Marketing

Had the opportunity to shoot a portrait for Oregon State University's Marketing department today. The photos will run alongside a brief feature write up on the main homepage. Lauren Fein is a recent graduate who now works at the OSU Extension Offices in Hood River. She primarily works in nutrition management and in conjunction with SNAP (Oregon's food stamp program) to promote healthy eating amongst local families in need. Lauren was incredibly laid back and it was fun working with her.

We shot photos behind the main Extension offices, I wanted to incorporate the area she's based in, so getting the test orchard and the hills in the background worked out great. The basket of pears she's holding were grown on site too!

In addition, we also drove a short way to a local grocery store that sells organic produce. Again, it added some color and context to both healthy eating, and to where Lauren does her work now. Much more fun than a photo with her behind her desk!

On a technical note, yes I am using off camera light for both of these shots. Just a single light for some subtle fill. I like the idea of being able to use light to just give a shot a bit more punch, but not scream "dynamic lighting." Like the best post work and photo editing, good lighting should many times, simply enhance the impact of the photo, and not draw undue attention to itself.

Volunteers!

I'm still trying to let all the things Joe and Dave talked about on Saturday sink in. I am really taken with Dave Hobby's approach to portraits, letting your ambient light play a larger roll, and layering on your lights one at a time. In any case, I've been anxious to get out there and shoot more portraits.

Sarah and Erin from Powers Studios were totally game to volunteer for my lighting test today using Dave Hobby's approach. We shot just outside the studio's front door in a semi-open hallway. It felt really good to try something new. Arguably, Hobby's approach to portraits is a lot more subtle than most. Less "Hey look at this cool lighting!" and more about using light subtly to bring out character.

Anyway, today was a first pass at one of Hobby's basic setups. I would have wanted to bring up the ambient light from the background more, but I really didn't want to keep Sarah and Erin away from their work for too long. I'm happy with how even the lighting is, especially given that it's coming from three small lights with very little diffusion. That's the holy grail of strobist lighting I feel, getting nice soft light from small (but portable) less powerful flashes. It's really a lot like photographic alchemy. I'll try this setup again soon in a more outdoor setting!

A few tech notes here. It may not look like it, but there's actually a fair amount going on! I didn't crush down the ambient all the way, so believe me, it's still in there a bit. I flew my SB-800 above and behind on a small Impact boom arm for a hair light (for separation). Light number two was an SB-600 fired through an Orbis ring flash right on axis. Finally, my key light was another SB-600 fired through a Lumiquest Softbox iii close in on camera left. For anyone who attended the Flash Bus stop in Portland. This is pretty much the exact setup David Hobby often uses, I can't wait to get more practice in and learn to reign in that light more -- more feathering, maybe a grid spot for the key etc. Stay tuned.

PS: Alas, I forgot to fire a wide shot to document the setup. Oh well, next time. Thanks again Sarah and Erin for volunteering for today!

Flash Bus!

So I'm sure how recognizable the names are outside of the photography field, but for those in the know, getting to meet Joe McNally and David Hobby in person is off the wall epic! I mean, it's right up there with meeting Stan Lee when I was in grade school. Yes, I was somewhat star struck, the photo nerd inside me screaming like a crazed fanboy. Joe and David are extremely accomplished photographers who specialize in using small flash (they're strobists). Anyway, Portland was stop number two on their national Flash Bus Tour, where they're traveling from city to city, holding one-day conferences explaining the nuances of using off camera flash.

First off, these two guys are hilarious with wonderful senses of humor in addition to being very open educators. They also have two distinctly different approaches in how they approach light. David comes across more like a painter, using tightly controlled light to paint accents over his subjects in layers. David runs an incredibly popular (and informative!) photography blog simply called "Strobist." Joe is a bit more kinetic in his approach and has an amazing talent for capturing action, moments and candor in his portraits. You've likely seen his work in National Geographic, Time and Life. Anyway, it was wonderful seeing them break down their approaches first hand.

Also, by happenstance I ran into my photo colleague Juan at the event. It was great running into a familiar face.

Also, I just have to mention the shwag (free stuff) Joe and David continually handed out for the day. We all got very generous goodie bags, but the big ticket items were handed out to a few lucky folks in the crowd. Some of these things literally go for several hundred dollars a pop. "Hey, that's a great question, here have this tri-fold reflector (or better yet) here's a 32-GB CF card." I didn't get anything, but it was still great to see other folks walk away with top quality gear and photo accessories.

All in all it was incredibly inspiring to hear these two speak (and to see Joe shoot a bit!). What truly struck me was their humility and honesty. They've taken tons of bad photos over the years, but it's only through the taking of risks and problem solving on the fly that occasional brilliance shines through. They are literally on the road now again, driving over night to set up for their next destination in San Francisco tomorrow morning, yikes! Thanks again for sharing your knowledge Joe and David, you two rock!

On the Road

So shooting photos of different properties takes me all over the place at times. Yesterday I found myself in Kalama, Washington (about 50 miles north of Portland). The sun was out, and you really couldn't ask for better weather to shoot that particular home. Anyway, I took in a view of the countryside and made a few frames.

The Old Church

Sharing a quick photo from a recent wedding. Really excited to get the final shots back to Sydney and Matt! They were so much fun. Anyway, for the purposes of this blog. I just wanted to highlight a shot from the wedding venue itself. The Old Church in downtown Portland. I love shooting there, it's so fun! It's a darker venue, but with the full frame cameras we shoot with that's no problem at all.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Successfully baked my first strawberry pie today. It was for a going away party for a photo colleague. He and his wife are heading to Ethiopia for two months to finalize their first adoption, what an adventure!

The pie was a definite hit. It was pointed out to me that the "Strawberry Fields Forever" analogy doesn't quite work, since we devoured the thing in very short order.

Well, I guess some technical details about the pie. The filling is made from mashed strawberries, cooked in some sugar, water and cornstarch. When poured over chopped strawberries already placed in the shell, the whole thing sets in the refrigerator for several hours. The dark band you see at the edge of the crust is a layer of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, brushed on to create a hard seal and keep the wet filling from making the shell too soggy. By the way, I burnt the first bunch of chocolate chips in the microwave (shorter zap increments next time, whoops) it was way easier simply melting the chocolate on the stove top.

Also, with all of these recipes, I'm no food magician. Almost all of these are highly rated recipes off Allrecipes.com

Here is the link to today's pie: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Strawberry-Pie-II/Detail.aspx

Gorgeous Kitchen

I shot photos of a very beautiful home in West Linn today, and the look of the kitchen and breakfast nook really stood out. That's no small task, since by this point I've literally shot hundreds of homes and properties as contract work for a virtual tour company. Anyway, if anyone even casually ogles kitchens, check out the natural light in this one. It was hazy, but when it's clear there's an impressive view of Mt. Hood straight through the breakfast nook windows. Wow.

Compliments aside there was one thing I noticed, and it was big in my book. All that wonderful kitchen counter space was finished with marble. Marble? Noo! Why?! As a cook, I know that marble may look pretty (and is relatively expensive) but it does NOT hold up well to a heavily used kitchen. It's surprisingly fragile, and it stains easily.

The home owners were obviously not wanting for money, and much of what I shot was the result of a brand new remodel. All the more reason why I was sad to see the marble counter tops. A note for all you folks wanting to resurface your kitchen counter space. If you can afford it, go with granite, if not maybe go for soapstone or engineered stone. Being able to roll out dough directly on clean counter top when I bake is amazing, and if I were to remodel some future home, I'd drop the money on the good stuff. It'll last for years.

"The Midnight Chef"

My friend Karri dubbed me "The Midnight Chef" after seeing my cooking exploits online. Kind of has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Certainly a lot catchier than "The Late-night Recreational Baker" It's definitely a new pastime, and I'll be sharing stuff I make every so often here on The Walkabout.

Anyway, I baked a loaf of Portuguese Sweet Bread this evening, and I'm happy to report that it turned out pretty well! Technically speaking, this was the first full loaf of bread I've ever made. I tried making rolls a while back, which didn't rise at all and came out like super dense biscuits. Having learned my lesson, I used bread flour this time around instead of all purpose. Apparently it's a different mix, with more gluten for the active dry yeast to grab onto and work with or something. Also, this is all oven baked stuff, no bread maker (just push start) action.

The loaf rose well, and the crust hardened a bit, which gives it a slight crunch on the outside. The bread is still fairly heavy and pretty filling. As I try out other new recipes I hope to nail down the lighter breads.

On the photo end of things, I busted out my Lensbaby 2.0 (which creates a kind of tilt shift lens effect) attachment for the first time in a long while to take a shot of the finished bread fresh from the oven. It's a fun gadget, but ultimately I've never really incorporated it into my work flow. It's just such a niche lens and effect that I feel I just don't have the time to use it on the clock.

Ducks!

And these two were having such a good time down by the East Waterfront until Marc and I crashed their day by bringing out the bride, groom and rest of the wedding party onto the dock.

Lauren Day 2

Part two of Lauren's portfolio shoot was today. This is where we got to focus more on the fitness/outdoor lifestyle type shots she'll use for her portfolio. We first met up at The Circuit Gym in NE Portland, which is really a huge indoor climbing center.

Lauren does a fair amount of recreational climbing, so meeting up at The Circuit was a natural choice to get some active shots. I'd photographed indoor rock climbing before, but this was the first opportunity I've had to throw some dynamic off camera lighting on it. It was a lot of fun and the shots really pop more for it.

Turns out the weather held up pretty well in the afternoon, so after The Circuit, Lauren and I decided to head down to Cook Park in Tigard for some outdoor shots. Primarily we nailed some good outdoor running shots, natural light for that full on lifestyle aesthetic. Lauren and I will likely meet up again once the sun comes out more for a bit more apparel shots (hopefully with some lower light, backlit lens flare type shots) but that likely won't be for a bit still given the rainy weather as of late.

Just like last time, Lauren is a joy to work with. Although we've only officially met for this photo series, working together feels like catching up with an old friend. Lauren definitely has the right motivation and a great attitude toward her work, I'm excited to see her succeed. Anyway, here are a few shots from today.