models

Valentines day photo shoot with Jin

Posted by Snob on February 14, 2015

Posted in: canon 5D mark III, Canon 7D Mark II, Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: canon 430EX, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, girl, happy Valentines Day, Jin, model, Pinup, Retrospect Vintage Fashion, Valentines Day, Vintage Versace. Leave a comment

Jin doing Pinup Girl

Happy Valentines Day!
Last weekend I had the distinct pleasure of photographing Jin. I had a specific look I wanted to capture. The look was a Vintage Versace look by Hannah Be from Retrospect Vintage Fashion. She’s an amazing stylist. Jin, my model was the perfect model for the look. She came up from Los Angeles for our shoot and has a great creative sense, style and energy. Her experience in front of the lens really made all the difference as far as how much we got done in just a few short and quick hours. After giving two looks a thorough treatment we still had a little time left. She suggested we play around with some pinup looks for Valentines Day. Here they are along with a few behind the scenes shots. I didn’t put much thought or effort into getting these shots just right but thought they were cute none-the-less. I hope you enjoy them and have a happy Valentines Day.

Red Boots: Photo shoot with Hannah

Posted by Snob on January 9, 2015

Posted in: canon 5D mark III, Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: boots, canon 430EX, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, fashion, Hannah, models, Red Boots, style, test shoot. Leave a comment

Red Boots

I definitely have a lot of catching up to do. More than half of my final cut choice images shot last year have yet to be posted or printed. While taking stock this evening I stumbled across this image from a test shoot I did with Hannah over a year ago. This shot however was one of my personal favorites and remained all but finished until this evening. I just love the way her understated beauty comes through here. The complementary styles also give it a uniqueness. Those Red Boots! When she pulled them out I thought to myself “Oh my gosh! What am I going to do with those?”.

I have learned to just go with the flow. I shot the Red Boots only after we had exhausted all her other looks. As it turned out, they were my favorite. I must credit Hannah for her sense of style. She is also an amazing hair and makeup artist. She did it all herself.

This 330 Megapixel composite image was taken in my private studio with the Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens at 150mm, 1/125 second shutter and ISO-640. For lighting I used two Canon 430EX speedlights. One with barn doors on left and one with soft box diffuser on the right. The speedlights were set to manual at 1/32 and 1/64 respectively. I used a slightly higher ISO than usual to pick up a bit of the warmth from the halogen track lighting above. I love it when test shoots yield unexpected gems.

I definitely look forward to many more creative photo shoots with Hannah.

Photo shoot with Nicole at Mango’s Antro.

Posted by Snob on November 13, 2014

Posted in: canon 5D mark III, Fashion, models. Tagged: canon 5d mark III, Denim Spot, fashion, Mango's Antro, Nicole. Leave a comment

Nicole at Magos – Canon 5D Mark III + EF 50mm f/1.2L

I was recently out with Pete from Denim Spot after one of our creative collaborations. We settled over a glass of wine at Mango’s Antro and as always, began going over the days creative endeavors, what we would have changed, what we liked and what we would like to try on our next project. Before long we happened upon a young, lady called Nicole. We both thought she had great energy, personality and attitude. It was also pretty obvious she maintained an active lifestyle and great shape. All of a sudden we were talking about trying some of the looks we did not get to shoot that day because we just did not have any models that matched the looks.

Nicole was gracious enough to be our model. Even though she did not have very much modeling experience, her personality and attitude definitely made up for it. Ironically I have found this is often more important than looks and can make or break a photo shoot/project. We shot just two looks. I definitely look forward to more photo shoots with Nicole and working with her on more creative projects as she gets more time in front of the camera.

For this shoot I used the Canon 5D Mark III. For lenses I used the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the EF 50mm f/1.2L. For fill lighting I used two Canon 430EX Speedlites with Photix E-TTL RF triggers. For behind the scenes shots we used the Canon 7D + EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM.

Retrospect Vintage Fashion exhibit at Demin Spot

Posted by Snob on October 23, 2014

Posted in: Art, canon 5D mark III, Entertainment, Fashion, models. Tagged: canon 5d mark III, Denim Spot, DenimSpot, fashion, fashion designer, Hanna Be, models, Retrospect Vintage Fashion, tokina 16-28mm f/2.8, Vintage Fashion. Leave a comment

Retrospect Vintage Fashion exhibit at Demin Spot

Several Friday evenings ago I had some free time so I decided to get out a little. My plan was to visit my good friend Pete at Denim Spot downtown. He’s very much involved in the local fashion scene and is always exploring creative ideas and projects. On this evening he was collaborating with Hanna Be of Retrospect Vintage Fashion a local fashion designer with a very interesting take on retro fashions and style. They setup a live shop window mannequin set. It’s just one of many cool ideas I’ve seen them come up with.

I planned on stopping by and getting a few shots of the action before moving on to a Friday night photo outing all over downtown. I never made it passed Denim Spot. I ended up shooting various looks and indulging in creative and fashionable atmosphere. It was tons of fun and a very rewarding way to kill an otherwise lazy Friday night.

I really wasn’t ideally equipped for a fashion shoot. I packed just my Canon 5D Mark III and the Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 lens. I expected to take mostly casual night action shots both in tight bar/restaurant settings as well street corners. What made this fashion shoot particularly interesting was that I had to make do with what I had – an ultra wide lens.

The Tokina was surprisingly good. Since I had no flash, I shot wide open at f/2.8 to capture as much ambient light as possible. The 5D3 also permitted a much higher ISO so I could shoot handheld as I did not pack a tripod. I was even able to shoot HDR bracket shots hand held under very challenging lighting conditions. If you take a closer look at the photo to the left, you will notice this lens still has an impressively shallow depth of field for an ultra wide angle. A great benefit of having the ultra wide angle lens was that I was able to work in the small set spaces at the boutique and still capture full body shots showcasing the styles and looks. The Tokina 16-28mm is rectilinear, much like it’s more popular APS-C sibling the 11-16mm f/2.8 and manages to render surprisingly straight perspectives even at it’s widest.

Below are some shots from the evening of fashion photography and fun.

Photo shoot with Angela

Posted by Snob on September 11, 2014

Posted in: Art, canon 5D mark III, Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: canon 24-105mm f/4 L, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, Canon 7D, model, tattoo. Leave a comment

Angela (Sweet Cheeks)

As part of my ongoing Tattoo Series effort earlier this year I had the pleasure of working with a young interesting model, Angela. She also goes by the alias Sweet Cheeks. Angela already had collected an impressive array of art on her body and had an even more intricate work in progress. She was prompt, driven, mellow and personable. She even did her own hair and makeup well – a photographer’s ideal type of model. She shared her many plans and ambitions during the session. It is probably time I checked in with Angela since her big move to pursue her dreams and ambitions. She had an unusually clear vision of what she wanted to accomplish. A great person all around. Another one of the great things about this creative effort has been the great people and models I have had the distinct pleasure of working with.

Several shots from this session will make it to limited edition print as soon as I can finish the final edits and review full size test canvas prints. Below are some behind the scenes shots. Please feel free to share any feedback, ideas, suggestions, questions and requests you may have. As always, anything on my blog can be shared as well.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tattoo Series – Curators of Art

Posted by Snob on May 8, 2014

Posted in: Art, Entertainment, Fashion, Limited, models, studio. Tagged: art, canon 430EX, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, fashion, models, skin, tattoo, Tattoos. 3 Comments

I am pleased to finally and formally release the first limited print from a photographic series I have been working on for over a year now. Curators of Art is a pure, unfiltered look at fine art quality tattoo art work and the people who choose to collect and wear their art. It has been a fun, exciting and enlightening journey. I am not sure when work on the Tattoo Series will be completed or whether it will ever be for that matter but I will likely continue working on it through this summer.

The first limited print of awesomeness I am making available is titled Wild Things. You can keep tabs on all future releases from this series on the link above to the Tattoo Series page.

Limited Tattoo Series – Wild Things – 22 x 48 inches

I have posted before about some (but not all) of the photo shoots I did as part of this series. Here are some of them:

Photo shoot with Naomi

Posted by Snob on January 24, 2014

Posted in: Art, canon 5D mark III, Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: canon 430EX, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, tattoo, Tattoos. Leave a comment

I said my new year’s resolution was to photograph and post about it at least once a week. I know I’m already a week behind, but I have good reason. With the little spare time I have to spend on my photography endeavors each week I simply did not have enough time left to write about it all last week. That was because I spent it all doing the actual photographing…lol.

I spent last Friday evening working on the next subject [Naomi] for my series on tattoos and body ink. She was a great sport and subject to work with. I’m on a bit of a time crunch with this series as I would like to have it ready for exhibit/display by late this spring or summer. The entire series will be available for a very limited print run. My main goal is to present the subject of body ink and tattoos to a mainstream audience in a fashion that highlights it’s artistic qualities and present a different take on my subjects as curators of fine art. Below are some behind the scenes shots of our photo shoot as well as a sample. Because this series will be made available in limited print production only, I am less inclined to publish any of the images on the web.

The main shots were taken with the Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. The behind the scenes shots were taken with the Canon 7D and the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. Two Canon 430EX speedlite flashes were used for lighting.

Naomi sample

Naomi posing

Making minor adjustments

Getting my final shots in

Always check shots and make adjustments on the spot

Courtney, MUA working her magic.

Photo Shoot with Holly

Posted by Snob on November 17, 2013

Posted in: Art, Camera, Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: Body Ink, canon 430EX, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, Canon 7D, canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, tattoo, Tattoos. 2 Comments

Earlier this year I did a shot one of my favorite models, Charlie. She’s the one featured in my post titled Girl with the Phoenix Tattoo.

While I sought to try out and experiment with different styles on that shoot, as time progressed, it inspired me to begin exploring the subject of body ink. The culture [if any] behind it. I wanted to see things through the mind of my subject. My mulling finally led me to a theme/subject I felt I could pursue seriously, but more on that later. Suffices to say, I recently started my first official foray into this relatively new [for me] territory. My subject was a great model “Holly”.

She maintains an impressive array of body ink and artwork. She also made for a great subject to work with. She was very responsive, creative and clearly had experience in front of the lens. This would be the second in series I am hoping to release by next summer. The theme and subject of this series is to present the best body art I can find to a mainstream audience in a fashion that highlights the intricate art of their detailed tattoos.

For the photographer in you, I shot the entire session with my Canon 5D Mark III and my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. There is just no better lens for the job! This is why you see me sitting outside of my studio space so as to better frame my shot. Not all lenses are built equal and this lens warrants the extra accommodations. The whole shoot was handheld. I used two Canon 430EX speedlites in full manual mode with RF wireless triggers without E-TTL. This seems to have become my setup of choice – full and complete manual camera and flash lighting. It makes for very precise control. I used various Interfit Strobies flash filters and accessories. The photos you see in this post were taken with my Canon 7D with Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM with the help of our hair and makeup artist Amber. The 7D still delivers in low ambient light as it was always known for. The wine was a Syrah from Australia.

I am yet to do my final cut edit of this shoot and as such do not have any finished shots for you to view at this time. I may also only make them available at the time of publishing/exhibit. However I thought I might share this shoot with you. I hope you enjoy this post no less and share your thoughts as feedback with me.

Photo shoot with Hannah

Posted by Snob on October 12, 2013

Posted in: Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: canon 430EX, canon 5d mark III, canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, Hannah. Leave a comment

While taking a break during a fashion photo shoot this summer, one of the hair and makeup stylists caught my eyes. I thought she was very photogenic and most of all fairly unaware of it. I snagged a couple shots her so I could revisit her look when I had some downtime. You can see those shots in my previous post Behind the scenes – Fashion Shoot.

I finally got around to catching up with Hannah early Monday evening. While this was more of a test shoot – I almost always do a test shoot first before doing any photo projects – I did get quite a few great shots. Below some of the first shots to make it the final cut and editing. I will post more (with different outfits) as I finish final edits. Hair and Makeup was by none other than Hannah herself. The whole shoot was a breeze.

For this shoot I used the Canon 5D Mark III with the EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM lens. I mostly employed two Canon 430EX speedlights manual mode synched via simple RF triggers. I shot handheld in manual mode at f/2.8, ISO-640 and 1/80s. AF was one shot. Image stabilization ON.

On a side note, I’m not sure I can go back to shooting E-TTL again. The 5D Mark-III has forced me to learn manual flash lighting and I have to say it’s a much better way to shoot.

Hannah

Behind the scenes – Fashion Shoot

Posted by Snob on August 14, 2013

Posted in: Fashion, models, studio. Tagged: 5D, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, Canon, canon 24-105mm f/4 L, Hannah, mark III, Photography, sacramento, studio. 2 Comments

Not long ago I was shooting a summer fashion series for Denim Spot in downtown Sacramento. The shots were for their fashion look book, so unfortunately I will not be publishing those shots anytime soon, or at least until their look book is released. However while taking a break from shooting I decided to look around me. I was intrigued by one of our Makeup Artists and Assistants. I decided to explore her look as a little diversion from an otherwise intense day of shooting in various challenging settings. Hannah was gracious enough to pose and let me take a few shots. Here are some highlights from behind the scene.

LIKE this post if you’d like to see a fashion shoot with Hannah. 🙂