Seascape Portraits with Off-camera Flash at Aldeburgh

Had a great morning photo training on Aldeburgh beach.   What a stunning picture by a great student, on only her second session with Tony.
Taking seascapes and portraits to the next level using graduated filters to achieve amazing skies, and off-camera flash for that WOW factor!

YOU too can capture your loved ones within the beautiful seascape – autumnal skies make for fantastic family portraits ideal for Christmas presents – bookings now available. Or sign up for one to one photo training to get the best from your camera.  Visit www.tonypickphotography.co.uk

Aldeburgh Independent’s Day – Tony Pick Masterclass

Today is the day to celebrate Aldeburgh’s Independent shops and businesses and make the most of the special offers, discounts and masterclasses on offer. Enjoy the music and festivities whilst getting to know the shop owners on the high street. Thank you to everyone who attended my masterclass outside the gallery and hope you came away with some top tips and new techniques. A big thank you to Claire and Sue and the ABA for making today possible.

Interior Photography Techniques

Today’s commission was an interior advertising shoot of a lovely holiday home overlooking the sea.  The bright conditions called for a mix of ambient light and off camera flash to iron out the long shadows caused by the low winter sun. The key to creating natural looking interiors is mixing natural ambient light and tungsten from the lamps etc, then throw in a little flash to balance things out. Lastly, some finishing touches to dress the room nicely.

The interior exposures were hovering around 1/15sec @ f/11 at 400 ISO. I used Quantum’s wireless Qflash system at 1/2 power – soft box attached and directed into shadows.

The Big One! Long Lens Workshop

A Pre Safari test workshop with theSigma 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM Lens. What a cracking lens this is, pin sharp and excellent creativity with minimal depth of field at the 400mm end.

Dorian wanted to explore the handling and qualities of the lens before departing on a wildlife adventure to Africa. Had an enlightening morning with some challenging weather conditions too.

Didn’t take long to appreciate what a beast of a lens this is. Stunning results, ideal for wildlife, sport and portraiture and all within a single lens.

Well done Dorian, looking forward to seeing some stunning pics from the Safari!

 

SWPP Convention

Great day at the SWPP Convention in London today, my annual photo fix!

Caught up with some old friends and came away with the complete collection of Nik software for Lightroom 3 and very excited about the new Alumini (luminous) product from Loxley’s for the gallery Landscapes. Been

waiting for this one to reach our shores for some time.

Could have been worse, last year came away with the Nikon D3s – OUCH!

Have a snappy happy weekend.

Regards Tony

Off camera flash for that ‘WOW’ factor!

To create this atmospheric portrait capturing the background skies and freezing movement, set the camera to aperture priority, using the exposure compensation feature on your camera. Set this to -1. This will under expose the ambient light by 1 stop allowing the skies to retain detail. However, the boys will be under exposed at this point so I used quantum’s Q flash T5d-R system fired remotely from the left hand side, to light the boys and also help freeze movement.
The Q flash has the power output I need to compete with the sun – but still allows me the freedom to keep up with the kids when they want to go and have fun.
http://www.coastalimages.co.uk/portraits/portraits-portfolio
Exposure – 1/250 @ f/16 400 ISO

Let’s slow thing’s down – Why not try photographing in low light?

If you want to create a sense of movement in your image, use a tripod and set the camera to manual. Try experimenting with exposures slower than 30 seconds to achieve this ‘mysterious’ effect. This was created by 3 or 4 waves moving back and forth along the shore. The camera has also captured that ice blue white balance, without the need for any filters.
Have fun, stay safe near water, it’s expensive if your kit gets a soaking!
(Exposure 1 min @ f/11 100 ISO)

USE OF IMAGES
All images are Creative Commons, for Non-Commercial use only.
for commercial use email info@coastalimages.co.uk
Feel free to use our images on your blog, for fun and the like, but you must:
1) Link to www.coastalimages.co.uk
2) Credit ‘Photo by Tony Pick www.coastalimages.co.uk

Photo Training, Portraits & Landscapes at www.coastalimages.co.uk