Uploads from ksten

Naomi

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:15:20 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Well, we had a great Bank Holiday weekend spent with family and friends. The weather was amazing and really felt like summer had arrived at last, so we broke out the barbeque and ate more meat than is healthy.

I saw this shot from across the garden. Naomi was in open shade and stood in front of an uncluttered background (A conservatory window). She saw me with the camera, gave me a quick smile and the job was done. Another happy memory.

I hope you all had a great time too.

Padded Cell

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Sat, 04 May 2013 14:38:50 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Sometimes I wonder who needs the padded cell more. Him or us.

Shot in my study just prior to the Cupboard Love photograph so no lighting or seamless background. The cutout was a little more tricky than normal as a bookshelf was behind his head so the refine edge tool wasn't too effective. I resorted to a technique that Aaron Nace (Phlearn) teaches where you draw in the hairs on the mask by scribbling near the edge with a very fine brush. Seemed to work.

I decided to move away from my preferred warm tones for this image as I thought the blue suited it better. I still couldn't resist throwing a bit of subtle warmth into the highlights though, if only to make him look a little less like a smurf.

I hope everyone is having a great Bank Holiday weekend.

Cupboard Love

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:12:09 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

This is Jack's "please may I" face. He certainly knows how to wrap his dad around his little finger and usually gets his way!

Play Date

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:20:15 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Maisie invited her friend Brooke over for a play date and dinner after school today.

This is just a snap of them having a great time playing on the trampoline. My wife, Naomi, had asked them to see if they could bounce up to touch the camera.

Say Aaahhh (Setup)

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:36:03 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Setup for Say Aaahhh.

Strobist:

Ranger A Head, A port at 3.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, above and to the right of camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, bare bulb bounced into ceiling, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, bare bulb bounced into ceiling, above Maisie.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, bare bulb bounced into ceiling, rear camera right.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Say Aaahhh

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:12:21 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Just having a bit of fun with Maisie when she got home today. Amazingly this was the first shot of her and she nailed the positions of her hands and eyes. The facial expression was an added bonus.

The lighting setup was trying to mimic an overcast day to match the background shot of the tiger. The rest was just messing about in Photoshop.

Strobist:

Say Aaahhh (Setup)

Ranger A Head, A port at 3.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, above and to the right of camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, bare bulb bounced into ceiling, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, bare bulb bounced into ceiling, above Maisie.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, bare bulb bounced into ceiling, rear camera right.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Brain Freeze

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:05:49 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Yep, definitely turned out to be a brain freeze from too much ice cream. It didn't seem to put her off though.

Similar setup to Teacher's Apple (Setup), but with the overhead 135 Octa brought in closer and two additional lights lifting the background to a lighter grey to see if it made cutting Maisie out easier.

Strobist:

Ranger A Head, A port at 4.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, above and in front of camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Maisie.
RX600, 1.5, 21cm reflector, rear camera left to light white background.
RX600, 1.5, 21cm reflector, rear camera right to light white background.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Ice Cream

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:24:59 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Maisie showed Jack how eating an ice cream should be done. Almost in one apparently. I think her expression is part bitten off more she can chew and part brain freeze kicking in!

Similar setup to Teacher's Apple (Setup), but with the overhead 135 Octa brought in closer and two additional lights lifting the background to a lighter grey to see if it made cutting Maisie out easier.

Strobist:

Ranger A Head, A port at 4.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, above and in front of camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Maisie.
RX600, 1.5, 21cm reflector, rear camera left to light white background.
RX600, 1.5, 21cm reflector, rear camera right to light white background.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Ice cream

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:41:08 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Most of which he actually managed to eat. The rest, well, he chose to wear that.

Similar setup to Teacher's Apple (Setup), but with the overhead 135 Octa brought in closer and two additional lights lifting the background to a lighter grey to see if it made cutting Jack out easier.

Strobist:

Ranger A Head, A port at 4.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, above and in front of camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Jack.
RX600, 1.5, 21cm reflector, rear camera left to light white background.
RX600, 1.5, 21cm reflector, rear camera right to light white background.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

School's Out

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:35:37 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

So, while we were making the shots of Maisie in her school uniform, Jack was doing laps of the studio on his scooter. This is a quick grab shot as he was passing through and was almost in the right position for the lighting setup.

I'm pretty sure his tongue spends more time out of his mouth than it does in it.

Strobist:

Teacher's Apple (Setup)

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, directly above and behind camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.0, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Jack.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Teacher's Apple (4)

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:29:46 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

And we're back to the apple again.

You'll be glad to hear this is the last from the series. Mainly done for practice at compositing.

Strobist:

Teacher's Apple (Setup)

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, directly above and behind camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.0, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Maisie.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

The Full Ensemble

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:25:59 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Swapped the red apple for a green cardy to complete the full ensemble.

Strobist:

Teacher's Apple (Setup)

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, directly above and behind camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.0, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Maisie.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Teacher's Apple (3)

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:50:11 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Another composite of Maisie with the apple.

Strobist:

Teacher's Apple (Setup)

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, directly above and behind camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.0, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Maisie.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Teacher's Apple (2)

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:58:01 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Another frame from yesterday, this time composited in front of a blackboard.

Strobist:

Teacher's Apple (Setup)

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, directly above and behind camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.0, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Maisie.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Teacher's Apple (Setup)

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:32:03 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Setup for:

Teacher's Apple (1)
Teacher's Apple (2)
Teacher's Apple (3)
The Full Ensemble
Teacher's Apple (4)
School's Out

Strobist:

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, directly above and behind camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.0, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Maisie.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Teacher's Apple (1)

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:11:04 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

Maisie turned four years old in January, so she spent last term attending the local primary school for a couple of hours every Monday afternoon as a gentle introduction to what goes on. This term her visits will increase to four afternoons per week and she also starts to wear her new uniform. She's very excited about the whole thing and can't wait to start full time come the new school year in September.

I do predict trouble ahead though ... this apple didn't quite make it to the teacher's desk.

Strobist:

Teacher's Apple (Setup)

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, directly above and behind camera.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.0, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above Maisie.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

"Hey Dad, it's Jack"

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:06:04 -0700

ksten posted a photo:

"So, if we can't get a dog, how about a cat?"

An old shot of Jack from last year composited into a picture of the kitty.

Strobist:

Ranger A Head, A port at 7.0, 70cm white maxisoft with silver deflector and sock, upper camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 6.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, from on camera axis.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Scooters (Setup)

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 03:40:55 -0800

ksten posted a photo:

Setup for Scooters.

Strobist:

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Scooters

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:02:18 -0800

ksten posted a photo:

Just playing.

Strobist:

Scooters (Setup)

Ranger A Head, A port at 5.0, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.

Jack's New Haircut ...

nobody@flickr.com (ksten) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 06:53:44 -0800

ksten posted a photo:

... fortunately coincided with his mum making him a new hat. ;-)

Strobist:

Ranger A Head, A port at 2.6, 135 Midi Octa with both diffusers, camera left.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 3.5, 100 Deep Octa with both diffusers, above and behind Jack.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 2.0, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
Ranger Quadra A Head, A port at 2.0, 130x50 strip with both diffusers, rear camera right.
RX600, 2.0, 21cm reflector, gelled blue, rear camera left to light background.
RX600, 2.0, 21cm reflector, gelled blue, rear camera right to light background.

Triggered by Skyport Speed.