A couple weeks ago, Steve Schuenke arranged for Shirley, Cindi and me to sail on the Elissa, which is a three mast, iron-hulled sailing ship built in Aberdeen Scotland. Shirley’s blog has an outstanding write-up about the ship along with some great photos of our sail. I want to thank Steve for this opportunity. I found the whole afternoon very rewarding, not just for the photo ops, but for learning how a sailing ship of this size operates.
My original thought for shooting was to use a polarizing filter to tame the background. I quickly discovered that due to the shadows cast by the sails and equipment, I had lots of shadows to address. I used the same set-up as I used for the Fat Tuesday parade plus the use of the polarizing filter. My goal was to make the shots look properly exposed, both subject and background, without any indications that flash was used.
My first shot is of a crew-member who is most photogenic and always seemed to strike a pose. Steve also has a shot of this guy on his blog that you should check-out.
I wanted this shot to look like sunlight was lighting his face and the front of his clothes. I pointed my flash about three feet in front of him so that the light feathered onto his front side. I had my white balance set to cloudy which produced a slightly warm glow to the photograph.
Enjoy.
Camera settings: Nikon D3, 28-70mm f/2.8 at 60mm, shot at ISO 200, f/9.5 and 1/125th of a second (Aperture priority with a -1.5 EV compensation) with Nikon SB-800 (with a +.5 EV compensation) connected to camera with SC-29 iTTL cord and attached to camera with Really Right Stuff Wedding Pro Flash Bracket.
Post Processing: Lightroom—Set white and black points, added mid-tone contrast, clarity and vibrance.
Well composed portrait. I like how the colors all seem to work together and how the background and your subject all seem to be properly exposed.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Good job blending the ambient light and the flash. You cannot tell that flash was used. The man has struck a great pose, but I think the color on his face seems a little washed out.
ReplyDeleteAnne
Great sky in the background, especially considering how bright it actually was that day. I'm continually amazed over the fine dance you do with ambient and flash. Nice environmental portrait!
ReplyDeleteI could not have asked for a better composed or exposed shot, especially out in bright sunshine. I don't think many people understand how you made such a difficult shot look so beautifully easy!
ReplyDeleteSuper job Larry.
DHaass
Great shot. He looks so natural. You should see if he wants to model for you on a regular basis. The colors are natual looking. I like the background a lot; it seems like a day to be sailing.
ReplyDeleteTed