Wescott 7ft. Parabolic Umbrella

If you don't have one of these yet, make sure you pick one up! In my last post I mentioned that I would be testing out Wescott's 7ft silver umbrella. Two shoots in, I've been able to get the hang of shooting with this thing. There's more for me to work on but here are a few shots using this umbrella:

Olivia

Mackenzie

My thoughts on this umbrella:
- HUGE
- Provides great, even lighting; contrast
- Great build quality - nice stitching, fiberglass ribs are rigid and sturdy
- Although it is considerably lightweight, be careful when mounting it to your light stand/strobe head etc....

Flashing lights - Calumet Genesis 300B

So I lied about not shooting again until 2012 lol. Oh well, got the new Calumet Genesis 300B and couldn't wait. Here's one of my favorite shots from another test shoot with Olivia.

Model - Olivia June Paladin @ Posh Models LA
MUA/Hair - Christian Buss

This was shot with a 46 inch shoot through umbrella from Calumet. With this shot, I was aiming for a more natural, window light effect. The white umbrella almost acts like a softbox. As far as the post edit, just a simple B&W conversion and contrast adjustment. Healing brush, clone stamp and a little dodging. Please excuse the top of the backdrop showing on the right =)

My thoughts on the Genesis 300B

-Well built. Has a really nice finish (especially for the price)

-Hardware and hinges are sturdy. 

-Came with a decent sized sync cord. Necessary for me since I haven't decided on a wireless unit yet. 

-AC/DC unit so it can be taken outdoors with Calumet's battery set.

-Only complaint I have is that for some reason, the 7 inch reflector is hard to install/remove. It sits snug, but just really hard to remove. This is good and bad. The lock is also a little tight, so I would be careful with the unit if you are having this problem. 

-I would suggest investing in a sturdy light stand. 

On my next shoot, I'll be testing out my new 7ft Silver parabolic umbrella from Wescott. If you thought your 60 inch umbrella was huge, think again. Here are some links to more info on Wescotts parabolic umbrellas:

http://www.fjwestcott.com/newgear/parabolic-umbrellas/index.cfm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZFNdzvg_XY

http://fjwestcott.com/blog/?p=2749

Can't I live without this photo

Just saw a photographer post in an open group forum asking how one selects their photos. I'm sure he was looking to get technical responses, but me being me, I responded -I ask myself  "Can I live without this photo?" Sure, that's a meaningless, ignorant repsonse =). This simple question, just really really inspired my first blog post. hahah But out of all seriousness, I take note of all the properly exposed, composed shots from a technical stand-point and make a decision from there. Does this image meet technical standards? Will this image serve it's purpose? I apply this to all genres of photography that I shoot. It really got me thinking about some of my own images. There are some images that I own that aren't exactly spectacular or technically correct, but they have a big impact on me; so much that I revisit them again and again. For the past two weeks, there is a particular image of mine that I have re-visited that has impacted me. This is an image from August.

Melrose Ave. -  Zoe W. @ Wunder Management LA

Love this shot, one of my favorites from the whole shoot. There is a lot to say about this image from a technical stand point. Backdrop is a little busy, composition could have been better and there are a few distracting elements in this photo: the couple in the background and the hideous Lincoln Town Car, red Toyota Camry in the back. You can also ask yourself, what does this image tell me? What is the subject in this photo doing and why is it significant. Why is she posing like that? Initially, I overlooked this image and went on to the next. There were and are better composed photos from the shoot. Trust me, I cropped this photo in each and every way and it took away from the mood. This is one of those in-between shots you capture when you're not really trying. There is some pre-production behind this image, but the image itself makes it look so effortless, spontaneous. In regards to post edit, I'm a sucker for warm, muted tones and felt that it was appropriate and adds a little bit of my personal style to it. This image is a great example of what I love capturing. These are the type of images that mean the most to me.