Portable Lighting

Been after a bag to carry around my outdoor lighting kit for a while now. Happened to see this in a camera shop just before a shoot the other day. It's designed to carry a Manfrotto tripod, but it fits everything I need inside and also has a handy shoulder strap which helps carrying.

My Digital Darkroom

Taken some time out this week to overhaul my workspace. Got a new desk from Ikea and just generally tidied up.

Still got loads to do! Need to find a new home for my Canon Pro9000 A3+ Printer as well as sort out and recycle (yeah I do my bit!) 100s of photography magazines.

Knowledge is king!

One of the biggest secrets in life is that the more you know, the more you have to draw from in any given situation.

Many photographers think lighting techniques are only applicable in the studio and they only have ambient light or on camera flash to use when shooting on location. If this is you, then you may want to watch this video.

I'm a big fan of using Speedlites off camera. See my Tracy Kiss photos in the blog below for examples of how I use flash on location.

Tracy Kiss

What better way to spend a cold afternoon in March than with a beautiful girl, a camera and a couple of off camera flashes.

Near where I live there is a footpath called the "Phoenix Trail". This used to be an old railway which has since been tarmac'd over and turned into a nature trail. There are parts of the old railway visible at certain points, including an old platform.

A great spot for doing urban model shoots is a bridge across the trail which is built from old brick and has graffiti all over it.

For this shoot I used two Canon Speedlites on stands, fired with Pocket Wizards. I used the Speedlites bare rather than with umbrellas which gave a much harsher light.

More Urban Strides

Last weekend I was asked if I could take some shots of the individual Urban Strides Dance Troupe members for their website and promotion. In the past, all their shots have been little more than snap shots against a wall, so I thought I'd add a bit more life to them and try and show some of the dynamics of the group

Urban Strides @ Move It 08

Just spent the weekend at Olympia in London with Urban Strides for the 2008 Move It Exhibition. Had an awesome time and got some good shots! Here's a few...