Jenni Concrete

Jenni Concrete * Copyright Tim Lewis Photography 2014 All rights reserved

For this image I had the idea to play with textures. I wanted some really rough, raw concrete as a background, the model as the middleground, and then some kind of wispy fabric as a foreground element. I have never really worked with fabric as a picture element before, but I liked how it added a sense of movement to an otherwise static shot. The lighting was kept super simple, just a gridded stripbox above the camera and a white posterboard reflector below the model’s face (just out of frame, but you can see it reflected in the glasses and her eyes).

For my post processing, I wanted an almost monochromatic feel to it, so I toned most of the picture a golden brown. This really ties everything together and makes the image look really cohesive. I have another shot from this series that I took in a different direction in post, worked more of a color twist to it instead, and when I post that one you’ll see the difference in how it affects the image and the viewer.

I’m really happy with this image. I tried several new things that I hadn’t tried before, and they really came together well to make an image that I like a lot.

Jenni Concrete

On a Roll

from “Steal like an Artist” by Austin Kleon

I’m not sure why, but it seems like I’ve been in a bit of a creative whirlwind here lately. Ideas have been coming quick and easily, and I’ve been slow to reject or judge them. That seems to be a big part of it, my not instantly rejecting ideas as I come up with them. Taking the time to explore them a bit and see where they go has been very rewarding, and knowing that even if they wind up not being very good or interesting there’ll be more coming down the road shortly has seemingly liberated me in some way.

This blog might have something to do with it. I get on here and share my process, share some of the stuff I’ve been thinking, or stuff I’ve been influenced by. I think that’s greasing up the idea machine in some way. It’s like my whole life I’ve been standing in my own way, preventing myself from trying because I’d rather sit back and judge myself and others.

Another part of it might be that I keep giving away ideas, so I have to come up with new ones. I keep explaining my most prized techniques, so now I need to figure out new ways of doing things. It’s kind of obvious, in hindsight. It’s such a trap to have secret prized techniques that you file away and protect and never say a word about to anyone. By starting over you’re able to go in new directions, instead of just traveling down the road you’ve always been down. I’m just annoyed that it’s taken me this long to figure this stuff out.

On a Roll

The only constant is change

Wow. This article is pretty amazing. It’s like a drop kick to the head of the idea that “good enough” is the goal. Seems like twenty years ago making a correctly exposed image was the the goal, now any cameraphone can do that for you. Nowadays you have to ask yourself, what do I have as a photographer that is unique? What can I do that no one else can do? Everyone has a good camera these days. Everyone can take a properly exposed, in focus shot. What makes my work different? What can I do that can’t be done with stock photography and a copy of Photoshop?

So many of the questions asked by Dane Sanders are questions I’ve been asking myself lately. What can I do differently that will make my work look different from someone who just bought a camera at best buy earlier today? Some of my answers:

• I can get better at Photoshop, and use it to make my images look different instead of perfect.


• I can get better at public speaking, and use those skills to sell myself and my vision to others.


• I can start with why, and use concepts and stated goals to guide my choices instead of doing the same thing I’ve always  done.


• I can draw inspiration from artists in other fields, instead of just watching and copying the hot photographers of the moment.


• I can try and stay a student, stay learning and focus on my own growth instead of comparing myself to others.


• I can ask what can photography be, instead of what has it been? Can it be illustration? Can it be more visceral, more subjective, more point of view? Where can it go, and how can I push it there?

I don’t have it all figured out yet. But there’s a lot to think about here, and Dane points out a lot of trends that are only going to become more insistent as time goes on. It’s an exciting time to be a photographer. There’s a lot of change in the air, and I’m excited to see what we create from the bones of “traditional photography”.

 

The only constant is change

Jenni - Natural Look

Jenni * Copyright all Rights Reserved 2014 Tim Lewis Photography

New work from a shoot on Saturday. I tried to go with a natural look for this one, just the one light source for more of an airy feel to it. I’m a bit out of my comfort zone with the processing, since I usually will just desaturate everything and deal with color that way. But for this shoot the color was a big part of what I liked about it, so I tried my best to keep it. This was the first setup of a three look shoot, so we started clean and simple before things got too crazy.

Jenni - Natural Look

Von Wong Brenizer method at 400mm

Leave it to Benjamin Von Wong to shoot a Brenizer method portrait at 400mm with 18 thousand dollars worth of equipment. The brenizer method emphasizes your out of focus elements and gives you beautiful background bokeh while at the same time allowing you to have a wider angle than most extreme telephoto lenses can show. Shooting one at 400mm with that level of giant bokeh highlights is pretty crazy, and Von Wong does it well. He’s all about the special effects, and while this one isn’t as in-your-face as the usual Von Wong fire look, it’s very impressive nonetheless. Be sure to check out the rest of Von Wong’s portfolio. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Von Wong shoots a Brenizer portrait at 400mm

Von Wong Brenizer method at 400mm

Lighting Test

CopyRight Tim Lewis Photography 2014 * All Rights Reserved

I’ve been really drawn to a very mysterious lighting style lately. This is one of my recent experiments, set up for a shoot I have planned for this weekend. The setup is pretty simple, and I just realized that it could really be put together for about 50$ or so…. that includes background, light modifier, two shop lights, everything needed to take this picture. It’s a very cheap and simple setup. I didn’t take any pictures of the actual arrangement, but maybe I will after the shoot on Saturday and post them up here, if there’s interest.

After the b/w conversion the finished image looks a little over-processed, so here’s the straight-out-of-camera unprocessed file for comparison… as you can see, I didn’t do much in post other than brighten it up and convert to b/w.

Straight out of camera

Lighting Test

How to do Hard Light Portraits by Oleg Ti

Image Copyright Oleg Ti

I really enjoyed this hard light tutorial by Oleg Ti on the Profoto blog. One of the best things about it is the way Oleg explains his process, and what he was thinking as he made each choice. Hard light can be one of the most difficult light sources to work with, and seeing his approach was invaluable to me. Be sure to check out his portfolio on his website as well, there’s a lot of very impressive images on there.

Copyright Oleg Ti

How to do Hard Light Portraits by Oleg Ti