01. A single bare faced Speedlight was all we used for this set of pictures. We used it off camera here but later on you will see creative shots taken with the flash on camera.
02. A Speedlight is such a powerful bit of kit when used with a manual zoom setting. I love hard light and this is what you get from it used off camera with no modifiers. Carla was such a sport on this shoot. It was cold and uncomfortable on the barrels.
03. On a cold overcast day in Manchester the Speedlight gave our pictures punch.
04. Carla on the window sill of my favourite pub building in town.
05.
06. Carla in the ginnel by Deansgate locks. I used f/1.4 on my Fujifilm 35mm lens to reduce the depth of field.
07. Graffiti in the basement of a Deansgate bar.
08. A low angle Lovegrove classic.
09. Starsky and Hutch style graphics liven up this sunlit shot.
10. I’ve been creating custom curves profiles in Lightroom to generate ‘looks’. I’m not convinced I like them yet.
11. I lit Carla with natural light and used f/1.4 on the 35mm Fuji lens with my X-Pro1 camera.
12. A single ~Speedlight gave a striking look to this Castlefield portrait.
13. Low gamut harmony in thin monochromatic portrait.
14. A zoomed in Speedlight on camera makes this shot work well. I used a Nikon SB900 on my Fuji X-Pro1.
15. I zoomed the Speedlight out to 50mm for this alternative shot in the same location.
16. I posed Carla in a style I borrowed from Kate Moss. Her Belstaff campaign shots reminded me of a Blondie album artwork shoot and Carla in a leather jacket has overtones of both Debbie Harry and Kate.
17. One of my custom made film simulations partnered with the wonderful look from the 35mm wide open.
18. Carla in the tunnel of love under Gmex.
These shots were taken on my Urban Portraits workshop. It is my foundation workshop and an introduction into creative lighting. I limit the kit used to just a DSLR or compact system camera, a single Speedlight without modifiers and a lighting stand. All the strategies and techniques used are quite straightforward and the emphasis is on seeing the light and composition.
Go on, join me on my next Urban Portraits workshop, check out the details here.