Available Light and the Nikkor 50mm f1.8D = Great Portraits!

My friend Mario is a well known figure in Malmö as he goes around reaching out to the homeless and needy of the city offering them food, friendship and a helping hand. He does all this without pay, and many times without thanks, but keeps simply plugging away. A real hero in my book!

Taken handheld with a D300s, 50mm f1.8D lens and whatever light was available. An aperture of f2.8 ensured a lovely out of focus rendition of the background and sufficient shutter speed to give a sharp portrait.

For those of you that care, here are the settings I used according to the exif data:
Manual, f2.8, 1/125s, ISO 400, auto white balance, and a quick run through DXO Optics Pro 8.

Travelwide 4×5 camera (how you can get your very own large format camera)

I came across an interesting project that seems like a lot of fun and could generate some interest in large format photography for a small investment.

This is from their website:


Travelwide is the ultralight 4×5 film camera that goes wherever you go.

"Pretty amazing" — Photojojo

"Super cool" — The Phoblographer

"Ultralight 4x5 camera… ultra-friendly price" — The World's Best Ever

"My neck and shoulders already like this camera." — Mortal Muses

It's easy to fall in love with the incredible quality of 4×5 analog film, but no one loves lugging a heavy metal camera. We wanted to create a 4×5 that you could take anywhere in the world, and carry every day at home. The result is Travelwide. It's lighter than a DSLR, and not much larger—yet tough enough to toss in a side bag or cram into an overloaded backpack.

For much more info, and to check out their request for a small $99 investment to secure your very own Large Format camera, go to their website by simply clicking here -> Travelwide 4×5 camera

Putting my Light Tent and Elinchrom lights to Good Use

For the last couple of years I have been buying up beer mugs in second hand stores, and it was all started by my daughter who purchased this mug for me at a boot sale:

It turned out to be pre German unification, so it has a little age to it as well. Since then I have added to my collection and below you can find a few of them. I used my light tent with black board inside for the seamless background, an Elinchrom D-Lite-it 2 with 65x65 softbox and Nikon D300s with Nikon 40mm f/2.8 DX G AF-S attached. All manual settings for consistency from shot to shot. Post processed with DXO Optics Pro 8.

 

Natural Light Still Life Photograph

Taken with only my D300s and a bunch of natural light coming in through the window... and an underrated 18-105mm Nikkor kit lens.

I buy props from time to time in second hand stores that have a used, worn, or old look about them just for these kind of shots and keep them handy in a drawer, like the wooden cutting board. Sometimes I just like the look of something even if it isn't particularly old, like the striped cloth, which I think works well with the wood. The bottles on the left were from an antique shop. The fruit veggies and nuts are from the kitchen, some of which was used for dinner shortly after being returned to the kitchen! :-)

Getting the right look in post is usually a matter of trial and error, and lots of experimentation, but the more you do it the easier it gets to arrive at the look you want to achieve. Every photo is different to me and needs to be moulded into my own vision for what I want the final product to be. There is no single way or magic potion that will work for everybody. This kind of thing is always very subjective and according to taste, mood, the weather and the alignment of the stars, so be prepared to take time and find out what works for you.

Another - Single Elinchrom Softbox Portrait

From the same session as the portrait below.

Single Elinchrom Softbox Portrait

More often than not one light is all that is needed.

Photographing an Easter Egg Display

My wonderfully creative wife made a beautiful little Easter Egg display and I just had to photograph it... before I eat and demolish it! ;-) Love you Älskling! ♥

...and a quick pull back shot to show how simple the lighting is:

Early Morning at Lake Esrum

Taken in the tiny harbour on Lake Esrum in Fredensborg, Denmark.

The Park is a Lonely Place in Winter

The Stark Colourless Beauty of Winter

-5° + falling snow = great conditions to test how tough the D300s actually is! Despite being soaking wet and freezing cold by the time I got home the D300s and Nikkor 35mm f1.8G DX combo never missed a beat and came through unscathed. A successful result I think!

Manhole Cover - Malmö City

Malmö Graffitti

Taken with a Samsung S3 Mini, processed in Lightroom 4.

Walking Street in Malmö

Nikon D300s and 35mm Nikkor f/1.8G DX AF-S lens.

Portrait with the Nikkor 50mm f1.8D

Have I mentioned before that the Nikkor 50mm f1.8D makes a really nice portrait lens? ;-) Hehe!

Lighting: Elinchrom D-Lite-it 2 with a snoot from above and behind the subject pointing down at the subject from the right side of the portrait. Elinchrom D-lite-it 4 with 65x65cm soft-box from above camera and very slightly left. Edited in Lightroom 4. Vignette added.

A Heart for Valentine's Day!