White backgrounds are great, there’s a lot you can do with them because white goes with everything. Blow it out with a flash for a high key backdrop or pull away and you get grey (sample).  That’s all fine and dandy until you want a different colour. Why a different colour?, complimentary my dear Watson (Sorry, comedy is not my strong suit).  Images tend to have more punch with opposite colours.

​In this guide we’ll show you a quick setup that gives a white background that blue colour with a flash and a gel. Disclaimer: This method does not fully replace a proper backdrop, but it will work in a number of situations. Make sure you understand the limitations before you finalize that contract.

Before I begin I’d like to mention the giant this flea is standing on. David Hobby both inspired and instructed a lot of photogs, both directly and, indirectly. I learned by means of the latter. Read him up I’m sure you’ll learn something whatever level of photography you practice.

The Shoot
I was always a firm believer of knowing how to shoot with the bare essentials. When I say ‘shooting’ I mean shooting with ease, efficiency and in complete control. On this next entry I wanted to demonstrate just that. Our model for this shoot is Umeko, she’s an actress, artist, model and a great person. ​

​Portrait photography for me is all about celebrating the subject by isolating what makes them unique. This involves distilling the visual message (or theme) to the two core components, context and shooting style. The old composition saying ‘what does not add, takes away’ is elegant in its simplicity, but one should be wary of its limitations.
Every visual element or technique both adds and takes away to some degree. They key to a clear message is to pick the ones that add much, much more than they take away. Elements in a message can range from ‘absolutely necessary’ to ‘nice to have’.
In this shooting example we have our talent Hillary, she’s a 5’5” model, actress and performer. She’s also a very capable basketball player and was once an MVP for her league. I wanted to celebrate that about her. Let’s break down the shoot.

It's always great to shoot with Fine Finds. They've been voted the best gift shop in Vancouver several years now and it looks like they'll win it again. They made us this great behind the scenes, time-lapse that shows the setup. Thank you !

They key to good location photography is logistics. Any decent photog can shoot well In a nice slow paced shoot in-studio where everything is laid out. It's different on location. How quickly can you set up / tear down? How much gear do you need carry, and in how many trips? How many products can you shoot within the allotted time? Is the lighting and are the colours consistent with the ones that are already on their website or catalogue? How quickly can you provide finished images with a true FFFFFF background in the proper image size? 

It's all about striving to be as light, as fast and as good. as you can be. What gear you shoot with doesn't matter if you can't bring it to the location and meet the client's expectations.

Aim high but settle for reality. For our outdoor piano shoot, a few things didn’t go as planned. We didn’t get a permit for a wind machine so I can’t do the wind-blown flowing scarf (accessory not used), there was an informal unscheduled Italian Seniors get-together (like a lot of them), which cluttered the background of the shots with people and cars, and most importantly, the piano was out of tune.  The out of tune piano was big because it threw off the talent, and I’d swap a whole camera system for a talent that’s in her game, she wanted to play shoot. Did I mention the cars?

I was also off my game, distracted by what I can’t do. Then being this wonderful, smart and insightful person she is, asked me “can I just model and not play?” That was the kick in the pants I needed.

About the ‘ade’ part of the lemonade? I needed no more a 60 degree field of view to crop out the clutter, not much but my lens can do it, no flowing scarf but it was compensated for by earrings backdropped by her neck. As for not being able to play, she was well over that before I was, she is an after all an actress too.  

When we got our rhythm down, one of the operatic seniors in the park started singing, and his voice carried well. Inspiring background music.

I always like ending the shoot in a … uhm … high note so we capped our session with a basic posed fashion shoot. Not really a spectacular idea but something she does spectacularly.

Always go with what you know.

So how did it go down eventually?  Take a look at the albums, love to hear what you think.

Being a portrait and fashion photgrapher, when I'm in Jasper, I feel like that guy in a karaoke bar. You know the guy, zero talent, 110% enthusiasm. He sucks, he knows it, he knows the everyone knows it, but he doesn't care, not one bit. I feel like that everytime I go here. Landscape and wildlife aren't my cup of tea, but how can you not shoot when your in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

if you've never been, go, just go, 8 hours on the road is nothing. Chll or be chilled.

I always thought that pictures weren't 'seen'. Photography is an art form and art isn't simply observed, it's felt. Feelings make us see things that weren't laid out to us, it makes us see beyond the pixels, beyond the splashes of color. 

For this shoot, motion would have been easiest shown through blur. Motion blur suggests motion, duh, it's obvious, requires no further explanation, no further thought, you get the idea without effort, disengaging.

I was inspired by photographers much greater than I to capture a static image yet make the viewer feel the movement, I hope it worked and I hope you enjoy the images.

35mm, 1.8, 1/8000, ISO 200. model Crystal

The shoot happened at 7pm June 30. At our latitude, that's a very harsh sun 45 degrees from the horizon. We were picking a spot to shoot and I picked the least crowded area of an open field, on a hot day with the sun blasting. 

Shutter speed controls ambient light and I needed to tame the sun as much as I can. Given that all I shoot with are two speedlights, that means I also need to shoot as wide open as possible. It did get driven home when the model. Angela Sasso, asked "right here, don't you need better lighting?". I answered through a thin, almost arrogant smile "Naaaw, we're good right here".

Once you tame the harsh sun, it can create the best rim light ever. it's nice consistent and beautiful. Take a problem and make it work for you. Don't just survive, thrive. I had to do Angela justice and I had to match her delivery.

85mm, 1.8, 1/8000, ISO 200