12 Apr 2013

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.


 


4 Apr 2013

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.

31 Mar 2013

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.

26 Mar 2013

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!

15 Feb 2013

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.

4 Feb 2013

"On Location" Studio Portrait Shoot


I shot a series of portraits for a someone over the weekend and decided to share this one simply because this wonderful man's face really caught my eye, some people are just great to photograph and he was a natural!

I had a load of fun and was reminded once again that I am in this because I love working with people, and seeing them happy with something as personal as their portrait just makes my day!