A new window brings new light

I’ve been inspired by may things to create new work. This time, it’s a new window, that I have access to whenever I want it, in all manner of weather and times of day.

Old objects take on new life (yes, I have a cabinet full of rocks and boxes and bowls and…  ahem), and new finds offer their history. Here are a few images made in this new light.

 

Still Life #9521

 

Still Life #9533

 

Still Life #0904

 

Still Life #0941

 

Still Life #0947

 

Still Life #0954

 

Still Life #0955

 

Still Life #0960

 

Still Life #1160

 

Still Life #1187

 

Still Life #1224

 

Still Life #4805

 

Still Life #4900

 

Still Life #4914

Still Life #5076

Lately it has struck me that all my images seem to be about sex, or death, or sex and death and this is both metaphorical and literal.

Perhaps that’s in hindsight, or it’s a subconscious predilection. Probably both.

 

Tis the Season (sigh) for some low key capitalism (yay!)

Christmas time is here by golly, disapproval would be folly, deck the halls with hunks of holly, fill the cup and don’t say “when!”…

In the spirit of a childhood musical hero (hit that link for the best ever music to shop by), I present this blatantly capitalistic effort.

All images in my Etsy store are (for a special, limited time offer!) available with the holiday greeting of your choice inscribed in the margin (by the artist’s own hand, no less!)… and there is no extra charge not to so inscribe. You’re welcome.

Herewith are some examples for you to consider (in the words of the modern electronic component manual) before you begin.

I thank you… t

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate portraits, with creative license

You might think engineers… architectural engineers, would want a fairly conventional portrait for their business website. Well I did. Fortunately for me, they didn’t. Well they did, but they also let me do whatever I wanted, as long as I could get it done during the same day as making the group portrait of eight and a formal portrait of each of the other seven partners. And we did, under five hours from first test pop to packing the gear out the door.

Here are the 7 “casual” portraits, made extemporaneously using a couple of SB’s and various modifiers as Russell Kaye assisted me with the gear and critical/helpful/objective commentary.

portrait of a young man as a Young Man

I really can’t think of anything to say that this photograph doesn’t say better, all by itself

ring bearer

Ring Bearer

portrait of a working artist in a really small room

Christina Kober is an enterprising jeweler who understands the value of self promotion and is working it from many angles. She asked me to make portraits of her at work.

Her studio is small, but quite efficiently laid out and easy for one person to use. Adding a photographer (even a thin one) and a light stand with a diffusing modifier (even a small one) quickly shrinks it to the point where everything is a bumping hazard. And some of her stuff, you don’t want to bump.

Christina Kober: Window light for main, strobe for back light

In the above image, a window is the main light on camera right. I used a favorite old 30 inch Westcott Halo for a back light. Unfortunately, the 30 inch Halo is now out of production and there’s nothing that replaces it. I love it because it’s small, provides a directional yet soft and shape revealing light, works really well with speedlights and it’s convex front diffusion panel can be placed very close to a subject. I prefer the enclosed construction of the Halo because it doesn’t create the contrast lowering spill that is a problem when a comparable shoot-through umbrella is used in a small room.The Halo kept the wall behind her a deeper blue, in contrast with the warm window light on her skin, hair and scarf.

Christina Kober: Bounced main light and daylight rim

This image shows the intensity of Christina’s concentration when she’s working with the torch on a very small piece. I wanted to light her from my left, where there was only room for an undiffused, small and flamable light source, all of which were just not good ideas.  I dodged those issues by putting my Lumedyne on a stand above and behind her (to the right), with a 5 degree grid on it. That light was pointed over her head toward the closed white blinds on the window to my left so that it bounced from those blinds onto her face as a softer light, while the window light from across the room created an edge lighting on her right hand and the tools she was using. Grids do collimate the light somewhat, but not as tightly as a snoot or fresnel head would. This grid is held on with velcro… not exactly a light tight seal so maybe some of that rim light was leakage from the grid.  I’ve learned to exploit such weaknesses  idiosyncracies in my archaic vintage equipment… t