I've been a tutor at the East 15 Acting School for 7 years now. In that time I've seen many young actors with lots of potential come and go.
It's very rewarding to work with people who genuinely want to do well in their chosen field, most of the students appreciate the challenge ahead of them in the acting world.
East 15 is owned and managed by the University of Essex, this year the University have really decided to crank up their marketing of the specialist courses that East 15 offer (Acting & Stage Combat, Physical Theatre and World Performance to name a few).
With that in mind the marketing dept asked me to film a promo video showing off the new Southend Campus, showcasing the skills of the students and showing potential students what Southend looks like.
The video has now been signed off by the University and has been made public.
Here's a few of my students showing off their skills and showing use the stunning campus in Southend.
Click the link for the Vimeo video:
http://vimeo.com/79306104
It's a pleasure to be part of the East 15 family.
Video shot on Canon EOS 7D with 100mm f/2.8 L macro, 50mm f/1.8 & 24-70mm f/2.8 L
Edited on Mac Pro using Final Cut Pro
Showing posts with label EOS 7D. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EOS 7D. Show all posts
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Dani Studio Shoot
Another studio shoot this week, very different from the last one.
I had done a very 'male' shoot last week with harsh lighting that produced images with a little 'punch'.
So this week I wanted to shoot a much more feminine subject and produce images that were much softer in tone.
Once again this was a 3 light setup, one softbox to the left of the image (300w set to 1/2 power), one lamp with a reflective umbrella to the right of the image (300w set to 1/3 power) - both lamps in front of the model, pointing back towards the backdrop.
The third lamp was behind the model and off to the right of the image (300w at 1/3 power). This was to add light to the side of her and add the highlight and 'halo' to her.
The images where she is laying down was a 2 lamp setup. One softbox set high and slightly to the right of the image, pointing down above her head. The other used a reflective umbrella and was at her feet, slightly off to the right with the light aimed up her body. This was a great way to avoid shadows under the eyes. For these shots both lights were 300w lamps set to 1/2 power.
Big thanks to Dani for putting up with me giving orders and getting herself into all the requested poses.
I set out to produce images that were a stark contrast to the shoot last week, I like to think I succeeded in that.
Here's my favourite images from the shoot:
I had done a very 'male' shoot last week with harsh lighting that produced images with a little 'punch'.
So this week I wanted to shoot a much more feminine subject and produce images that were much softer in tone.
Once again this was a 3 light setup, one softbox to the left of the image (300w set to 1/2 power), one lamp with a reflective umbrella to the right of the image (300w set to 1/3 power) - both lamps in front of the model, pointing back towards the backdrop.
The third lamp was behind the model and off to the right of the image (300w at 1/3 power). This was to add light to the side of her and add the highlight and 'halo' to her.
The images where she is laying down was a 2 lamp setup. One softbox set high and slightly to the right of the image, pointing down above her head. The other used a reflective umbrella and was at her feet, slightly off to the right with the light aimed up her body. This was a great way to avoid shadows under the eyes. For these shots both lights were 300w lamps set to 1/2 power.
Big thanks to Dani for putting up with me giving orders and getting herself into all the requested poses.
I set out to produce images that were a stark contrast to the shoot last week, I like to think I succeeded in that.
Here's my favourite images from the shoot:
Monday, 16 September 2013
Dark Studio Shoot
Here's a selection of images from our studio shoot last week.
The models are all part of Team Kinetix - http://www.teamkinetix.co.uk
We were aiming for dark, moody shots of guys that are clearly athletes.
Considering they had very little experience posing for portrait shots, the models did a great job. They were easy to pose and got the hang of staying in the light as required and were keen to get the best possible images.
The reason we set this shoot up initially was to teach Liam (model in the beanie) how to shoot portraits and use studio lighting as he's just started a 2 year photography course and is incredibly keen to learn the craft.
Liam proved himself to be just as capable behind the camera as he was in front of it. Expect some great things from Liam's photography over the coming months!
All images in this album are shot on Canon EOS 7D with either 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM II or 100mm f/2.8 L macro.
The lights were quite bright and we wanted a dark background, so I made sure none of the lamps were facing directly at the backdrop (although it still needed to be significantly darkened in post production)
The shots were taken at between 1/125 and 1/160 shutter speed, aperture was between f/11 & f/13 and ISO 100 for the sharpest, noise-free images.
This was a simple 3 lamp setup with a black backdrop:
Key light was a medium sized softbox with a 300w flash head at 2/3 power. This was high to the right of the image.
I used a harsh 250w lamp at full power shooting from behind the model to the left. This gave us some outline and halo.
The third light was a 300w lamp set to 1/3 power with a shoot through umbrella. This was set forward of the model and to the far left of the image. This just lifted the left side of the image to remove harsh shadows.
Post processing was done entirely in Adobe Lightroom 4.4.
The colour images had blemishes removed, clarity boosted slightly, background darkened, saturation dropped a little and highlights dropped.
The black & white images had blemishes removed, saturation dropped, contrast boosted, clarity raised and a small amount of film grain added.
I was generally happy with these images straight off the camera but they were really polished in post processing.
The models are all part of Team Kinetix - http://www.teamkinetix.co.uk
We were aiming for dark, moody shots of guys that are clearly athletes.
Considering they had very little experience posing for portrait shots, the models did a great job. They were easy to pose and got the hang of staying in the light as required and were keen to get the best possible images.
The reason we set this shoot up initially was to teach Liam (model in the beanie) how to shoot portraits and use studio lighting as he's just started a 2 year photography course and is incredibly keen to learn the craft.
Liam proved himself to be just as capable behind the camera as he was in front of it. Expect some great things from Liam's photography over the coming months!
All images in this album are shot on Canon EOS 7D with either 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM II or 100mm f/2.8 L macro.
The lights were quite bright and we wanted a dark background, so I made sure none of the lamps were facing directly at the backdrop (although it still needed to be significantly darkened in post production)
The shots were taken at between 1/125 and 1/160 shutter speed, aperture was between f/11 & f/13 and ISO 100 for the sharpest, noise-free images.
This was a simple 3 lamp setup with a black backdrop:
Key light was a medium sized softbox with a 300w flash head at 2/3 power. This was high to the right of the image.
I used a harsh 250w lamp at full power shooting from behind the model to the left. This gave us some outline and halo.
The third light was a 300w lamp set to 1/3 power with a shoot through umbrella. This was set forward of the model and to the far left of the image. This just lifted the left side of the image to remove harsh shadows.
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| Lighting setup for the shoot |
Post processing was done entirely in Adobe Lightroom 4.4.
The colour images had blemishes removed, clarity boosted slightly, background darkened, saturation dropped a little and highlights dropped.
The black & white images had blemishes removed, saturation dropped, contrast boosted, clarity raised and a small amount of film grain added.
I was generally happy with these images straight off the camera but they were really polished in post processing.
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Travelling light
As mentioned in an earlier post, I love my DSLR and don't see what all the mirrorless fuss is about (if it ain't broke, don't fix it).
Once again the "Little Camera That Could" impressed the hell out of me. I was able to easily shoot in manual mode as the X20 has 2 rear control dials (shutter speed and aperture) but I ended up shooting everything in aperture priority mode, choosing a wide aperture and letting the camera do the rest. If I wanted to make any small adjustments there's a handy exposure compensation dial on top of the camera with +/-2ev at 1/3 increments.
When I had an entry-level DSLR I lusted after something more 'Pro'. While I'm fully aware that having a 'better' camera won't improve my photography, it does feel better in the hand (especially with a decent sized lens on the front). I like the weight, I like having an LCD display on top so that i can quickly see my exposure settings and adjust accordingly.
As odd as this may sound, I feel more credible and therefore more confident as a photographer with a big camera in my hands.
I bought my Fujifilm X20 purely as a compact camera for BBQs and days out with friends, not as a camera that i would ever reach for given the choice.
When I was invited to a wedding at a castle in Ireland, I was very much looking forward to taking my kit bag and getting some shots. Sadly the closest airport to the Castle was only serviced by a certain Irish budget airline and my 15kg kit bag was over the weight limit for hand luggage. In addition, to take my clothes in a suitcase would more than double the cost of the flight. As I was just a guest at the wedding, I couldn't justify the expense of taking my big shiny camera with me. So I resigned myself to the fact that I would 'only' have a compact camera with me all weekend.
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| Even 'loose' the essentials take up a fair amount of space |
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| I'll have to take the 'compact' |
The Fujifilm X20 only has a 12MP 2/3" sensor but the lens does does let a lot of light in with a maximum aperture of f/2. I thought that for outdoor shots in August it would be fine. It's likely that I wouldn't be able to shoot during the ceremony but for any other indoor or low light shots I'd just have to make do and hope for the best. At least it shoots in RAW so I've got some post-production options.
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| All packed up for the weekend |
I was also pleased with the range of focal lengths on the small zoom lens (28mm - 112mm) and found that it suited what I wanted to photograph on the day. All in all I couldn't fault the X20 as a handy and versatile compact camera. Considering the sensor size, it's a fairly competent camera.
I didn't have to worry about off camera flash, changing lenses, carrying a big kit bag, I just concentrated on taking pictures - perhaps a lesson to learn there.
The official photographer at the wedding was absolutely superb, it was a pleasure to watch him getting creative and also trying to work out what he could see in his mind as he dashed around the castle and the grounds to find his shot. Having since seen the finished shots, I am blown away by his creativity, vision and proficiency with a camera.
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| He deserved a drink! |
Enough about the official photographer, how did my little toy camera get on shooting a proper wedding?
Well here are a few shots taken on a £400 compact camera:
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| Markree Castle, County Sligo |
So, in future I might leave my kit bag at home more often!
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| Not always necessary to take the full kit... |
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