Evening Photo Shoot in Virginia Wine Country | DC Commercial Photographer

I recently did a photo shoot in Loudoun County, VA,  a beautiful area where I must’ve passed by 20 wineries.  What was originally scheduled to be an afternoon shoot had turned into an evening one, 30 minutes after sunset.  Situations like these test a photographer’s ability to adapt.  While my original vision for the shoot was under daylight conditions, the time came to apply my lighting skills in the pitch dark.

I planned on traveling light for this shoot so I used the following light sources & equipment–

  • Canon 5D Mark II and 1D Mark IV
  • Canon 85mm f/1.8 and Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L lenses
  • Two Impact air-cushioned light stands
  • Three Pocket Wizards (for remote triggering of speedlites)
  • Two Canon 580EXII speedlites inside a Westcott 28 softbox as main light source
  • One Canon 580EXII speedlite with a 1/2 CTO gel for backlight and edge lighting
  • Two Sylvania Silverstar Ultra High Performance halogen headlights, courtesy of my Chevy;)

We chose the location of a broken down truck next to a red barn where there was minimal tree cover so that some of the stars in the night sky could be seen.  My model Alex did an amazing job leveraging her unique style to contrast the country-like setting on a hot and muggy night – I think keeping her comfortable and cool inside my air-conditioned truck between setups also helped!  We plan on continuing this photo shoot at a later date to capture different sides of Alex’s personality so stay tuned!

Special thanks to Donna, Ryan and Laura for assisting me on this photo shoot!

Alexandria City Police Photo Shoot | DC Commercial Photographer

Photographing police in a controlled environment isn’t something most people that I know get the opportunity to do… let alone TRY to do.  It can be a huge undertaking – finding the right contact, adhering to departmental policies, detailing willing officers to “model”, location approvals, and of course getting the authorization from the top. Fortunately I kept in touch with my friends at Alexandria Police. After going through appropriate channels the photo shoots were commissioned and everything was a “GO”.  The photo shoot took place over two partial days, and despite the heat everything went smoothly.

I think most of us are accustomed to seeing the authoritative and enforcement side of a law enforcement officer.  So I used this opportunity to create a combination of relaxed moments and a few action shots, plus some muted tones and colors in post-processing.  Perhaps next time I can ride along with a few officers and capture the energy and intensity that police officers experience on the street daily.  I imagine obtaining approval for that will take some work.

SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO…

  • Deputy Chief Aden
  • Public Information Officer Hildrebrandt
  • Lieutenant Bartlett
  • The officers of the Alexandria City Police Department – Patrol Division, Motor Units, and K-9 Units.

Thanks to Ryan Yorde for assisting me on location with Patrol and Motors, and for the behind-the-scenes photos. Here are some images from the shoots…

August 7, 2010 - 8:41 am

Armin - Thanks everyone!

August 7, 2010 - 6:29 am

Katherine Klegin - This might be my favorite shoot of yours so far. GORGEOUS photos!

August 6, 2010 - 10:56 am

peter bang - cool stuff man! i guess you’ll never get a ticket by an Alex. Police officer in the future;)

August 6, 2010 - 10:39 am

emily Hayes - Thats a totally bad-ass photoshoot! I love it!

August 6, 2010 - 10:07 am

Maria - Cool photo shoot! Photo 016 is favorite. Nice Work!

Abbie | DC Senior Photo Session

Glen Echo Park is one of my favorite spots to photograph with the right client. Abbie fit the bill perfectly.  She’ll be a senior this fall and is excited about what lies ahead.  Even though it was another hot & incredibly humid day in the DC area I managed to get some fun shots of Abbie.  It was a midday shoot that started around noon so I used my “two-flash” setup inside a Westcott Apollo 28 softbox for the train photos.

Check out a few favorites…

August 6, 2010 - 10:52 am

shelbyleigh - ive been trying to convince someone to go to glen echo for the longest time. ive never been, but the images are always so neat! I especially like the 4th image with the red.

August 6, 2010 - 12:21 am

Armin - Thanks guys!

August 6, 2010 - 12:18 am

Alex Rodriguez - Cool, yea great way to incorporate the train.

August 6, 2010 - 12:15 am

Troy Woods - nice man. really like the old train car. great prop!!!

Police Department Photo Shoot | DC Commercial Photography

A few more photos are on the way of this cutting edge police force, the Alexandria City Police Department.  In the meantime enjoy these two proofs before I apply some final touches.

Taken with my iPhone - I used White Lightning strobes. (1) X3200 and (2) X1600's powered by a Vagabond II battery pack. I also had two flashes mounted to my TriFlash bracket on a light stand for catch light when needed.

July 28, 2010 - 8:36 pm

Michael Sprague - Wow that’s a really clean motorcycle. Thanks for making it look that way!

July 28, 2010 - 6:04 pm

Neal Sharma - Dude-
Great pics… can’t wait to see the ones w/ the babe…send me them!
Nice Work.
Neal

July 28, 2010 - 11:13 am

Eileen - I looooooooooooooooove the first one! Very badass and a great shot!!

July 28, 2010 - 10:15 am

erin harvey - Great pic of the bike!

Recent Photography Work | Lifestyle

Despite the 100 degree heat and humidity I had a great time shooting these photos for Jennifer and her family.  My Canon 580EXII flashes were just no match for the strong hot sun and clear sky, so the big lights came out – one White Lightning X3200 and one White Lightning X1600.   I can still use flashes when I’m doing more close-up work.  But since I knew I’d be shooting larger things like a truck and a motorcycle, I needed all the juice I could get!  The X3200 would be my main light blasting 1320 watt seconds of power (at full power), while the X1600 (660 watt seconds) provided catch.  I was having issues with my large softbox so I resorted to the big 60″ umbrella to shoot through and soften the light.  I also used two flashes on one light stand as needed.

I was a total sweaty mess after two hours but I’m pleased with my results.

Here’s a mobile phone pic I took of my lights at the beach – a White Lightning X3200 shooting through a 60″ umbrella at full power (I prefer a soft box but was having issues with mine), a Vagabond Battery for power (thanks Peter!), and two flashes at 1/2 power on one light stand for catch. One of the flashes had CTO gel on it.

I used my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS telephoto lens with a circular polarizer filter attached. The filter helps reduce some of the reflections you might get from the water.

I only had 5 minutes to get these done because it was awfully hot. Mom knew what to do, but the girls just kept looking at dad though =)

I always love working with Brooke, she just loves to be in front of the camera.

I saw this old neglected truck on the way to the beach. You just never know what you’ll get sometimes!

Hot girl, hot bike… what else is there to say?

A little gritty post-processing

Harley Davidson Heritage

Every once in a while B&W finds its way into my work.

July 26, 2010 - 3:17 pm

Karlo - These are great! All for commercial…?

July 26, 2010 - 2:50 pm

Jackie - The girls are so cute…especially love the last shot…but I’m wondering to myself why the bike shoot didn’t turn into a boudoir – or did it?!?! THAT would have been hot!!

July 26, 2010 - 10:29 am

Renee Reamy - Love the pictures! And you have such great models!

July 26, 2010 - 8:13 am

Jennifer Ireland - These are so amazing!! I love them!!

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