Washington DC Wedding Photographer. Destination Wedding Photographer. Commercial Photographer. Armin DeFiesta. » MOTORSPORTS

Recent Photography Work | Lifestyle

Armin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:00:56 +0000

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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.

Viva Italia Concour D’Elegance | DC, Virginia, Maryland Car Photographer

Armin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:24:08 +0000

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The Viva Italia Concour D’Elegance car show in Baltimore, MD was amazing with all the beautiful Italian motorcycles and automobiles. My passion for automobiles and motorcycles makes me think that I was in the car business in my previous life! There were so many Italian autos including dozens of Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Ferraris, Fiats, and Ducati motorcycles. The Italian car show supports the Children’s Guild – a nonprofit, child-serving organization founded in 1953, serving emotionally disturbed children through the provision of special education, group living, treatment foster care and mental health services in Maryland.

What is it about these cars the evokes an emotional response in many of us? I believe it’s the passion the Italians have put into these cars over the history of their existence. Everything from the design, the engineering, to the latest automotive technology, these Italian sports cars set the benchmark in automobile performance.

If you’re more of the music video slideshow type, have at it with this…

1967 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE SS

Armin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:04:26 +0000

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Nothing takes you back in time like an American muscle car when the car was king and gas was plentiful at only cents a gallon. Recently I went back in time and had the pleasure of photographing a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.

: I went for a grittier look in this image. I kept the rest of the photos nice & clean.

Motorcycle Racer Shoot – Troy Woods

Armin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:54:51 +0000

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Troy Woods & I met up to shoot some promo shots for his racing season. Not only do we share common interests in the photography industry, but we both have an appreciation for racing. I’m more of an auto racing fan, but I totally dig the MotoGP action too. Troy races a Suzuki GSX-R 1000, that thing’s a beast. Read more about Troy & his bike on his blog.

I even got some behind-the-scenes action of us setting up using my Flip Mino HD video camera. Check it out!

: A shot of our setup. Two Hensel Integra 500 strobes, power generator, my two Canon 580ex II flashes, and 5 Pocket Wizards. The two Hensel lights provided the main light source to cover Troy and the side of the bike, the other covered the front of the bike and Troy. The smaller Canon flashes added accents, one pointed at the back of the bike, the other at the front of the bike.

: Troy’s GSX-R 1000 for racing… NOT street legal anymore =)

: Even got some action shots around town… nah, just kidding =)

: I can only imagine what a rush it must be to drive one of these!

: Couldn’t have asked for a better day for this shoot. The sun was strong and the weather was perfect.

: Yes my friends, this is why I dig the low directional light of a sunset!

Road Race Technologies BMW #21 Photo Shoot

Armin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:17:42 +0000

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Noah, Becky, and I had the opportunity to photograph car #21 that’s racing in the KONI Challenge on SPEED TV – Road Race Technologies‘ 2009 BMW 328. Visit RRT Racing to learn more about the team and the exciting season ahead.

This was one of the most fun shoots I’ve done. The racing team gave us creative space and were very enthusiastic about the results. Noah did an excellent job keeping our lighting on point, and my new intern Becky did a great job keeping things running smooth.

A HUGE thanks to my point of contact, Adam Roy, drivers Barry Battle & Michael Dayton, and the entire RRT race team for their help and support during this shoot.

Best of luck this season guys!!

: Noah captured this set up shot. We had 4 speedlites going – one in front of me had a snoot, the far one to the left to splash some light on the front of the car, one to the far right to light the side of the car, and Becky was hiding on the other side of the car aiming the 4th light at the wall to make it less dull.

: The result!

I loved the low sunset light that hit the wall on the front of their office while our speedlites do the rest.

We underexposed the garage area so our lights can focus on exactly what we wanted lit.

Nothing like a splash of gel light to bring out the car's interior. We also had an Alien Bee 800 light firing from the right that blended in with the garage. The AB light's purpose was to light up the RRT cart behind the BMW.

An overhead shot - you wouldn't know it but there were people working on other BMWs around the garage.