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!

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…

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

Check out a few favorites…

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.

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.

I had the best time giving away Apple iPads to a few new wedding photography clients during my iPad Giveaway Promotional period!  It was a pleasure to send these out to some happy clients, but one of them was local so I personally hand-delievered it to her.  Congratulations to all my client recipients!

I’m slowly catching up on blogging more of my work, I’m so behind!  Over the weekend I did a photo shoot for Melinda in a sunflower field in western Montgomery County, MD just outside DC near the Potomac River at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area.  Despite the 90+ degree heat, bees, and other critters everywhere, we had a good shoot.

I used my Westcott Apollo 28

Ideally, using more powerful strobes with portable power would be the way I’d go, much like I did on a motorcycle shoot.  The downside would be weight and size for some of this gear.  Here’s a list of some that I’m looking into:

• Elinchrom Ranger Quadra (starting around $2300 it’s probably the most portable on the list)
• Profoto 900795 Acute2R 1200 (a strong but pricey kit getting close to $3500 or more)
• Alien Bees 1600 (Black) (affordable around $360, then add around $300 for their Vagabond portable battery power system. I would likely buy two or three of these so I can have main light, key light, rim light, etc.)
• White Lightning 3200 (another affordable and powerful strobe for around $550, then add the Vagabond battery for another $300. Again I’d likely buy two or more)

There are a lot more options out there to look at, and many are more expensive than what I listed.  If any photographers out there are considering these strobes listed don’t forget to budget for the variety of accessories to complete your system, including light modifiers (e.g. softboxes, umbrellas), radio/remote triggers, carrying cases, and additional power supplies.  Of course, one other way to go is the Strobist route and buy more flashes.  For example, I would guess that three Canon 580EX II’s would be the rough equivalent to the power of one Alien Bee 1600 light (just a guess, I could be a little off).  While not necessarily less expensive, the advantage of a Speedlite system is having a lightweight portable system.  Not to mention the added dimensions of creativity  with multiple lighting configurations.

Unless you follow me on Facebook, it may have been a while since I posted a photo of our youngest, Jackson. Here is he with his momma

Photographers – here’s a video tutorial of the HDR (High Dynamic Range) workflow you can try out using Adobe Lightroom 3 and Adobe Photoshop CS5.  I’m a fan of both applications and I know many of you might be too.  Even if you’re not into HDR, this might be fun to watch.

The warm Annapolis breeze made the 90+ degree temperatures manageable for this happy couple as we walked around Annapolis for their wedding photos.  Annapolis has always been one of my favorite cities to photograph clients. Enjoy a few from their photo shoot!