1/23/09 - Worlds End in the Snow

During the eve of Martin Luther King Day, the South Shore received yet another dumping of snow. By the time I finished cleaning the driveway it was afternoon. I was anxious to get out and capture the snow-covered scenes, so loaded my gear in the truck and headed out with no particular destination in mind. I ended up at Worlds End in Hingham.

Even as I pulled into the parking lot I noticed the incredible late afternoon light that was being filtered through the clouds. It was constantly changing with the movement of the clouds… sometimes a golden hue, other times blue’ish. I knew it would be a challenge capturing the shifting light and high-contrast of snow, but also recognized an opportunity to possibly get some striking images. I trudged through the ankle-deep snow, under-dressed and wet by the end. But, came away feeling that it was a worth-while effort and happy for some outdoors time.

1/17/09 - Messing Around with Lighting

This image of Lisa took a few different variation before getting what I was looking for. What finally did the trick for me was this:

The stained glass window is one I made in a wall sperating the family room and the kitchen. On sunny days, the light coming in the large picture window in the family room creates a beautiful glow in the stained glass window when viewing it from the kitchen. But, this morning the light wasn't working for me so, I stuck my 580ex filtered through a white umbrella (probably didn't need to be) behind the stained glass window in the family room. This flash was set at 1/16 power at 35mm.

High and to camera right I put my 580ex II, also filtered through a white umbrella. This flash was set at 1/64 power at 105mm. Just enough kick to highlight Lisa's face. Finally, a silver reflector was put face up at chest height to bounce light under the chin and nose. Both flashes were triggered with radio slaves.

The image was taken with my 70-200 2.8 at 1/250 sec, f/3.5, and iso 400. This was intentionally under-exposed for effect.