Thailand Mentor Series Trek

I'm currently on my Mentor Series Trek to Thailand.  I've been in Thailand a few days now busy working with students. We're leaving Bangkok this morning for a flight to Chiang Rai. We'll be way north near the Myanmar and Laos boarder photographing a tea plantation. We'll also be photographing the Akha hill tribe at on of many Akha villages in northern Thailand. Looking forward to it. Here is a photo from last nights walk in China Town and the floating market of Damnoan Saduak.

Here are a few more images from in and around Bangkok.

Final Thoughts

I've been home from Austria for a few days now, trying to catch up on some needed sleep.  I've had some time to think about my trip to Austria and the new friends I've made.  I want to thank all the SSBR participants for attending the workshops, 40% of this years attendees were repeat participants. Thank you.

I want to extend a very special thanks to my best friend and business partner who made all of this possible, Eric Krugl.  You can't believe how much work and preparation is needed to such a tour together.  Thank you Eric for all your hard work and friendship.  I especially liked the transportation you arranged for the tour this year.  I would have been happy with some sort of "Flash Bus", but now that I have experienced the comfort of our own plane... There is no going back!

I look forward to visiting next year with some new workshops and I hope to visit with all of you again.  Eric, your the best, thank you again for everything!

Graz "Lebring" Workshop

Thank you PixelMaker "Robert Sommerauer" for being our host at the last workshop for this season in Austria. What a fantastic tour it has been.  The workshop shop was held in Lebring, Austria which is just outside of Graz. Graz is the second largest city in Austria.

This was a two day workshop, the first day involved the theory aspects of light and my approach to crafting an image using flash. The second day was spent on location with students shooting at a wonderful castle applying what they learned.  I would run around the castle helping solve students lighting issues or problem the encountered.

This is Eva, she's a fabulous photographer in Vienna and a return student to the workshops.  Eva attended one of my workshops 2 years ago in Linz, actually about 40% of the students attending this year were returning students!  I was very honored to have so many returning to the workshops, it's fun to visit with former student and hear how the first workshop helped them.

The photo of Eva was created with my Ripstop nylon taped to a glass door.  Here is the set up.

In this next photo, I placed a strobe outside of a window with a full CTO gel in order to simulate late afternoon light.

In the photo below you will see the effect of slowing or "dragging" the shutter to include more ambient light. The from left to right, the shutter speeds are 1/250, 1/125, 1/60 and 1/30. As you drag the shutter, the shadows open and produce a less contrast image.

After dinner the first night I demonstrated the use of a ring flash to open up shadows. The lighting of this photo below was a grid as my key "main" light, another grid with CTO as my hair or separation light, another light on the background and a "Round Flash" ring light on the camera.

Here are some of the students work as well as the activity on location during our shoot at the castle.

 

Thanks to everyone for attending this workshop, and once again a very special thank you my good friend Eric Krugl!

Vienna Nikon NPS Workshop

 Wow! I've been here in Austria for a few weeks now, and have just completed my Nikon NPS workshop near Vienna.  We were in the small town of Strasshof shooting at a train museum, what a great place to shoot. Let's take a look at a few images from earlier today.

This was our fabulous model Aleksandra, I used the interior of a train car for the setting. I taped my ripstop nylon to the side door of the car and shot my flash thru the fabric.  This created a beautiful soft light as it was a very big modifier.

Here is the set up for this photograph.

You can also see an SB-800 placed on the floor to add color to the background.  You will also notice some spill from the flash outside projecting light on the back wall... this was corrected, of course.

Here I'm showing a quick bounce technique, when bouncing you need to watch out for un wanted color casts coming from the bounce surface.  We had a bit of shift in color, we believe it must have come from the lower layer of paint under the thin white painted surface?  Using a DataColor Spider Cube solved that problem with a click of a mouse.

Here is the set up for the photo above.  Small softbox overhead, rim light placed right side to the rear and one additional flash to open the dark wheel of the train engine.

How about some warm late afternoon sunlight.  We had Aleksandra stand at the desk in the old station building.  I aimed two SB-900's thru the window with CTO gels over the flash tubes.  I also place on SB-900 with a set of barn doors outside where I was positioned to open a little more information.

You will notice that I have two flashed strapped together trying to make my light appear as one light source.  Placing two lights side by side will create double shadows.

Here is the last shot of the day.  Aleksandra positioned herself near this great looking wall.  I started off using a set of barn doors to light the scene but ended up, just zooming the flash head to 200mm.  The shift in color cast was created via a WB of tungsten and the flash was fitted with a full CTO gel.

I'm off to Graz, Austria tomorrow for a two day workshop.... see you there.  DT

Sharing My Experiences

I had the pleasure to speak at a Vienna University today, I spoke to two different groups of young photography students. I talked about my professional career, life as a photographer and of course about lighting. The students as well as  instructors asked tons of questions about lighting and about my approach to lighting.  I really enjoy speaking to young photographers, sharing my experience and hopefully giving solid advise that they might use to help with their future careers.

I have a lot of sponsors that help support my efforts in teaching around the world.  A big shout out to Nikon, San Disk, DataColor, Rouge and Local supporter Sagafoto.at

Here is a quick lighting demo we did on a student participant. 

Zeltweg Workshop

Still working hard in Austria.  I am now in Vienna, for two speaking engagements at a local University. Yesterday I was on a military base conducting a Nikon NPS workshop in the town of Zeltweg.  We had 15 participants involved and a wonderful location.

I spotted this wonderful old radar counsel and thought I could make a photo there.  Here is the actual abient exposure as the camera saw it. 

I next under expose the ambient by 3 stops, turn on my lights and bingo!  I used a set of barn doors on the key light and a blue gel on another flash for the rim and councel lighting. Here is the lighting set up.

Here is another photo from the top of the stairs above the display of planes.

 I shifted the white balance to tungsten and under exposed the ambient by about 2 stops from a "normal" exposure.  The key or main light was a small soft box with a full CTO to balance for the tungsten w/b on the camera.  Let's have a look at the set up, below.

Once we finished with the Zeltweg workshop, Eric and I drove to Vienna for my two speaking engagements, and another Nikon NPS workshop.  Later. DT