Atlanta was the last stop in my series of workshops for this Spring.

For this photograph of Calisto, (one of our models for the day), we used a speedlight mounted in a softbox to get this dramatic and directional light. As you may notice, the lighting looks fairly similar to the image I show for the blog entry on the workshop in Charlotte. This image of Calisto, however, was photographed earlier in the day, so we needed a lot more power to match the brighter daytime light. We therefore couldn’t just bounce flash into a reflector like we do during the evening sessions where ambient light levels are low. Different techniques for different situations, but with similar results.

Thank you to everyone who made this Spring series a success. The workshops will return in the Fall with a series on the East Coast, and in a new format.

After a short week back home, I visited Charlotte today to present another in my series of lighting workshops.  Tomorrow I’ll be in Atlanta for the final workshop in the Spring series.  The workshops will return in September with a new format.

This photo is of Leslie, one of our models, and was taken during our evening practical sesssion in downtown Charlotte.  Using TTL flash bounced into a reflector, we balanced the flash with the evening sky and the lights of the city behind her.

Thank you to our two models, and to everyone who attended the workshop.

The final workshop in my series of workshops on the West Coast, was in Port Orchard, WA. 

The image above was taken during the evening session at the Boat Harbour, where I showed the workshop attendees how to bring out dramatic skies with specific application of lighting techniques.  Here, our models Deborah and Josh were lit by two off-camera speedlights in softboxes.   

The workshop was hosted by Heather Bowden of Etched In Time who had contacted me about bringing my workshop to her brand new studio in historic Port Orchard, (right across Puget Sound and a short ferry ride from downtown Seattle). My workshop had the honour of being the inaugural event at Heather’s brand-new studio!  Breakfast and lunch was provided by Morningside Baker.  (Heather insists they have the best bearclaws in Washington).

A big thank you to Heather for hosting the workshop, as as well as our models and everyone who attended. Keep in touch!
(More info about future workshop locations.)

The next workshop in the series was held in Portland OR .. and it was overcast and finally, rainy.  No big surprise.  Our challenge in Portland was not in how to deal with harsh light and shadows, but how to create contrast and drama in our lighting.

In the first image here of Mark (at the World Forestry Center), we bounced an on-camera flash into a reflector (using TTL flash) to add dimension.

The next image, which is of Amanda, was taken at night at the Pioneer Courthouse Square.  We used the same technique, but gelled the flash for Tungsten light using one of the Sticky Filters. This reduced the usual strong orange murky background that you get due to the disparate WB between flash and the background Tungsten lights.

Once again, thank you to our models, and to everyone who attended this workshop.
(More info about future workshop locations.)

San Francisco was the second stop in the series of my workshops on lighting techniques.   For one of the practical sessions in the late afternoon, we went to Baker Beach.  After the sun had gone down, we practiced bouncing flash off a golden reflector to recreate that warm sunset glow. Thank you to Sarah and Jasper, our models who remained energetic even in the cold of the evening.

The practical sessions earlier on in the afternoon were held on the grounds of the Presidio.  During one section, each group took an off-camera speedlight in a softbox to work with a model. Here is my favourite image of Jasper from that session.

A big thank you to our group today.
(More info about future workshop locations.)

A benefit of presenting workshops on location, is the ability to help local photographers deal with lighting situations that are typical of their specific area. One of the aspects that was covered in today’s workshop that I held in Phoenix, was how to cope with the harsh sunlight. Here our lovely model Chelsea was lit by off-camera flash, balancing the exposure to retain detail in the sunlit desert landscape.

Technical info:
Speedlight diffused through a Photoflex Q39 softbox, triggered by a Pocketwizard.
The flash was set to manual exposure. The camera too was in manual exposure mode, and metered for the background.The speedlight and softbox were mounted on a monopod, and held by one of the workshop participants.

The same technique was used here in photographing Craig, our other model.

Thank you to our two models, and to everyone who attended the workshop.
Do keep in touch.  (More info about future workshop locations.)

It was an honor to be invited to be a presenter at the convention held this past weekend by the Professional Photographers’ Association of Massachussets (PPAM).  The 4 day convention was held in Natick, a city just outside of Boston, and I had a 3 hour segment on Sunday afternoon.  My presentation was a scaled down version of my workshops on flash photography techniques. 

The response afterwards was tremendous; numerous people thanked me and congratulated me, and I even got several “best presentation of the convention” comments.  Not only was that gratifying to hear these comments, but also to see that there were actually more people at the end than when I started the presentation. 

Here’s a compilation of a few images, mostly of the time during the break when I was chatting to people in the front. It seems I can’t keep my hands still when I talk.

I was sponsored by Ultra Color Lab in Boston, who created a sample album of my work.
The design of the album can be seen on my wedding photography blog.

I’ve received some questions about why I chose this particular image as
the representative image for my series of photography workshops.

Most people looking at this image wouldn’t immediately realize that there is flash involved.  This image however, is typical of the way I work, and how I use flash to sweeten a scene. The thought process of how I got to this result, was explained on a previous blog posting - how I got from here …

…. to the image you see at the top.

This is only part of what I teach in my workshops - to simultaneously seamlessly blend available light with flash, and do so fluidly, adapting your technique to any scenario. This image and the way I achieved it then represents exactly what I hope people will come away with from their experience with me: How to use flash to help you achieve the images you visualized.

Two years ago I attended a small get together for photographers in Mystic, CT.  That meeting drew 28 people and was the catalyst for the main pages on this blog - the flash photography techniques.  It was also the very first presentation I did in front of other photographers, and as such was the actual kick-start to the workshops that I present.

So it was with real pride that I was invited to do a presentation again this week in Mystic - the third such get together. By now the event had grown to 120 photographers meeting up!  The subject of my presentation this time was how to use flash for some quick scene sweetening. (A description that Bruce Dorn kindly allowed me to appropriate for myself.)

The get together had evolved into a 12 hour program with top-notch speakers. And it was a real honour to do a presentation along with top photographers like David Mielcarek, Monika Broz, Michelle Turner, Steven Frischling, Walter van Dusen, Joseph Prezioso, Ben Chrisman, Michael Cody and Doug Boutwell.

Walter my friend, you did yourself proud with this event, really upping the standard to a new high!
And Jeannie, hopefully the shirt is less crumpled for your tastes this time.

Each time I teach others, whether in a workshop format or in a personal mentoring session, it also provides me with a great opportunity for personal and professional growth.  My approach to teaching shifts as I redefine the material I present.   

With the most recent workshop in Manassas, I realised I have moved from a viewpoint where I want to teach other photographers what I do, and how I do it …. to an approach where I want to teach other photographers how to achieve what they want to do.

(photo by Brian Knapp)

Also, something truly affecting for me with this workshop, was when I realised that two attendees had travelled all the way from Michigan to attend … and then said it had very much been worth it.

Thanks to the Candy Factory Art Center in Manassas, which was a fantastic venue for a sold-out workshop, and to Karen for handling the planning and coordination … and Ashlea, our gorgeous model who was so patient.

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After the workshop, most of us gathered at The Tavern around the corner. Later on a few of us drifted out onto the sidewalks where we had an impromptu night-time lighting session.

Amy snagged a local tattoo artist and skateboarder, Alex, who happened by at just the right time!

Thank you to everyone who attended.  Keep in touch!