April 6, 2014. Another self portrait. This is what I really look like.
House Violet After Application of the Oil Painting Filter in Adobe Photoshop CC. Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 70-200mm lens. Profoto and Canon Strobes in Softboxes, Two White Foamcore Boards to Soften Shadows.
Photoshopped House Violet, Detail
Portrait of Leona, March 29, 2014
How I made the portrait of Leona: I used a Canon 5D Mark III DSLR with a Canon EF 70-200mm ƒ2.8L IS II USM @ 123mm. Key light: Profoto B1 500 Air TTL in a Profoto 2' x 2' softbox, slaved to the fill light. Fill light: Canon 600EX-RT in a Westcott softbox, triggered by a Canon ST-E3-RT radio remote. In addition, Leona held a piece of white foamcore board to reflect light upward and further soften shadows.
The camera was in manual mode and both flashes were in manual mode. The Canon 600-EX-RT has plenty of power for use in a softbox; I had to dial down the 600-EX-RT's power to 1/16 of full power +⅓ stop. One can quibble endlessly over fill. Dialing it down a little further might have given a stronger fill-to-key ratio, but If I am to err on a female portrait I prefer to err on the side of a lower ratio. I confirmed flash fill ratio and aperture with a Sekonic L478D incident light meter.
The camera was in manual mode and both flashes were in manual mode. The Canon 600-EX-RT has plenty of power for use in a softbox; I had to dial down the 600-EX-RT's power to 1/16 of full power +⅓ stop. One can quibble endlessly over fill. Dialing it down a little further might have given a stronger fill-to-key ratio, but If I am to err on a female portrait I prefer to err on the side of a lower ratio. I confirmed flash fill ratio and aperture with a Sekonic L478D incident light meter.
Rag Shirt
David E. Illig, Self-Portrait
First Spring Flower of 2014
Tools of the Trade: George Lucas reputedly said of indie filmmaking, "Anyone with a Macintosh and a Sony digital camera can do anything. I just happen to have a few cameras and a few Macintoshes.” For still photography, make that a few Macintoshes and a few high-end DSLR cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark III. Shown: Macintosh MacBook Pro Retina w. SSD, Canon 5D Mark III w. Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens. My wife, Leona, who is a writer, editor, critic, and reviewer http://leonawrites.wordpress.com, uses a 27" iMac and an iPad. I have three MacBook Pros and a 27" iMac. I also have a few Canon cameras.
Still Life With Fruit, June 26, 2014.
