#sb800

By:  Ryan Ellis Saturday,  September 3rd,  2016

Behind the scenes photo on-location in Detroit at twilight. This was the first shot of an ambitious, twelve-hour photoshoot that spanned both the Market and Downtown.  Eastern Market, Detroit, MI.  September 2016. 
Photo credit:  Ryan Ellis   —  Model:  Jacelyn

Bottom Line:

If you only remember three things  — ●  Soft light is light that has been diffused by an object before it lands on its target. ●  Soft light flatters the face—especially on women.  ●  Hard light can work for men sometimes, but soft light works on anyone, so it is a safe choice for portraiture.

⋰B⋰U⋰Z⋰Z⋰W⋰O⋰R⋰D⋰S⋰ Concepts talked about in this article  — ●  Soft Light — Light that has been diffused by an object before it lands on its target. ●  Hard Light — Undiffused light. This light can cause spectral highlights. ●  Spectral Highlights — Points of pure-white light values on an object that carry no detail and distract the viewer of the image from the intended subject.  ●  Blown-out Highlights — Same as spectral highlights. ●  Cross-Lighting — Lighting a face partly in light and partly in shadow. ●  Chiaroscuro — Same as cross-lighting. ✦  If you ever have any questions, feel free to email me. I am here for you. Email:  [email protected]

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Photos taken with or without a soft fill light  

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Working hard or hardly working? Portrait of myself at “The Belt,” Downtown Detroit’s famous street art alley (which features a rotating art display with works by both locals and internationals) at the Z Parking garage.  Downtown, Detroit, MI.  September 2016. 
Photo credit:  Tori McKendrick   —  Model:  Ryan 
☞   Check out Tori  —  https://www.facebook.com/torteephotography 

Portraits in both cross-lighting and more even lighting. Next door to this location is the Red Bull House of Art, which puts up artists for a few months at a time in an old meat-packing building, letting them take their time creating sets of art that are displayed and sold. Entrance is free, and cans of Red Bull are available in fridges to try while you are there. It is a great source of inspiration (and free caffeine!). They next open for visitors on November 11th, 2016.  Eastern Market, Detroit, MI.  August 2016. 
Photo credit:  Ryan Ellis   —  Model:  Makayla

Just after sunrise on a dim, cloudy morning that turned into a bright, clear afternoon and then a dark, rainy evening. That is Michigan weather for you! This particular wall is my favorite art piece in the entire market. I will explain more details about the following on another day:  Color photography was “made” for showing off all things red.  Eastern Market, Detroit, MI.  August 2016. 
Photo credit:  Ryan Ellis   —  Model:  Makayla

The Gear  —

●  All behind the scenes photos taken with a Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 AF FX lens bought for $400 at Westborn Camera in Dearborn, MI (http://westborncamera.com). Compare at $850 for the lens new. ●  All other photos taken with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF lens (this is the lens from which dreams are made) bought for $150 at “The Camera Connection” in Redford, MI (http://www.cameraconnectiononline.com). Compare to $300 for a new model of the same Nikkor AF lens.
ttp://westborncamera.com). ●  The flash unit used in this shot (and most other shots in this article) is a Nikon SB800 Speed Light bought for a ridiculously-cheap $10 off of Craigslist (https://detroit.craigslist.org). Expect to pay at least $200 for this on the used market. This is a modern and sophisticated flash unit that has all the bells and whistles you could ever want to use.   ●  The diffusion screen used in this image (and nearly all of the other photos in this article) is part of a 42″ Promaster SystemPro Reflectadisc - 5 in 1 Reflector Kit bought new for $60 at ProCam in Livonia, MI (http://procam.com). Steer clear of ProCam stores unless no one else has what you are looking for. They consistently mark up their prices tens of dollars higher than what things are worth (at least in their used department). They pursue profits over value with no noticeable increase in quality to justify their price points. ●  The stand used in this photo (and most of the others) is an Ultimate Support PRO-T-T Tripod Mic Stand with Telescoping Boom bought new for $90 at Guitar Center in Roseville, MI (http://www.guitarcenter.com). Traditionally, one would use a special stand from a camera store to hold up the diffusion screen, but since I already had this portable boom mic stand, I decided it would be best to use what I had on hand. Photography is a creative medium. Creativity with gear is always encouraged—especially if you can save some cash along the way! I secured the diffusion screen to the boom stand with Gator Clips. On a windier day, Sand Bags would be good to have on the boom stand to weigh it down, so the screen is less-likely to blow away.

Akimbo chica. Shot in The Belt at Z Parking.  Downtown, Detroit, MI.  September 2016. 
Photo credit:  Ryan Ellis   —  Model:  Jacelyn

Cheery lady. Shot in the Dequindre Cut. In a couple of weeks, I will be biking 30 miles through Detroit (and through this path) in the annual “Tour De Troit” bike ride event.  Eastern Market, Detroit, MI.  September 2016. 
Photo credit:  Ryan Ellis   —  Model:  Jacelyn

She is a very happy model.  Eastern Market, Detroit, MI.  August 2016. 
Photo credit:  Ryan Ellis   —  Model:  Makayla

                   .—.                   | [X] |      _.==.__.“”“”“.______n__   d __ _____.-’ ’-.  ________b    | [__]       /.”“”“.\ _  D800 |    |            // /” “\  \_)           |    |             \ \__/  //             |    | Nikon     `.__.’/               |     \====== `-..-’ =======/        `—————————’  

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