CN Girls

We held a photo shoot at the SC State House grounds yesterday for Taylor and a few of her friends from Cardinal Newman School (CN). It was hot afternoon, but we found a shady spot to set up.

I used a pair of SB-800 strobes on stands left and right with shoot through umbrellas. Shooting groups this large outdoors requires nearly full power from strobes this small. Not a problem, but the recycle time is around 7 seconds so you have to adjust the pace of your shooting. Other than that, this setup is pretty much bullet proof. Nothing fancy, just nice soft even light.

In addition to the groups, we did individual and buddy shots. This was a lot of fun, but next year maybe we’ll wait until October, just too hot in August around here.

--Steve

The Edisto Mystery Tree

The Mystery Tree of Edisto Island, SC stands in the salt marsh just a few paces off of highway 174 directly across from Botany Bay Road. No one seems to know the origin of the tree or who decorates it, but its theme changes with the seasons. Patriotic in the summer, Christmas in the winter even pink hearts and cupids in February. The Mystery Tree has become a local landmark, and a symbol of Edisto’s laid back care free attitude.

Some say, however, that there is something more sinister afoot. The tree is a marker for, and reminder of the evils of slavery that occurred just down the road at Botany Bay Plantation. The gaudy decorations are there to chase away the evil spirits that emanate from that place.

Either way the tree, for many, is a reminder of the good times shared with family and friends at Edisto. Each time, as we make our way down the lonely highway to the beach, there sits the tree waiting to greet us with assurance that good times are just ahead.

This photo was captured just after sunset. The tree is lit with 2 SB-800 strobes, right and left. Both strobes were fitted with Honl full green gels. Color correction in Lightroom 3 shifts the color balance to match the green gel and gives the sky a magenta cast.

--Steve

Jessica Ryan Seal, With Honors

We are very proud of our daughter Jessica here at Steven W. Seal Photography. She graduated with honors and is in the top 5% of her class of 484. She will enter the University of South Carolina this fall following the Gamecock family tradition. Way to go Jessica!

This portrait uses the same set up as for my friend Barney in the previous post.

--Steve

DIY Florescent Keno-Flo Lights

I've been wanting to build a pair of these floresent strip lights ever since I saw this post by David X. Tejada on his blog a couple of years ago here - Annual Report Photographer David Tejada "The f-Stops Here". These were pretty easy to put together, it just took a few minutes per light.

My subject here is my friend Barney, he came by the other day and I coerced him into setting for a few shots. I used the lights as fill on either side of his face in addition to three shoe mount strobes, one high on axis, and the other two left and right behind him. Post processing in Lightroom 3.

In addition to creating those weird catch lights in the eyes and reflections on his glasses, which I do like, the lights add just a little shadowless fill that appears to come from nowhere.

I'm looking forward to finding new ways to incorporate these lights in my other work.

--Steve

Gills Creek

I've been looking for places to do some nature/landscape photography. I found this spot on a lunch break near my office. This is a creek that feeds into the Congaree river near the Congaree National Park. hopefully I will get some time to get out and shoot some more before it gets too hot, and the bugs get bad.

--Steve

The best camera in the world

So, what is the best camera in the world. Why that's simple, the best camera in the world is the one you have with you.

Case in point. I was in Calgary last week on work related business. I left the real cameras at home because i did not think we would have time to make the one and a half hour trip over to Banff. I was wrong. I did, however, have a camera. The crappy little one in my company Blackberry. Naturally I put it to use.

The results were pretty good and with a little post processing in Lightroom 3, I manged to squeeze some pretty tasty stuff out of that Blackberry. The one above is a 4 image panorama composite.

So, remember, cameras don't make photographs, photographers do.








--Steve

Senior 411 cards

I recently partnered up with MPIXPro for print and press products. They have some really cool ideas for high school seniors this year including these senior 411 calling cards.

I really like these. I think they make a nice addition to the traditional graduation invitation which are sent to family and close friends who you plan to have at the graduation ceremony. 411 cards can be sent as an announcement after graduation and added in with thank you notes.

We are planning to do these for our own daughter who is graduating next month. Contact me if you might be interested and pass this along to any seniors that you know.

Here are a few more examples.







Check out MIPXPro for more cool stuff...


--Steve

High Speed Sync

Nikon has a really cool feature in their flash system called high speed sync. It allows you to shoot at very high shutter speeds to 'kill' the ambient/background light and therefore control your depth of field with aperture.

This was taken at 1/8000 sec at f/2.8. The subject was sitting indoors with a full daylight background. Normally this would be impossible to balance, but with the high speed sync option it's a pretty simple deal.

If you are a Nikon shooter, give this a try. I'm betting you get some pretty interesting results.

--Steve

Carolina Gas Transmission pt. 4

The CGT People and Places project continues. This time out side at a valve station. Work was being done to run a smart pig through an 8 mile section of high pressure gas pipeline near Aiken, SC. A smart pig is not an animal but rather a highly sophisticated piece of electronic equipment that can perform all manor of analysis on a section of pipe. Launch the pig from point A, retrieve it at point B. Easy right?

After the pigging was complete and everyone cleared out I set up and made this portrait. Lighting set up pretty much the same as the others.

One more and this project is a wrap.

Cheers,
--Steve

Carolina Gas Transmission pt. 3

Continuing to work on the people and places project at CGT. This one was taken at one of our compressor stations. We were inside one of the buildings that houses 2 1,200 horse power gas fired turbine compressors.

Lighting setup: SB-800 camera left with Photoflex Lightdome XS, 1/4 power. Vivitar 285 1/16 power camera right and back. Reflector disk camera right front low, SB-800 1/16 power on compressor unit.

--Steve

Some favorites from the last few years

Looking through some of my work from the past few years and decided to put together a quick portfolio page. I really need to update my portfolio galleries on the main site but who has the time, amirite? Anyway, follow the link and have a look at some my favorites. Hopfully I will have some more in the coming days/weeks.

Portraits portfolio

Cheers
--Steve