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

White Christmas (almost)

Here in the midlands of South Carolina, we have always dreamed of the elusive White Christmas and in 2010 we got our wish. Well almost. The snow came a day late, but it was just as sweet. Indeed, this was the first time ever for significant Christmas snow in Columbia since records were first kept in 1887.

The great part about snow in this part of the world is that it rarely lasts on the ground more than a day or two.

The photo above is a composite of three images, blended together using an HDR program called Photomatix. The process brings out the colors in the shadow areas while allowing details to come through in the high lights.

Merry Christmas,
-- Steve

Merry Christmas

This is our miniature schnauzer Tucker, aka the LBD (Little Black Dog). I set up the studio last night for a portrait session, and before taking everything down we set Tucker in front of the lights and posed him in his Santa outfit. He didn't much care for this arrangement so I had to work quickly. Anyway the results are quite amusing I think.

Lighting setup: Alien Bees 800 w/ Large octo-box left, SB800 w/ Lightdome sx softbox above, Photoflex multi disk reflector right, sb800 w/ Honl neutral density filter left rear. Camera: D200, Lens: 50mm f/1.4. ISO:200.

Thanks to all of you who have supported us over the years. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Carolina Gas Transmission pt. 2

I have been continuing my project for Carolina Gas Transmission, finishing up the last of the people photos. This one was out on some right of way north of downtown Columbia. The weather was iffy, it had rained all night and more was on the way. We caught a break in the weather just after sun rise and got the shot.

The setup is pretty much the same as what I have used for the other portraits. I used the Photoflex Lightdome XS softbox with an SB-800 for key camera left. A second sb-800 camera right and behind for rim light. These portraits are going to matted and framed for the Field Ops Center, so I want a consistent look to the lighting.



This one was shot with the same light setup. The location was a measurement station near our corporate heaquarters. It was mid day, but we were working in shade so I was able to use the lights to balance the ambient.

Thanks for looking.

--Steve

Carolina Gas Transmission

Most of you who know me know that photography is not my full time job. I work days as a systems administrator for Carolina Gas Transmission, a natural gas pipeline company and subsidiary of SCANA. Occasionally they ask me to shoot photos around the company for various uses. Today I traveled around the area with a couple of co-workers shooting some company facilities and rights of way. I was also commissioned to shoot environmental portraits of two of our employees.

The one above was one of my favorites. We found a spot of shade outside at one of our compressor stations and set up a couple of SB-800s on light stands. The key light was camera left with a Photoflex Lightdome XS softbox. The second was camera right and slightly behind with just a snoot. A reflector disk was held low camera right by one of my travel companions. Post processing in Lightroom and CS4.



This one was shot inside one of the compressor buildings. Same lighting set up but this one has a darker look and feel to it.

Oh and yes, it was hot out there today :P

Thanks for looking.

--Steve

All in a days work

Summer is always a slow season for portrait shooting, at least for me anyway. Last night the drought was ended as I shot three different subjects over the course of about three hours at the home studio. Each one was uniquely different and called for its own lighting and post production style.



To start off I had a portrait of a young girl to commemorate her first Holy Communion. For this I used my Alien Bees B800 with the large octo-box camera left as the main paired with a 43” white reflector disk for fill. This is a really good set up for a traditional portrait, nice soft light from the octo-box, soft fill from the reflector. I added a rim light, an SB-800 with a snoot, camera right just behind the subject and another SB-800 on the background. Both SB-800s were dialed down to about 1/32 power. Very minimal post processing, just a little WB adjustment and a little sharpening in Lightroom. The final prints will get a little more attention.



Next up, a sports portrait for a high school senior lacrosse player. This called for a more dramatic lighting set-up. For this I removed the octo-box from the AB-800 and attached the standard 7AB/R reflector and set it up on axis with my subject. SB-800s were used again as kickers left and right with snoots to avoid any spill. Post processing included the Topaz Adjust Photoshop plug in, plus retouching, masking and high pass filter in Photoshop.



Finnaly, a basic head shot for a model portfolio. For t his we left the studio and moved to the den which has french door style windows looking into the back yard. This was the simplest set up of the evening, just an SB-800 with a shoot through umbrella camera left for key. After a few shots a decided to add the reflector disk camera right. I used a longer lens for this one, an 80-200 f/2.8 and opened the aperture all the way in order to kill the depth of field. Minimal post processing in Lightroom, the final image will get a little more attention.

When this was all done I was pooped, but very satisfied. Not sure I could do this every day. Photography is hard work.

-- Steve

Topaz Adjust

Shem Creek Shrimpers

I downloaded some really cool software from Topaz Labs over the weekend and tried it out on some photos that I took while on vacation recently. The programs is called Topaz Adjust and it is a plugin the works with Adobe Photoshop. The program is very easy to use and can create some pretty interesting effects as seen in the photo above. It can also be used with restraint to render more subtle effect.

Here are a couple more that I played with...


Rising Storm at Shem Creek


Botany Bay Beach Tree

I think I am going to purchase this program when my evaluation period is over. At 49.99, it's hard to go wrong.

--Steve

Planet Edisto

I have been playing with a Panorama program called PTGui. This image was made from 115 separate JEPG files that were combined using the software. PTGUI is a very complicated program, but I found a pretty good tutorial that helped with the learning curve.

Enjoy,
-- Steve

Haw Creek Valley

We decided at the last minute to go to Asheville for the weekend. My parents and aunt and uncle were at the mountain house for an extended weekend (it's nice to be retired). Mom and I hiked over to a rock escarpment that overlooks the Blue Ridge Parkway and Haw Creek Valley near Asheville. I shot a few panoramas, this one is an eight image stitch done in Photoshop CS4.

Thanks for looking,
--Steve

SCANA Campus

I spent the last couple of days at the SCANA corporate campus in Cayce attending a class. During a break I slipped out and shot a few of the environs. This one was multi-image stitch using tone mapping HDR software called Photomatix and a panoramic program called Autostich. In all I think there were 36 separate images used in this composite.

Click on the image for a larger view.

--Steve