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All Rights Reserved.

Site Created By Lee Dannelly

Workshop at the Ranch |

May 1, 2019

| Dave Black

2019 May WATR… More Images and Backstories

Hi and welcome to the May 2019 edition of my Instructional BLOG – Workshop at the Ranch. People continue to enjoy and learn from the current WATR theme of “Images and Backstories” … so here we go again.

Don’t Forget to:  Checkout my: 2019 Workshops Calendar to see when and where I will be teaching a workshop or seminar that you might be interested in: Dave’s 2019 Workshops Calendar:  https://daveblackphotography.com/upcoming-workshops/ 

2019 Workshops Calendar: 

May 29, 2019 … Photoshop World Pre-Conference SPORTS ACTION SHOOTING Workshop in Orlando: (Skateboarding) www.photoshopworld.com

May 30-31, 2019 … Photoshop World Conference in Orlando, FL.  www.photoshopworld.com

June 19-20, 2019 … UPPA University Professional Photographers Association Workshop in Grand Valley State Univ. MI.  http://www.upaa.org/content/2019-symposium  

June 20-23, 2019 … Summit LIGHTING Workshop in Denver, CO. www.photographyatthesummit.com

July 10-15, 2019 … Summit SPORTS Denver Workshop in Denver, CO. www.photographyatthesummit.com

August 20, 2019 … Photoshop World Pre-Conference LIGHTPAINTING Workshop in Las Vegas, NV: venue: Nelson Ghost Town  www.photoshopworld.com   

August 21-23, 2019 … Photoshop World Conference in Las Vegas, NV.  www.photoshopworld.com

September 14-19, 2019 … Summit ADVENTURE Workshop in Jackson Hole, WY. www.photographyatthesummit.com

September 22-27, 2019 … Summit NATURE Workshop in Jackson Hole, WY.  www.photographyatthesummit.com

November 7-10, 2019 … Summit SPORTS California Workshop in LA – Thousand Oaks, CA. www.photographyatthesummit.com

Images and Backstories:

Image 1 …  “Cold Flower” … #NikonD850, ISO1000, 1/1600 at f5.6, NIKKOR 200-500mm f5.6 lens, WB4550K.

With snow in the forecast again next week, this, not so much of a lesson, but the reminder that “Bad Weather Makes Good Pictures” … this short story was a big hit on my IG.

I’m here to tell you, it’s not easy being a Spring Flower in Colorado. Roses come up in May but not me, Oh no, I had to poke my Corona up between the back deck boards only to be greeted by the wind whipping off the Rockies like a western Zephyr.

Then the rain came and turned to snow … and now the snow turned to ice … in April !

I’m not complaining, Oh no, not me … As a Daffodil I can be patient, but this is insane.

 I mean, just look at me … I’m bent over, frozen and shivering in ice.

Okay, Okay, so I AM complaining.

Come-on Spring! … Get here already.

@nikonambassadors #nikonambassador

Image 2 … “LIGHT Swing” … #NikonZ7, ISO2000, 8 seconds at f5.6, NIKKOR Z 24-70mm S lens, 2 Profoto B1 strobe system, Glow Sticks, Lightpainting with Blue LED flashlight.


Baseball is in full swing and so I thought it appropriate to showcase my most unique and possibly the most complex image I have ever made … and it was accomplished during my “Experimenting with LIGHT” class during the 2018 Summit SPORTS California workshop in Thousand Oaks, California (held this year November 7-10, 2019 @summitworkshops)

HOW THIS IMAGE WAS MADE:
I used two Profoto B1 strobes each with two 10 degree grids sandwiched together to create a very small spot light … one illuminates our athletes face-torso and one illuminates his back. Each is about 12 feet away from the athlete.

I have taped one 24 inch Blue Glow Sticks and one Red 24 inch Glow Stick to the backside of the bat … I have placed segments of black gaffer tape on each Glow Stick to create striping effect.

A Baseball is hung from the ceiling with fly fishing line-thumb-tac.
With black cloth backdrop and studio lights turned OFF, at my command Mark Terrill @mjterrill1 swung the ball into a pendulum motion … as my class of 7 students opened our camera shutter for an 8 seconds exposure … Then I Lightpainted the swinging ball with a Blue LED flashlight while on the up-swing.

I then stepped out of the scene (remember it’s completely dark) and I ask the athlete to begin his Slow-Motion swinging of the bat, which captures the Glow Sticks illumination during the simulated homerun swing.

At my “estimated” imaginary “ball-on-bat” mid-swing position I manually trigger the strobes via the B1 REMOTE TEST button … FLASH! …the athlete is frozen, BUT he continues to slowly follow through until the exposure is complete.

For this image the athlete took a few “check swings” before starting his Slow-Motion swing which created the additional swing motions.

THANKS to Justin Tafoya @jtafoya05for suiting-up and swinging the bat perfectly and Thanks to @summitworkshops for letting me teach my “Experimenting with LIGHT” classes. Looking forward to teaching this class again this year.  

@nikonambassadors #nikonambassador

#mirrorlessreinvented.

Image 3    “Butterfly Portrait” #NikonD3s, ISO800, 1/125 at f11, #NIKKOR 105 Macro lens, WB, 6250K, One #NikonSpeedlight.

HOW THIS IMAGE WAS MADE:

I used a single Nikon Speedlight with a LumiQuest snoot to make this Butterfly portrait. The LumiQuest snoot is flexible and so I used a paper-clasp to “pinch” the opening down to a tiny hole about the size of a #2 pencil.

I held the Speedlight over the top of the Butterfly (about 10 inches away) and made this lit portrait. Needless to say I moved very slowly and only made 1 picture …then my subject took off before I could get a signed model release.

Sometimes all you need is a little bit of light to take your images to the next level of creativeness. 

@nikonusa  #nikonnofilter #nikonambassador  @nikonambassadors #mirrorlessreinvented.

Image #4   “Red Storm” … Nikon D3s, ISO200, 2 seconds exposure at f5.6, NIKKOR 24-70mm f2.8 lens (at 24mm) WB 8000K.

I’m just like all of you … I love to make pictures.
HOW THIS IMAGE WAS MADE:
Colorado has a lion’s share of our nations Lightning strikes and Spring time usually brings some awesome and sometimes violent electrical storms rolling over the Rocky Mountains.

I knew from past experience photographing fireworks at various Sporting events that using a long exposure like 2, 5, 10 seconds or longer would allow multiple “bursts” of fireworks to “accumulate” in a single frame.
It stands to reason that the same principle should work for Lightning strikes too … and it does, “but wait, there’s more”

THE KEY ELEMENT:
As the storm was building its electrical strength I made TEST shots and discovered (by trial & error – take a shot and take a look on the LCD monitor) that ISO200, 2 seconds at f5.6 and WB 8000K would capture the city lights reflecting a beautiful Red Glow off of the low lying clouds.

This Red Glow on the clouds was the Key Element that would take a “nice shot” of Lightning and make it something more special.

Once the storm began its Lightning Show all I had to do was open the shutter and let the Lightning accumulate … but that can actually prove to be more difficult to time than one might expect.

GEAR FOR SHOOTING LIGHTNING:
I used a “Lightning Trigger” to capture this image of multiple Lightning strikes with the storm clouds reflecting a brilliant Red Glow from the city lights of Colorado Springs. 

The Lightning Trigger “triggers” the camera automatically when the Lightning flash occurs. I sat down and watch the LCD monitor on the back of the camera as each sizable Lightning strike would automatically open the shutter and capture multiple strikes in the 2 second exposure time.
Its fun to make pictures … just google Lightning Triggers, there are several to choose from. 

Come by my Instagram @daveblackphoto each week to learn something new about photography.  I’ll see you next time here on Workshop at the Ranch.

Adios. Dave

 

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All Images © Dave Black 2020
All Rights Reserved.

Site Created By Lee Dannelly

The Nikon Ambassadors are authorized by Nikon to demonstrate to the public and professional image makers the capabilities and use of Nikon imaging products, but the expressive content of their work is solely their own. Nikon Ambassadors are independent contractors and visual artists and are not employees of Nikon. Nikon Ambassadors are responsible for the content of their photographs, websites, exhibitions, and visual images and the manner in which such content and images are obtained. Any messages, beliefs, or viewpoints expressed in the Nikon Ambassadors’ photographs, websites, exhibitions, or visual images do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs or viewpoints of Nikon or any Nikon employee.