Finally! A chance to use the spotlight!

Some time ago I purchased a 3 million candle power spot light to use in a technique I've been wanting to try for a while. Last week I finally got the chance. Now there are a few different ways to use this spotlight technique, I just used the straight on approach.

In the above image we have Jordan. The shot was taken just as the sun was going down. My assistant was standing about 30ft. back holding the spotlight. It was a fairly cold night, so Jordan appreciated the warm spotlight focused on him the whole time. In photoshop I adjusted the levels and color to my liking, and of course a little blue steel... and there you go! Hopefully sometime in the near future I'll have some more opportunities to try some different techniques with the spotlight.

Win Susan Nelson

It's time to take a break from photography and focus on a worthwhile cause. If you visit Elden Nelson's blog http://www.fatcyclist.com/ you can learn about his wife, Susan, who is battling cancer. I urge you to read that blog! And afterwards, if you feel so inclined, you can donate to help the Nelson Family at http://www.kennysphoto.com/susan
Or you can click on the Donate link below.

Something a little different.

The other day I had the opportunity to shoot a young gentleman named Fekky and his friend, Bright. They showed me some photos on P. Diddy's and Usher's websites and asked me to shoot similar photographs.

I must say, this was one of the funnest shoots I've done in a long time! Fekky and Bright were very easy to work with, they photographed well, and just made it an overall fun time. In the photograph to the right I decided to shoot using only one light (normally I use up to four lights on a white background). You can see the strobe in Bright's sunglasses. I've decided not to photoshop that light out... I kinda like it.

In the Photograph to the left we have Fekky in probably one of the greatest alleyways I've found yet.

It's rustic, dirty...but cool, great brick walls and just a lot of character. I love how this shot isn't just a shot of Fekky, it's a shot of the alleyway with Fekky in it (if that makes any sense). In photoshop I adjusted the levels and color to my liking, added a little diffused glow, just a little bit of blue steel and there you go. (FYI: I've mentioned "Blue Steel" in a few of my posts. If you don't know what that is, go rent Zoolander.)

Fekky and Bright are aspiring Hip Hop/Rap artists. You can visit myspace and just do a search for "Fekkylala" and you'll find his site. Now Hip Hop/Rap is not my favorite stuff, but Fekky really has some catchy rhymes.

I'm planning on updating my website soon, so I'll include a few more shots from the sitting with Fekky and Bright. Or when Fekky releases his next album you can check out some of my photos on the album cover. =)