Video – Backgrounds
About a month ago, I showed you a video of a photoshoot with assistant Ake and model Kim. Well, I finaly found the time to edit a second movie of this shoot and here it is:
I’m still struggeling with the voice overs in English. For this movie I only recorded one take because of limited time. I hope it’s understandable. Also, I still can’t get the video quality I would like in YouTube. In a next life I’ll probably find some time to experiment with different encoding options but untill then, you’ll have to do it with what you see.
At least I can show you the pictures in a decent quality:
As allways, comments about the pictures and/or the video are much appreciated.
Hi, Thanks for the great photos and tutorial videos. I just watched both. I noticed you are shooting with the 70-200 f2.8. For these fashiong shoots, generally what f-stop are you shooting to get the nice background blur?
The reason I ask is that I’m in the market for one of these lens and I am deciding between the f2.8 and the f4 version.
Thanks again for the tutorial videos, they are very helpful. Keep up the great work
If you can, get the f/2.8 with IS. I know it’s expensive, but if you don’t buy that lens you will be wondering forever, if it wouldn’t have been better to buy the best.
90% of the time, I shoot wide open with this lens.
Bert,
thanks, and yes, it is perfectly understandable. So if I see it right, there is just one bare speedlight, yes?
And I am joining Kuan – please go on, looking forward for the next inspiring post!
Lubos
Hi Bert,
it is really great that you now post in English. I also liked the pictures on your Belgian blog, but couldn’t really make heads and tails of the text
I am not a native English speaker, but I like your voice overs, very easily understandable. Also the videos are great content wise and I think that the video quality is at least good enough.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Cheers,
Mariano
@Lubos: thanks and yep only 1 bare speedlight.
@Mariano: Nice to see you found my English blog.
Nice work Bert! Looking forward for more from you
Very inspiring work!
Keep the instructional videos coming–most will not comment but greatly appreciate it.
Very efective way to create a good background.
I was able to understand your english just fine.
I hope you continue to provide instructional videos such as this one.
Thank you.
There’s nothing wrong with your English voice-overs, thank you.
OK, web-based video is not 8 x 10 inch reversal film quality, but your content and message come across well enough in the medium to be useful.
I liked the way you controlled your lighting and framing to create strong, clean images from an everyday location.
Regards,
Peter Bryenton
http://www.brypix.com
Thanks for sharing, for young photographers and old ones like me just starting to get to grips with making the most of what they can afford( usually one or two small flashguns) it teaches them a lot.Wish this kind of thing had been around when started.
Mark
Good stuff thanks so much for sharing
Enjoyable and educational as always Bert! I look forward to the next installment!!
Hi Bert,
As always it’s great to see a photographer willing to share their methods rather than behave like classroom children covering their work for foear of being copied. Bravo!
I can only guess that you chimp when using the flash until you get the look you’re after?
Keep up the great work.
Paul
Hi Bert,
Easy such backgrounds when you live near the Park of Tervuren
I’ll try to drink a Duvel more next time on a shoot…
Any plans of organising a strobe course for beginners?
Rudy
Beautiful photos, very informative. Thank you so much for these examples of what can be done with great talent, and a small amount of equipment.
Todd Nordquist
http://www.10photography.com
Thanks for posting this video. The voice over and overall quality is great!
Can you give us a general idea of the shutter speed?
Hey Bert,
Awesome job on the video. I’m not a native English speaker myself, but I think your English is excellent. And I understand every thing that you said in the video.
Thanks again for your effort to make the video and for being kind in sharing your techniques. I really do appreciate it. Let me know how to send some money to you
The photos are awesome by the way.
Bert –
I enjoyed the video and excellent work on these images. The light is terrific as it is soft, spectacular and noticeable yet doesn’t distract from your beautiful model. And your English is just fine.
I think it would be nice if you would also post some EXIT data for these kinds of shots (I’m particularly curious about shutter speed and aperture). I am also in the market for this lens.
Ivan
Thanks for sharing Bert, really good to see.
Bert you are really an inspiration. Thanks for posting those videos. I have been teaching my self photography and portrait is my favorite tipe of photography.
This really help me alot to reached the next level in photography.
thanks again.
miguel
Hi,
I also had some issues about quality of the videos in Youtube and went looking for another online video storage. I found Viddler (www.viddler.com) wich let you upload bigger videos which let the videos be encoded with much more quality.
Hope it helps you with your video postings.
Xina
thanks guys. Your kind comments stimulate me to continue to produce a video every now and then.
@Paul: You bet, I chimp. It’s one of the advantages of digital so why not use it. I use a lighmeter rather often too, but I use it in combination with chimping until I get the light right. Once it’s set up, I don’t look at the LCD very often.
@Rudy: I did some shoots at the park of Tervuren. It’s a nice location but you can make nice shots anywhere. I’m preparing a workshop about shooting with an off-camera flash.
@Clay & Ivan: All the pictures on this blog (and more) can be found on my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98609590@N00/
I leave the EXIF-info in the pics, so you can see it al on Flickr.
@Grom: If you could just find me some clients who want to hire me to shoot some babes on beach in Thailand, you don’t have to send me money
@Xina: Thanks for the tip. I think I found a way to get better quality on YouTube next time. The source quality of the video is really good, so it should be possible.
Bert,
Many thanks to you, your assistant, and the lovely Kim, for the entertaining and informative videos.
I’m just getting started in this off-camera lighting thing, myself. You are all helping to keep my inspiration up.
Loving the videos bert… can’t wait for the next one
thanks Daryl and Nathan
Excellent videos and photos. Your english is very good and everything you say is easy to understand. Thank you for sharing these video tutorials.
Thanks Adrian
Just a quick word, Love the video. I can’t wait till you produce another one for our viewing enjoyment…
Thanks again,
Roy
BigImagePhotos
i see that you are a canon shooter (like myself)….
what type of flashes are you using? i noticed that you are using pocket wizards to trigger them…..does that mean the flashes are not using TTL? manual power adjustments instead?
i like canon but have found the IR canon triggers to be problematic (line of sight, etc..)
thx
c
hi,
just curious whether you had the flash on manual mode or if it was on auto, and what power setting you were using, i.e. 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1/1, etc?
Thanks
Nick
@Clay: for this kind of stuff I always set my flashes and camera on manual. I mostly use an Nikon SB-24 and 3 Vivitar 285HV’s and trigger them with Pocket Wizards.
@Nick: I don’t remember the power setting, but I guess it must have been around 1/4 or 1/2.
Hello Bert,
Very beautiful work and, your site is very interest.
However, in all this serie you make photos in the day. How made you to have such a light on your final photos?
Which couples diaphragm / speed to use you.
I am curious to learn.
Thank you has you.
Best ragards
Alexandre