Last week in Tallinn – Workshop for Bloggers and Photowalk
I was last week in Tallinn where local photography pro shop Overall Eesti and Canon organized two workshops. First one was for bloggers and second one was Photowalk.
In bloggers workshop there were Estonian lifestyle, fashion and food bloggers but also designers, art directors, journalists etc. At this very first Overall bloggers workshop our goal was to give some tips to all that they can do better quality images faster and just with camera.
Here we are in Overall's conference room, ready to start.
Bloggers workshop's main topic was to demonstrate how to shoot right color, sharp enough and bright enough images that they look good and representative in websites.Read more
#smartphonepose Photowalk with Pylkkö & Puputti
Photographer Mikko Pylkkö and myself organized #smartphonepose Photowalk in Tampere two weeks ago. Idea of this event occur to me because Mikko has just published book about how to shoot photos with smartphones and tablets, and I've just done book about posing.
We began #smartphonepose Photowalk with introductions and then it was time for action... Mikko showed first how to keep smartphone properly in your hands while shooting.Read more
Pose. Done. What a trip.
I just read my blog after I finished Light & Lighting Photography Guidebook. By that time I never thought I would write another book. Now it's real and my second one, POSE is out. How I feel? What was it like to do it?Read more
Be brighter and BLINK
This is my Christmas card and gift for You My Friend. I wish You Christmas with your family and friends.Read more
Fashion style 2015 of Lions, Team Finland
U16 Young Lions were modeling in "Fashion Style 2015 of Lions, Team Finland" in Vierumäki Sport Centre. And these Young Lions Aatu Luusuaniemi, Bernard Isiguzo, Eeli Tolvanen, Olli Kaskinen and Santeri Virtanen were also cover stars of Lions Magazine 4/2014.
Including presenting Fashion Style 2015, Editor in Chief of Lions Magazine wanted to create real photo shoot for Young Lions. "Every Lion needs skills to present Team Finland in photos, videos, interviews etc. With this kind of project we can provide these experiences . That's why I chose the youngest Lions to this project", says Editor in Chief Pasi Mennander.
FPPA's 95th Anniversary photo exhibition presents internationally awarded images
FPPA's 95th Anniversary Photo Exhibition presents FPPA members' images which are awarded international contests around the world.
Many Finnish professional photographers have been awarded in several contests in last ten years, a.o. Ete des Portraits, Loupe Awards, FEP Annual Contest and World Photographic Cup. Go Finland!
I have two images in exhibition. Both were shot for Light & Lighting Photography Guidebook.
Exhibition is open until October 31st during library's opening hours.
FPPA's Order of Merit
Finnish Professional Photographers' Association celebrated it's 95th anniversary last weekend in Jyväskylä. Annual Meeting included lectures by professional photgraphers: Lauri Laukkanen and Mikaela Löfroth.
My colleague Anne Yrjänä was honored with Golden Order of Merit in gala dinner. Her ways of thinking is "how all colleagues could benefit from some matter and how I could share this with others". And she works in that way too. Congrats Anne :) I was honored with Silver Order of Merit.
Goals, dreams and focus
I met young ice-hockey goalie, Kimmo Rautiainen, sometime ago when I shot his image for Leijonat Magazine. He's sixteen and has just moved to Tampere from other side of Finland to play ice-hockey. He wants to be be top goalie in the world. He lives in family, he takes bus every morning, changes it another bus, goes to high school... afternoon he goes to his friend's place to rest, the he goes to practice, then bus, another bus and eventually he's back home around 8 or 9 pm. How does it sound? Focused?
There's nothing about "I must do, I'm busy, I need to..." It's simply "This is what I WANT to do." What you can say but admire. 16-year-old guy knows what he wants, and lives in that way that he can do all to achieve his goal. All decisions are based on his dream. Focused.
How about us in our lives – phone is ringing, mailbox is beeping, someone is asking us to go somewhere... We dream about new hobby, we dream about more time with our family...
We dream about – WHAT?
Do we have goal?
Are we focused?
Goals, dreams and focus
I met three people last weekend. One has divorced after 30 years marriage; she felt happier than ever in ten years. Another has dreamed about first own apartment, and has just bought that. Third one thought she never could have kids and now she's mother of beautiful baby. Meeting Kimmo and all these people reminded me again meaning of dreaming, goals and focus.
.. and at the end for those, who's goal is to become better photographer :)
Lighting diagram for cover image
(1) Main light: Elinchrom Ranger S portable flash unit + light modifiers: standard reflector (26 cm), grid 8°, barn doors 35 x 40 cm
(2) Fill light: Elinchrom Ranger S portable flash unit + light modifiers: umbrella reflector (18 cm), glossy, silver-gold umbrella (105 cm)
(3) Rim light 1: Elinchrom Ranger S portable flash unit + light modifiers: umbrella reflector (18 cm), glossy, silver umbrella (105 cm)
(4) Rim light 2: Elinchrom Ranger S portable flash unit + light modifiers: umbrella reflector (18 cm), glossy, silver-gold umbrella (105 cm)
Portraits in location, photography workshop in Tallinn
Why lighting matters – Lighting in location
Photography workshop in Tallinn was about lighting people in location. Some rule of thumbs you can always lean on.
Aim of lighting is to support available light. That's why first thing is to check direction, nature and color of available light. Then you use additional light sources and light modifiers that to create lighting in the way it "can't be seen" in final image. Image looks natural, like snapshot. In this image I used 50 mm lens.
(1) Main light: Dedolight Panaura 5 with grid + additional disposable white sheet as extra diffuser ... I used large light source to lit Leho like window light and ceiling light illuminates him.
(2) Rim light, right: Dedolight Classic Series Tungsten 100W + barn doors ... to create illusion that ceiling lamp on the right side illuminates him.
(3) Rim light, left: Dedolight Classic Series Tungsten 100W + barn doors ... to create illusion that ceiling lamp on the bar illuminates him.
(4) Additional light: Dedolight Classic Series Tungsten 100W + barn doors ... I added light source to illuminate sofas and floor more because they looked so dark and lightless.
(5) Additional light: Dedolight Classic Series Tungsten 100W + barn doors ... name of the jazz club is Philly Joe's and this painting is picture of this specific Joe.
(6) Additional light: Dedolight Classic Series Tungsten 100W + barn doors ... without additional light whole bar on background would have appeared too dark.
... and I forgot fill light.Read more
Photokina 2014 – check
Sunset in Cologne - it was great to visit Cologne and Photokina again. It's always about seeing friends. That's what I like – photography people around Europe meet in Cologne every two year :) But it was again about cool, fun and interesting stuff.
Light up your world
Profoto
I saw for the first time LIVE Profoto B1, "portable" studio flash which includes battery. I was amazed how compact and light it was. And you control it with remote control attached to camera.
Elinchrom
There were rumors that Elinchrom is launching ELB series soon – which means battery studio flash. Let's wait and see.
Elinchrom have again fresnel spot FS 30, diagram 30cm. This means they also have barn doors size 35 x 40cm available again. If you use barn doors, 35 x 40 cm works better than barn doors with four leaves. I wish eventually they will have fresnel spot in smaller size too.
Elinchrom had also trolleys for light sources in different sizes. When you travel a lot with lighting equipment you just don't want to carry all. One thing I'm curious about: how these trolleys and it's shaky ride effects on lighting equipment, camera, lenses or laptop? I asked that from Tenba stand – they hadn't have problems... I'm still suspicious. Anyone any experience?
Broncolor
Other lighting equipment I found interesting were HMI light sources. On Broncolor's stand HMI's were presented in front. They've just launched new 1600 HMI. I was wondering, could HMI's be one solution for photo-videographers. More about this later when I can test it more.
Last photo shoots for POSE - Check
Last week was busy. We did last photo shoots for POSE - pirates, baby and fifties style hobby. Great fun, and my assistant Mikko Heinonsalmi made these videos of them.
Pirates of Näsijärvi. Corporate Portrait of chief and her staff.
Hessu, hobby and role – 50's style, passion for old cars and Lincoln 1947.