Monthly Archives: March 2011

Metering muddles

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Michael Willems

A word about light meters again – this time, on how to use them. 1. First turn on the meter. 2. Then move the white dome out, not in. 3. Now set the ISO to your camera’s ISO (press ISO … Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear, Light | Tagged | 2 Comments

The One Minute Portrait

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Michael Willems

Today, my friend Steve at the car dealership asked me to do a quick headshot snap of his managing director. No time to think: right now! Never to be one to shy away from a challenge, I quickly did the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Learning, Picture of the day, Technique | Tagged | 4 Comments

Brrr…. Motion blur!

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Michael Willems

We have all struggled with motion blur: the blurry nature of a shot where you really want it to be sharp. You shoot some animals (or a model and fellow photographer holding parts of an animal) with your long lens; … Continue reading →

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Posted in Learning | Tagged | 4 Comments

An Admin Note from Speedlighter

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Michael Willems

Hi there friends, Michael here. I thought it is be time for a quick admin note for new readers, this morning (morning for me: my readers are everywhere from Japan to Canada. My Japanese friends, my thoughts are with you. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business | 4 Comments

Lightshop? Photoroom?

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Michael Willems

Yesterday, a reader asked: Just wondering…what are the benefits to using Lightroom over, say, Photoshop? Good question. And an easy one to answer, for someone like me who spends many hours like this, in both those applications: Adobe Photoshop (CSx … Continue reading →

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Posted in Digital Darkroom | 1 Comment

Strap talk

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Michael Willems

A reader asks: “Could you talk about straps on your blog a little bit? You mention that you use Domke and the blackrapid. Are you still using them or are you using anothere one? If you use multiple ones, when … Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear | 4 Comments

Keep your eyes open

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Michael Willems

Sometimes even experienced photgraphers poverlook something. At the corporate shoot the other day, my assistant and I set up a group shot (one of several, in addition to individual portraits). For this shot, we: Designed the shot. Set up the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Picture of the day | 2 Comments

Cheer for an old tool

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Michael Willems

…where “old” does not mean “outdated”. I am talking about the light meter. Some of you may think this is a tool that rusty old photographers used to use in the 1960s. Not so. Modern, cool, young photographers like me … Continue reading →

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Posted in Gear, Light, Technique | 4 Comments

The importance of being hairlit

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Michael Willems

Portraits look better when a bit of kick is added. An edge light, or a hair light. The following two shots, straight out of the camera and unedited, from Tuesday’s executive shoot in Toronto, service to illustrate this point quite … Continue reading →

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Posted in Light, Technique | Tagged | Leave a comment

Assignment with lights

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Michael Willems

The other day, I gave a student an assignment: shoot a picture where, using dramatic light, you tell a story, using flash. This means not lighting parts is as important as lighting them. And it means that you tell the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Learning, Picture of the day | Leave a comment