Author: Marco
-
Studio light scheme for portraits with fog
Fog (“smoke”) is unreliable because dosing it is difficult. You may find your perfect f-stops and light power settings, but the variability introduced by a fog machine will force you to try and try again. Of course, fog must be lit, or it won’t show up in photography. I’m presenting here a lighting scheme that…
-
Four light sources (and one reflector) for portraits that pop
I am taking advantage of the new large gridded softbbox and I have slightly complicated the light scheme that I have described here. The simple yet effective modifications are: Added a flashgun, placed on the floor, between the subject and the backdrop, pointing at the latter, aiming high. This was trigged by a simple photocell…
-
How to light a muscular man
How to light a muscular man, in order to emphasise his muscle? For this purpose I kind of like the following scheme: I used Elinchrom material, as usual: three D-Lite RX 2 units equipped with: one beauty dish, with the white diffuser cloth that I stole from the Rotaluxes; two 90×110 Rotaluxes equipped with their…
-
Bicycle as a solution to a photographer’s block
When I was an undergraduate student in Pisa, I cycled daily for my urban commute from home to the University. I found it pleasant and relatively safe. I used my mountain bike frequently and with enjoyment, but always in urban contexts. Basically, wherever I could have a stroll, I cycled instead. The bike was a…
-
Close-up (detail) vs Long Shot (panorama) in Travel Photography
Abstractness may be a treasure cove for a stock photographer
-
Asymmetrical three-lights setup for Medium Shots
Most of the times, I like symmetrical lighting without rim. Recently I wanted to experiment with an asymmetrical lighting with rim for a medium shot portrait. This scheme seems to work well with the rim switched off too.
-
Hard light for beauty?
It is often taught that soft light is the prime choice for beauty shots and to conceal skin flaws. Actually, the very opposite may be true, especially if combined with (again, counterintuitively) high-contrast post-processing.
-
So, this is why I was never lucky with my cover letters…
…it looks in fact that my own self-portrait was chosen by HowStuffWorks to illustrate mistakes ;-) The photo itself can be licensed on iStock.
-
-
Naples’ busy architecture: i palazzi di Napoli
What is a «palazzo?» In Italian, we normally use the word «palazzo» to mean large, popular, apartment blocks. This kind of architecture does not exists in the Anglo-Saxon world and the literal translation «palace» would most often sound out of place. Yet, «palazzi» are large, often majestic, magnificent, often ancient, buildings, reserved for residential use,…
-
Napoli and its old town: a short photo-essay
For my two-days trip in Napoli (Naples: I somehow dislike using the Anglo-Saxon name for this Italian town), the photographic gear choice was quite easy: I wanted light and unobtrusive. I went for an iPhone 5 and a Fuji X-T1 fitted with a Nikkor 50/1.2 lens. Although normally I like short tele lenses, I felt…