More Sunset Flash Photography

More Sunset Flash Photography
More Sunset
Flash Photography
Pererenan, Bali
June 16th , 2019
More Sunset
Flash Photography

If you are only interested to see the pictures you will find them below.

Try not to fall over friends this is twice in a week that I am posting, and whilst you steady yourself you also need to know that I am posting these pictures within two days of taking them. Look at me all motivated 🙂

So Hanni suggested, having seen the photos that I took of Yuni, that she would also like her pictures taken. So within a three days, you see how things are rolling now, we were out taking the pictures. This time we made it all the way to the beach, which is literally about three minutes from where I am staying, I know I am also impressed.

The major issues from the last time I attempted sunset flash photography were avoided this time as I remembered not to try and shoot too fast and to put bug spray on my feet and ankles so that whatever it is in the black sand and dirt went hungry. Yeah! The other major difference between this shoot and the last is that this time the sunset was quite spectacular.

Of course, this is still photography so there were new issues to address. The less important challenge is that Hanni isn’t a model and has no aspirations to be a model and in fact is a little camera shy, insisting that she isn’t very photogenic. We overcame that by having a laugh and shouting a bit. The second issue was that the batteries were flat in the second flash, you will notice that I am resisting the urge to call this post “how to shoot great sunset portraits with only one speed light,” I might save that for when I actually know what I am doing 🙂 The third issue is that I inexplicably shot these images as JPEG’s which probably affected the quality of the images once processed. Probably, I don’t know I only have JPEGS, but I am now seriously considering taking both JPEG’s and RAW next time around and comparing what they look like once they have been through Lightroom. You see now, I am actually looking to do extra work. I honestly don’t know how this happened as my camera is always set for RAW, I can only imagine that I must have got excited and changed the setting without realising 😕

So how do we feel about these sunset flash photographs?

Hanni seemed very pleased, she wowed a couple of times as we were taking them and was pleased with the edited versions as well. She helped me select the best ones which are lower down the page if you haven’t found them yet. I am also pretty pleased. If anything it seems to be more difficult shooting with one flash rather than two as there is clearly much less light. So there was a bit of dicking around moving the light around and adjusting the power etc. Also, the effect is quite different as you are obviously only able to light one side of the subject, I think its a bit moodier. Tristan gave me some feedback that he doesn’t like the cold light of the flash against the warm colours of the sunset, which I think is quite valid. The solution to that is to get better with the settings of the flash and invest in some coloured gels to put on the flash to get warmer tones, but I am pretty committed to not buying anymore kit until I get better with what I have. Although I did Google flashes today as it would be good if my second flash had a battery indicator 😕

Overall I am happy that Hanni is happy with the images and that she may agree to go shoot again sometime. I am also happy as always that I got of my arse and took some photos. I am really happy that shooting more regularly, it was only three weeks since I last shot, is making more familiar with the kit and writing it up is helping me to retain more of what I learn. If you haven’t guessed already I am happy 🙂

And I am keen to do more of this. So in the unlikely event that you exist, and you are reading this, and you are based somewhere near Canggu in Bali, AND you fancy standing in front of my camera while I dick around …. hit me up, I would love to take photos of you. 

Please let me know if you have any feedback or tips for me and my outdoor flash photography in the comments.

 

Martin Henley

Martin Henley

Occasional Photographer

Struggling to be take better photographs more often and to find beautiful ways to present and share. 

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Sunset Flash Photography. Canggu, Bali.

Sunset Flash Photography
Sunset Flash
Photography
Canggu, Bali
May 28th , 2019
Sunset Flash
Photography

If you are only interested to see the pictures you will find them below.

If anyone were actually reading this photography blog they would be forgiven for being bored with the lack of activity, the lack of content and the constant stream of excuses for why I am not just getting off my arse and taking and posting more photographs.

Yesterday I had a brilliant conversation with Sandrine who specialises in supporting people to have more joy in their lives by being more creative. From that conversation, I decided that I was prioritising everything else over my photography, which is probably a mistake if I am hoping to be more joyful. So its thanks to Sandrine that you, if you even exist, get to see this post today and why you might get to see more posts in the future. 

So here we are, another set of photos that I have been meaning to take for an age. I have been in possession of these flashes for a couple of years but have never actually got round to using them properly. Actually, that isn’t true, I have tried but haven’t ever quite had the confidence to persist with them to get the result I was looking for.

The closest I have come is the photos that I took of Aaron in Brighton earlier this year, but I haven’t posted those yet so you won’t know about that. The issue is that when you are with a model there is some pressure to keep things moving, to keep their interest and if they are standing around looking at you dicking around with the camera and the flashes I imagine they would get bored pretty quickly. They probably don’t get bored quite as quickly as I imagine but I am imagining in my head so that obviously takes precedence over anything that might be going on in their heads.

I was first inspired to use flash outdoors more than ten years ago when a friend of mine had some commercial portraits taken near a fence, in a field in the rolling Sussex Downs. What I particularly enjoy about this style or technique is that the images really seem to pop. There is something about the way the flashes separate the subject from the background that really appeals to me, the crisp colours of the subject against the muted colours of the landscape. Even when those colours are the brightest greens or blues there is something about that separation that makes outdoor flash photography really exciting. The only issue is that in those 10 years I have never actually tried it.

So I have had the inclination for ten years, the flashes for a couple of years and I sourced the triggers for a second time at the backend of last year. So when I came to Bali in January it was with a clear vision. It would look amazing if I could capture a model in front of one of Bali’s epic sunsets and lush green rice fields using the flashes. And …. a short five months later, at the end of May, it actually happened. In the end, as is always the case it took about 20 minutes to find the kit, source new batteries and get to the rice field. The only real excuse that I had prior to that was that I didn’t have a model, except that, of course, isn’t a great excuse because I am in Canggu, and the beach is teeming with Instagrammers every morning.

Anyway, on this day Yuni took an interest in my camera and it occurred to me that we could take these shots, and she was keen and so we did. There were some issues. The flashes are supposed to be high speed but they struggle at anything over shutter speeds of a 200th of a second. The effect is that only the bottom third of the shot is lit, actually overexposed, and the rest is horribly underexposed. It may have taken me 15 minutes to remember the issue from last time. Once I had remembered it was obviously really easy to fix, I didn’t need to be shooting at more than 200ths of a second. There is a small technical challenge to shooting with off-camera flashes and you need to light stands of course, but with a little bit of practice, I am sure it is something I could get better at.  

The second issue was about timing, it wasn’t the best sunset, in fact, it was really disappointing, and it wasn’t lush green season in that particular rice field if anything it was more brown than green.

The third issue seems to be unique to me and that is that there is something in the Bali dirt and black sand, exclusively after dark, that loves to eat my feet and ankles. I have suffered this a few times and the itching last for several days. Using bug repellent actually works but because it has been a while since I have been standing in the dirt whilst it was dark I had forgotten. I need to do this stuff more regularly and not give myself so much opportunity to forget stuff.

However, as always I was really pleased that I got out and took the photos. I got the separation that I was hoping for and Yuni turns out to be a really good model, naturally finding different poses and looking amazing. I also really like the contrast of the red dress against the greens, blues, and greys of the background.

Altogether I am pretty happy with the images and as is always the case the message is I need to practice more with the kit and get off my arse to go out and take more photos, I always get joyful when I do that. So when Yuni is available and keen I will be looking out for better sunsets and greener rice fields and getting some more practice. I will let you know when that happens.

Please let me know if you have any feedback or tips for me and my outdoor flash photography, or if you know wtf it is in the dirt that’s eating my feet, in the comments.

 

Martin Henley

Martin Henley

Occasional Photographer

Struggling to be take better photographs more often and to find beautiful ways to present and share. 

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Insane Sunset Balian Beach
Insane Sunset
Balian Beach, Bali

If you are only interested to see the pictures you will find those below.

This is another example of why I think of myself as an occasional Photographer. If I hadn’t bumped into an old squash buddy in the supermarket, if we hadn’t spoken about the fact that I haven’t been to his place in Balian – I wouldn’t have experienced this sunset, I wouldn’t have taken these pictures.

I don’t know if I should be beating myself upon for not being out shooting, I have been in Bali for a couple of months and I have been out maybe 10 times. In fairness I have other things to do and I have been pretty productive and successful with those so maybe its OK. Also, It is rainy season, so it isn’t necessarily the best time to be taking photos, although you could argue that there is never a bad time to be taking photos in Bali.

Anyway, it seems like I need a push to be taking photos and thankfully I got one, and here are the pictures.

I actually know what the obstacles are currently. I have recently replaced my kit, and I am having to learn how it all works. On top of that I spent a few months in the UK at the back end of last year and spent a fair amount of money on incidental kit, gadgets like lights, triggers, flashes and filters and I don’t really have the first clue how any of that works. I am happy to practice and I am sure I will come to terms with it all in the longer term, but right now it feels like I have option overload.

I have wanted to shoot with filters for a long time, and maybe because of that I want to use them all of the time. I have a thing about being bothered to do the extra thing, so immediately I arrive somewhere currently I take the trouble to put the tripod up and get the filters out. The trouble is that I don’t know how to use them, and I am often using them when it isn’t appropriate or required. 

This sunset was really insane, and thankfully it occurred to me to take the filters off and leave the tripod and have a wander around, the pictures got much better then.

I am aware that I take too many similar photos and that I am often in too much of a hurry to take a lot of photographs and I shoot at the extremes, the widest or narrowest apertures, the shortest or longest exposures, the highest or lowest ISO’s. I really want to get out of that shitty habit. I really want to slow down and think more about every shot.

Anyway, I am really glad that I got to experience this sunset and take these images.

If you have any tips on how I can slow down and take better photos please let me know in the comments.

Martin Henley

Martin Henley

Occasional Photographer

Struggling to be take better photographs more often and to find beautiful ways to present and share. 

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