Fashion ain’t easy, especially if you’re wearing gossamer clothing or trying to keep an octabank from blowing off the side of a rooftop and taking you with it. But it came together, and the team did a spectacular job showing off the stylish work of designer Kristen Ernst.

We used all sorts of light, from the sun to video lights to an SB-910 to a big studio light. We used all sorts of tricks — it’s not easy to do a panorama of someone whipping their coat around, but that happened. Mostly, though, we tried to stay warm. Each look was shot in under five minutes so poor Yulia could keep her fingers and toes.

Shoot director: Aparna Dasgupta
Wardrobe: Kristen Ernst
Model: Yulia Panina
Makeup: Jiaying Wang
Hair: Chi Shay
Lighting assistants: Emily and Bobby from Emily Porter Photography

I simply cannot believe how hard Yulia rocked this in 35-degree weather and 40 MPH winds.

Shoot director: Aparna Dasgupta
Wardrobe: Kristen Ernst
Model: Yulia Panina
Makeup: Jiaying Wang
Hair: Chi Shay
Lighting assistants: Emily and Bobby from Emily Porter Photography
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Lens: Noct-Nikkor 58mm f/1.2 AIS
Camera: Nikon D3s

Here’s a teaser. Much, much more to come.

Shoot director: Aparna Dasgupta
Wardrobe: Kristen Ernst
Model: Yulia Panina
Makeup: Jiaying Wang
Hair: Chi Shay
Lighting assistants: Emily and Bobby from Emily Porter Photography

Wedding photography, of course, is essentially the exact opposite. 98 percent of the general public would rather not be in front of a camera if they can help it, especially when they are freaking out in the back of their minds about all the things that could go wrong with such an important and complicated event. You have virtually no control over your time, the locations, ability to change everything drastically to adapt to situations, and certainly no control over wardrobe. This is the situation I deal with about twice a week … and I love it. Every little piece of it is a fresh challenge. But I’ve been so busy with this that it had been more than seven months since I was able to do a major portrait shoot for someone who’s not a client, and it’s important some times to change gears and simply let the photography come first. On a wedding day, I never want it to be about me … but everyone needs to stretch a bit. Embrace imperfection, do things virtually no couple can do on the wedding day — basically, get up to all sorts of trouble.

This is why I’ve changed the format of my workshops a bit. I always hated the idea of workshops that whisked you off to fantastic places to “build your portfolio,” since it seemed inherently dishonest — a wedding portfolio should show what a couple can reasonably expect on their wedding day. Even worse is when a workshop teacher is clearly shooting for their own portfolio. Something clicked, though, and I basically said, “Let’s do everything I hate, but tweak it.” Day 1 is about learning to deal when everything is working against you, which are essential skills for wedding photography. Day 2 is about creating the conditions where everything can work in your favor. I want everyone to walk out of there with images they love; including myself. But I’m making sure we represent ourselves honestly. No wedding dresses, to take away even the chance of honest confusion. When I shoot, it will be in such a way that participants will be able to learn how I solve problems and try to take things to the next level. When participants shoot, they can have guidance to try out new techniques, but will have enough control to honestly be able to call the images their own. I still think Day 1 is the more valuable learning experience for wedding photographers, but oh boy Day 2 is going to be fun. There are only three spots left for Day 2, I think, so make sure to claim it!

Which brings us to Valerie. She knows her way around a camera, front and back, and she likes trouble. (“No, Valerie, I don’t think we can actually hang from a suspension bridge today.”) Because she’s comfortable as a subject and willing to try pretty much everything, it was great to shoot with her on my own terms as we headed down to shoot a fantastic wedding in Baltimore. I shot with exotic equipment and all sorts of strange and difficult techniques, from the Brenizer method to freelensing to tilt-shift to hand-held exposures at a half-second to taking flattering portraits at 12mm and more. I even shot through fog despite my urge to wipe the lenses as we played with water droplets, focus, and light under a shower head (where Valerie was very, very clothed, thank you very much).

I had the freedom I so rarely get on the job, which is to do things that might turn out like total garbage. Luckily, in my mind, it didn’t.

This set was shot on both film and digital with the following gear:

Digital: Nikon D3s with a 45mm f/2.8 PC-E, 58mm f/1.2 Noct-Nikkor (normal, pano’ed, and free lensed), Sigma 85mm f/1.4 and the Sigma 12-24mm

Film: The Hasselblad H2 with a 100mm f/2.2, on Fuji Reala 100, Fuji Pro 400H, and Ilford Delta 3200.

See if you can figure out which shots were taken with which. I’ve put an answer key at the bottom if you’re stumped.

Answer key:
Rows 1-3: Hasselblad with 400H
Rows 4-5: Hasselblad with Reala 100
Rows 6-7: Hasselblad with 400H
Row 8: Noct, free lensed
Row 9: Noct, Brenizer method
Row 10: 45mm tilt-shift
Row 11: Noct
Row 12-13: Sigma 12-24mm
Row 14: Hasselblad with Ilford 3200
Row 15: Noct for both
Row 16: 45mm tilt-shift for both
Row 17: Tilt-shift on left, Sigma 85mm on right
Row 18: 45mm tilt-shift

I’m working away on my October workshops, now less than a month away! There are just five slots left for Day 2, so make sure you follow the instructions here and, even if you can’t pay right this second, let us know that you’re a lock and when you can pay, since I want to be as fair as possible.

Why do I bring this up? Well, Valerie above is not only an excellent assistant, but she’ll be one of the subjects I have lined up, coming in again all the way from Oklahoma! As you can see, she’s fantastic to shoot, and you’ll see a lot more tomorrow.

Since this is a huge panorama, I want to give you a sense of the size. So you can click on the image above for a link to a larger image, which is exactly one percent of the area of the original. I need to start leasing billboard space.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 24-image “Brenizer method” panorama with the 58mm f/1.2 Noct-Nikkor AIS (equivalent of 17mm f/0.36 according to Brett’s calculator)

This year we changed the formula and went to the group homes and private residences of some of those served, which took us to every corner of the Bronx, from Co-Op City to the neighborhoods rendered almost unlivable by the construction of the Cross-Bronx. I met kids and adults, clients and those helping them, who were funny, outgoing, ambitious (one member of a group home had logged 900 hours in culinary education!) but also with tales of the incredible costs of care, especially for conditions such as cerebral palsy.

I am saving the vast majority of the shoot for the fund-raising, but here is a taste.

This is just about as extreme a “Brenizer method” pano as I’ll probably ever do, using sixty-two frames from the exotic 200mm f/2 to bring a three-dimensional feel to a nice day in Central Park. Lauren is part of the great wedding planning team at Private Receptions, so I figured I’d swing for the bleachers. More from this session coming soon, as well as a full review of the 200mm. According to Brett’s calculator, this ended up functioning like it was taken with a 60mm f/0.6 lens. The original is 150 megapixels, and you can count their eyelashes.
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Lens: 62-frame “Brenizer method” panorama with 200mm f/2G VRII
Camera: Nikon D3

Meet Maly. Professional photographer, consummate bringer of “it.”
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: Litepanel MicroPro

All you need to know about why Jen and Scott are awesome is that it was Scott’s idea to pose by the recycling cans, though I said “OK, if we’re going to do this, we’re going to REALLY do this!”
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Lens: 24mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: SB-900s, composited from three frames

Engagement shoots need more of a post-apocalyptic/epic vibe, I think.
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Lens: 24mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: Two SB-900s, composited from three frames

Here’s a shot I took yesterday of Bartow and Tiffany. I’ve been thinking a bit about the “Brenizer method” (or bokeh panoramas) recently, given that finally I have been working on a cogent, well-produced set of instructions (with some great help along the way). As I’ve noted before, the thing that really changes when you create a panorama is the sensor — it’s the same lens, same distance to subject, you’re just essentially making your sensor bigger. But I never thought about how simple that makes the answer to the commonly asked question — “what sort of camera is this emulating?”. Just simple measurement, compared to your original frame. Here’s a sample where one of the original frames have been inverted:

As that’s a 36x24mm frame, the total image ends up being like it was shot with an 8×9 cm camera — either “large medium format” or small” medium format, since it’s just a little smaller than a 4×5″ frame. Of course you could run out and get an actual 4×5″ frame, and maybe even set it up and shoot it in the middle of the street, but good luck finding a 105mm f/1.8 that will fit it.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: 38-image “Brenizer method” panorama with the Nikon 105mm f/1.8 AIS

It’s probably not too hard for blog followers to tell what review I’m working on. This whole “publish a photo every day” thing makes keeping secrets pretty hard.
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Lens: 45mm f/2.8 PC-E
Camera: Nikon D3s

Lisa and Joe practice their first dance at their wedding at the Merion.

Lots of fun stuff coming up, such as this wedding I keep teasing, and a three-lenses-lens-review. But right now I’m at the UN, hanging out with the First Lady of Malawi and the American Cancer Society.
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Lens: 24mm f/3.5 PC-E
Camera: Nikon D3s

A sweet moment with Lisa and Joe. I can’t wait to show the full set from this fantastic day.
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Lens: 85mm f/2.8 PC-E
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: SB-900

And their fantastic wedding at the Battery Park Ritz Carlton.

The theme of my workshop — “WWMcGD?” — really comes back to the central theme of my life, which is managing thinly veiled chaos. If you simply want to get the best images possible in a portfolio, it’s usually good to carefully plan, be insanely meticulous, or just keep pushing the envelope that you fail spectacularly again and again until you succeed. But shooting for clients, especially as a wedding photographer, robs us of most of those tools. We find ourselves shooting portraits outside at noon on the summer solstice (Yes, I’ve been there); we sometimes are forced into terrible shooting locations, including a surprising amount of photos taken in parking lots, and you simply can’t afford to suck.

I just want to thank everyone for coming, again, despite short notice and a limited announcement (only on this blog). There’s something beyond my comprehension about someone coming from Norway just to see me prattle on … and finding out that he’s a relative local next to the guy that flew in from Australia.

I said I wanted this to be the best workshop ever, and I think it was. I loved the intimate feel of the smaller attendance cap, and will be doing that on all future full-day-plus workshops. I feel like I got to know everyone there, and could make sure everyone had hands-on time. I tell attendees that I’m happiest when people can take the things I’m showing and come up with things that surprise me, and in the free-shooting they did just that, knocking out some spectacular images. Thank you guys!

It’s picture time. A lot more went on than I have pictured here.

On Friday night, we studied night-time and darkness-related portrait techniques with Cameron:

On Saturday, I showed some of the applications and techniques of mixing continuous light and flash, as well as color temperatures of the lights. I was happy to be joined again by frequent model and friend Stephanie:

We went over some handy “work a hotel room” tips, such as some ways to modify window light to increase control, contrast, and make it generally more interesting:

Then we headed over to the most boring place I could possibly find in an otherwise fascinating location — a plain white corner too dirty and cluttered to do simple high key. What to do? Without Photoshop, I can’t make the spot look nice, but with the right subject and lighting, I can hopefully make you not care:

Before and after, then a flash composite.

I took everyone through how I would conduct an entire portrait session if I only had five minutes, trying to get as much variety as possible. I capped it with a “Brenizer method” bokeh pano, using the clutter on purpose to keep a sense of scale:

During some free shooting, I took Karen and Kamil to our mock hotel room, and the attendees set up some great scenarios building on what I’d done there with Stephanie.

The real fun happened when we went on the roof. A free tip: If you’re going to do something that might get you in trouble during a shoot, do it last.

Thanks so much again, to everyone who helped out and to the attendees. Without you, I’d have to post a bunch of pictures of an empty room.

(Only one light source used for this picture, even though it appears in the photo twice).

I have a big theory that drives my workshop instruction: When everything is working perfectly, when all the stars are aligned your way, that’s probably not when you wish “boy, I wish I had another person’s perspective on how to deal with this.” So we focus on how to work through bad situations, knowing of course that it’s also applicable to those (rare) times when things just work. This time, our spot was so fantastic that I had to look hard to find boring and bad locations … so we were probably the first shoot in this studio to head straight to the spare studio kitchen for a shoot. When all you have is a fridge and a blank wall, it comes down to posing and lighting.

Of course, a subject like Cameron doesn’t hurt.
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Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: Sigma 85mm f/1.4
Lighting: Litepanel MicroPro through a Lumiquest Softbox LTP

For the second time, mixed in with the previous clients and models I’d shot with before, I had a high school classmate join us as a workshop subject — this time the fetching Cameron. I really can’t help it that so many people from my tiny burg in the tundra seemed to scatter out and spread fabulousness. It was great to see her after … well … just a few years, and as you can see she did a great job bringing the old Hollywood vibe to our night-time shooting.
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: Composite with the Litepanel MicroPro pulling double-duty.

My traveling roadshow workshop at the Dream Factory in Los Angeles is done, and I couldn’t be happier. I am amazed and honored that, even though I gave little notice and only mentioned the workshop on this blog, with no outside advertising, we had attendees come from all over the world — Norway, Panama, Canada, all sides of the U.S., and even a guy who flew back and forth from Australia just for the weekend. That’s just crazy, and crazy-awesome.

Also, it was a pleasure to reconnect with some of my favorite subjects, including Karen and Kamil, pictured above in a demonstration of high-speed flash sync’s power to obliterate the sun. (And with constant LA haze, it’s pretty easy to make the skyline look post-apocalyptic). I shot their wedding in Malibu just over a year ago, and it was a blast to spend time with them again, as well as the others who will be featured here soon.

Thanks so much to everyone who came and to those who helped out, including my own brother Doug.

Also, if you’ve attended a previous workshop, I’ve made a private Facebook group to network and share extra content, such as the pieces that make up “Brenizer method” or flash composite images, behind-the-scenes stuff, etc. Contact me if you’re a previous attendee and if not … there are more to come!
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: Three SB-900s through a Lumiquest Softbox LTP

Man, I really wish more brides would get ready in hotel rooms at night. Lots of creative possibilities when you take the sun out of the equation. Bring on the 3 a.m. weddings!

I got a lot of my favorite photos of the night just from running light tests with photographer Lynn Michelle before the model even showed up. That’s how it works sometimes.
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: Lamplight and a Litepanel MicroPro brightening the background.

…and we’re back! My web host was down most of the day, which is always fun when you run a Web-based business. But I’m still happy from Karen and Ajay’s fantastic Ritz Carlton wedding, so here’s an end-of-the-night portrait of the fantastic couple.

There are few ambient light sources I love to play with more than a bright ray of sunlight coming through thick curtains — especially when it happens at 2 a.m.

No, I didn’t take this in the Arctic Circle. This was another in my recent experiments to poke and prod at some of the possibilities afforded to us by extremely light-sensitive cameras. The “sun” is really a (fairly dim) Litepanel MicroPro. In real life, it was so dark I could barely see Claudia to pose her, but 1/6th, f/1.4, ISO 5000 took care of that.
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Lens: 35mm f/1.4
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lighting: Litepanel MicroPro.

Here’s another from my series I like to call “Well, I’m in Texas, let’s get some models and see what kind of photos we can make by tearing apart hotels.” (I’m not that great at naming collections.)

Here I wanted to explore some different things in content and technique (which, of course, heavily relate to each other). To bring in the exterior lighting where I wanted (the greenish one), I had to shoot at very high sensitivity (f/1.4, 1/60th, ISO 4000), and augmented it with the blue light of an ungelled Litepanel MicroPro. That meant making the interior light as dim as possible — throwing two thick red towels over the desktop lamp that works as the key light.