Off-Camera Flash

All posts tagged Off-Camera Flash

Last Couple Weddings! Valerie & Ben and Tanya & Harold!

Posted by Matthew Durr on June 10, 2015
Posted in: Wedding/Engagement. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

As the summer starts to heat up, many couples will take the plunge in their own wedding throughout these bright months. Back in May, I had the chance to photograph two more weddings after a long break from photography due to graduate school. It felt great to get back in the swing and stress of wedding photography, and it did not take long to get my focusing and shooting muscles to remember exactly how to get any needed shot in a hurry.

As I have done in some past posts, I will let the photos speak for themselves here. These shots are from Valerie and Ben’s wedding in Nicholasville, KY at a small church (with a children’s playroom for the guys’ dressing room, fun shots there!) and later at a country club. Helping out as my backup photographer and lighting assistant was Justin Tackett, shooting with a Nikon d3200 and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. As always, click on the photos for larger sizes!

Zeiss 32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/50

Zeiss 32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/50

Zeiss 32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/50

Zeiss 32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/50

Zeiss 32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/50

Zeiss 32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/50

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Engagement Shoot: Brianna Jordan and Shelby Dixon

Posted by Matthew Durr on May 27, 2014
Posted in: Portraiture, Wedding/Engagement. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Brianna/Shelby Engagement

My life has seen a world of firsts over just the past month. From college graduation to a senior recital, and individual portrait sessions to my first wedding photography experience, the last month has been a whirlwind of activity. Everything seems to just be getting better, however, as I am pursuing more freelance work in photography in lieu of a traditional “summer job” for work over the next few months. There are possibilities for more weddings, portrait sessions, and events, so this site—and my shutter finger—may be nice and busy as time goes on!

Regardless, another “first” that I participated in last week was my first engagement shoot with a couple I graduated with at Transylvania University. They make for a very happy, sometimes silly, couple that was a blast to photograph during our 1.5-hour session. Per request, the majority of shots were largely informal, with most poses forming naturally with only a little pre-guidance from me. I have found with not only my wedding portraits but individual shoots that giving subjects general direction for poses, without specifically telling them “put your hand/foot here or there” too much works very well for relaxing everyone and making photographs that are more organic. Continue Reading

First Wedding Shoot! Brandon and Hannah Ransdell

Posted by Matthew Durr on May 18, 2014
Posted in: Portraiture, Wedding/Engagement. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Field Embrace

Some time, sooner or later, I knew I would get into wedding photography. With my experience the past few years shooting events and sports primarily from a candid perspective, the pursuit of more freelance work with portraiture and weddings was the next natural step.

So, when presented the opportunity to be the primary photographer for a country wedding, I jumped at the chance, despite the fact that at the time I was preparing a musically intense senior recital for my undergraduate degree in music education. But hey, I do love a good challenge, and this one was no exception—with time management a chief concern.

Regardless, after much research on wedding photography articles and ensuring I had the proper gear to take on anything an outdoor wedding could throw at me, I felt more and more confident as the wedding day grew nearer. Along with backup photographer and lighting assistant Chase Bullock, we were set for a successful day of shooting.

And succeed we did! All in all, I whittled down a large batch of files from three cameras in Lightroom 5 to a solid pool of 500 images. Obviously I don’t have the bandwidth on this site to post them all (and I would not expect any reader to want to look through the whole set!), so below are 42 selections from this pool that span the course of the wedding day. Continue Reading

Portrait Session (3 of 3): Melissa Moberg

Posted by Matthew Durr on April 28, 2014
Posted in: Portraiture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Moberg (29 of 29)-2

After three short portrait sessions with friends (first two here and here!), I can say I’ve gotten just about enough experience in portraiture to be a little dangerous during a photo shoot. 🙂

Finagling how to balance flash with ambient light, place light sources, and pose a subject are three areas I am still working on, but in all three of my short sessions, I have learned new skills in varying scenarios. The first with Matt Simmons saw me working under different-colored fluorescent light, then under the shade during a bright day. The second with Ashley Montgomery let me experiment with balancing flash with the sun to create highlights from the now two light sources, and figure out some feminine poses. Finally, my most recent shoot with Melissa Moberg challenged me to constantly adapt to ambient light levels that quickly dropped from sunset to twilight.

It’s never easy, is it? Continue Reading

Portrait Session (2 of 3): Ashley Montgomery

Posted by Matthew Durr on April 25, 2014
Posted in: Portraiture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Whew, three posts in one week? I almost feel like it’s last summer again! Continuing my portraiture practice with friends before I shoot a full-on wedding, I got some experience with poses of the more feminine variety just yesterday. This time, all of my photographs were made outside on a particularly sunny day, which presented its unique set of challenges to create more flattering light. Luckily, in addition to my triple-speedlighted umbrella, I experimented with both a handheld diffusion panel as well as a B+W 3-stop neutral density filter that I have on hand. The former turns the sun into a soft light source, while the latter cuts down the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor by 8 times, whether flash or ambient. Continue Reading

2014 Project 52, Second Quarter

Posted by Matthew Durr on April 23, 2014
Posted in: 2014 Project 52. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Now halfway through my most current yearlong photography project (first quarter can be seen here!), the increasingly-varied topics for weeks 14-26 in my Project 52 made for some challenges in going out in the “Snowmageddon” winter that plagued much of the United States. Thankfully, the worst of it all is past, and rarely does it dip into sweater weather anymore in Kentucky. In an effort to keep with my original goal, all the shots in my project are captured with the Sony NEX-7, and with my recent exploration into studio lighting, I have new ways to light my photographs like never before. That said, descriptions accompany all the following images:

#14-Favorite Food

Balanced Breakfast Nikon 105mm, ISO 100, f/16, 8 Seconds

Balanced Breakfast
Nikon 105mm, ISO 100, f/16, 8 Seconds

When I had to pick a subject representing my favorite food, I realized that I couldn’t come to any one decision on a dish that I craved more than any other. So in an effort to make the choice a little easier, I picked my favorite meal of the day. Though many in the world today skip breakfast to save time in the morning, I find making an effort to get filled up on all the right stuff rewarding in its own right for the health and energy benefits. It is all about balance, though. If I do not offset those toaster strudels with good choices like fruit and wheat cereal, I would only be making it harder on myself. 🙂 Continue Reading

Portrait Session (1 of 3): Matt Simmons

Posted by Matthew Durr on April 21, 2014
Posted in: Portraiture. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Whew! It’s hard to believe it has been just over three months since my last post here. Though I continue to update my G+ and Facebook pages consistently, the past three months of finishing a degree have made finding the time to write new content for this site nearly impossible.

Of course, with my photo gigs spread out here and there, I have always had the chance to make photographs, so at least I have not lost my edge, creatively speaking. 🙂 Continue Reading