I finally had my first wedding shoot. Few months ago, my good friends asked me to help with one of their projects back in the Philippines.

We met the couple, Lyle and Renee, during our pre-wedding shoot. The first time we talked to them we felt a great connection. It could have been the fact that we share some common interests. We knew immediately that we would definitely have a blast on their wedding day.

The wedding was done in Playa Laiya, one of the prominent beaches of the country. The beach creates a perfect setting for the event.

It was thrilling knowing that I’d be working with my close friends, with a beautiful couple and lovely location. However, we were welcomed by rain since we arrived at the location – the biggest challenge we had to deal throughout the wedding. Fortunately once in a while the rain will stop. But what’s actually more challenging was my lack of experience. On that note, I’ve compiled some pointers that will help me in the future. And I thought being aware of these might be already winning half the battle.

Talk to the wedding planner (or whoever has the program for the wedding)
This will serve as your map to the whole ceremony. In this way, you can be ahead of anything and prepare at least your position on shooting the subject.

Know who’s who
This is a bit of common sense and yet critical. Just do take time to ask who are the parents, the siblings etc. Hierarchy is the key.

The more, the merrier
Ask fellow photographers also to back up in your shoot. More photos is better. And of course, you don’t want to miss the you-may-now-kiss-the-bride moment.

Be bold
Keep in mind that this is not street photography where people might just interrogate you for taking pictures of them. It’s your job to take photos of them. However, try not to be obtrusive as well. You don’t want to ruin the solemnity of the marriage.

Admittedly, in hindsight, my photos are far from what I imagined, but I achieved my goal – I had my first wedding photo shoot, and I was able to learn a lot of things from my friends. It gave me a huge sense of achievement and made me want to learn more and shoot better wedding photos. It was really an awesome gig. Good times.

Cheers
Jester

An overcast weather during an outdoor shoot creates dull colors that lack impact. This set was taken on the same day as my previous post so I decided to tweak the color in a way that complements the scenery. The vintage look of the jetty offered great potential. By changing the color, the graphic nature of the backdrop is reinforced and the composition becomes stronger.

This processing technique is worth trying if you have an overcast weather. If you happened to like the color, I prepared a downloadable Photoshop curve preset here. But before applying the curve, desaturate the image first by 70%.

Note: Save the preset under
(for Mac) User\Library\Application Support\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS\Presets\Curves
(for Windows) C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS\Presets\Curves

Model / MUA: Joey Canares

Cheers
jester

So far, this is my most daring shoot. It almost caused my jaw to permanently unhinge when I shot this =))

Some of you might recognize our model Shilpee, she was the same model from this photo shoot. Thirdy and I had another opportunity to collaborate
with the same team including Simran, our MUA / stylist. It was really great working with this bunch.

I’m not a fan of bikini shoots but it turned out to be a new adventure. We started off with her wearing a bikini, and the more shots we took, the lesser the cover she had. I would be lying if I said that it wasn’t just a little more fun and enjoyable than some of the other shoots I’ve had. But like any other photo shoot the challenge was to find striking compositions, search for good vantage points and we had to make the best use of the light, the weather was not ideal either. It was an overcast day, which tends to result in dull scenes and colors. But looking on the bright side, it enabled us to capture a portrait without harsh shadows and highlights falling over our subject.

Pardon the huge amount of photos posted. I totally enjoyed the session and it really did produce nice shots.

And off we go! All set for another photo shoot (that same day)! Stay tuned!

Cheers
jester

It’s been almost 3 years since I ventured into doing model shoots. It all started when I joined the strobist group in flickr to know more about off-cam lighting. Although it can be done with still life, I felt it’s more sensible to practice it with a human model. After all, I bought the camera to capture moments of life. At first I tried taking self-portraits, and then moved on to asking my friends to pose as my subject. Eventually I got hooked and decided to join a group that organizes model shoots. In the process, I enjoyed experimenting with natural light as well and even shooting without flash whenever possible.

To date, I never had a any regrets getting into this type of photography. And on that note, I would like to share some tips in shooting a model based on my experience.

For me, there are 3 important aspects in a model shoot: concept, model and location. I strategize based on what is readily available. If a make-up artist, wardrobe designer or stylist is available on my shoot, that would be a huge bonus. Let me elaborate more the the 3 aspects I mentioned earlier.

Concept

In the commercial world, everything begins with a concept. This is the most crucial aspect of any photo shoot as everything revolves around it. I usually get my inspirations/references from magazines, websites etc., practically anything that has pictures on it, not to mention movies. Though we are taught to aim high and think big, I’m still realistic with my concepts in terms of what can be done. An ambitious shoot might not necessary equate to a big production though that tends to be the case, requiring bigger budgets and increased manpower. I believe that being able to work with what you have at that moment is a challenge in itself.

Model
For beginners, I would suggest asking your friends to volunteer as your models. Engaging with someone you do not know for the first time can be nerve wrecking. Working with friends eliminates this issue, and can make the shoot more fun too. I’m lucky to have friends who are not camera shy and are willing to pose for me.

You can get your models from sites like modelmayhem. Payment is subjective. Another way would be to visit your local online photography forums that organize photo shoots.

Upon getting a model, it is important to communicate the concept you want to accomplish. You can offer a compensation for your model if you have the means, or negotiate a TFCD instead. This applies to your make-up artist, wardrobe designer and stylist as well. At this stage, it is better to consider drafting a model release form to avoid any legal issues.

Location

Location goes hand in hand with your concept. I do a lot of outdoor shoots and use Google to search for possible locations, and directions for ocular. It is important to familiarize yourself with the location to visualize your angles and poses you want to achieve.

Time of the shoot is important as well. Direct sunlight at noon is not advisable as it creates harsh shadows and highlights. Everything can be planned except for the weather on your shoot day, so do consider the time of the year and check the weather forecast when planning for your shoot or at least be prepared with a back up plan.

A studio is also a good choice where the weather will not be a problem and lights are always available.

In addition, simple props make a big difference in conveying the message in your photo. Make sure that it’s not too distracting that it ends up drawing the attention away from your model.

Feel free to invite other photographer friends if you have any, they might be able to offer new insights during the shoot. But do keep the number of people on set to a minimal, as having excessive and unnecessary numbers on set could be disruptive and may even be a form of distraction to the model.

Here are some of the photos from my recent model shoot.

Model/MUA: Nina Lopez

Stylist: Antonette Uy

Cheers,

jester

It’s been a hectic month, editing videos, taking photos, and training for my new found love, Muay Thai. September is fast approaching, and the reality show that I’m currently editing is going to premiere soon on AXN. Don’t forget to catch it. Here’s the teaser to uhmm.. tease you :)

Back to the photos.

One of the challenges of this shoot was the lack of time to scout for the location. The first location/set was almost pitch black. Admittedly, I thought that the ambient light would be sufficient at least for the camera to focus on the subject. I was dead wrong. But rather than giving up in the battle against darkness, I stayed on and persevered. I used an application in the iPhone that served as a temporary light to help me brighten up the subject so that I could focus on the subject, and set up the flashes accordingly. As you can see from the photos below, the flashes did their job.

This type of situation, on the other hand, actually gives you an opportunity to be more creative and to be more alert. As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher.

One of the most important jobs as photogs is to manage unfavorable lighting conditions well.

By the way, I’ve included my self-made diagram of how the lights were set up for this location, and have also done the same for 2 other locations with more favorable lighting. Enjoy!

Model: Shilpee Mishra
MUA: Simran Salt

Cheers
jester

Here’s a simple way of removing hot spots in portraits using Photoshop. I believe that there are a variety of different ways to tackle this kind of problem but I’ve found that this technique to be the fastest way specially if the hot spot is not really that bad.

And here are the rest of the photos from the photo shoot.

Model: Natalie Pasaribu
MUA: Irwina Jamaludin

Cheers
jester

Another different thing for my portfolio, and I mean different. Few weeks ago, I was asked to shoot the interior of FedEx office. To be honest, I was hesitant to take the job since I’ve never done this before and has never intended to add it on my portfolio. But yeah, after some discussions with the client, I finally got my confidence and managed to convince myself to give it a shot. So here it goes.

In hindsight, I thought that I could have done better, but since my client is happy, I’m happy. And guess what, we’ll be doing more

Cheers
jester

So I did really something different a couple of weeks back and it was a truly wonderful experience. This is the only shoot that constantly brought smile yo my face during the preview of the photos.

Everyone, meet Ted Oon and here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Welcome to my travel blog – well, at least just this one entry.

So here it goes, a few weeks ago I experienced our most awaited Bellarocca trip. The trip was booked late last year, so you can imagine how long I had to wait for this, same reason why I was very excited. And thankfully it wasn’t a disappointment. Here’s a rundown of the things that I remember and the things that caught my eye and made me press the shutter.

Travel Time
Domestic flight (Zest Air) from Manila to Marinduque – 30 minutes.
Van ride from airport to Buenavista, a town of Marinduque – 45 minutes.
Speed boat ride from Buenavista to Bellarocca – 10 minutes.

Where you can swim
You have three options; the lap pool, the infinity pool and the beach. The beach is a little rocky but don’t worry boots or flippers will be provided.
The mountain you see below is Mt. Malindig, which can be found in Buenavista.

Water Sports
They have different kinds of water sport activities but we only tried the free ones – kayaking, wind surfing and snorkeling. Apparently the only time that I got a chance to take out my camera was when we went wind surfing.

Villa Tour
You can also ask them to tour you around for free. This place has 10 hectares of land, so don’t waste your energy walking around the whole place.

Places won’t be as nice without the wonderful people, and I mean really great people. Let me introduce the few unsung heroes of Bellarocca; Manny – the water sports instructor, John – the bar manager, ask him for the secret recipe of their awesome pandan juice and last but not the least Cris – the chef. I suggest that you remember these faces, they are going to help you a lot!

And as cliche as it may seem, the rest are jumping shots..

I mean, history.

Cheers
jester

PS
Thanks to dealgrocer.

There is a common thing in all of the photos in this post – all were shot in a parking lot. Given with white ceiling and walls, and a single flash, I can’t really do much. But photography constantly surprises me. Just when I thought that it was going to be another boring shoot, it turned out to be an interesting (and challenging) one – lighting wise. It’s amazing how a single flash does magic when combined with natural light. I’m talking about using the sun as key light and the flash as fill light, the sun as back light and the flash as key light and vise versa. These combinations were mostly used in this shoot.

Model: Loryn Lim

While you have those combos, you can also play a tad with your lighting, like putting stuff in front of your light (aka gobo), and putting gel to your strobe and tweaking the cam’s white balance. It’s always great to experiment and make plain things look HOT!

Note: flash was off-cam

It’s true that learning to light with a single strobe can be a challenge, but on a positive note it can also develop your skill. And the best thing? It costs less!

Cheers
jester