Gear: Getting more contrast with a Lens-hood

Miami Workshop Guest Speaker:  Andrew "Drew Blood" Litsch (check out his work)

Lens Hoods (Andrew recommends AGFA 77mm Rubber Lens Hood ($8.00 Amazon)):

I'm constantly evolving and working on my craft. Andrew "Drew Blood" Litsch and I met up in Ft. Lauderdale over the weekend to talk shop and catch up. While we were discussing our favorite lenses, he pointed out that using a lens-hood will give images more contrast. I've never been a big fan of lens-hoods because I often use flare and never really found the need in most instances. I never really thought blocking the available light would bring more contrast, but it makes complete sense to me. I'm sure the pixel peepers will give me a good lashing in the comments below; it just goes to show that even seasoned photographers can learn new tricks (trust me, I have a lot to learn and it's on going process).

I'm jumping on Ebay to purchase a few used hoods for my 50mm 1.4 and 80-200mm 2.8.

Andrew "Drew Blood" Litsch is going to grace his presence at the Miami workshop March 23-24 (click link for sign up...limited space)

The image below was shot without a lens-hood;  it's obvious I wanted flare.  I had to add a lot of contrast to bring out detail to the image.  In fact, most of my available light shots require a lot of contrast and look "flat" before I start playing around in post.  It's just another tip to add to my long list of effects, in this case:  contrast or no contrast?  There is no right or wrong...but it's good to know your options when breaking out the tools needed to get the job done.

Excited to shoot with Andrew end of this month!!!  He's one talented MOFO.

In the summer of 2010 I was asked to do a shoot for a underwear designer in Medellin, Colombia.   At the time Lightenupandshoot was just getting started and I was scratching the surface with honing the skills of my craft.  In 2010 I wasn't considering myself a professional photographer, but more of a guy obsessed with shooting; a newly found passion turned lifestyle.  Not concerned about what other people think, I was able to create photography that pleased me, live the fantasy of a professional photographer and there wasn't any outside noise telling me "what is right or wrong."  I was free to learn my new passion and felt the need to share my journey with the world...Lightenupandshoot.

I thought it would be fun to share a shoot I did for a Colombian underwear designer and with a famous model, Angela Giraldo (she's hot).  In this post I share with you the creative process, gear, mistakes, how I started to grow in terms of style.   It's fun to go back and look at images;  especially when I was a youngbuck rookie photographer pulling off professional work and not really knowing what I was doing technically or business wise.  But, we all have to start somewhere.  What I did have was fire and no fear to take chances.   Enjoy this look into several techniques and lessons that I learned that would be a part of my style today (as a professional photographer).

Recently returned from a three week trip from Colombia; I have lived in Colombia in the past but this time was different. I was searching for interesting people I have always been curious about. The artist who paint the chiva buses, the fisherman who live in homes with stilts over the bay of Tasajera, and the colorful Caribbean neighborhood of Getsemani. Enjoy the video of some behind the scenes footage and links to some of my personal images on 500px stories.See Below for images (MARCH 2013 I will have a workshop in Colombia)

I have evolved as a photographer over the past three years and so has the Backpacker Studio (BPS).  The BPS is still very much a minimalist approach to gear and my shooting style has become even more minimalist but my shooting style has grown leaps in bounds in terms of sophistication. 

This video goes over a lot of the essential pieces of gear that I use on my client shoots or for when I'm shooting Lightenupandshoot Style.  In addition to gear, I show a ton of tricks and tips that you aren't going to want to miss.  If you pick up one or two tricks that you can incorporate into your own style or add a piece of gear then the 15min video was well worth watching.  Enjoy!  And as always feel free to email me or comment. 

I have images scattered all over the internet:  flickr, google+, facebook, twitpic, and 500px.  But, I often tell stories in a series of images rather than post only one image.  500px has a nice feature called "stories" which is laid out similar to a blog format.  I enjoy creating "stories" in 500px because I can elaborate on the technique and the experience of each story.  I also want to point out that 500px's layout makes images look beautiful.

In this video I sit down with a fellow photographer and friend to go over a collection of portraits taken around the world posted in a recent story in the Lightenupandshoot 500px.  In the video I talk about lighting technique, equipment used, the story behind the image and there's also a self-critique of my work.  At the end of the day photography is about the experience and sharing that experience with the world.  I also love shooting with others;  be sure to visit me during one of my events in 2013.

As soon as I return from my two week journey from Colombia I will be posting my schedule for 2013.   I plan on having several workshops and events that will be everything from free to elaborate travel photography.  Stay tuned or go ahead and sign up to receive an email for the schedule.

How to light images in Lightenupandshoot Style:

When I first got into photography several years ago, I dove right into lighting everything with off-camera flash before really understanding how to manipulate natural light.  Natural light seemed flat and boring;  after training my eye I have learned to find amazing light that is happening all around us.  I hope this post gives you a bit of inspiration to get out and try to approach lighting from a different perspective.  I few tips that might generate a bit of inspiration...READ MORE ***

Natural Light (sun blazing through the wooden walls of the fisherman's house):