Bristol ‘Urban Portraits’ – Pictures | Creative and business resources for photographers

Bristol ‘Urban Portraits’ – Pictures

October 6th, 2008

Here is a small selection of the pictures I shot in Bristol on today’s Urban Portrait workshop. My workshops are limited to just 4 delegates so we all have the opportunity to shoot each frame.

I used a bit of dingle in the foreground of this autumnal close up.

I used a bit of dingle in the foreground of this autumnal naturally lit close up of Jasmine our model. Canon 5D, ISO 400, f/4 at 1/500th sec, 140mm focal length, aperture priority.

Lit with a zoomed in Speedlight mounted on a stand. Canon 5D, ISO 400, f/4 at 1/200th sec, 85mm focal length, manual exposure.

A strong graphic shape lit with an on camera Speedlight. Canon 5D, ISO 400, f/22, at 1/200th sec, 35mm focal length, manual exposure.

A reflection in a bank building window gave this image an abstract look. Lit with natural light. Canon 5D, ISO 400, f/4 at 1/60th sec, 125mm focal length, Plus 1/3rd stop exposure compensation, aperture priority.

A close up variation of the above image with the same exposure settings.

A cool low key study lit with the light from two distant windows and a downlighter behind the model.

A cool low key study lit with the light from two distant windows and a down lighter behind Jasmine. Canon 5D, manual exposure, ISO 800, f/4 at 1/25th sec, 200mm focal length with the camera on a monopod.

Shot from below to give a statuesque look. Identical exposure to the above picture with identical light in the same position. I gave this picture a different treatment in Lightroom.

A lightbox gave an interesting up light look to this portrait. Canon 5D, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/25th sec, 125mm focal length, manual exposure, with the camera on a monopod.

A striking close up with the same exposure settings as above.

Virtually no light is often an opportunity. Even with a 5D at ISO 800 this image required a long exposure.

Virtually no light is often an opportunity. Even with a Canon 5D at ISO 800 this image required a long exposure of 1/15th sec at f/2.8, with a 160mm focal length.

Exposure as above.

Low natural light levels combined with an increased exposure give this vibrant portrait its lustre. Canon 5D, ISO 400, f/4, 1/30th sec using manual exposure and the camera mounted on a monopod.

Moody blues. Natural light and a low angle viewpoint add to the drama of this cool tone picture. Canon 5D, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/200th sec, minus 1/3 stop exposure compensation using program mode.

A classic shot using natural light. I never get tired of converging railway lines as a composition element in a picture. Canon 5D, ISO 400, f/3.5, 170mm focal length, program exposure.

These are a few of today’s shots. We dodged the rain and had flat overcast light throughout. If you want to be a part of an Urban Portrait workshop check out the details and availability here. Please feel free to comment on these pictures, especially if you were one of the delgates

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9 Comments Add your own

1. Dave | October 7th, 2008 at 7:25 am

Hi Damien,

Out of interest, when you shoot with the 5D, what setting do you tend to use for your images i.e. standard, portrait, neutral etc?

Also, for white balance, do you tend to use AWB and alter to suit in post production?

Thanks
Dave.
2. damien | October 7th, 2008 at 8:46 am

Hi Dave,

I’ve always shot RAW and so the picture styles are not necessary. I set the look for each shot in Lightroom.

I use AWB at the taking stage and decide what it should be later.

Damien.
3. Jenny Tremlett | October 7th, 2008 at 9:15 am

Hi Damien

Thanks for yesterday. I really enjoyed myself and learned a lot.

Great use of locations, lighting and, of course, dingle!

Now I just have to try and remember everything and, more importantly, put it into practice to enforce what I learned.

Jenny
4. Alan | October 7th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

Very nice Damien. Good to see that very simple, and accessible (daylight, Speedlight, & lightbox!?) lighting set ups can help create such a variety of beautiful images.

No excuse for any of us then. We don’t need fancy, large or expensive lighting rigs.

Thank you.
5. Raymond | October 8th, 2008 at 2:20 pm

Hi Damien,

Very nicely taken portraits!! And great use of flash! I have always wanted to do more with my speedlight. And today you have demonstrated that! Keep posting!

Cheers!
6. John Wilson | October 8th, 2008 at 8:39 pm

Damien,
Thanks again for a great day shooting Urban Portraits in Bristol. I came away with lots of new found skills and some great shots of Jasmine. Looking forward to putting all of this into practice around my own patch now that I have the knowledge and confidence.

John
7. James | October 22nd, 2008 at 1:21 pm

Hi Damien

Have you ever considered doing any of these courses on a weekend?

I would love to attend one of your portrait sessions but the cost of the course combined with having to take a day off work makes this prohibitive.

Regards

James
8. damien | October 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 pm

Hi James,

I understand your situation. I have considered running weekend courses. There are however two main reasons for the midweek only workshops. Most of my delegates are busy shooting weddings or portraits at weekends and I value the extra time I can share with my family now that I have retired from shooting Saturday weddings.

Damien.
9. Santhosh | May 25th, 2009 at 7:50 am

Hello Damien
Happy to see those photos above. I noted that you tend to use very low fstops such as 2.8 and 4 etc. But how do you expect them to be blown up, especially when the images you’ve shot show a nature of good advt hoardings of cosmetics?