Natalia Shoot 2 ~ pictures and a poem

October 13th, 2010

1. Rich autumnal colours on a cold windy day courtesy of a white balance shift on my Canon 5D mk 2. A single Speedlight and the sun made the shot come alive. Natalia is a consummate professional. 1/4000th second at f/2.8 ISO 200

These pictures are from my second Speedlight Mastery workshop in Bristol with Natalia. Wow! what a day. No fires at Costa Coffee this time but I had an opportunity to explore the nuances that make beautiful pictures of beautiful people. The angles of light playing on a divine facial bone structure, laughter lines, the peak of a moment and the subtlety of a look. I felt totally exhausted and fulfilled at the end of the shoot and my delegates shared the same incredible journey.

2. We started with an Ezybox and a single Speedlight triggered using the amazing Pocket Wizard system.

2. We started with an Ezybox and a single Speedlight triggered using the amazing Pocket Wizard TTL system.

3. A trio of Spedlights in a frenzy of creation.

4. 10,000k white balance ensured a warm rich painterly look to this Speedlight lit portrait.

4. A 10,000k white balance ensured a warm rich painterly look to this Speedlight lit portrait.

5. My grassy spot tucked away in a jungle of development. A solitary place void of life and occupants much to the amazement of the developers.

6. My 100mm macro lens has a rhythm of it's own. Able to pick out solitude among the noise, isolate the vital and ignore the n

6. My 100mm macro lens has a rhythm of it's own. Able to pick out solitude among the disorder. Isolate the vital and ignore the noise. Make beauty of the unfocussed as well as the focused.

7. The moment, the look, the angles, the clarity, the beauty and the light. Harmony.

8. I stole the opportunity to show the delegates how to find natural two point beauty lighting in the real world. The mint green wall was a bonus.

9. There's nothing like a slash of flash to make a shot come alive. Lying on the ground helped too by accentuating the curve of the background.

New light in an old location. Three Speedlights, two stands, and a couple of full blue gels (not available in a Honl kit) Why?

11. Natural two point lighting again. Stunningly beautiful Natalia with key and kick light provided by a pair of windows.

13 Devine.

15 A Lastolite Ezybox provided the key while a bare faced Speedlight blasted the backlight. The well used Boston cocktail shaker completed the shot

17. A deceptively difficult shot to capture in the polished granite of the Bristol Hotel. A single Speedlight provided the lighting.

18. A slash of flash from a 580 EX2, bricks, a drain pipe and Natalia too.

19. Sunlight on the water at 1/1000th second allowed me to exploit f/2.8 with my 100mm lens while shooting flash.

20. Heavenly jaw line, cheek line, and eye line bathed in extraordinary light.

21. Deceptively deep emotion conceals a secret to behold.

24. Back down to reality with a punchy funky flash lit shot.

Change the aperture or shutter speed and the contrast changes with it. Fabulous for creating just the right look. A gust of wind at the right time helps too.

26. Speedlights can be subtle too.

Torment, pain and emptiness encased in a beautiful shell
A distant gaze, a melancholy heart
Sadness at what has passed
Captured forever in a photograph
A magic transcends the gravity of the moment
Hope beyond hope, joy beyond the pain
and all the time beauty remains
A constant so great, so indelible, so achingly gorgeous
The tenderness of love will live again
Like a Phoenix from the flames

Damien Lovegrove 11 October 2010

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Please feel free to comment on the pictures or your experience if you were a delegate on this workshop. If you would like to attend a Speedlight Mastery workshop please email Blaise and she will give you advanced notice of the next workshop. You can also browse our range of upcoming photography training courses here.

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26 Comments Add your own

1. Neil Redfern | October 13th, 2010 at 11:09 pm

WOW! Stunning photographs.

Really enjoyed your poem, Damien. It compliments the image perfectly.
2. Benny Ottosson | October 14th, 2010 at 6:41 am

And your a poet also Very nice pics and poem. You´re the inspiration!
3. Sean Shimmel | October 14th, 2010 at 10:53 am

Damien

Such a combination of visual rapidity and soulful nuance.

Looking forward to exploring your DVD’s Stateside.

Sean
4. Matt Pereira | October 14th, 2010 at 12:13 pm

Love it! Cracking stuff Damien …
5. David Lavery | October 14th, 2010 at 3:25 pm

Thanks Damien for giving us the opportunity to shoot with you.

Had a fantastic day, Great Images

David
6. David | October 14th, 2010 at 3:55 pm

Hi Damien

All superb, inspirational pictures and all very different, wished I could have been there!!

David
7. Chris Costello | October 14th, 2010 at 7:08 pm

I’m a big fan of your DVDs and have watched the speedlight mastery a ton of times, but to actually shoot and learn along side you is a phenomenal learning experience, highly recommended.

Thanks,

Chris.
8. Nick | October 15th, 2010 at 12:37 am

Another stunning set of images Damien, she is a beautiful model.
9. Will Pateman Photography | October 17th, 2010 at 9:50 am

Great selection of shots Love your speedlite work..stunning
10. Keith McAvoy | October 18th, 2010 at 3:17 pm

Awesome stuff mate ! Every shot is fantastic.
11. David Causon | October 28th, 2010 at 2:30 pm

Awesome pics as per usual Damien.
12. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 7:48 pm

Thanks Neil
13. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 7:50 pm

Benny, you never fail to make me smile. Thank you for your comments, every comment. Damien.
14. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 7:57 pm

Hi sean,

I’m keen to revisit stateside America, maybe we could hook up for a shoot. Thanks for your kind words, Damien.
15. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 8:01 pm

Hi Matt,

Thanks for your continued support and drive.

Cheers Damien.
16. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 8:03 pm

Thanks David! I had a great day too. Cheers, Damien.
17. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 8:05 pm

Thanks David. There will be other opportunities to shoot together I’m sure. Thanks for the kind words! Damien.
18. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 8:17 pm

Wow Thanks Chris!

Your words mean a lot to me. Thank you. Damien
19. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 8:24 pm

Hi Nick,

You are not wrong. Natalia is sensational. I’m V excited to shoot with her again.

Cheers, Damien.
20. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 8:31 pm

Thanks Will,

A Speedlight or two adds to the magic!

Cheers, Damien.
21. damien | October 31st, 2010 at 8:51 pm

Thanks Keith, You are the future. Make it happen!
22. John Curgenven | November 30th, 2010 at 6:00 pm

Hi Damien,

This may sound like a dumb question but is there any difference achieved by “dragging the shutter” using a normal auto or manual flash setting as opposed to using the camera’s slow sync flash mode?

Thanks,

John
23. damien | December 18th, 2010 at 9:16 pm

Hi John,

I think the cameras system uses rear curtain sync and the way I do it uses front curtain sync. As there are no headlights from moving cars in my pictures I never see any difference. I’ve no idea why rear sync exists. Have you?

Cheers, Damien.
24. John Curgenven | December 20th, 2010 at 3:08 pm

Hi Damien,

Thanks for getting back to me. Like you, I can see no real purpose other than trailing lights etc.

You might like to know that the number of visitors from my site to yours since I first recommended you now stands at 5,269. Thanks for helping so many of my readers.

Merry Christmas,

John
25. Didit Mehta Pariadi | February 23rd, 2011 at 6:24 am

Hi Damien,

I watched your using natural light and speedlight mastery several times. Although I’m still getting surprise on my speedlight result, your DVD always inspire me.
This photo series have some similar locations with your speedlight mastery DVD, however it’s always amaze me that I still enjoy these shots. Great stuff…

Didit,
your far far away fans from Indonesia
26. damien | February 26th, 2011 at 3:00 pm

Hi Didit,

Thank you for your kind words. Practice makes perfect and practice is what I do every week.

I am coming to Australia this year – not quite so far from you.

Kindest regards, Damien.