01. Natural light. Fujifilm X-Pro1 with the 18-55mm lens.
This is the last post from my recent trip to Asia. I managed to squeeze in a short 1:1 training session with one of my delegates before I headed off to the airport to fly back home. Here are a few of the gems we shot at a city centre park on the site of an old fort
Soon I will be able to work this fabulous camera with just fast primes. The imminent 23mm lens is one I’ve been waiting for since day 1 and the 56mm f/1.2 due out in February will be immense.
Model: Gabrielle at Basic models SingaporeMake up and styling: Gabrielle
Camera: Fujifilm X-Pro1, 35mm f/1.4 prime lens and 18-55mm & 55-200mm zoom lenses
02. I lit Gabrielle with a single barefaced Speedlight on a stand. The triggers worked through several metres of stone and bedrock.
03. Gabrielle put in a spin for us to give her dress some dynamic. The facial direction had to be the same though to secure the same Hollywood cheek triangle look as in the shot above.
04. We found ourselves in a subterranean passageway with iron gates at each end. The light was splendid and anyone who has been on a lighting workshop with me will understand the tunnel or two point lighting used throughout a good part of this set.
05. The Fujifilm 35mm lens wide open at f/1.4 is perfect for head shots like this. It is the equivalent to a 50mm on full frame.
06. The Fujifilm X-Pro1 leaves nothing to be desired. Simple intimate pictures like this come far more easily with a small mirrorless camera than with an SLR.
07. Oh what to do. I deliberated long and hard whether to keep this set in monochrome or to let you see the fabulous tones I was working with. I love this small gamut location so much I just had to sneak a colour frame in.
08. The fort gates gave us another opportunity to use naturally available tunnel lighting.
09. Knowing how to find and use great natural light is a skill that all professionals should learn.
10. The delicate curves of Gabrielle’s chin and cheek bones are a delight to light. 35mm lens wide open at f/1.4
11. Shooting from below and into the smaller side of Gabrielle’s face evens out the visual balance but I love the lack of symmetry and I prefer the shots 8, 9 and 10 above.
12. I shot this portrait from above the eye line. It gives Gabrielle a vulnerability that has been contrasted with her inner strength and determination.
13. A classic Lovegrove Contre Jour shot as demonstrated on my ‘Natural Light’ DVD.
14. People often ask me how I convert my monochrome images. I just use Lightroom but I do set the contrast and tonal balance in the picture to the way I like it using the tools and sliders.
15. This frame is the equivalent of a grade two print and shot 14 above is the equivalent of grade four. It’s the same light, same everything, just different processing. Presets can’t set the tonal balance in an image. That’s the job of an artist. Great unadulterated monochrome and colour images will always win out and survive the test of time.
16. A bit of fun with angles and composition.
17. The green glass in the 1930s pavilion was fabulous. I took this shot on my Fujifilm 55-200mm zoom lens.
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One of my favourites from our time together and No.14 would make an awesome print.
Thanks for the likes and comments. I used a single barefaced Speedlight on a stand pointing directly to my model at 90 degrees to the camera. I placed her look to have a Hollywood cheek triangle on the near side of the face. A flick of the dress was all we needed to give a dynamic.
Love this!
gorgeous image. Perfect lighting on the model, doorframe, background, and love this in B&W.
Beautiful
For anybody contemplating booking 1:1 with Damien my advice is simple, stop contemplating and do it!
The amount of no holds barred knowledge/advice shared coupled with his obvious passion for his photography, plus intense attention to detail passed on from years of hands on experience is a fantastic experience you will always appreciate.
Thanks Kevin.
Thanks for your endorsement. It was great to spend time with you, share ideas and chill out after an intense shooting session.
We will meet again soon, I’m sure.
Kind regards,
Damien.
Thank you for your thoughts and speedy response Damien. Your analysis is extremely helpful to me.
Amazing, inspiring photos as always Damien! Off topic slightly, I see the new Fuji equiv 35mm lens is coming out soon at around £850. Sounds like a lot more expensive than the others like the equiv 50mm. Do you think optically it’ll be a lot better or were the earlier lenses cheaper to hook you in to the system. I am imagining the 85mm equiv could be over 1k when it comes out. Just wondering what your thoughts were….
Hi Helen,
I’ve had a chance to use the new 23mm lens. My conclusions are it is the best made of all the X series lenses and feels more substantial than any of the others too. I only have Nikon and Canon glass to compare it with and it feels equally as well made as the Canon 50mm f/1.2 without being quite so bloated. It should be way better than the Canon primes in the optical department too including Canon’s 35mm f/1.4. I preferred the look of my X100 lens to the Canon 24mm L. I say ‘It should be better’ because I have not done a full shoot and analysis of the lens yet. How the out of focus areas look are really important to me and time will tell if it is as sweet in this department as the X100 and X100s lenses. I’m not interested in shooting at minimum subject distance as all the ‘bokeh’ samples posted online seem to show. I’ll buy the lens and decide for myself. I didn’t invest in the upgrade from X100 to the X100s, I decided to wait until this lens is out before making a decision. I’ve now made the decision to buy the 23mm lens because the way of working throughout a shoot can remain constant without having to keep swapping cameras. I’ll probably keep my X100 too.
If you look at the pricing policy of other manufactures it is clear to see the variation. Canon 50mm f/1.8 is £100, the 50mm f/1.4 (still with terrible build quality) is £250 and the 50mm f/1.2 (good build quality but poor optically) is £1100. I’d say the Fuji 23mm f/1.4 lens feels like an £800 lens. The 35mm f/1.4 feels like a £350 lens.
I hope this helps.
Damien.
These are simply amazing Damien!
Thank you Kevin.
What a fabulous journey we are on.
Cheers, Damien.
wow great work. two and three for me.
Thanks Peter. The movement in the dress was vital for these to work so well. Regards, Damien.
Wow! The first shot for me is incredible. The lines, the tones, the passion. Amazing as always Damien!
Thanks David,
The first shot was the easiest to take too. Sometimes the least complicated shots are the most rewarding to take.
Kind regards, Damien.