Quick edit (less than 2 hours spent) of some GoPro clips from our adventure on the Grand Teton.
Grand Teton from Jeremy Koons on Vimeo.
August 19, 2010
August 11, 2010
Aug 11: White Balance
Actually, 'light balance' is more appropriate.
Here's how I balanced the lighting to photograph a white-on-white-on-white subject.
The 2 important features of the subject are the quilting (stitching) and the piecework (shapes).
To capture the quilting, I need a dramatic side light to generate contrast.
The quilting pops, but the colors and shapes are invisible.
I can soften the contrast by swinging the light towards the front.
The light balance is not very good yet: bright on the left, dark on the right, too many shadows.
A softbox fill from the front right (opposite the first light) improves the balance. (please ignore the slight exposure error)
Now, I can see the shapes and the stitching. But, notice the subtle white lines (aka Seam Allowances) that criss-cross the image. These are the overlapping areas between the pieces. The quilt is double-thick in these areas, so more light is reflected.
To compensate for this, because I don't want to see the seam allowances, I need to add a backlight. I used an umbrella as a wide directional source.
From the front, the backlight produces the desired counteracting effect. The seam allowances now appear darker, as less light passes through the double-thick areas.
Balancing this backlight with the first two lights, I come up with a better image. The seam allowances are now very subtle, but remain visible enough to help define the piece work boundaries.
This final light balance produces an image that fully captures the important elements of the quilt. Both the quilting and the piece work are displayed effectively.
The set-up was about like this, exposed to include the ambient scene, (my living room), using a 70mm focal length to minimize distortion. I also used PhotoShop to square the corners and etc.
I shot this second quilt too, much more easily.
The w-o-w-o-w quilt was very difficult to photograph, but it was a rewarding challenge.
Here's how I balanced the lighting to photograph a white-on-white-on-white subject.
The 2 important features of the subject are the quilting (stitching) and the piecework (shapes).
To capture the quilting, I need a dramatic side light to generate contrast.
The quilting pops, but the colors and shapes are invisible.
I can soften the contrast by swinging the light towards the front.
The light balance is not very good yet: bright on the left, dark on the right, too many shadows.
A softbox fill from the front right (opposite the first light) improves the balance. (please ignore the slight exposure error)
Now, I can see the shapes and the stitching. But, notice the subtle white lines (aka Seam Allowances) that criss-cross the image. These are the overlapping areas between the pieces. The quilt is double-thick in these areas, so more light is reflected.
To compensate for this, because I don't want to see the seam allowances, I need to add a backlight. I used an umbrella as a wide directional source.
From the front, the backlight produces the desired counteracting effect. The seam allowances now appear darker, as less light passes through the double-thick areas.
Balancing this backlight with the first two lights, I come up with a better image. The seam allowances are now very subtle, but remain visible enough to help define the piece work boundaries.
This final light balance produces an image that fully captures the important elements of the quilt. Both the quilting and the piece work are displayed effectively.
The set-up was about like this, exposed to include the ambient scene, (my living room), using a 70mm focal length to minimize distortion. I also used PhotoShop to square the corners and etc.
I shot this second quilt too, much more easily.
The w-o-w-o-w quilt was very difficult to photograph, but it was a rewarding challenge.
August 5, 2010
Aug 5: Her Eyes
Mesmerized.
Simple windowlight in the first two. ISO 800 2.8 1/60.
In the last, I used the sun as a hair light, an umbrella (front left) as key and a softbox (wide right) as fill.
Yes, the swing is moving. And yes, that's her normal 'cheese' smile.
Simple windowlight in the first two. ISO 800 2.8 1/60.
In the last, I used the sun as a hair light, an umbrella (front left) as key and a softbox (wide right) as fill.
Yes, the swing is moving. And yes, that's her normal 'cheese' smile.
Aug 5: The Grand
We climbed the Grand Teton via the Petzoldt Direct route, one of the 'Classic' Teton routes.
We began the approach at 6600', with 13,800' in our sights.
We set base camp in the shadow of the Middle Teton.
With warm temps, the snowmelt fed many creeks.
We successfully completed our route, but bad weather forced us to turn back just short of the true summit. We caught wind, rain, and even SNOW at the top, but the ridges just to the south experienced the worst of it, including lightning.
With bad weather-related accidents the week before (including fatalities), the Tetons are no place to fool around with the weather. I would've loved to stand on the summit, but that thrill will have to wait.
I also filmed a little POV of the adventure. The editing process will begin soon. I hope to have it finished later this month.
We began the approach at 6600', with 13,800' in our sights.
We set base camp in the shadow of the Middle Teton.
With warm temps, the snowmelt fed many creeks.
We successfully completed our route, but bad weather forced us to turn back just short of the true summit. We caught wind, rain, and even SNOW at the top, but the ridges just to the south experienced the worst of it, including lightning.
With bad weather-related accidents the week before (including fatalities), the Tetons are no place to fool around with the weather. I would've loved to stand on the summit, but that thrill will have to wait.
I also filmed a little POV of the adventure. The editing process will begin soon. I hope to have it finished later this month.
August 1, 2010
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