A spontaneous shoot w Kris and her vintage gown

Posted on February 8, 2010

During the winter, seasoned photographers usually take the time to brush up on studio technique since the outdoor environment can be harsh for models and equipment. This past Sunday my friend Kris called and wanted to shoot in her vintage gown. I had no idea what the given attire consisted of until the model showed up, but we worked through many technical issues to come up with something very different. The goal here was to break away from any typical studio backdrops and venture into using existing gallery walls inside the studio. Most photo shoots involving people often become dependent on other people’s help or assistance. I would like to give thanks to model, Kris Ostler and the photographer’s assistant, Jake Drevs.

Equipment Used: Nikon D300, Tamron AF 17-50 f2.8, Wireless Speedlight SB-800 through a Photoflex Lite Dome Q39, Wireless Speedlight SB-600 through a Honl 1/8″ Speed Grid. The speedlights were meticulously controlled through Nikons amazing TTL system while using flash compensation to adjust power output. This shot took more than a full hour to get right through the camera. Only minor burning was used to manipulate the image in post production.