JAMES HODGINS PHOTOGRAPHY » studio sudbury photography

Natural Light Babies Are The Best

jameshodgins — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:39:39 +0000

Having discussions on Natural light photography on our NoBs Blog and Forum I am always reminded just how beautiful natural light can be. Off Camera Flash is fine and dandy for “some” photographs if the type of portrait created can benefit from OCF (this is something I see too many photographers using just for the sake of using it, and the photographs are not what they could be).

I headed back out to my cottage yesterday to photograph my other cousins little one Sadie. We photographed Sadie last August in our Studio using lights and softboxes but yesterday I did not have that equipment with me, all I had was my camera and lens and therefore opted to use natural light. Now with natural light you can’t just expect to place your subject anywhere and have flattering light. You need to “find” the light, know the quality, the direction and where to put your subject so that the subject can benefit from that light.

The below image was created using some open shade that was created with a bank of trees behind Sadie. Lighting was coming across the tops of the trees but giving a soft even light in the spot where I wanted to photograph. She was sitting on the side of a small fountain which had a very light bottom, reflecting light back up into my subject acting as a natural reflector. Sometimes Natural light is the easiest light to use, but it does require some technical thought to get the most out of it.

Cute Cuddly Coutu Baby With Setup

jameshodgins — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:57:33 +0000

It was amazing how her eyes opened wide when she was in dads arms. When we photograph babies we like to photograph mom with baby, dad with baby, baby alone, and hopefully the whole family together. This opens up the possibility of Wall Clusters or Wall Panels for the clients home. Lighting on this image was very very simple using a 2 light system. 1 light about 135 degrees to my left (behind the subjects) and another softbox about 45 degrees to my left as well. I then used a large reflector to open up the shadows on dad & baby.

Making Of A Merit Print

jameshodgins — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:14:43 +0000

Part of my presentation in Chicago was on the Elements Of A Competition Print where I discussed different aspects of planning, capturing and creating a Competition Print. It went over very well with many many emails asking me to provide MORE information. I thought every once in awhile I would post some of my images and describe what I was looking for when creating it. As most of you know I do enter a lot of competitions as this is not only a personal goal but it is also for my photographic growth. The more I look at my images a competition worthy the better product I can give to our clients so I strive to make every one of my images a “competition image”.

“Sarah By The Sea” was just awarded “Merit” at this past Professional Photographers Of Canada Image Competition. I captured this last April in Jamaica off resort on location. The sun was high in the sky and strong with a reading of F22. I knew I needed to get some addition lighting as the sun was behind Sarah throwing her in shadow. Using 2 off camera flash’s and setting my output on stop stronger than the sun would give me the dramatic lighting I desired. Of course, I had to expose for the flashes and not the sun.

I wanted to use the leading lines of the clouds and the horizon to bring your attention to Sarah. Using the dress to shield the flash I had behind her also added to those leading lines bringing your attention into the bride. Obtaining a correct exposure and white balance is crucial in ANY image (put some thought into this and just don’t go ahead snapping image and “fixing” them in Photoshop later)

Image out of camera

I then darkened down the sky in various places as I did not want the sun to compete with my brides attention. Using more of a “panoramic” format with a dark matting to accentuate the leading lines finished off the image.

Here is my crude lighting diagram

Another Gorgeous Pin-Up Lady

jameshodgins — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:22:13 +0000

Tracy was another one of our beautiful ladies who took advantage of our Pin-Up Day. When this woman smiles, the whole room lights up.

More Maternity From A Sudbury Studio

jameshodgins — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:13:13 +0000

Here are a few more images from a recent maternity. This is a very delicate time in a woman’s life and the key to capturing beautiful maternity images is trust. Your client HAS to feel comfortable. Not only in front of the camera, but in front of you as well. Joce and I have made this a huge priority in our studio, to take the time to get to know our clients, figure out exactly what they want as far as final images and product, and learn how they react to being in front of the camera. I love photographing this stage in a woman’s life. It is so elegant, beautiful, and rewarding (when you see the expressions on their faces when you show them the images). For you expecting mothers out there, don’t be afraid to call our studio and talk to Joce about our maternity sessions. We have a huge variety of products that you might not have thought about that can be beautifully displayed in your home. The second image below will be a 30 inch wall canvas in our studio.

Franks Delicatessen will get Hodgyfied.

jameshodgins — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:19:45 +0000

Mark (owner of Franks Delicatessen, the first Delicatessen in Sudbury) and I will be working on creating some unique artwork for his establishment. We have some cool ideas for the images and I will be acquiring the talents of my good friend Jason Landry to add some finishing touches to the posters. Production of this project will be starting next month and it will take a few months after that for completion, but I will be posting sneak peaks here and there of the shoots and images. Thanks again Mark for this opportunity. It’s always a pleasure to work with you and the rest of your Family! (not to mention eating in all your restaurants. )