Yesterday I went to the DC Convention Center to see off-camera lighting hero and guru Joe McNally discussion Location Lighting Techniques for Kelby Training Live.  I’ve read Joe’s book The Hot Shoe Diaries and watched his seminars on Kelby Training Online so I was familiar with his work (which is quite impressive!  His online portfolio can be found here) but it was great to see him “in... 

A few months ago, my wife and I found out we were having a baby boy in January Since I enjoy taking portraits, I wanted to get some of her now, and we’d take more throughout her pregnancy to chronicle the changes she experienced as she moved farther along in her term. It takes her a bit to get warmed up to a camera, but she was a great sport once we got going. These were taken in the City of... 

Finally got my lightstands from B&H, complete with 45″ white reflective (and convertible to shoot-through) umbrellas, so tested them out in the basement with a black backdrop.  Since nobody was around, I did some self-portraits.  Using only a single flash (Nikon SB-600), my [receding] hairline blended into the background, so I tried putting my hands on top of my head.  Turns out that was...