White Bedroom Photo Shoot

My latest stock photo shoot was a "White Bedroom" session. The concept was to create a clean & wholesome look of a young woman in various scenes in her bedroom. To create the set we brought a small bed, night-stand, bedding, lamp, alarm clock and other typical bedroom items (predominantly in white) into the studio and set them up on a white seamless background. The reason I chose the white was to surround the model to allow her face to be the main attraction.



The model in the shoot was Alyssa. This was her last stock session with us before taking off for a couple of months out of state on her summer break from college. I have photographed Alyssa more than any other model and we work very well together. With my wife Michelle (above) assisting me with hair, makeup and the other little details I always seem to miss, we captured numerous scenes to add to our stock image portfolio.



Featured here are a couple of my favorite shots from the series. They involve a sleeping/tired girl and an old-fashioned analog alarm clock. This is an everyday scene that most of us can probably relate to.

Here's a link to the complete set on iStockphoto.

Thousand Dollar Flower

This simple capture of yellow flowers just became my first image on iStockphoto to generate over $1,000.00 in income. Regular readers might remember the dumpy surroundings in which this shot was taken (read about it here).

The overwhelming majority of my stock portfolio feature people in lifestyle scenarios and not nature shots since people photos simply sell better. iStock even discourages new contributors from uploading flower photos (they do so anyway), so I find it humorous that this shot has done so well.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/4, ISO 100

Behind the Scenes: Cafe Photo Shoot

Model Andrew enjoying a fresh cup

Last Saturday I did a photo shoot in a small Cafe`. The purpose of the shoot was to create images to add to my stock portfolio. My friend Jeremy came along to shoot some behind the scenes shots, so I thought I'd share a few of them along with the resulting final images.

On the shot above of Andrew, I used three lights. The main light was a large softbox positioned to camera right with a second softbox behind the model. A third light was used to light the background area.


High angle shot of Andrew at the counter


Model Kattie with the menu board

On this image of Kattie, I wanted to communicate 'Cafe', so I shot from a low view to include the large menu board in the top of the frame.


Low angle shot of Kattie with the menu board


Models Julie, Jessica and Kattie on the couch

For the three ladies enjoying their beverages on the couch, I wanted a high vantage point with the girls looking up. I always carry a small stepladder on my shoots for this purpose. As can be seen in the shot below, the extremely slick floor necessitated the use of a ladder stabilizer - namely Josiah.


Josiah offering some stability to my stepladder


Models Kattie, Cerrick and Josiah at the counter

I used a couple of first-time models (at least for me) on this shoot. Both Josiah (right) and Kattie (left) in the above image did a great job. I look forward to working with them in the future.



And lastly, it just wouldn't be a shoot without Alyssa (below). I have photographed her more than any other model and we work well together. Here she is with another regular of mine, Andrew.


Frequent models Andrew and Alyssa

As you can see in the background, this cafe is located inside a climbing gym. Definitely an interesting location.



As always, I cannot do what I do without the help of others. Involved in this shoot were models Andrew, Alyssa, Cerrick, Jessica, Josiah, Julie and Kattie along with assistants Michelle and Erik. It is always great to get to shoot on location, and this shoot wouldn't have been possible without the great folks at Momentum Climbing Gym and Cafe opening their doors for us.

To see the full set on my iStockphoto portfolio, click here.

Special thanks to Jeremy Hall for taking the behind the scenes images.

Monday Recap: Business Meeting Shoot

It was a productive weekend of shooting, highlighted by Saturday's Business People stock shoot. Smiling business people are a bit of a cliche' in the stock photography business, but that's because they tend to sell fairly well.

For the shoot I arranged for six models to stage a mock "business meeting" in the studio. I brought in a conference table, chairs, flip-chart, and various other office-type items. The goal was to create a real looking office environment while being able to easily adjust the lighting.



I first shot the meeting against a white seamless paper backdrop. I then re-positioned it on to the other side of the studio against the painted walls. The versatility of my small studio space really pays off.

I ended the day with nearly 300 images to be culled through for candidates to add to my stock portfolio.

As always, this type of photography is a team effort and I could not do it without the help of so many. Thanks to Michelle, Alicia, Julie, Ron, Glen and Dale for modeling and to Harley and Diane for assisting.

Setting the Background in Stock Photography

One of the most enjoyable times for me to photograph is when I am doing a stock shoot on location. I like the challenge provided by setting up a realistic looking scene in a new place. An important item to remember when setting up a scene is not only to focus on the main subject, but plan the background as well.

In today's shot of Holly at the health club, I placed Tyler in the background doing curls with a dumbbell to better communicate the theme. Combining this model placement and a shallow depth-of-field not only adds depth to the image but increases the 'realism' of the shot.

Another example of this technique is demonstrated in last month's laboratory photo shoot. By placing models Ron and Julie working on the bench behind Michelle, the scene becomes more interesting.



One drawback to adding background people is a bit of complication to the lighting. In the health club shoot I set a low-power monolight aimed specifically at the background model(s). I set the exposure for this light at approximately half f/stop below the subject exposure. I wanted them to pop, but not overpower the main subject.

This technique can be utilized in recreational photography as well. By paying attention to the background and either adding or removing people, the impact of a shot can be greatly increased.

View these images in my stock portfolio: Health Club - Laboratory

Laboratory Photo Shoot

Ron mixing a scientific concoction.

One of the photo shoots I did last weekend was in a real honest-to-goodness laboratory. A friend offered access to the lab he works in and that was all the motivation I needed to put together a shoot.

With a team of three models and assistance from my friend Harley, we set out to create a series of images for my stock portfolio. My goal was to capture realistic looking images of lab technicians at work. The biggest challenge was setting up lights to create a natural looking scene in the limited space we had to work in. We ended up with a modified cross-lighting arrangement and with the camera position shooting through a narrow opening.


Michelle putting her newly acquired pipetting skills to work.

I must really offer my heartfelt thanks to my friend Bryan for opening up the lab, Harley for helping with the lighting and models Michelle (my wife), Ron and Julie. Without these great folks, we could never have pulled this shoot off.


Julie, Bryan (our host), Ron and Michelle

Real People

One of the challenges of doing the Liftestyle type of stock images I do is coming up with models to use. I prefer to use everyday people, since they provide the authentic look I want in my images. I have been extremely blessed to have several people to work with on a regular basis (thank you Jenna, Alyssa, Andrew, etc.), but I am always on the lookout for more.

Today's image of Jonathan is from last weekend's Fitness series I shot at a local gym. This was Jonathan's first time modeling. Since he is someone who is committed to keeping fit by regularly working out, this was a natural shoot for him.

Most of my models work TFCD or TFP in exchange for signing a model release. TFCD is an acronym for Time for CD and TCP is an acronym for Time for Print. This means that the model will receive digital copies of the images in exchange for their time. They are then free to use the images for personal use and portfolio purposes. If I see the results are favorable and begin to use a model on a regular basis, I may then also pay an hourly rate.

I have recently set up an account on ModelMayhem.com to expand my pool of models. I have been in contact with a few models from there, but haven't put a shoot together yet. Many of the models on the site are more focussed on fashion modeling rather than lifestyle.

And of course, when a model isn't available there are always family members :)

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/50 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

Note: If you or someone you know is interested in modeling in one of my stock photo shoots (and is in the Northern Utah area), please contact me via email at rich [at] leggnet.com.

iStock Portfolio Image # 2,000

Cheers!

With the acceptance of this photo into my portfolio, I now have 2,000 images available on iStockphoto.com. Now I just have to begin building my new Getty Images portfolio.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/160 second, f/6.3, ISO 50

Snowy Samantha

It just wouldn't seem like a Monday without a blog post highlighting one of my photo shoots from the previous weekend.

Today's image is of a young Australian girl who is living in Utah for a couple of years. Since winter play is a new experience for her, the plan for the shoot was to capture some outdoor sledding images. Before heading out to the sledding hill we spent some time in studio. With her mom and little brother throwing synthetic snowflakes, our impromptu blizzard created a nice winter scene for the portrait.

And as an added bonus - the studio was MUCH warmer!

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/160 second, f/9, ISO 100

Private Jet Photo Shoot

(Rock Star models Andrew and Alyssa)

I spent this past Saturday afternoon doing a stock photo shoot in a private jet. Through a friend, I made contact with a pilot last month and he was able to get me access to one of the corporate jets he flies. I must say, it was pretty cool.

I got word on the Thursday prior that we would have use of the jet on Saturday, so I had to scramble to assemble the models and props for the shoot. Normally I like to schedule shoots a few weeks in advance, but due to the irregular schedule of the plane's use this was not possible.

When planning the shoot, the three scenes I sought to capture were corporate executives, young rock stars and wealthy jet-setters. Doing the multiple scenes required several different models. Ultimately, six were available (on the short notice) for the shoot.


(The lighting setup on the outside of the Cessna Citation)

The lighting for the scene was pretty straightforward. I wanted to create a look that made it appear that the plane was flying. To do so, very bright windows were the key. I placed large softboxes on both sides of the plane to light the windows, then used a small softbox above and behind my camera position for fill light. All of the lights were synced with Pocketwizard radios.

The final result of this lighting setup worked well. The images portray a natural looking directional light similar to what you would see in an airplane at altitude.


(Corporate executive model Ron)

The biggest hurdle in doing the shoot was the cold weather and wind. The hangar that we used as a staging area was un-heated. Thankfully, Kevin from the airport provided a space heater to keep the models warm between shots. The plane itself was also not heated (it was powered down) and the door had to stay open for the light's power cables.

(Yours truly on the job)

All in all, it was a successful and fun shoot which will yield a few dozen images for my stock portfolio. Big time thanks go out to all of the models (Michelle, Dale, Ron, Andrew, Jenna & Alyssa) and especially to my new pilot friend Matt. Thank you all! Without people like you I could not do what I do.

Working Nine to Five

Today's image is from last Friday's stock shoot with one of my favorite models Alyssa. When planning a photo shoot, I map out a list of ideas for shots ahead of time. The overwhelmed office worker concept was one of the main themes for this session and Alyssa did a great job of pulling it off.

A few technical notes: This was shot with at a medium wide-angle focal length (40mm on a full-frame) to give depth between the model and the files in the foreground. I opted to spotlight the white background rather than make it pure white to have a bit of uneven vignette. Lighting was a single softbox left of camera with a silver reflector to the right of the model (plus the background light).

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/160 second, f/8, ISO 100

iStockphoto Download #10,000

Today marks a milestone in my stock photography. Just a little while ago this image of Jenna as a school teacher sold on iStockphoto.com marking my 10,000th photo sold on the popular stock photography website. This advances me to a Gold Level contributor and not only entitles me to a higher royalty payment percentage, but I am now eligible to also sell my stock photography via Getty Image's (the parent company of iStockphoto) royalty free collection.

Shooting and selling stock images has grown over the past year from a small part of my photography to becoming the major focus. During that time the income I receive from sales has increased to where it is now the majority of my monthly revenue.

I look forward to the year ahead as I now set my sights on iStock's Diamond Level of 25,000 downloads.

If you'd like, you can click HERE to view my stock portfolio.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/60 second, f/10, ISO 100

A Camera, Kids and an Empty Bowling Alley

I spent the snowy Friday morning before Christmas at a local bowling center with a few kids doing a photo shoot for my iStockphoto portfolio. The kids had a great time getting to do some bowling while modeling. This shoot had been planned for quite a while since the date was a school holiday. What we didn't expect was for it to be the snowiest morning of the season. To my surprise, all of our models braved the weather and made it to the shoot on time.

Most of the shots involved the kids hanging out in the bowler's seating area, although I did do a few shots of kids bowling (above). In this overview image below, you can get an idea of the lighting setup used. Three large softboxes and a 5x7' monolight lit diffusion screen created a sizable 'set' to shoot within.



It was very cool to have a whole bowling alley to ourselves. Of course, the raging blizzard outside did help contribute to the emptiness of the location. Special thanks go to my friend Harley who supplied some equipment, assisted on the shoot, and took the overview shot.

'In the Kitchen' Photo Shoot

(Alyssa chatting on the phone while cooking dinner.)

I spent yesterday morning shooting for an 'In the Kitchen' stock photo series that I am working on. Our location was a local company's kitchen/cooking training facility. In addition to a large very nice residential type kitchen, the room has 48 theater style seats. This gave me plenty of room for my equipment and props.


(Behind the Scene shot of Evelyn cutting vegetables.)

I used two softboxes (20x30" & 30x60") for the strong side lighting. Fill light was provided by a single monolight firing directly into a 60x84" piece of ripstock nylon. I prefer fairly strong directional lighting for this type of shoot.

My models Evelyn, Donna, Alicia & Alyssa all were extremely patient and did a great job. They were a lot of fun to work with and offered plenty of expertise for 'keeping it real' when it came to setting up kitchen scenes.


(Donna with a sheet of freshly baked cookies.)

My pre-Christmas activity is now to edit and upload the considerable amount of images to my iStockphoto portfolio.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/9, ISO 100

Video Gamers

For today's image, I sought to create the look of a dark family room being lit solely from a television screen. The light source was a single 18x18" softbox placed in front of the kids on the floor. The black room in the background is just a roll of seamless about 5 feet behind the couch.

I did a whole series of these two pretending to play video games. This particular image was originally an outtake, but I ultimately decided to keep it in the set. Josh was saying funny things "under his breath" while I was shooting in an attempt to get Sarah to crack up. On this shot, he succeeded.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/100 second, f/6.3, ISO 100

Woodworking Shop Photo Shoot

This past weekend I did a stock photo shoot at my brother-in-law's custom furniture shot. During the weekdays the shop is a hotbed of activity, but on this particular Saturday afternoon it was nearly empty and a great time to put together a set of images for my portfolio.

The goal for the shoot was to capture a craftsman at work using the various tools and equipment in the shop. I wanted the shots to look realistic and not staged. Tyler, my brother-in-law, made a great model working the equipment as we made our way around the large shop.

The lighting setup consisted of three lights. The main light was a 24x36" softbox while fill light was provided by a 36" umbrella. Both of these modifiers were mounted on 600 wattsecond monolights. I also used a single monolight for illuminating the background when necessary. A picture tells a better story, so here is an overview of one of the shots:

The main light was placed at a fairly sharp angle to give shadow and definition to the subject. The detail in Tyler's left arm in today's featured image is a good example of this result.

We were in an out of the shop in about 90 minutes and were able to produce 48 final images (from the nearly 200 shots taken) all of which were accepted into my iStock inventory. I generally love doing these location stock shoots and this one was no exception. The complete set from the shoot can be viewed here.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/9, ISO 100

(Junior) Executive Lighting

One of the many photography blogs I follow is that of Colorado photographer David Tejada. David specializes in annual report photography and has a blog that details many of his assignments. The great part about the blog is that he frequently posts video overviews of his shoots.

One of his recent videos was a time-lapse presentation of an assignment doing corporate headshots. In the video, he places a large softbox directly to the right side aiming across the front of of the subject and then fills the opposite side with a reflector. Here is the video:



I really liked the result of the simple lighting setup and though I used a similar setup in my previous photographic life, I hadn't done so in many years - until recently.

Today's image of a young man in business attire is from a recent stock session in which I used this lighting arrangement. I opted for a complete black background to make the Junior Executive stand out in his white shirt and power tie. One other shoot that I used a variation of this lighting on was another stock shoot of a young man in a graduation cap and gown.

As you can see, this lighting setup is extremely simple and very effective. It definitely works well in both my stock and portrait work.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/80 second, f/10, ISO 100

Classroom Photo Shoot

Saturday's stock photo shoot of a simulated classroom was great. This was the most models that I have used in a single session and everyone did an awesome job.

The location of the shoot was a local private school. One of my friends (and regular reader) was able to put together the use of the facility (thanks Ricci!). The room we used wasn't a normal classroom, but a common area in the school. By using this room, we had extra space around the perimeter to place lights, equipment and such.



In lighting the scene, my goal was to have natural looking classroom light. I wanted one side of the room to be much brighter to simulate light that would normally come in through windows. To achieve this, I placed two softboxes down the side for the mainlights and then brought in fill light from the back and opposite sides of the room. Here is an overview photo (taken by our teacher's husband):



Once the lighting was put in place and adjusted for exposure, I pretty much left it sit except for the occasional fine-tuning to add or subtract light from part of the scene.

For models we had 9 children and a teacher. Michelle arranged having the children at the shoot and we ended up with a majority of 6th and 7th grade girls to go along with our teacher, Jenna. The kids were great. They were extremely patient as we set up different shots and even suggested a few things to add or take away.

Today's featured image (on the top of the page) was one of the funnest shots for everyone to do. For some reason, this group of above average students got a kick out of tying up their teacher and going nuts. Jenna was a great sport, but of course this wasn't the first time we tied her up for a shot (see here).

All in all, I classify the day a success. The photos are very close to what I sought to capture. I now have the task of weeding through the 250+ images to select and edit the keepers for a set on iStock.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/10, ISO 100

iStockphoto Portfolio Image #1,000

I reached a small milestone on Saturday, I had my 1,000th image accepted into my portfolio on the popular stock photography website istockphoto.com.

What makes this a bit of an achievement (at least for me) is that before an image is added to a photographer's portfolio it has to be personally inspected by one of the company's 40 inspectors to ensure that the image meets the site's stringent requirements. I have heard from many a frustrated photographer over the past year who was having difficulty getting their images accepted. After a bit of a learning curve, I believe that I have hit on a good recipe for editing my photos in an acceptable manner for the site. I am now averaging over an 80% approval ratio all-time (and over 90% in recent months).

Image #1,000 is a studio shot of a cup filled with coffee beans. It is part of a small set I shot last week (click here to see the set). My next goal is to increase the portfolio size to 2,000 by March 31st of next year. You can view my iStock portfolio by clicking here.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/8, ISO 100

The Scene of the Crime

Since October 31st is the Halloween holiday in the United States, I dug into the archives to find a fitting image for today's post. This stock shot was suggested a while back from friend (and blog reader) Scott. It has had a good sales run over the last two months on iStockphoto.com.

Have a safe time trick or treating tonight.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/10, ISO 100

Rack 'em up

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/16, ISO 100

Biker Dave

GOAL

Capture a stern looking biker with moody lighting to create a "bad dude" feel to the final image.

Camera equipment: Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens

Lighting equipment: Two Canon Speedlites (a 430EX and a 580EX), hot-shoe extension, two Lightsphere modifiers, one lightstand

For the shoot, I placed the 430EX in slave mode on the lightstand above and to the camera right. I then hand held the 580EX (using the hot-shoe extension) to the lower left of the camera. I set the hand held flash at -1 f/stop to allow the overhead unit to be the main light. By holding the second (fill) light in my hand, I was able to quickly make adjustments on the fly as needed.

Final thoughts: I am pleased with the images. The whole shoot took less than 15 minutes, which is a good thing since it was right at 100 degrees out and Dave was cooking in his leathers.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/60 second, f/8, ISO 100

20 Pumpkins on iStockphoto

Yesterday afternoon this photograph of a load of pumpkins was my 5,000th image download to sell on iStockphoto.com. My portfolio on the popular microstock photography website has grown to over 850 images today from a mere 77 in March and my sales have shown a comparable increase. I am pleased to say that my October revenue will be over triple the amount I earned in June.

My goal for the future is to continue to grow my iStock portfolio by a minimum of 10 percent each month. In doing so, I anticipate my sales to grow at an equal or higher percentage. I am finding that my approval percentage (each image submitted to iStockphoto has to be personally inspected and approved) is getting better the more I upload to the site. I now have fine tuned my recipe for post-processing images and I average over a 90% approval percentage on my photos (up from around 50% early on).

As I said in an earlier post, I look forward to continuing to add images to my portfolio and monitor the growth. Is this a sustainable business long-term? We'll continue to wait and see.

Canon 30D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

A Good Book

This image provides the perfect opportunity to plug my friend Bryan's blog about reading and writing, The Hopeless Writer. Bryan and I began blogging within weeks of each other back in 2005. In that time I have watched his site evolve into a fantastic resource for writers and anyone who enjoys reading. Check it out at www.bryancatherman.com.

Today's capture was photographed in my studio with the following setup:

Small softbox camera right for main light
Umbrella diffused light above and slightly left for fill.
Polarizing filter on lens for effect.
Black seamless paper backdrop

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/100 second, f/9, ISO 100

It's all Geek to me

Like most blogs that have been around for a while, I get a fair amount of incoming hits from search engines. Call me geeky, but I get a kick out of reading what people typed into Google to find me. As an example, here are the search terms that led websurfers to this site yesterday:

ttv layer ~ utah photography industry ~ http://leggnet.com ~ earn istockphoto.com credits ~ sensor sizes aps-c ~ geek squad cars green ~ geek squad sucks ~ how to make a fake lightbulb ~ capturing blue skies ~ spontaneous combustion ~ ring ~ part time photographers trend ~ photo of light bulb off ~ sekonic meter, tutorial ~ istockphoto.com ~ the other barn ~ geek squad poster ~ blue sky canon color ~ photos of creepy eyes ~ tips for low light photography ~ camera sensor sizes ~ photography of smoke ~ smoke photography ~ hand blown glass vase ~ tahquitz rock ~ canon 24-105 tack sharp ~ canon 24-105 portrait examples ~ canon 24-105 for weddings? ~ digital camera sensor size ~ istockphoto ~ canon 5d sensor crop ~ where are the inspiration come from ~ istockphoto.com ~ leading lines ~ california jumping suicide location ~ istockphoto.com ~ light bulb idea picture ~ why is the forground of my photos blurred ~ istockphoto a-living ~ milk splash photo ~ legg wife ~ wedding school ~ polarize photos ~ photograph example leading line ~ colored burn out smoke ~ legg net ~ smokr photo invert how ~ full frame versus aps digital ~ autumn leaves utah ~ using canon 30d with r72 filter ~ body scan salt lake city ~ camera exposure after sunset ~ kenneth linge

As you can see, most of them are photography related. But I do like the occasional odd search. I wonder if the person that entered "body scan salt lake city" found what they were looking for.

I selected today's image to go along with this geeky subject. It's my good friend Harley posing as a computer nerd in a recent stock photo shoot we did. In addition to being a sometimes model, Harley is a photographer. Be sure to check out his photostream on Flickr at flickr.com/photos/hpebley3.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

Mr. Science

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/7.1, ISO 100

Listen to your Mother

(cell phone rings)

Me: Hello

Mom: Hey, I saw a picture on the news last night and thought you ought to make one like it.

Me: Really, what was it?

Mom: It was an American flag with crime scene tape in front of it.

Me: Hmmmm... not a bad idea.

Mom: Yeah, it was behind the anchorman on the screen.

Canon 5D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens - 1/125 second, f/9, ISO 100