Amber

Amber, originally uploaded by austinspace.

Amber's standing in the freezing Spokane River in this photo (which was her idea, I must say in defense). This was a great shoot that started above the river at a local winery that has an amazing location and interesting features. The weather was perfect (finally!) and we got a number of cool shots. I chose this one because I really like the textures the branches creates, but there are a number of other pix from this shoot in Amber's set on Flickr that might be better.

Equipment-wise I don't have much to report except I'm happy I didn't use my flash at all during the entire shoot. That makes me extremely happy after a long winter of dark dreary days.

Stephanie

Stephanie, originally uploaded by austinspace.

Our endless winter does yield some different looks on campus and beyond. Stephanie is a student I've wanted to shoot with since last year and circumstances brought us together at a dance I was invited to shoot a couple of week ago.

What's cool is she obviously thought very carefully about what she wanted to wear, and where she wanted to shoot. We first shot here, on campus, in a grassy spot that's frozen over and now is melting so had a couple of inches of water covering it. I fired my flash above her head to get the light on her face, and using the 10-22mm wideangle lens forces the narrow view as you look down.

What we've shot so far is here. I hope we get another chance to shoot soon! She's fun to be around.

Shannon

Shannon, originally uploaded by austinspace.

More studio work. Shannon and I have shot together twice, once at Manito Park in the snow and once in my studio.

Simple lighting--one light above her and to her left.

The rest is all her. She's very expressive. More photos here.

Kaeti

Kaeti, originally uploaded by austinspace.

The endless cold weather and snow has forced more studio shoots, and while fun I'm going a little stir crazy! Fortunately Kaeti was in town on school break. This was shot on my black-covered futon holding the camera above her (and not looking through the viewfinder) with the 10-22mm wide angle lens.

In Photoshop I merely blacked out the non-black areas around her and then darkened her leotard so that it essentially disappeared. So, while it may look like she's dancing, she's merely lying on her side. There are two Alien Bee b800 lights situated at her head and at her feet, too, along with some natural light coming in from our right.

What Kaeti does so well is pose with poetry. She knows how to use her hands and work her body in organic ways that seem natural and unforced. She's a joy to photograph and now I can't wait for her next break from school! More shots of Kaeti are here.

Melissa

121508, originally uploaded by austinspace.

This is one of about 400 shots taken the afternoon of Tuesday, December 15. Outside it was about 5º out, but in my little studio it was cozy warm.

The idea behind this shoot was to wrap Melissa in fabric of various sorts. We were very happy with this sequence as the fabric nearly makes her look like a mermaid and since I shot from below she's very tall and statuesque--and since she's actually 5'3 I think she liked the results very much.

More shots from this shoot--with many more to come--are here.

Sarha

Sarha, originally uploaded by austinspace.

I'm so far behind processing photoshoots that this image is from October 29, and I'm posting it here on November 25. And I'm still not done with this shoot--we've even shot again since then!

This photo and others surrounding it were taken at the local arboretum. They have such a huge variety of trees and other foliage that everywhere you turn there's a different kind of background. Makes for great photos, and it's a paradise for senior and wedding photoshoots. Every time I went there this Fall, there was at least one "professional" photographer leading couples, wedding parties or high school students around.

Sarha is easy to photograph. She's very graceful and almost sublime in almost every shot. She's attended a modeling school and does amazing makeup work as well, but it's her poise that sets her apart. I'm looking forward to our next shoot!

Alina

101608, originally uploaded by austinspace.

As the weather gets colder I find it's harder to motivate myself and a model to go outside and shoot. Thankfully, I have studio lights and a warm little room to shoot in! This shot of Alina is against a black backdrop and I believe she's sitting down. I'm using both of my Alien Bees 800s--one directly in front of her and the other high and to her left pointed down.

Alina's friend Sarha gave me two additional lights that are like mini-novas compared to my Bees, so it will be interesting to incorporate them into shoots. I did use them on this page and they're so bright they leave little shadow to play with. I prefer a little moodier than that, so we'll see how much I end up using them.

I'm pondering a remote battery power pack to haul my lights around on location. That would please Oriana!