Hey!
Last week i got the chance to shoot the Kaiser Chiefs, performing performing live in Cologne.
Front man Ricky Wilson threw his microphone into the rafters after the first song, and spend the next few songs singing up in to it while it remained suspended from the ceiling!!
Hope you enjoy the shots from the show!
Cheers, Ant
Hey!
Last night I shot White Lies, performing for the first time in Germany for a few years. The guys are currently touring their latest album 'Friends' - check it out here.
Hope you enjoy the shots from the show! A new episode of 'From the Photopit' from this show will be coming to my youtube channel soon!
Cheers!
Ant
Ever wondered how online sellers get their products to look almost like they've been CGI'd on to a white background, almost like they're floating?
Well, here's an example of how it really happens!
This image appears on a friends online shop:
The above image is directly out of the camera - no Photoshop, no sorcery (except for the text of course!).
...and here is how the magic happens...
This is what i used to achieve this image:
2 pieces of white card, 1 piece of glass from an old A4 picture frame, 3 speedlights, some transparent wire (fishing wire or something similar), a table and something to hold the wire. Of course, you need the camera, tripod and product itself!!
Here's the set-up, complete with 15 month old assistant:
So, there you have it! Not as technical as you'd probably think!
The biggest challenge is eliminating shadows. But that can usually be achieved by blowing your background out with flash. If however, you're not working with a white background, then it's going to be a bit more of a challenge! But, like in this situation, once you have you scene and your settings right you can wheel product after product in front of the camera and shoot away!
The main thing is - have fun!!
Until next time!
ALL pictures © Ant Palmer/Ape.Photos. Use ONLY with permission.
Hi!
A couple of weeks ago, i was assigned the task of shooting some fast driving at close quarters. A second assignment for me from Fiat took me to a disused air-force base, where a select group of customers had been invited to put some Arbarth and Alfa 4C's through their paces.
From a technical point of view, action photography is pretty straight forward - as fast a shutter speed as you can manage for the exposure conditions. I had a bright sunny day, so most of the time i was never below 1/1200th Sec, keeping the iso on 400 just to give me a bit of protection. Heat distortion was a bit of an issue early in the day - it was pretty hot! And with hot engines, the distortion just got worse. I'm pretty sure that the nearby airport didn't get many spotters in that weather! They would have been suffering the same problems as i was.
Things get a little more complicated with panning shots; getting the background to show motion-blur while keeping the car in focus. For this technique you need to bring your shutter-speed to below 1/120 sec, and track the car with the camera as it passes. Sometimes it's a hit, sometimes it's a miss. Practice makes perfect!
The afternoon though saw some cloud arrive, and with that, a serious reduction in the amount of heat-distortion coming from the tarmac and the cars!
All in all, a successful shoot!
ALL pictures © Ant Palmer/Ape.Photos. Use ONLY with permission.
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to shoot the Way Back When festival in Dortmund. The highlight act of the weekend were Augustines, who are currently on tour for the final time together - photos from their set will be coming soon.
The festival featured many other bands, including some great acts from the UK. Among them were newcomers Palace. The London four-piece have a really laid back alternative indie guitar sound. It really bought me back to some of Editors early work.
A great band who will hopefully go on to great things! Their debut album 'So Long Forever' comes out on 04.11.16. Pre-order now at http://po.st/PALSLFP
Check them out!
Enjoy the pictures from their set - and don't forget to share!
ALL pictures © Ant Palmer/Ape.Photos. Use ONLY with permission.
tap images to scroll through
When opportunity arrives, it can arrive in a number of ways. A chance meeting. An old acquaintance. A former client thats gone solo. You get the drift.
For me, a recent opportunity arrived in the post.
I received an invitation from a car manufacturer, via a local car dealership to attend the launch of a new model. The manufacture involved here was Alfa Romeo, which goes under the umbrella of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
In addition to the fact that the invitation was to enjoy an evening of free food and drink, I thought it also a nice opportunity for me to photograph something new. I called the RSVP number, and got through to a lovely lady who when I asked if i would be able to bring a camera with me responded with 'oh, i don't think we have a photographer coming!'
Here was the opportunity.
The lady i spoke to at Fiat put me in touch with the Marketing Agency that was organising the event. She was right - there was no photographer planned.
I spoke to the guy who was organising the event, and agreed that I would come along with my camera kit and we'd share the pictures. I wouldn't be paid for the work, but money was never in my plans here anyway - i simply wanted to take some pictures of the new car and the event in general.
Anyway, to cut a long story a little shorter - the agency and manufacture were happy with the pictures a shot. An error on my part was that i concentrated my shooting purely on the car, and not all the happy guests enjoying the hospitality. Lesson learnt there. Anyway, as i was saying, the pictures went down well enough that Fiat Chrysler have since brought me in again to do paid work at one of their events. Awesome!
The company have a full calendar of events for next year, so hopefully this is the start of great relationship - let's see how things develop in 2017!
A great article, courtesy of FStoppers:
https://fstoppers.com/originals/how-one-photographer-left-weddings-and-rediscovered-his-love-photography-146108
mmmmm... dampness
Well there it is! The Karma (Sutra). A new drone from GoPro, along with a new camera, the Hero5 were unvield to the public yesterday afternoon!
It flies, it folds, it looks awesome, and it may well have the guys over at DJI worrying!
Apeman is now officially looking for a review copy of this sucker!
Aerial photography is something that i've been wanting to get in to for a while. The problem is the cost of quality equipment is somewhat prohibitive. For what i shoot, concerts and cars from time to time, such a piece of kit would open up a whole new world and put me ahead of the competition! I need something like this in my life!
Gopro....if you're listening - i have the camera ready to roll for a review!! :)
Something is happening in the GoPro world. It's all sounding a bit saucy to me!
Ever missed a shot and tried to find an excuse? Well, there are none! Check out this guy!!
Hey guys!!
Wow! It's been a couple of weeks!! Sorry!
If you check out my YouTube page (www.youtube.com/c/apephotos) you'll see i've posted a couple of editions of 'From the Photopit' in the last couple of weeks.
I've also just uploaded a review (of sorts) of the Think Tank Turnstyle 20 Convertible sling bag. I love this little bag - it's so versatile!
The first shoot I took it on, i took all my equipment in my converted suitcase, and used the Turnstyle as a running bag, containing just what i needed for the part of the location i was shooting from, then returning to base to switch out kit as needed! Very handy!
It's also the perfect bag for shooting concerts with. It fits camera body, wide lens, tele lens and a speed light, along with a few bits and pieces. Basically everything that is required for a day shooting on a festival.
For the price (around €100 if you can find one!) it's unbeatable.
The biggest shame is that Think Tank products are so hard to find in Europe. There are importers and dealers of course, but they add their premium to an already premium price - making the products just on the border of affordability verses usability.
If Think Tank are out there reading this, then i'm going to selfishly request they send some of their products to me for review. If I can in anyway help to increase demand for Think Tank products in Europe then that can only be of benefit to us all, right? :)
a little magical bag of lushness
Here is a link to the video
Please give it a like, and subscribe to my channel for more!
And don't forget kids - Sharing is Caring!
Until next time!
Apeman
It's Monday again! But this time, it's Monday evening!
I don't really know the reason behind it, but most of my blogging seems to take place on a Monday. Maybe after a weekend of relaxing and reading other peoples blogs, i perhaps realise that i should be updating my own, and subconsciously that lodges in my brain on Mondays to-do list!
Or maybe i'm inspired or something.
Anyway, TV is dead. Is it? I know my 30 month old LG TV is dead (the f**kers!), and the kind folks at LG want more than i paid for it to repair it (the motherf**kers!)! but that's another matter.
What i mean is, is TV as a medium for us to watch visual content starting a decline? Nearly all of us have smartphones, and most of us have tablet computers, and those of us who have neither have computers. Those with us without computers probably don't have a TV - so it doesn't matter.
But what is making me ask the question is thinking about how my own habits have changed over the last 18 months or so when it comes to watching the custard.
My TV now lives a life almost exclusively for sport. I don't really watch anything else regularly on it other than football. However, i do consume a heap of video throughout the week.
I'm so in to youtube, and have been for a couple of years.
I probably discover 80% of my new music via YouTube. I would guess i watch about 20 hours a week of other content that i would describe as serious content - so proper shows or tutorial type stuff - not cats falling off things.
Then there's video on demand services such as netflix, amazon prime, BBC, etc etc. I do watch stuff on these platforms, but not much, as again most of what i do like to watch is available on YouTube.
Were it not for Youtube, my shitty LG TV would probably have died after 13 months!
Apeman
Hi folks!
Well, i said in my post last Monday that i wanted to try something new, and had decided to go with video.
Like i said, it seemed a little crazy not to jump on the band wagon given the fact that i have the necessary camera, lenses, lights, microphone, computer with editing software etc. I was just lacking the courage to take the plunge!
Well, i did it!
I already posted a video here last week. Since then i've posted a video from a shoot at the weekend, and have a couple more in the pipeline already.
I have set up a new youtube channel here
Hopefully there will be plenty more videos to come, so make sure you subscribe and check back regularly to see what i've been up to!
In the mean time, i hope you all have a great week!
Thanks for reading!
Apeman
Check out my latest video!
If you're having issues with missed focus, and you suspect your lens is at fault - watch this video!
In it i explain how you can set up a simple test to confirm whether you have a lens issue, or if you just need to shoot more and work on your technique!
Here's the link: https://youtu.be/PO4O-8MOe2w
Cheers!
Apeman
Hey,
So, it's Monday morning once again, another week is here, and a whole heap of empty hours await.
While it's always fun to be out shooting, sometimes it's difficult to decide what to shoot, where to shoot and sometimes even the motivation to be out there.
Thats where challenges comes in.
Photographers always set themselves challenges and projects to fill quiet periods, and now it's time i jumped on that wagon too.
There's sites and articles everywhere with suggestions:
50 pictures/one month etc with just one lens...
Shooting subjects with the same colour for a week...
the list of suggestions is endless.
My idea.... Video.
Why not!? Like many 'togs, i've a bag of expensive, sophisticated and quality camera equipment that also shoots videos!
Add to that, there is a platform where a lot of people make a lot of money from posting videos - the worlds second most popular search engine - YouTube.
Back in my college days i studied television production, alongside photography. Back in those days, both formats had something in common - film. The same goes for today - digital.
I can remember precisely nothing from my college days. So lets see if i can throw some kind of video together over the course of this week! You never know, i may make an appearance in front of the camera myself!
Until next time!
Apeman
Hey there!
So, it's Monday morning, and by this time you're probably on your way to work or wherever.
If your phone happens to be in your hand right now, why not hit me up on some social networks?
You can find me on the following services:
Tumblr - www.leapesportif.tumblr.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/apephotos/
Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/gp/99525380@N06/2A72BW
Twitter - https://twitter.com/leapesportif
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leapesportif/
Pinterest - https://de.pinterest.com/leapesportif/
Have fun!!!
Hey!
So, last week I talked about killing ambient light in order to create a low-key portrait. Well, this week, I've been having a play around with high-key light, again using just one speedlight!
When creating a low-key scenario with one strobe, the starting point is always the shutter speed. Simply, pump it up all the way to your cameras maximum flash sync speed. This is usually in the range from 1/200 - 1/250th of a second. This gives you your starting point to be able to create a dark image from a lit scene.
When creating a high-key lighting effect, the mission is to make your camera as sensitive to light as you can, while trying to maintain a correct exposure. Over-exposing slight isn't going to kill your image, but don't forget that simply over-exposing as much as you can to create the effect will result in a serious loss of detail in your final image, and something that is as good as un-savable in post!
In the image below, my set-up couldn't have been simpler! Usually two strobes as used in this method - one to blow out the background and one to light the subject. I used just the one flash, in room flooded with daylight.
So, in my shot, I used one light, set to 1/4 power, placed on a stand behind me and bounced off the wall and ceiling behind me. That was it! Having a white background is obviously a must. In this case I simply draped a white sheet over my sofa. Depending on the size of your room, or distance to subject, you may of course need to increase or decrease the output power of your light.
Set your ISO to something a little more sensitive, but nothing thats going to cause image degradation - I used ISO 400. As I was shooting a baby, that of course won't stay still, I couldn't shoot wide open. If I did, then I probably wouldn't have got a single sharp shot! f3.5 was used in this case to give me enough depth of field to allow for slight movement.
So - that's my base settings, then, It's just a case of bringing the shutter speed down enough to let the camera suck in plenty light!! My shot here was taken at 1/80 second at f3.5 ISO 400 with flash at 1/4 power and 24mm for a good spread of light. Some creasing in my background is still visible - so not completely blown out. This can be adjusted in Lightroom using an adjustment brush in the white, highlights or exposure channel. Easy! A word of warning though, be careful not to go to mad in Lightroom - you can end up with the image looking like the subject has been superimposed onto a white background - not good. I've left the slight shadow that was cast just to avoid this look.
I'll definitely be having a play with this set-up again soon! May next i'll try the trusted 2 light technique and report back!!
Kit used: Canon 7d, Tamron 17-50mm SP DI, Yongnuo YN-560III Flash with 560TX wireless trigger, Walimex pro lightstand, old bed sheet.
A couple of weeks back I wrote about having to shoot in low light. Not by choice either. Events and concerts are usually dark places. In the case of one concert I shot recently there was virtually no light whatsoever.
Now I want to write about deliberately creating a low light situation - or more so, killing the ambient light you have in order to create low light, or low key photographs. This type of shot is often used in portraiture, lifestyle and fashion photography.
Below are some examples of some shots i took during a shoot with a musician this week. These pictures were taken in a small living room (ca. 20 square meters), using one flash. Wait - flash? Shouldn't that mean bright, well lit pictures? Well, not always. The technique used here is known as killing the light, or killing the ambient light.
The method?
Well, don't worry about how bright the room is you're shooting in. Obviously, shooting outside in bright daylight or in a room flooded with midday sun isn't the best thing, but a light room won't derail things too seriously.
First, set your cameras shutter speed to the highest sync speed of your speed light - this is usually around 1/250th of a second. You may be able to go faster if you can use high speed sync. Next, select ISO 100 so as to make your cameras sensor as resistant to light as possible.
Finally, play with the aperture and get shooting. You basically want to end up underexposing your shot to the point that the picture is dark. Black in fact. Once you've metered your camera for darkness, it's time to add some flash.
For the best results you should have your flash stand and subject as far away from a background/wall as the space you're in allows.
Set your speedlight(s) firstly to low power and fire some shots - they may still be on the dark side, but you've got a good starting point from which you can then work with your subject and increase flash power as necessary until you get the desired result.
Here's some of my shots - don't forget, this small room was flooded with daylight, there wasn't much separation between the subject and wall either, but enough to provide a virtually non-existent background to remove in post. Dark and a little moody was what I was looking for, which I think I pulled off fine.
Kit used for these shots: Canon 7D, Canon 70-200 F2.8 IS II, Canon 580EX, light stand and 60x40 softbox.
