BTS: For Colored Girls...

As an artist, I really appreciate and fascinated by the dark skin tone. I find it interesting how you can get some different shades of tones depending on the type or quality of light falling on it.

I got inspired and started a  project of photographing women of color. I decided to use my simple #onelight setup in photographing the models.

As seen in the photo above i used Godox RS600P in a 120cm octabox on camera right and silver reflector on camera left for fill. It is my basic light setup that runs through almost all my photos.

I shot on this flowery patterned curtain that i've always had in my studio but hadn't realize it would make such good backdrop.

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All photos were taken with Canon EOS 6D with Canon 135 f2L.

I'm hoping to do more blogging this year and share with you behind the scenes photos and videos of projects that i will be doing.

Enjoy!!!

Just My Way of Retouching...

I've had a lot of people asking me of how i edit/retouch my photos after shoot. So i decided to post a speed video of my workflow. It's about an hour and half long but i managed to speed it up to about five minutes.

But i would like to say that...I am not a retoucher. My retouching skills are still not perfect. I just let my intuition as an artist guide me. I just do what feels "cool" for me. I use what i know to get what i want.

The most important thing is that I achieve whatever look or mood i am looking for in my photos 80% or 90% in camera. The rest is just how i play with the editing software which is Lightroom and Photoshop. The photo must be good already. Lightroom and Photoshop just helps me to enhance photo to be better. Now...if the photo is already bad you'd rather enhancing it to be worst.

 As you can see in the photo above, there is not much difference. There is only retouched skin and tonal difference. Everything else was achieved in camera. 

I will only advise that you become a good photographer. Make you of the tools available to you to achieve great results. Don't rely too much on softwares and plugins. Be an artist with your camera. Learn how to use it to achieve great results.

Watch the video on how i worked on this photo:

 

My Favorite Photos This Year...

This year has been good. I can only be thankful God for how far He has brought me in life and in my craft as an artist. I have learnt a lot this year and had eye-opening experiences. I was going through photos I've taken this year and i decided to share some of my favorite photos through out this year. I've enjoyed doing portraits, fashion and commercial photography this year. I also realized that my talent and craft is really appreciated in these three genre of photography. 

 I'm not saying these are my best photographs...but these are my personal favorites. The best is obviously yet to come. I used #ONELIGHT for all of them. Take a look at them;

Happy New Year to all of you. Thanks for your time.
2016 is going to be a great year.

One Light and Drawing With Light...

Helloooo!!!! Well i know it's been quite a while now. I have felt very lazy to blog even though i have been doing a lot of shoot lately. Friends and fans have convinced me to bring me back now and i promise to update regularly about my shoots and what I've been up to. I promise!!! :D..

Now my movement is and going to be #onelight and #drawingwithlight.

Basically #onelight because I've realized that most of the times that's just all i needed. I love simplicity.I love to create awesome portraits with simple and basic equipment and sometimes with a lot of improvisation. I rarely use more than one light for most of shoots now. The highest number of lights i probably will use for my shots is two light, which i rarely do. I've seen great photographs by great photographers all achieved with #onelight. It is amazing what one light can do. I find using multiple lights distracting lately. I love it when i have to shoot outdoor or location because then i get to use the sun as my backlight.

My setups for shoots are quite simple now...ONE LIGHT and i don't boom my light anymore. I put it on either camera left or right, raise the stand and point the head of the light down to my subject. 

   
I also go by #drawingwithlight because i see myself as an artist. Just as the painter picks up his brush or pencil to draw a portrait of a subject is the same way i pick up my camera draw the portrait of subject with light. 

Take a look at some of the photos i've taken with my simple #onelight technique as shown above.

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I'm back...

Hello Guys… i know it's been a long time since my last post last year but i'm back now. Been mostly busy with school and work so i don't really get time to post some of the projects i've been working.

Anyway, I shot  an awesome person recently. She is a Fitness Instructor and a Health Coach called "Fitvolution" MaaBena and she makes the fat in your body cries. lol

Here are some of the shots:

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Light: Jinbei FL II 500 in a 47" octabox on camera left. YN560 (bare) behind her on camera right, YN560 right behind her pointed to the wall.

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Light: Jinbei FL II 500 in a 47" octabox on camera left. YN560 (bare) behind her on camera right, YN560 right behind her pointed to the wall.

As you already know. I SHOOT ANYWHERE!

OH! By the way…you can check out my new website now :)

           

http://www.oabphotography.com

Comments are welcomed. :)

I Shoot Anywhere... :)

Over the past weeks i have been busy working on new projects. I decided to collaborate with few friends who are into make up and styling to do new portfolio stuff and i think i'm going to do this alot. It is way better to collaborate with professional make up artists and stylists than to come up with concepts all by yourself. Team is better.

As usual, the magic happened.  Check some of them out.

Model: Carine Dossou

MUA/Stylist: Evita Joseph

Canon EOS T3i

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Light Setup: Jinbei FL II 500 in a 47" octabox on camera left, a reflector below. YN560 behind model on camera right for rim.

Canon EOS T3i

50mm

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Light Setup: Jinbei FL II 500 in a 47" octabox on camera left, a reflector below. YN560 behind model on camera right for rim.

Canon EOS T3i

50mm

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ISO 100

Light Setup: Jinbei FL II 500 in a 47" octabox behind model on camera left, a reflector below. YN560 behind model on camera right for rim.

Amazingly, these photos were not shot in a "studio". They were shot here:

The background is just an ash-painted plywood and those brown stuff on it is dirt. I could have just wiped it off but i thought it was interesting compared to just a plain ash background. :D

As i always say... THE WORLD IS MY STUDIO.