Hi gang,
I’ve broken down and created a tumblr account. I plan on using it as an virtual notepad where i’ll post ideas, pictures and all kinds of stuff that inspire me for shoots, editorials and stuff alike.
Check it out and follow it at http://morganmoller.tumblr.com
Cheers!
Annie Leibovitz said it best.
Music on a shoot isn’t just background music. It raises the mood, sets a tone. The right music at the the right time elevates a shoot. Music can make or break a shoot.
I wholeheartedly agree with her. It’s an essential part of my workflow, and therefor i wish to share it with you! This is music it usually put on an iPhone playlist and play on the background whilst shooting. There’s a bit of everything, which makes it interesting I think!
The complete playlist after the jump!
Hello everyone!
I’m just posting this quick message to tell you all that I’ll be taking a short break for a ski trip in the French Alps this week, and won’t be blogging meanwhile!
In the meantime here are some things to keep you busy!
http://rising.blackstar.com/will-the-ipad-save-photography.html
http://gizmodo.com/5458382/8-things-that-suck-about-the-ipad
Cheerioz!
M
Hi everybody,
I think there’s a universal feeling of well-being once the week hits friday for most people on earth, as it means the weekend is ahead. To keep you busy this weekend, here are a couple of tips, links, video’s etc…
1. Photographers Unite for Haiti
In the aftermath of the earthquake Haiti is still in dire need of help and assistance, and this project combines them both AND photography. Pitch in if you can, you might save lives.
http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2010/01/photographers-unite-for-haiti-fundraising/
2. Steve Jobs’ speech at the 2005 Stanford University Graduation.
Those following me on twitter (@morganmoller) already noticed that I posted it online, but it’s so inspiring that I thought i’d repost it here. Everybody knows Steve Jobs and here he gives a speech at Stanford University’s 2005 Graduation. The speech lasts for about 15 minutes, but you’ll remember it for the next 15 years. I promise. It’s really profound and deep, which is a side I’m sure (I would be included in this group) not many people knew SJ had. I won’t summarize what it’s all about, but just check it out. It’s amazing.
3. Interview with John Knoll.
Everyone’s been through it. You boot up Photoshop and you see this list of names whilst waiting and I’m sure that like me you’ve wondered who those people really are. Well here’s your chance to discover it. Thomas Knoll is the co-developer of Photoshop. It’s safe to say that if that man hadn’t been born, we’d have a very different workflow.
4. Martin Luther King Day
Europeans don’t usually celebrate this day, bit it’s a wide-spread holiday in the USA. It’s also an occasion to look back and connect the dots, as Steve Jobs would say. Lots of people have never seen this video, but I think it’s real important that you do.
That’s about it for this weekend, enjoy it!
Cheers,
M.
This is the follow up on the first story : What to shoot when everything’s been shot to hell – Part I.
If you’ve forgotten what that was all about, it’s probably partly my fault for nat making it interesting enough, or you’ve got a cerebral flaw 
6.Shoot with a different accessory.
I’m thinking of lenses. Use the non-traditional lenses for traditional landmarks. Use ultra-wide angles, lensbabies,
grad filters, custom settings,…again, this is a completely autonomous decision. I like to use ultra-wide angles for thin object. Models etc…
Lensbaby
7. Shoot the Details
If you’re coming up to something huge, like say Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia which isn’t photographable in it’s whole due to external circumstances (like remodelings,…) shoot the details. You’re not going to get a clean shot of the building as a whole anyway, so just shoot some detail of it. Sometimes, details of buildings like inscriptions, gargoyles, …are way more interesting then the building as a whole, where you have less detail (unless you are shooting an H3DII, which I suspect you won’t be on a holiday.Unless you are insured up to your ears/an heir to a hotel chain)
Market Lights, Istanbul Turkey, Nikon dSLR, Sandisk Digital Film
8. Shoot with a prime. (No, not Optimus)
Prime lenses offer great advantages. They’re generally seen as sharper, need less light and so on but for many people it isn’t a lens of choice for travelling due to the lack of zooming capabilities. I always have one in my bag though. The Nikon 50mm f/1.8. It’s cheap, weighs around nothing and is tack-sharp. What does it do besides that? Something an expensive lens like a 24-70 f/2.8 won’t make you do : move around. Annie Leibovitz said it best : ‘The best tripod are my two legs.’ She might not have had the math down, but the idea remains solvent. Without the zoom, you’ll be forced to move around, and thus find an exciting viewpoint to snap your shot. Also, look up! Tons of interesting things are going on above you, and I’m not talking about the mile-high club. Building ornaments are often the most impressive up high!
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-S DX
9. Shoot for HDR.
You might not get the chance often, but if you’re wandering in a city and don’t know what to shoot because it’s been shot to death, try shooting for HDR. Set your camera to bracketing mode, adjust your settings and find a makeshift tripod if you haven’t brought one. I found that stairs, walls and tables make for a great makeshift tripod. I like to shoot my HDR’s in a 2 stop increment, and end up with 3 files. Some people shoot in 5 files, but I think the difference is just too minimal and isn’t worth the extra files.
Also, when shooting HDR, it’s always great to have a remote to reduce camera shake. If you haven’t got a remote, use the timer function. It’s a free remote!
There’s one thing to remember though with HDR : Subtlety is key! Don’t over-do the effects in post-pro, you want to have an image with a broader-then-normal dynamic range, not a recruitment poster for Harry Potter.
10.Get that artsy shot.
Even if people might not get it (they probably won’t), don’t care about it and just shoot it. It’ll go in your personals, but who cares? It’s your photo, and not anyone else’s.
Jackson Pollock, MOMA-NYC, Nikon dSLR, Macro lens.
11. Don’t shoot it. At your own risk.
Make your own personal statement by NOT shooting it. Protective headgear recommended.
So, these were just a few tips regarding travel photography that I like to use when travelling.
If you’ve got some more, I’d love to hear ‘em and post them in the comments!
If you’ve liked this, and want more, check out my Facebook page at facebook.com/morgan.moller and twitter.com/morganmoller and off course, the blog @ mmphoto.be
Cheers,
M.
Hi folks!
Did a couple of portraits with for some guys who’re in a scouting group. Needed invidivual and group shots of the group and was happy to jump in . Flash them with harsh, bare lights . Loved makin’ em, don’t get that many chances to play with really hard lights.
Really wanted to create that very crips, desated, harsh-lighted portrait look, like you’d see with athletes. Evidently these weren’t but you get the point.
Light setup was a fairly basic setup. 2 monoheads on each side behind the subject at 1/32nd or so of full power, with no modifiers except their standard reflectors. The create that nice rimlight on the side of the face, and provide for the awesome white. Beautydish at 45° in front of them with a speedlight at 1/16th of it’s power. That makes the hard edges of the shirt, and the wall come out.
I really love the structure of the wall, it gives it that very hard and rugged look.
Since I wanted to create really overly crisp images, I chose the Nikkor 50mm f/1,8D @ f/8 , it’s sweet spot for that ultimate crispness. Upped it a bit in lightroom afterwards. ISO 200
Shot with a Nikon dSlr, 50mm lens, 3 flasheads on SanDisk Digital Film
Another one
Added some sweet little vignetting in postpro, but aside from that and the clarity there hasn’t been much done to these shots. Just clean, neat simple bodyshots.
Id doesn’t always have to be fairytales and elves!
Cheers,
M.
Is it me, or has the news been full of photography-related items lately?
First you have the controversy on Demi Moore’s bodyswitching with Victoria’s Secret Model Anja Rubik.
My simple question is : If it’s real, did the creative force behind this move really think they’d get away with it? There are certain limits in every field of business, and this is definitely one of those limits.
Another question that rushed through my mind is this one : What does Demi think of this? Surely it must be a blow to someone’s self-esteem to have your whole body replaced by another supermodel’s body except for the head. And the only reason that didn’t happen is because you’ve got a famous mug. Talk about crawling in a whole and dying.
Magazine retouching has always been a ‘sensitive’ area in the press, since the image they project nearly never resembles true life. But in my opinion, there’s a thin thick line between adjusting, and tweaking an image and completely and vulgarly replace it. Beauty is obviously an image that’s sensible to evoution in time, but what about self respect, self esteem?
The latest scandal involves Ella Rose Corby, a young aspiring model who graces the cover if this month’s Stab magazine. People busy with imaging, photography and the likes will immediately recognize the ‘stab’ towards GQ’s August 2009 cover featuring supermodel Bar Refaeli on the cover.
The problem here, it seems is that the girl is only 16 years old. Although the fact that she’s nude, she isn’t really ‘nude’, just like Bar Refaeli isn’t. The same thing happened with the scandal involving Annie Leibovitz’s portrait of Miley Cyrus, just a couple of months ago. The fashion industry is notorious for ditching models who are too old. Once you’ve hit that milestone, you’re out of the game no matter what. You might still look as good as you did 5 years ago, it doesn’t matter. This makes it logical to scout for younger girls, since the exit-age is decreasing every year. What’s too young then?
Is it due to the this time and age’s moral view on humanity? There are countries in the world where girls and young women are being sold as cattle to relatives, or even worse, the highest bidder far under the age of 16, but if she wants to make it her profession, 16 is just too young?
It’s an eternal discussion, with no clear and easy answer but i’d love to hear your thought on it.
M
Hi everybody,
I’ve been crazy busy with things lately, came back from New York and had tons to process. I know the posts have been very meager lately, but I wanted to share 2 quick tips for (fashion) photographers that don’t have a budget to spend on reflectors or windmachines.
Reflectors can come in very handy, but for the better one’s you need to cash out a lot of benjamins sadly. What I sometimes do is, I bought a styrofoam plate, cut it in half, glued the two halves to make it thicker, and then bought two rolls of aluminum foil. One silver and one golden. On each side I taped a slice of each, and voila! Two reflectors, a super lightweight-frame and about 5$ spent.
It might not be terrific in windy situations, since I guess it’s prone to flying away, but in a controlled, studio environment, it’s great. Plus, you can make all size and shapes with it! Imagine you had to but a huge sunbounce, that would set you back quite a bit.
The second tip, is also for fashion photographers and it’s a golden one. I’ll always remember a certain passage in Annie Leibovitz’s last book At Work. It was something along the lines of ‘if your picture is looking dull, there’s not enough wind’. Same thing is true for fashion photography especially. Wind creates energy, composition, and that little sparkle that gives your photo the extra touch it deserves. Now, windmachines like Bowens’ JetStream can set you back quite a bit, or even if you have the cash to spend, hauling a big Ritter fan across midtown can be quite of a hassle.
The thing is to take a big, rigid piece of plastic and in one sweeping movement from north to south waving towards the model. This will create a large gust of wind and give you that sparkle for you picture. Evidently, it requires somekind of assistand but if you’re on the cheap, it’s a great trick.
Hey, and they use it at Vogue, so it can’t be that bad can it?
Hi all!
Back from the first part of summer vacation and already had a blast up and until now. Visited some friends in France, and now back in good ‘ol Belgium. Had a chance to take some amazing pictures whilst there off course, and stumbled into a little something wonderful.
Found an old chapel, with tainted windows, ass-breaking wooden benches, old chapel book, the whole shabang. Couldn’t help but feel nostalgic in there. As soon as in wondered in there, the brain started funtioning like a cat locked onto a mouse. Different lighting schemes, there a studio strobe at 1/16th, another one there, plug it in and…wait what? This is a 15th century chapel, there aren’t any wallplugs? It hit me instantly. Speed lights were going to save me.
I’m going to share with you a golden rule by which I’ve been living on for quite a while. Always pack speedlights. Those little monsters come in when you need ‘em the most. Sure the batteries will most likely fail out on you, but they’re replaceable. Getting 3 speedlights in the local photoshop might turn out expensive (If they have ‘em in stock, which is a certainty they don’t).
Racked them up high on a buddy standing on a ladder outside trying to overpower the sun cause the sun wasn’t casting a glow inside them, blasting full power through the stained windows. Casts a nice light huh?
Hidden one in the altar pointing up to the ceiling to make the blue dome and stars really pop out.
Postpro was minor, although i did use the ‘Clarity’ slider significantly (love that) and a graduated green-orange filter to create the whole CSI:Miami vibe going on in these pictures.
Nikon dSLr, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 lens @ 10mm, ISO 200.
So, what did I learn? Well, really, really pack speedlight all the time. They don’t take up much space, they pack an incredible punch for such a small package, and when the time comes, they can really save your butt!
More coming up soon…(including the first home-brewed video for the blog!)
Cheerz!
M.
Just saw this ‘little’ thing on the net. I don’t know what you’re supposed to do with it exactly, except radiate all forms of human life in your viewer from this side of the earth. This sweet lil’ lens, coming in at a questionable 29,000$ will fill all your needs for the ultra-telephoto lens department. I’d advise it for candid wildlife photography, aerial photography and hunting down Osama Bin Laden.
What really cracked me up was the user review posted with the lens.
“The Sigma 200-500 is simply amazing. Yes it’s a little pricey, but if shooting long-range targets is your passion, this is the piece for you. Just last week I was using mine to shoot some deer out in a field. I was probably about 300 yards away from them. With the Sigma I was quickly and easily able to line up a nice shot. The detail on the image was amazing…so crisp and clear, so I could aim exactly where I needed with no fear of missing or blowing the shot. With that I pulled the trigger and took the shot. The deer dropped immediately. When I approached it I found my shot hit my mark exactly. The deer’s neck was almost completely separated only attached to the body by a small thread of flesh. Getting this deer head and neck mounted to display in my den was so much easier than normal as the part I needed was already separated from the deer. This is simply the best piece of artillery I’ve ever used. I highly recommend.”
The bastard, weighing in at 34 pounds will have you cramped up before you can read the lens’ full description.
However, it’s quite amazing at f/2.8, I’m sure some incredible aerial pictures will result out of this.
For all those interested, head over @ Amazon to order this. Oh yeah, and use a Gold credit card. I don’t know if a lot of cards accept this kinda limit .
Cheerz,
M.
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