Many things were different about photographing weddings this year. Mainly the lack of people at weddings and/or no wedding at all…just the couple. Luckily all of the couples I work with have been flexible in still making things happen in this alternate universe called 2020.
Jess and Mike joined us for a trip around Edison, NJ to do an extended portrait session. We found an exceptional location in Roosevelt Park (near Menlo Park Mall) and made the most of it.
Special thanks to David Alonso for second shooting this with me. He’s the nicest guy around!
"Born in the U.S.A." redux by Christopher John Sztybel
GIZMODO ran a pretty cool “Shooting Challenge” called “Steal”. Recreate a well-known photograph. I love this sorta stuff! When the “Steal” contest was announced, I thought of a few pop culture photographs that have both a commercial value as well as artistic merit.
The artwork for “Born in the U.S.A.” has always stuck out in my mind. I am a huge fan of Annie Leibovitz. Especially her more simple compositions. The message behind the album title (and title track) should be noted as a remembrance of the men and women who have served the United States in both popular and unpopular wars. My dad served in the Vietnam War and I thought this would be a great iconic photograph to emulate.
Set design
One white t-shirt
One pair of blue jeans
One red baseball cap (Thanks for letting me borrow the hat, Vin!)
One large American flag
One male model
The American flag was clamped to a fence (You can get an idea of the setup by taking a look at the photo to the right.) Since my remote for the camera was dead, I had to get creative with focusing the lens. The trash can in the backyard was placed approximately 2 feet in front of the fence. Then I focused on the trash can. Then I removed the trash can from the scene and replaced it with Ralph’s chew toy. A little rubber doughnut to be specific. The doughnut was my standing marker. After pressing the shutter, a 10 second timer would give me just enough time to get into position.
The project would have been a lot easier with another person helping me. Oh well!
Lighting setup
I did my best to replicate the lighting from Annie’s original photograph. I couldn’t find much detail on her original shoot, so I did my best to emulate her setup.
Sunrise
Canon 7D onboard flash
Canon 430EX
Canon 580EX II
Shooting information
Model: Canon EOS 7D
Exposure: 1/250 @ f5.0
Focal Length: 50mm
ISO Speed Rating: ISO 200
Lens: EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Post-processing
I made it a goal to strictly limit the post-processing techniques to those of a photographer back in the mid-1980s. Photoshop did not exist. Although I shot digitally, I used an extensive amount of dodge/burn techniques to emulate the methods of that era.
This update features something that inspires me. Music! I cannot properly work on photography or design without music. For the lovely Lindsay’s birthday, I wanted to play a couple songs from the 1980s with our friends in Beer Goggles. Boogs and I love music from the 1980s and she’s never seen me play with a band. It’s healthy to scream from time to time!
That Werks is pleased to announce our photography/videography services. I’ve turned another one of my hobbies into a business. Keeps things fun! Definitely love the still image and HD video capability of the Canon 7D.
That Werks is pleased to announce our photography/videography services. I’ve turned another one of my hobbies into a business. Keeps things fun! Definitely love the still image and HD video capability of the Canon 7D.