Exploration with Culture
I had the pleasure to receive a call from past clients at Hair by Firefly, Bronwyn and Todd Baylor of Bainbridge Island, Wa. Together, with LK styling and Alexandra Jeanne Lorenz modeling, we created some stunning images that reflect their style and skill as artists.
A George Hurrell-inspired photography assignment creating a classy black and white 1920’s film noir/glamour shot. Involved set construction, props, wardrobe and some serious lighting skills. Here is my mortician with a new patient waiting behind the walls.
Location: SCCA Studios, Seattle, WA
Model: William O’Donnell
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
70mm, 1/100 sec at ƒ/7.1, ISO 100, tripod mount.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
To light this image of Stranahan Colorado Whiskey I used a giant soft box and placed two Profoto lights inside facing each other to blow out the background. With two large black cards left and right of the bottle, the edges became defined. Then with one Speedlite below and slightly in front of the bottle, which rests on plexi glass, I fired it to highlight the label. One final softbox was placed directly behind the camera and raised to hit the bottle at a 45 degree angle.
There were four exposures composited in PS5: bottle, label, cap and pour. To wrap it all up in post, the image was masked with a white background.
Location: SCCA Studios, Seattle, WA
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens
100mm, 1/160 sec at ƒ/22, ISO 100, tripod mount.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
Favorite edited version of a one-shot on-location assignment in Georgetown (Seattle, Washington).
Location: Georgetown, Seattle, WA
Models: William O’Donnell and Paris Gore
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM Zoom Lens
24mm, 1/250 sec at ƒ/7.1, ISO 500, tripod mount.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
I had to previsualize, find a location, bring models/props, light and execute for this pass/fail one shot on-location assignment. A homeless individual, living in squalor with his meager slice of privacy. A dirt bike rider, out for a thrill, looking to shred. The two collide in this scene.
Lit with four lights, I had one Q-flash camera left on the bum’s shelter, two Q-flashes camera right to spotlight and fill the biker, and one Speedlite with a blue gel behind the homeless person.
Location: Georgetown, Seattle, WA
Models: William O’Donnell and Paris Gore
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM Zoom Lens
24mm, 1/250 sec at ƒ/7.1, ISO 500, tripod mount.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
To depict the differences of diffused light and hard light on flowers, I created the following composition of an unknown flower species. Upon completion, the differences observed are slim. Diffused light – left. Hard light – right.
Location: SCCA Studios, Seattle, WA
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens
100mm, 1/200 sec at ƒ/5.6 & ƒ/11, ISO 200, tripod mount.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
Water, cracked grain and hops flowers from the hop vine. Three essential ingredients make the base of any beer. Add yeast and time, and your alcoholic beverage is ready.
For this shot I used the exact same lighting set up as the previous entry, but took two exposures for the final. One for critical focus on the dried hops and cracked grain, and another for the water pitcher. In PS5 I combine the two images with layers and masks for the final cut.
Location: Cameron Karsten Studios, Bainbridge Island, WA
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens
100mm, 1/5 sec at f/10, ISO 100, tripod mount.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
Two fantastic beers by Seattle’s Odin Brewery: Freya’s Gold and Odin’s Gift
Lit with two Q-flashes both camera right and camera left diffused with softboxes and sheets, and one Canon Speedlite with a orange gel on the backdrop. One LED flashlight placed behind the bottle illuminating the rear. Mist covered the plexiglass which the bottles sat upon, while condensation formed after freezing the bottles and placing them in a room temperature environment.
Location: Cameron Karsten Studios, Bainbridge Island, WA
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens
100mm, 1/30 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100, tripod mount.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
To create a narrative environmental portrait, I had three fellow photographers with one Elinchrom and two Triton strobes, as well as a lonely Speedlite. The Tritons were placed behind the subject through the doorway, with the Elinchrom resting beneath the camera pointed at the foreground and up the stairs. The Speedlite, attached to a PocketWizard, was placed directly at the feet of my subject (aka Tre). And once the exposure and lighting was perfected, I placed a handful of potato starch in Tre’s right hand. One. Two. He lobbed the starch over his head. Three. I released the shutter, capturing the four flashes while dragging the shutter to 2.5 seconds in order to absorb the ambient light and the fall of the potato starch. The effect? A man and his dog, come upon the viewer and suddenly something mystical transpires. The man is not who we think he is. Neither is his dog.
Location: U District, Seattle, WA
Model: Tre Williams
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM Zoom Lens
24mm, 2.5 sec at f/11, ISO 400, tripod mount.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
Apparel. The working man/woman’s gloves – Carhartt. Comes with a price, too. At just under $30, I purchased these with the intent of photographing and returning them. Taped to a hammer, stuffed with cotton balls and a sock, hung with 6lbs fishing line and stabilized with a chopstick. It was hung in front of a black background with two white cards camera left and camera right. There was a diffusion panel above and a gold reflector card beneath. Two Q-flashes camera right and camera left in Strobo mode each flashing fifteen times while I dragged the shutter speed to 1 second. After checking the exposure in LR3, I then shot the background, the top of a nail, with a 100mm Macro, and edited the final photograph in PS5. Viola. A fun shoot of construction and design, problem-solving and improvising.
Location: CK Studio, Bainbridge Island, WA
Camera/Lens Specifics: Canon 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Zoom Lens
50mm, 1 sec at f/16, ISO 200, tripod mount, trigger fired.
Post: Adobe LR3 & PS5
Cameron Karsten's Imaginarium 