i am sam...

Inspirations

2009-10-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to look outside of photography to get some inspiration. I visited an art museum today. New perspective on how other people views the world. Nothing much though. I am still a visual animal. Anything that is visually stimulating is an eye-catcher to me. The fun part for today, i was able to spot a twitter (BIRD)!

Here are some visually stimulating photos:

* 1 DHMS = $3.65 you do the math

B&W

2009-09-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am always fascinated by B&W photos of the pros. I wonder how to achieve it in photoshop? Tried one today and i'm happy with the result. Here's the sample and the process used.

(Image > Adjustments > Desaturate & Image > Mode > Lab colors)

(Filter > Other > Highpass)

Make a new Curve filter layer

Have a play with the opacity of the highpass layer and the curve. Don’t overdo the highpass. Too high radius and you end up with halos around your subjects, especially in high contrast. Too much opacity on highpass will also look like a bad jpeg. Always use with moderation.

Arabian Ranches Fashion Shoot.

2009-09-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Time planned: 4 A.M. - 9 A.M.

Damn hard to wake up early morning when you had to edit 300 photos the night before.

But here I am excited about fashion shoots. I don't have a car yet and lugging my stuff for a location shoot is a very big problem. Good thing i have another photographer present at the shoot. Thank you so much Allain and Rochelle for the lift. 3 Models: Tanya, Therese and Anna blessed with height and graceful physique. After all the preparation,we started shooting at around 7 am. The first batch of photos looks great but after 8 AM the light became harsh and humidity is like raised to 100! Wonderful on location kind a setting. Used a part of an old toilet (even if the models were a bit uneasy with it.) I love their look when they say, "EEEWWWW YUCK!" hahaha

Everything went perfectly. Thanks to everyone's hard work we came out with magnificent photos in a short period of time. Very efficient people to work with.

This is a collaborative work with fashion designer Suzi Hawkins for her own brand SuziQ that you can find at .

Wedding time!

2009-09-05T08:55:00.001-07:00

I've been asked to shoot a wedding. Never tried weddings before but it's always great to try something new. So here i am shooting engagement shoot for Jack and Rhea. Do you know how they found me? Through Facebook. yeah, that's right Facebook. The no.1 Social Networking out there. The internet is a real technological innovation that one should know how to use.

Going back, I'll be shooting my first wedding on the 2nd of October. I'll prepare for that one. I'll make sure to get a second shooter just in case something goes wrong. I pray nothing goes wrong but having a backup plan is better than answering to angry bride and groom for not having the asked photos of their wedding day.

playing with grids

2009-08-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

Alien bees grid spots are fun to play with. It's very hard to use compared to other modifiers because you can't see the light. But with grids, we are more creative! here are some photos.

Black and White Conversion

2009-08-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

I have always loved black and white photos. The elegance, beauty and classic feel of these photos are just so timeless. I was reading through Digital Photographer magazine and I've learned something about black and white conversion that i would like to share with everyone.

Let's start with opening your image in photoshop and add a channel mixer adjustment layer. Make sure to TICK the monochrome box and set RGB channels to: Red=100, Green=6, Blue 2. Then, Hit Ctrl+J to Duplicate the layer. Let's work on the background layer so Click the eye to the left of the TOP Duplicate layer to hide it. Now on your background layer, Use Shadow/Highlight to reveal detail in those deep shadows and alter the shadow slider until you are satisfied with the details in the dark areas of your photo. Click on the EYE on the top most layer (duplicate layer) and click on the top layer so we could work with this layer. Use the Eraser tool to erase areas in your photos that are too dark revealing the adjusted layer underneath. Flatten the image and select IMAGE>ADJUSTMENT>Brightness/contrast before boosting the contrast slider to suit your taste!

I'm a beginner when it comes to photoshop and i just want to share how i learn things from time to time.

Hello Blog

2009-07-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since i last posted sonething here. Things have been very busy lately. Project Profile is a big success for me to have photos up my Portfolio. Collaborative work with Tripet Gharial, London based Wedding MUA has been a great help to me. It has been hard balancing day job with photographic life in the evening but it has been a great experience for me. Let me post some of the behind the scene shots when i get the time since i like captured moments (After i register with PhotoBucket because i can no longer access my Flickr account since Network providers in hte UAE has blocked the site).

I also need to get my Alien Bees receiver fixed because it went flying during one of the photoshoot! i should have gotten some velcro to put that thing into place. Stand for sb900 has also been damaged and i need to find a replacement for that. Now comes the importance of BACKUPS.

installed twitter within my website

2009-06-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

I just installed Twitter Alpha within my website.This short video will describe what it is.

i don't know much about it but i will explore more later.

Project Profile

2009-06-20T00:22:00.000-07:00

I lot of things has been going on my mind lately. All things photography that is. I've been thinking of a personal work that i will call "PROJECT PROFILE." This is a project wherein i will photograph willing people here in the UAE. It Doesn't matter what nationality or what work they are in. It can be Models, sales people, corporate guys, aspiring talents, dancers, waiters, drivers, labourers etc. As long as they are living and breathing they are prospects! What they get in return are quality photos they could keep use for whichever purpose it may serve.

There are a few things that i need to note. If ever i work with models, i would sitdown with them and brainstorm on a concept that they would like to work on. We will also talk about makeup artist if we find one that will work for FREE in exchange for images in a portfolio.

I am starting to build a niche into Lifestyle/portraiture photography. So with this project i am to develop my skills in shooting more into lifestyle or portraiture.

LET THE PROJECT BEGIN!

2009-06-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

Another dayoff adventure. Brought my gear except light modifiers. Ate at a restaurant, walked a mile under the scorching Dubai sun and did what i love most, I took photos of the trip. Starting at the restaurant, i love the light. backlit which gave a glow feel in the atmosphere. metered her face to give it a reading of +1 since she's white ( using zone system created by master photographer Ansel Adams). Used spot metering for most of my shots. IT's the most accurate metering out there and most of the time my camera is set to spot metering.

We got to the beach and i thought everything would be great and all Until i saw a big warning sign at the police outpost... "NO CAMERAS ALLOWED ON THE BEACH!" Crap. big crap. But that wouldn't stop me from taking photos. i had my camera wrapped inside a towel while i took shots. hehehe i was also able to notice that one of my lens has the sharpest quality at f8. dang. f8. f8. f8. that just stuck to my head. wasn't able to bring out long 70-200 because i'll be needing a bigger towel for that.

How i just wish there's more people to photograph here in Dubai. It's not as easy as it is back home. I promised myself to shoot like crazy when im back in the Phils. XDEAL anyone?

and yes, i'd shoot for FREE!

new triggers

2009-06-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

Testing new triggers that just arrived to day. Their so small and could really fit your pocket. I need to do something to keep them from dangling off of my flash. Maybe some double sided tape and some Velcro will do the job. Anyway here are some shots taken. USED JPEG because i am not interested with editing later on, i am only testing the range of these babies.

Photo#1 is the view from below my apartment and about 2 basketball courts away. ( Sorry guys. I'm not good with Math so let's just imagine things in our head, okay?) speed at 250th @ f2 ISO 200.
Photo #2: Let's walk a little farther this time. Now I'm like 2 basketball court away from my flash. Slower shutter speed to let the ambient burn in. Btw, my flash is at the 6th level of this building. that's the one with blue light. WB set to Auto and since there's much more tungsten light it adapted a tungsten color balance rather than a flash color balance so my flash turned a little buish in color.
Photo #3: now i'm at the farthest possible distance from my flash. i'm around 4 basketball courts away. DANG! it still fires. one more step back and my flash won't be able to receive data from the trigger. LEt's burn the ambient so you could see it better.
Here we go, slow speed at 1/2 sec handheld. ISO 200 and F2.My flash is at the 6th level of the building. That's the one with the bluish lighting caused by my flash. (^_^)
I'm excited to try this on my next shoot! So where the hell can i get a model? hmmmmm...

Greased Lightbox

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BIG MOMMA!

2009-05-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

My Wescott 50" softbox arrived yesterday and i've tested it already. First impression: DAng it's BIG! But the light that comes out B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. softlight. I'm a sucker for soft light. It gives out a diffused light and because of it's gigantic size the light wraps around the subject as though it's an available light from big momma sun.

here are some photos:

This modifier is a really great thing to have but my problem now is where to place this thing? I need to purchase a bag to carry this thing around.

Now that i have a modifier, i'm still waiting for the alienbees trigger to complete my set up.

A big question would be: "What's next?"

Greased Lightbox

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white white white

2009-04-20T14:31:00.001-07:00

I've been in love with the white background lately. That pure white brings out the subject quite good. so this is how i shot this one. Beleive it or not, this was taken inside her laundry room. here's how it looks like
What attracted me to this room was its white walls that could bounce light in every direction. Placed the speedlight at her back then dialed it at 1/8th giving me a good reading at the back of my cam. Without post processing this is what i got:
The only thing i needed was to make that background pure white with the dodge tool, delete the door lock and add a little contrast and VOILA! Got myself a white seamless. (^_^)

p6000

2009-04-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

YIpee got my P6000 today! I promised myself to press that shutter a gazillion times to master fstops and shutter speed combinations.

will explore more later. looking at the lens, it says 6-24 mm 1:2.7-7.2. hmmm at 6mm? again.. hmmm..

will give feedback in a few days.

will squeeze some shutter.

*MONKEY PRESSING BUTTON* activated!

light wraps

2009-04-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Time to master my one light. Let's setup my speedlight, camera on a tripod with 70-200 (it looks like BUTT! leaving a green spot in the center of the frame. damn... need to buy a new lens when shooting in a white background) because i needed to compress the background and a remote shutter. If i've used my wide angle, you could have seen the fridge and dining table because it was just an arms reach to where i was standing.

What really made the shot was the diffused light from the four WHITE walls that surrounded our dining area. When i bounced my flash to the ceiling it bounced light all over the place leaving the subject wrapped in a cloud of light giving that diffused soft light. If you think of it, it's like a BIG SOFT BOX. i only made use of PP to to alter the composition and add a little contrast.

When there's no one to shoot, do some self portraits. Who knows, you might like what you see.

These shots were lit with one light @ 8pm...INDOOR.

Things to tickle your mind:

no ambient at 1/200th.

used bare flash.

then where is the light coming from? That's easy... from 4 AA batteries of my speedlight. hehehe

growing into a studio..

2009-04-20T14:21:00.001-07:00

This is the last day for GPP and i have attended GROWING INTO A STUDIO by Zack Arias. The event was sponsored by PROFOTO (man i wish i had this gear because with the basic 3 light setup it amounts to 55 thousand dirhams x 12 into pesos, you do the math). Anyway, i have the first photo as shown how to use the white seamless with the basic 3 light setup. i wanted a full body shot but my lens wont permit me. I'm using a 50 mm 1.8 and it looks like a BUTT on a white seamless. i have to buy a sharp lens for this kind of setting.

Next step.... triggers, modifiers, softboxes, lightstand home studio....

Chase Jarvis' iphone

2009-04-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

Chase Jarvis took a quick snap at GPP using his Iphone

I'm at the left side raising my right hand. hahaha!

here's the link: http://twitpic.com/2rbuk

The Masters...

2009-04-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's now Photofriday here at GPP (gulf photoplus). Starting my day with a lecture from Joe Mcnally, "The Moment It Clicks." Followed by The Business of Photography by Drew Gardner, Chris Hurtt, Zack Arias with the head of GPP MOhammed Somji. Then to "Making the web work for you" by David Hobby, Chase Jarvis and David Nightingale. Ending the day with EDITING YOUR WORK by Zack Arias.

Photos aren't that clear because i was not using an external flash thinking it might distract the lecturers/masters. So I've pumped up the ISO to 800 so shots are a little grainy. i can't go into a closer view too because attendees might be annoyed by my presence so im stuck to where i was sitting.

After the lecture of Joe McNally, i got to squeeze in the big crowd to get my copy of THE MOMENT IT CLICKS and HOT SHOE DIARIES signed by the NIKON AMBASSADOR as what they call him.

After that, i needed a shot with JOE McNally so i handed my Camera to the nearest person and asked him to shoot a frame of us....SAD to say that guy has shaky hands so here's what he got....grrrr

Got some shots of David Hobby the Master Strobist along with David Nightingale and Chase Jarvis.

and of course, ending the lecture series with Zack Arias!

*ahem, i wouldn't leave without Zack signing my DVD of his onelight worshop!

Oh man, i just love this world of PHOTOGRAPHY!

peek-cAt-boo

2009-03-23T12:42:00.001-07:00

annaliza-05, originally uploaded by samcoran.

I've been attacked by a mysterious cat in one of my photo sessions. Not once but TWICE!

Maybe this cat was once a model in it's previous life. (^_^)

Oh well, just wanted to share this. hahaha

garhoud bridge

2009-03-16T15:21:00.001-07:00

garhoud-79, originally uploaded by samcoran.

2 weeks has gone by and here i am still shooting immovable objects. IF only there were young high school or college people wanting to have xdeals that would be great! Dream on sam not in DUBAI. Anyway, i have never enjoyed shooting landscapes because there's just no interaction compared with shooting people.

What else has been happening...

oh yeah been thinking of a website that could host my folio...

Got the critique back from NYI for my photos.
Things to remember, do not rely too much on PP (no more ACTIONS for me)
Photography = TALENT , PP = TECHNIQUE
Concentrate on one thing at a time. So start with PHOTOGRAPHY.
Less on shooting 2.8 or lower to get more focused subjects.
Portraits = EYES!

Need to finish two more projects. 1 LAndscape. 2 pix of 3 or more peeps.

here are the shots taken under the bridge. no photoshop!

only one pix was converted to monochrome and the rest are in camera adjustments. Even though i was bored (with landscapes), i still enjoy pressing the shutter! I guess I'm a monkey pressing button after all... hehehe

Shot details for the bridge:
f10 30 seconds
CPL to cut glare(a little) and light too!
Optimized image: MORE VIVID
long exp. NR = ON
ISO 100
D80 kit lens 18-135 lens at 18 mm.
and...... TRIPOD!

kei

2009-03-01T05:26:00.001-08:00

kei, originally uploaded by samcoran.

I am to leave for Dubai tomorrow at 5:50. As of now, here i am looking at all the photos i've taken for the past 2 weeks here in the Philippines. I have filled up almost 10 gb of hard drive space consisting of all raw images of just 6 photo opportunities. Good thing i've got a 500 external hard drive space to back em up or else my Laptop will work very poorly because of pictures eating up the free space.

This photo is one of the best photos I've taken during this vacation. YES I've printed a 10x12 copy of it just to show people how beautiful this photo is(Thanks to gorgeous KEI)!

Hope to work with you again in the future KEI!

Details for the shot:

Sb900 connected with an sc 29 i-ttl cord

full CTO gel (ambient light was tungsten)

Hotshoe lastolite softbox

50 mm f2 at 1/200 sec.

Sumi

2009-02-19T10:44:00.001-08:00

sumi-31, originally uploaded by samcoran.

Another great day for portraiture. Sumi and friends brought me to this location unknown to almost everyone and it has to be one of the best locations photographers could shoot! They told me its free. Just to make sure, i ran up to the guard and ask. (Rather be safe than have my whole gear confiscated!) The guard told me to go to the Administration office. So i did and he also told me it's free. When i got to the office, FRIGGIN HELL! they were charging us 6000 just to shoot! I was with students and we mentioned it's just some project that we have. Pissed, we bid farewell to that lady and went back to the location.

Sneak attack! We decided to shoot anyway. HARHARHAR

and a group picture for the finale. hehehe

Light Nuke'EM

2009-02-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

2 light setup. 1 with full power and the other at 128. hehehe Extremes, right?

Really cool. So here's how, placed the full powered flash (because it's a slave flash and can only bring out full power at all times! where the hell did my brother get this?) at the far left around 7 feet following the inverse square law and the other flash at 128th around 12 inches away from me. hehehe

This is what i got. Done a little cropping and enhanced contrast to add more drama to the pix. yeah that's my little brother curious of the LIGHTNING FLASH!

details:

2 lightstands, 2 softboxes
2 flashes 1 with radio trigger and sb900 at slave mode
camera setting 400 iso 1/1.3 sec. and kit lens 18-135 mm.
Camera on a tripod.

oh yeah and a remote to trip the shutter.

hehehe!

2009-02-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Hey hey hey. I'm currently in Manila. Home sweet home. TO get things started, i took some shots of my sis, bro and mom. Can't think of a location, so the nearest one would be QC Circle. While i was taking shots, the security guard approached me and said taking photos needs a permit. WHAT THE F***? Im inside a public park why the hell do i need a permit? sheesh i didn't even include the memorial in my photos. tsk tsk tsk! Oh well, took more shots and left the place.

Strobing around as i brought my sb900 along with my lastolite softbox. I did dial the available light two stops underexposed to make the subject pop and yet it seem not to pop that well. it might be my lens? or the distance of the light? or the intensity of my strobe? toom any things going through my mind. That only means... i need more practice.

Presets

2009-02-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

I find myself drowned with presets lately. I didn't know editing would be that easy with tens of thousands of presets. Note that not a single preset could apply to all photos. You must experiment and once you're satisfied with it then it's good to go.

I also learned how to watermark photos with Lightroom2 slideshow module. Everyone's doing it and i didn't have the slightest idea how to do it. harharhar!

As promised, here's the link guys.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/presets/discuss/72157612664073371/

Child photography

2009-01-28T12:18:00.000-08:00

I was invited to photograph a child so beautiful and so cute as if she was an angel. It's a little hard to photograph children because they have an attention span of 10 seconds or maybe less. So, with the photos I've taken i got to salvage some decent shots. (^_^)

I just love this child infront of my camera. She's just so natural and innocent.

Details.

50 mm 1.8 nikkor
1/80th of a second
lastolite hotshoe ezybox
sb900 with orange gel to control WB since the place was filled with tungsten light
WB tungsten
I-TTL cord sc29 flash value +1
built in flash Commander Mode
ISO 100-400
ambient underexposed by two stops
For more photos visit my MULTIPLY and FLICKR accounts!

madinat at night

2009-01-23T22:29:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to enter the Burj Al Arab because i had a very big tripod that the security could notice. so dumb of me. Anyway, i did sneak in my tripod to the nearest Mall called Souk Madinat and got an amazing view from inside the Mall and the Burj itself. Settings were F8 at 30 seconds 18-135 kit lens and placed on self timer to avoid camera shakes. 5 pictures shot in portrait (horizontally) stitched together in Photoshop CS3 and here's the result. The second picture consists of 2 picture shot in landscape(horizontally) and stitched together in Photoshop.

Birthday

2009-01-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

Flirty thirty is the theme of his upcoming birthday. I admire his talent for creativity and social ability.

Shot with a 50mm 1.8 flash at 1/16th power with a shoot through umbrella. Umbrella's at 3 pm about 3 feet away.

Here's one for you and Happy Birthday!

2009-01-21T05:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, she's a Filipina. I just love beautiful women!!!!! When i took these shots she was still working as a receptionist for our company. Now she's one of those FLY EMIRATES gals.

Backyard Photography!

2009-01-21T04:42:00.000-08:00

i got bored and went out to take some shots of the ongoing construction next to my building.

here's what i got.

For more photos visit my multiply site: http://samskee.multiply.com/

2009-01-21T04:37:00.000-08:00

Her name's Porsche. Just like the car... Porsche. Why? Because she works at Porsche. She's my ever generous friend who treats her friends because she's damn generous. Did i mention she's generous? oh yeah i did. Quite redundant blog post. hahaha see yah around Porsche! (^_^)

first shots

2009-01-21T04:24:00.000-08:00

She is a lovely little girl. Her name is Ariana. Father's an Arab and her mother's Portuguese. (^_^) she's one of my photo projects for New York Institute of Photography under the topic of child photography.

She's so so so so adorable. (^_^)

Taken with 50 mm 1.8 nikkor.

deadsmack middle

2009-01-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

After following the rule of thirds for quite some time i just couldn't figure out where to put this tower within the frame till i placed it right in the middle. hehehe (^_^)

post processing

2009-01-20T22:09:00.001-08:00

Here i am, stuck in my room post-processing some pictures. I wanted to create that neutral color effect some photographers do. I also have processed a black and white pix wherein black and white pix are judged by the lightest and darkest parts of the exposure. so i made sure i get those areas real clear with my black and white photo. These pictures were only processed in lightroom. I need more learning when it comes to Photoshop.

pano

2009-01-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

trying out panorama.... why the hell is it so small? hmmm i need to readjust some settings in Photoshop. That's 6 photos stitched together night setting at f8 10 seconds.

3 pm flower

2009-01-07T04:16:00.000-08:00

It's 3pm and i have no model to shoot. I'm in a secret garden (wherein only employees are allowed to sneak in) and shot everything that my eyes can see. Here's a chance to practice my strobe as well. Here's a shot taken at 3 pm in the afternoon with a 50 mm 1.8 lens and my strobe powered at 1/4th which made the whole background black. I can't remember if the lens aperture was at 4 or 1.8. This was also post processed to remove the green leaf hanging on the left side of the photo and cropped until only the flower could be seen. Contrast was also increased to make the flower a bit more red and pink.

Come to think of it, this photo looks a pix from a horror movie wherein i shot the hand of an undead while it was holding this flower. looks cool though! hehehe

mixing with ambient light

2008-12-25T10:08:00.001-08:00

i am still practicing how to control my strobe. Here's a shot with camera's built in flash as a commander with a a null light equivalent and a strobe placed on top of the table at the left side (the shadows will tell you that). Strobe is on manual at 1/16th power. Camera's f4 and at 1/10th of a second. i'm having problems on how to get more of the ambient light in. I don't have a light meter (yet) i'm only basing my readings from the histogram of my cam. if you have an idea, feel free to leave a message. thanks!

desert safari

2008-12-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

After a year in Dubai, i finally had the chance to go to the desert. here's the proof! (^_^)

New York Institute of Photography

2008-12-20T20:47:00.000-08:00

To get my ass started with Photography i have enrolled myself in an institution far away from home. Modules are sent via mail (snail mail). It takes about a month before you get the first set of modules and the other set would be sent to you after another month. So far, I'm halfway into finishing the short course in Photography. I'm having second thoughts whether to enroll in the Professional course that they offer or go for another school like the Picture Perfect School of Photography (PPSOP) established by Bryan Peterson because it has amazing reviews. Let me think about it first and let me show you some pictures I've taken for the projects I've finished for the short course.

1st post

2008-12-18T14:02:00.000-08:00

testing it out...