Tag Archives: 2012

The Art of the Twilight Shot

Nothing quite sells a set of photographs like a twilight shot. It is often referred to as the money shot because most clients swoon over it. On a recent shoot for Jackson Dean Construction, I was given the instruction to get many angles of the exterior. But when I got there, I realized that there were few angles and they would all have to include the front facade to hold any interest. Therefore, with a limited number of angles, I decided to shoot a couple of times throughout the afternoon and ending with the twilight shot above.

The prime objective of the twilight shot is to balance the exterior and interior luminance. This can occur anywhere between 1 hour before sunset to one hour after. It is also dependent upon the Sun’s setting direction and the geographic features in it’s path. I  recommend disabling the auto focus because it can get dark enough to throw it off. Rather than resetting your color balance to 3200° (tungsten) I recommend leaving the setting on daylight (5000°) to warm up the building. Then you can desaturate the red/yellow from the tungsten sources in post. Finally, make sure you are set on a tripod, in place, before this time occurs because, depending upon the time of year, it may only last for about 5 minutes.

 

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1000 Broadway Ave.

I was recently hired to shoot the Trans Pacific Center at 1000 Broadway. Of course it had to be done on a very busy intersection and during the winter. In the northern hemisphere the sun is about 23° further south than in the summer and unless you have a south facing building, at least half will be in shadow. In addition, this was a block size building and the sun rose right above it. I solved this problem by shooting an additional sky and striping it in.

The backlit shot of the building with a custom lens shade -my hand.

I liked the original sky with the sun flare

Final

After blending the two images with a coupe of others and after a little more work on perspective and lighting, I arrived at the final image. Customers today won’t accept an average shot which requires Photoshop work to make it acceptable.

 

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Joseph Gary Kickstart 2

Joseph Gary Cellars decided to try an interview format during their crush of the grapes for their tempranillo. We did this two camera shoot in one of the empty coolers at Rockwall.

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DPA Composition in the Field Workshop: Wildflower Expedition

Saturday May 7th – 10am-2pm ~ DPA Instructor Eric Sahlin $50 per person

April showers bring May flowers and with the years increasingly turning wet, it is especially true in Northern California.  I will be teaching a composition in the field workshop at Tilden Regional Wilderness.

I will cover:

  • Telephotos, macros and extension tubes
  • Compositional techniques
  • Use of Fill and Ring flash
  • Bounce cards

Please bring your DSLR and all the gear in your kit.

Photo ©Eric Sahlin Photography

The group will assemble at the Quarry Picnic area at 10am. After a few notes Eric will lead the hike up Quarry, across Big Springs Trail and back down Seaview. It’s an easy hike (under 1 mile) and there’ll be plenty of stops along the way. Please wear appropriate shoes and bring water and a lunch for the journey. All Levels welcome.

Photos ©Eric Sahlin Photography

Photo ©Eric Sahlin Photography

 

Register online at: www.digitalphotoacademy.com, or via email: info@digitalphotoacademy.com, or Toll Free: 877.372.2231 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 877.372.2231 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
This also makes a great gift for the photographer in your life.
Gift certificates are available from DPA.

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