Nikon D4

Christmas Card Portraits Treasure Island Florida Three Sisters

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Holiday photo card portrait with three sisters wrapped in Christmas lights - Nikon D4 Nikkor 24-70mm @ f/5.6 ISO 100 2.5 sec tripod mounted - Strobist: SB-800 in 43" brolly frame rightLong time DSLR photography student Stacy invited me to her home to photograph her daughters for their family Christmas card.  She said I could bring Kiki along as well (more about this below).  This was an unusual shoot as Stacy worked with me to learn how to make portraits and I used much of her own photography gear (note the use of a Nikon D4 for all these shots!).  I had shown her my wedding couple wrapped in Christmas lights shot before, which we did with the three sisters for the above image.  

Christmas Photo Card portrait three sisters in front of their Christmas Tree - Nikon D4 Nikkor 24-70m @ f/4 ISO 100 1/200th - Strobist: SB-900 to frame right in 43" brollyWhen editing this black & white image I wanted mainly the lights of the tree to be visible in the background framing the girls.

Smiling in front of Christmas tree bokeh for holiday portrait in Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D4 Nikkor 70-200mm with 2x teleconverter @ f/5.6 ISO 6400 1/60th - natural lightUsing the new 2x teleconverter Stacy recently got, I took advantage of an effective 400mm focal length to create extreme bokeh in the background of the above shot of the same Christmas tree lights used in the B&W shot.  

Holiday Photo Card Portrait before the fireplace in Florida - Nikon D4 Nikkor 24-70mm @ f/6.3 ISO 100 1/4th tripod mounted - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-900 to frame rightA more formal shot before the lit fireplace, which made things pretty hot for the girls, but throughout our shoot they were great and knew how to get into proper positions unprompted!  It was like working with professional models!

In all the shots Kiki was lying near the girls! It was my first time to bring her on a portrait shoot. Now when I try to photograph Kiki she is never happy about it and ends up looking like a sad puppy (see here).  However, she was all too willing to get into every photo with the girls and smile!  For the piano shot we let a sleeping dog lie and framed the portrait around her.  She just wanted to participate and be involved!

It was a fun shoot and a chance for me to try a few new things shooting inside someone's home, as I most often shoot outside on location.  I look forward to seeing the photos in print on Stacy's family Christmas card!

1-on-1 Nikon D4 DSLR Nikkor 24-70mm Photography Lesson with Stacy in St. Petersburg Florida

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Out scouting portrait locations with Stacy & her Nikon D4 in St. Petersburg FloridaI met Stacy again this week in downtown St. Petersburg for our 13th 1-on-1 photography related lesson (some computer based lessons for editing & workflow).  Since last week she had used her Nikon SB-910 for the first time to photograph an indoor event organized by friends, so we began by reviewing those photographs and me reminding her that if the subjects appear to be too bright due to flash, either lower the power of the flash, or use a smaller aperture.  Changing the power on the SB-910 is not as straightforward as it has been on past Nikon speedlights, part of an overall over complicating of functions on their gear for no reason (see also how to change focus modes on current Nikon mid to pro bodies).  

After practicing how to use her speedlight more effectively, we actually went out scouting some locations in the downtown St. Pete urban area for portraits Stacy wants to make of her daughters later this year.  So I took her to my favorite brick wall location, tiled wall location and also a very gritty alley for as urban of a background as you can get!  Next lesson we will return indoors for more workflow related photography learning.

1-on-1 Nikon D4 DSLR Photography Lesson with Stacy in St. Petersburg Florida

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Stacy using a stable shooting position to balance the weight of her Nikon D4 during our photography lesson in St. Petersburg FloridaOver the first seven months of 2013, Stacy has become my most prolific student of all-time, starting with the group lessons she took at my Morean class, and now this was her twelfth 1-on-1 photography lesson (thanks Stacy!).  She has been learning from start to very finish how to be a modern DSLR photographer.  By that I mean she is learning what gear to get to fit her photography needs, how to use that gear in the field, then as important what to do with the RAW images once she returns home.  I have spent many hours in her home office getting her iMac setup with software and features to create the same seamless digital photography workflow I have on my own Mac based work station.  This also includes how to make regular backups of all her photos (and other computer files too) and ultimately how to share them in a secure online location with friends and family.  It is a reality that to be a complete DSLR photographer, not insignificant computer skills are also needed, that is if you wish to edit your photos (of course!) and to share your work and have it be seen (yes of course too!).  

This latest lesson though was a more traditional out in the field one, which means my usual downtown St. Petersburg location.  Stacy shoots with a Nikon D4 (yes, a D4, not a typo) and f/2.8 lenses, so gear weight and shooting ergonomics are especially concerning issues for her.  I stressed the importance of always shooting with a stable stance (legs wide apart) and shooting perpendicular to the subject so that the left arm acts as a monopod.  Then of course there is the simple matter of having the right bags for safely and conveniently carrying photo gear.  I gave Stacy advice on that based on seeing her non-camera specific bag she was using, that had to be placed on the ground each time she wanted to take a shot.

Stacy has already signed up for lessons 13-16 which will feature more practical shooting lessons as well as further refining her digital workflow.