I’m sure there are those that wonder…

What’s the difference between just a regular hallway shot and what I’d get from a scheduled photo shoot? Shouldn’t a good photographer be able to make a nice photo in any condition?

Well, here’s the main difference…

Options!

 

Hallway shots…

If I’m walking around a convention just taking snapshots of random cosplayers, I’m not going to have an external light with a softbox, umbrella, or beauty dish set up for every shot. More than likely I’ll be hand holding a flash or shooting with my flash on the camera. This doesn’t give me a great deal of option as far as what type of shot I’m going to take. More than likely I’m going to use loop lighting because that’s the most flattering option I have with this sort of light setup. I can’t hand hold a really large modifier so the light is going to be semi-hard. When working with this setup, a good photo is going to have a fairly standard look to it, like the shot below.

Hand held off camera flash, IKEA shelf liner diffuser.

Hand held off camera flash, IKEA shelf liner diffuser.

Don’t get me wrong… this is probably my favorite hallway shot of the weekend. The light is good on her face even though it’s harder than I’d like, but for a “hi, do you mind if I get a quick shot?” this is about as nice as they come.

 

Scheduled Shoots…

If someone schedules a paid shoot with me then I can bring out all of the modifiers for big soft lighting, spot lighting, or whatever type of light I want. It also gives us time to fine tune the poses and shots to make sure they look good before we are done with the shoot as well as the ability to use multiple poses and lighting methods.  This results in more looks and better ability to tell stories. When I have the ability to light with multiple sources (usually 2-3) then it increases the creative options while shooting and allows me to capture images like the one below.

Main light: YN-568EX with Rapid Box + Reflector plate Rim Light: SB-700 with pink gel

Main light: YN-568EX with Westcott Rapid Box + Reflector plate
Rim Light: SB-700 with pink gel

This type of shot wouldn’t be possible without more time to set the shot up for a softer light source from the modifier and the rim lighting from the other flash. It’s a lot more fun of a setup but you just don’t have time to do something like this when walking around a convention. Both images have been processed from RAW to pop a bit more than straight from the camera so you still are getting more by working with a photographer at a convention. I hope this gives an idea of why it’s worth it to go for some higher quality images!

~rensuchan

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Hallway Shot vs. Scheduled Shoot | 2014 | Conventions, Photography | Comments (0)