Rejuenated

But I look like death. Seriously. I caught my reflection in the mirror today and I look like I aged 10 years in 5 days.

I also think I'm at my breaking point psychologically... and yet I still feel like I'm not working hard enough.

Today I shot Ania from LA Models. I haven't blogged about a shoot much less a model for months. But I feel like I ought to make some notes and record a few talking points for the future.

-Ania was simply unique. Positive, beautiful, smart, mature and refreshing to shoot. I'll stop here before I get carried away.

-I'm still getting used to the H3DII-31. The following picture was shot at ISO800. I wanted some speed for this shot but later opted for lower ISO and slower shutter speeds. The battery died after 300+ shots. I need another battery. Still getting used to the functionality particularly as it pertains to focus/recomposing with that single autofocus point. Also getting used to reading the histogram and venturing to push the highlights/histogram to the right. Files are filling up my disk 3x as fast as my Nikon files.

-Shooting at the Blu Santa Monica was a real treat. What a gem... and so many more places that I have yet to explore!

-Creative juices. The team gelled together and with everyone pulling in the same direction and being as easy going as they were, I had a great time. Things really happened synergistically. You'll see more on this as the wardrobe and makeup unveils itself.

-Liking the pictures. This one is a biggie for me. So often I shoot stuff and walk away unimpressed. I'm a tough customer. I don't like my own work that often. But now and then even I'm pleased. This was one of those occasions. I almost feel like I should break open a bottle of champagne or something.

-Lighting. I am writing this in response to heyheyjk from flickr. There were 2 sources of light. A high window from camera high upper left providing massively soft light and then an even larger window providing soft blue diffused light from camera right. If you look at her neck that's where the bluish tones are coming from in the 2nd shot. I had her face camera left a little more to allow the main light which was brighter, to light her face. ;P

I'll be posting more pictures from this shoot shortly. Here's ISO800 on the H3DII-31.


Here's one at ISO100 when I realized I didn't need such speed.