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My son Jamaal white Jr. lit with home depot lights. Love this this guy to pieces.
My son Jamaal white Jr. lit with home depot lights. Love this this guy to pieces.
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Nov, 2013Views
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Superb Composition
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Exceptional Contrast
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at my home in New Jersey back in 2010. My son Jamaal and I were catching up on some cartoons that morning and all of a sudden a burst of inspiration struck me.Time
It was about 10:30 am. I had some cheap brooder lamps I wanted to experiment with and luckily my son was all for it. I love shooting with Jamaal in the morning. His energy is always so vibrant after a few pancakes so I know I might have a good chance to capture a few good moments.Lighting
I can't afford crazy lighting and studio equipment just yet, so I try my best to be as creative as possible with what I have available. My son has these big brown eyes and I know I wanted them to be a major focal point so I attached the clamps from one of the Brooder Lamps to the side of my baseball cap so that the catch light would reflect in his eyes. Other than the lamp clamped to my hat, I had 2 more lamps clamped to the chairs that I used to hold the black blanket used for the background. Hopefully one day I'll be able to work with the real deal but until then I'll figure out a way with my cheap Home Depot setup lol.Equipment
My trusty old Canon Rebel XT, a kit lense, 3 Brooder lamps with clamps, 3 daylight bulbs, 2 chairs, a blanket, and a Yankees hat.Inspiration
I'm always trying to find new ways to create a studio look without having to actually rent one out. So when my son built a fort out of chairs and a blanket it instantly sparked my attention and I said "Wait, I can use that fort sorta like a mini light box/back drop." I set up the lights, Jamaal hopped in the fort, and I started shooting. The rest was history from there.Editing
Yes, I used Photoshop to tweak the levels a bit and mostly just the dodge and burn tool to create some depth. Being that I am self-taught I was super happy with the final results. I wanted a dramatic feel and luckily I was able to achieve that.In my camera bag
My Canon Rebel XSI, I can never leave home without my 50mm 1.8, and one of my new favorites is the Sigma 17-50mm 2.8 it's super versatile.Feedback
The catch light is very important for bringing out the emotion in the eyes so make sure you have that squared away. Don't let the need for expensive equipment stop you. Use whatever you can to get the effect you are looking for, get creative, and keep shooting!
