wattersbill72

Where is my drink?

PENTAX K-7

settings

Aperture f/4 ISO 100 Shutter 1/30 Focal Length 50/1

upload_date

Oct, 2019

Views

Likes

Awards

Action Award

Zenith Award

Spring 21 Award

Judge Favorite

2020 Choice Award

Superb Composition

Peer Award

Top Choice

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at a hotel lobby bar in New Orleans, Louisiana. The lounge was quiet and we took advantage of the opportunity to capture the vibe of our host's facilities: elegant yet casual, luxurious and relaxed.

Time

This image is one of my favorites, especially with this model. The image was captured during a shoot, and was actually not a planned image. rather the model had been relaxing while I was scouting and preparing the next set of shot, and she asked me to snap this image. We shot a handful of these seeking the correct angles, to highlight the mood or vibe or the location. Turns out the proprietor actually loved the image and has picked it up for use in some marketing. Further the model has used this image on occasion to convey skills and capabilities. In response to what time of day was this shot, the answer is actually something like 8:00 on a random tuesday evening.

Lighting

All the lighting was provided by facilities, no flash or natural lighting. The lounge is a well lit area that has casual coves, and great textures. The lights are very high and considerably bright, so they provide a great environment for this type of shot. The exposure and all the highlights and shadows are very near out of camera. The quality of that light allows for the right amount of drama and provides a perfect platform for telling a story.

Equipment

This image is handheld, shot on a Pentax K-7 Body, through an SMC Pentax-DA 50mm-200mm F4-5.6 ED lens. The shutter was at 1/30th of a second, and F4 with an ISO 100. This lens, and the focal length allows the photographer some flexibility and capability to adjust focus and draw the viewer into the story. Shooting handheld allowed for me to adjust to the scene and capture the image accurately and appropriately; conveying that casual vibe was a key task; the freedom of handheld delivers that.

Inspiration

This image was originally a spur of the moment snap, that developed into maybe 6 or 7 total, of which this was the 2nd capture. We worked to actually capture the vibe and mood. We were seeking to highlight the location, the proprietor and convey an elegant, yet casual experience that the bar seeks to provide its patrons.

Editing

This image was required minimal post processing. We were blessed with very good lighting, a talented subject and generally a great vibe. I did some minor retouch with radial gradients, and did some spot removal to eliminate a price tag remnant on the soul of the shoe and a few lens aberrations that were noticeable in the lighter background area. I was able to quickly process on Lightroom Mobile on my iPhone to get some validation and quick review by the client, then followed up with some minor adjustments in Lightroom Classic.

In my camera bag

I tend to carry a few camera bodies: Pentax K-7, Pentax K-70, Pentax K-20D. These can all be paired with a number of lenses, several older prime lenses, and several newer model lenses. Further I carry a simple Tripod, several commodity speed flashes, and a few minor accessories. The most used and most useful accessory is a lightning SDCard reader. This is faster than the native WiFi transfers and enables me to quickly import into Lightroom Mobile, do some looks and share to clients or to social media in an agile effective manner.

Feedback

when performing a shoot, plan, plan, plan, and the last step is to be prepared to flex and capture some of those impromptu moments. Working with the client to understand the goals and message they are seeking, and developing a great rapport with the subject all contribute to a great image. Whle we ultimately shot north of 500 images for the shoot, we were able to capture several dozen shots that the client was *very pleased* with. Of those, the client selected over 25 images for use in variety of campaigns across social and traditional marketing and collateral.

See more amazing photos, follow wattersbill72

wattersbill72

wattersbill72

Where is my drink?

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow wattersbill72

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.