This is one of my favorite images made during our recent Spring Workshop.  “Finding the Light” is a new direction I am heading with my photographic education.  The image is made with my 5d Camera modified to create Infra Red images straight out of the camera.  I exposed for sky at 250th at f 11 and matched the light on her face with my Quantum Q Flash at f 11.    The company that helped me modify the camera is Digital Silver Imaging.   I plan to publish 2 or 3 images per week from this dynamic workshop held at the Vis Arts Center in Rockville, MD.  We’ll continue working in our studio and on location with some great new workshops with my partners, Pilot Imaging, MPPA, and Canon USA.  Check my website and Pilotimaging.com for times and locations.

I had the privilege of photographing sculptor Regina Porten and one of her latest creations, “Coming to America.” The bronze sculpture, pictured above with the artist herself, 41″W x 28″H x 10″D, was recently installed in front of the Presidential Box at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts here in Washington, D.C.

In case you've never been, this is the exterior of the Kennedy Center.

The Presidential Box

The back view of Regina's sculpture, which states "My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. JFK" As you can see, the front of the sculpture is directly in front of the President's Box.

To learn more about Regina and her art, please visit her webpage.

Just yesterday, I saw a new promo piece featuring our studio making some of my favorite images with the New D1 Air strobes. I am often asked, when do you prefer strobe and when do you like the continuous lighting? The three images below are very special to me, and I believe they answer the question.  It’s a strobe situation when I want sharp, beautiful photographs with great image detail and vibrant colors.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Let’s take a look at our set-up for the session during which we photographed 35 families in one hour. In Image 4, below, you can see my Profoto lights in play, an umbrella fill at 5.6 ISO 100. The main light is directed through a soft box, camera left at f 11. The two-stop difference is perfect for a low-key portrait. We are also using a hair light on a boom arm at f 8, and a separation light between the subjects and the dark green background at f 5.6.  Finally, a couple of kicker lights skim off of the dark clothes to add further separation.

Image 4

The promotion was for the Turner Broadcasting top advertisers, and we had the cocktail hour before dinner to make the 35 portraits. Notice that we have a video screen to the camera left. I’ve done this before, and it is a great way to build excitement as the families in line are given a glimpse of what to expect.

I also created many portraits of the children alone, and the parents’ mouths were dropping open. Images 5 and 6 show the large wall portrait in a frame to demonstrate what a framed print on canvas would look like.

Image 5

Image 6

In Image 7, we see one of the classic compositions I am known for.

Image 7

Another strobe situation is when energetic children are in front of my camera.

Image 8

Image 8 shows the Liebstien boys, cozied up on a period antique in our studio. I have been photographing them for years and knew that I needed to freeze action as they are always hard to capture. Each boy got a solo, and the final of the three of them worked out great.  I utilized the main light and fill, as seen in the previous session, in addition to a hair light on a boom arm to give nice separation.

Bright lights are also a requirement for beauty and glamour work. The Profoto lights add a spark to the images that helps my work jump off the page, as in Image 9, below, which was used as the cover of a bridal magazine. Anytime I go high-key, it’s a strobe situation.

Image 9

These portraits are modern and can be seen in many magazines. We might be using as many as 7 lights to achieve this crisp, clean effect.

We would start by metering the lights with precise accuracy using a Sekonic digital meter. I usually start by placing 2 lights on the white background from either side to give me f 16 on the white paper background. Then, f 11 on the face from a main light. Next, we might have a hair light kicker light, one on the floor to clean out shadows, and a fill light.

Image 10 is a perfect example of high-key.

Image 10

Upon a closer look, you see the light that is coming from below, adding a glimmer to the model’s gaze. Too many working pros might aim the light directly at the face and create monster lighting; I learned from Douglas Kirkland that this light needs to be aimed at the knees to create a soft, afterglow effect. Expose for the face at f-11 and let the background go one stop brighter. All other lights should compliment the main light.

One other tip:  the fill light is only a one-stop difference from the main light when creating high-key images. I also used a light breeze from a wind machine to give the final touch of energy in the image. Image 11 is a one of my most favored high-key images, inspired by an image that I seen earlier that very morning in a photography book by one of the great photographers of our time, Horst P. Horst.

Image 11

Image 12 is a collaboration image with my good friend Jane Conner-Ziser.

Image 12

We call it “Windswept,” and it filled the pages of many magazines in the past few years. In Images 13 and 14, you can see the challenge of creating true profile lighting while the subject is laying on the floor.

Image 13

Image 14

The light has to come from behind to create the loop shadow on the inside bridge of the nose. We elevated the model so that the light could actually come from behind.

If you look closely in Image 15, you will see a student from our class shading her face closest to camera to help me create good wrap-around depth in my lighting.

Image 15

Image 16 shows you where we came from. The image is made special, however, through the use of Photoshop and Correll Painter; Jane created a masterpiece from my portrait.

Image 16

Image 17 shows a full-length study made with white paper. However, this time we did not light the paper. This is a quick way to add variety to your work. The paper goes gray with no light illuminating it. This is a quick and easy way to add more looks to your work, and your subject now has more to choose from. I was taught that more variety means more sales!

Image 17

We used the beauty dish on the face and a snoot on the hair. These are two of Profoto’s best light shapers. We have them in the mix on almost every session. Again, Jane pulled out her brushes on her Wacom Tablet on Image 18 and made a masterpiece.

Image 18

Before I move off of the white paper, I have to share Image 19, made for a denim company. I was actually walking out of my door after this model finished a round of push-ups. I say the light skimming off of the paper back towards the lens for perfect kicker lights to illuminate the shape of his body.

Image 19

Any time a light comes from behind, we are creating the chrome on the Cadillac. It has to be just right. My good friend Don Blair called it a garlic light. A little goes a long way; too much and we ruin the steak!

Okay, I think you can see that I love strobes.  Let’s look at a session we made of make-up artist Marcela. I started with continuous lights and was very happy with the soft results that I was getting. One of my favorite reasons for using the daylight fluorescence is that I am usually shooting around f 4 and the backgrounds melt out of focus. If you want to, you can just go with the tungsten setting on your camera and use the modeling lights to achieve that shallow depth of field that is so desirable in portraiture.

However, I wanted some spark for Marcela, so we quickly swapped out the lights for my regular 5-light set-up. Look at Image 20 and see if you can see that spark that I keep raving about.

Image 20

Image 21 really brings it all home for me. One word: gorgeous!

Image 21

Image 22, below, is another favorite to illustrate when depth of field is important.

Image 22

Image 23

Image 23 shows the set of for a shake and bake. The trick here is to get everything set up with your focus and exposure, then, turn off the modeling lights and the lights is the room so that you are in a dark room. Turn on the modeling light on the background while keeping the IR and optical slave off.  This way the main and fill fire, and the background does not.

Set your camera for about a second exposure f 16.  Take the picture and, while the shutter is open, shake the camera so that the background becomes very blurry, and bright.  It will be warm as you have the camera on flash balance, and the background is illuminated with tungsten modeling lights.  It is a great look and can add variety to your portfolio.  And remember what variety does for your sales.

Finally, Images 24 and 25 are great fun.

Image 24

Image 25

As much as I have loved high-key over the years, I am moving to the thunder gray paper. Call it fashion gray in front of your client. <grins>  This warmer paper is a very popular look in all of the magazines.  Once again, 5 lights, full-length and a wind machine all on location, as seen in Image 26, below.

Image 26

The finale, Image 27, is a favorite and another definite strobe situation capturing the jump in mid-air.  I have been carrying lights out on location for 30 years and the new Profoto D1 Air system is definitely the way to roll. They are light, compact and pack a big punch.

Image 27

I am always trying new things, learning and growing; however, some situations will always be the same. In closing, I would like to say what I think being a pro is all about.  It is a person that can repeat themselves consistently. Always having a plan, and sticking to it. Plan your work, work your plan, then have fun. My teacher Monte would always say, let’s get the pictures that sell and then play around.

We just returned from The Professional Photographer’s meeting in San Antonio.  I was right at home in the Canon booth, and I am thrilled with some of the latest image we made in the E-TTL wireless studio.

When I saw the picture projected into the plasma screen, I was in disbelief that this image of our beautiful model, Rebecca West, was made with two battery operated 580 flash units. I think you can see the spectators around me with blank stares, wondering how this Hollywood Glamour-inspired image was produced with such minimal equipment.

It all started when I watched Stephen Eastwood doing his thing. If you have not met or studied with this guy, now is the time, he is full throttle and makes glamour and fashion his work of choice. He has a workshop in about 10 days, and I am thinking about jumping in. Anyone want to join me?

I noticed that he had the Rogue light bender on the flash, and I was thrilled, as I have a complete set and am in love with the product. It will literally shape, bend and roll the light. In this image, he is achieving portrait lighting with one hand-held 580 flash and the Rogue to spread the light, almost as an umbrella or a soft box would.

Further inspiration came from Bob Davis, the master at TTL exposures. Check out Bob's book, "Lights, Camera, Capture: Creative Lighting Techniques for Digital Photographers," one of Ipad's top sellers.

I have to admit, I was a little intimidated working alongside these two guys...I decided to cut things up a bit! We took a blade and cut an X in the center of the paper.

One of the challenges of working with wireless 580s is the line of site issue. The Rogue placed on the back on the of the unit (circled in red) will take care of this situation by actually capturing the white light and firing the flash more consistently. The same is true with the on-camera signal. It's almost as if the Rogue light benders were designed for multiple flash use.

Jerry Ward is our best friend in the wireless booth as he keeps us going with any quick requests. He also lends a helping hand when we are creating these portraits.

It looks like I have flash on camera, however, we have disabled the on camera flash and it is a sending unit to fire the off camera units. I can't believe how much control we have over these units through the camera. I can simply dial in ratios, and actually control four to forty four flashes from the camera!

Below is the result after I used a cross processing filter in the NIK Color Effects Pro.  The key for me is to always maintain the small loop shadow under the nose.  Without modeling lights, we have to be a little imaginative. However, you can push your preview button just below and to the side of the lens to get a beam of light long enough to see the shadow.  And using the large LCD monitor a quick adjustment after viewing is easy.

Simple, direct, and makes a powerful statement. Again, a strong vignette from the NIK software for this image.

This is straight our of the camera! That spotlight effect is really working!

Canon and Rogue, and good combination for me!

The 3-piece kit that made all the magic happen.

Please visit Bob Davis’ blog and Stephen Eastwood’s page to view the work of these talented artists.

Our new dream studio is just completed, after three years of planning. Lilia and Daniel are even more excited than I am.

This is the scaled model of the project when we found it.

To say that I was excited when I found this is an understatment. The builder promised that they would rebuild the 80-year-old house and stable to my specifications. The original name for this house was the Little Lodge.

This is the way we found the house in 2007.

This is the old stable that we completely rebuilt into the studio.

Knowing that we found this property 26 hours after we prayed for it, the dream was alive and I knew it was going to happen.

After reading Isaiah 55:9-12 the Lord says my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.   I knew that he was talking to me.  I  knew of other scriptures that promised favor, blessings, and prosperity.  The Lord knows the desires of your heart, better than you do.  I simply claimed these promises and pray unceasingly for His help.  My dream for 20 years was to have a truly great studio, with a great clientele.  I just asked for it, sincerely, and once I said the prayer, I did something my mother taught me.  I thanked Him, knowing that He would be faithful.  The world has to see it to believe it.  The believer has to believe it, then he will see it.  This all happened in San Antonio, January 2007.

27 hours later

The very next day, a past client asked me to make a portrait for his annual report.

He was building a new subdivision called Chestnut Lodge. I asked him to build me a home office and he screamed, OH HAVE I GOT THE PLACE FOR YOU!

Now if this is not an answer to prayer, there never was one!  During this Christmas Season, the birthday of our Lord and Savior, we have to give all the Glory to God!

An old red barn sits on the back of the property. I know we'll be out there making portiraits in the spring.

This will be a great backdrop for seniors and families.

This is a picture of the house that I made yesterday.

And this is the studio.

My office has the little balcony upper right, looking over an 8 acre front yard, in the heart of Rockville's historic district.

Big Change from how we found it.

Early photograph of camera room.

This was the old sanitarium, The Chestnut Lodge, a 100 year old structure intended for condos in our front yard. The history of this property is actually unbelievable. A hotel sat on the property well over 100 years ago. My friends, and my wife, all said I was crazy to build behind a sanitarium.

The old sanitarium burned to the ground.

The Historic Landmark was gone in a flash.  They found out some kids were smoking in the space and accidentally sparked it.  I am actually sad to see it gone.  They might rebuild, however for now, we have a football sized field in our front yard.

Google Earth Map..WOW!

The circle is our home and office, the big square is the front yard!

This is the house just a couple of nights ago at dusk..it's really beautiful

And the Studio

We have to park two cars in the garage, however, that leaves me 2200 sq, feet and a window light studio in the third bay.

This camera room will be a special place for us and our clients for years to come. I wish Monte was alive to see it. He was the catalyst for my career and gave me a road to travel on. If you are ever in the area, or want to come to one of my classes, call us at (301) 670-3232 and we'll look forward to seeing you here.

Here are a few of the audience members’ comments about the last set of seminars:

“I just wanted you to know how fired up I was after attending your PhotoFusion workshop in Richmond. Your energy and good humor really motivated me to dig in and refine my photography.” ~Howard Search

“You guys were off the chain last Tuesday in Baltimore. Very informative and professional. My money was not wasted. Keep up the good work around the country. I know Monte would be quite proud of you.” ~Gil Jackson

“Clay, best of luck with your tour! You are among the most inspiring portrait photography teachers I have ever had the pleasure to know.” ~Cary Corthron

Jay and Jacy wrote in their company’s photography blog:

“WOW, what a great workshop-seminar with the amazing talent and skills of Clay Blackmore and his team (Jeff Medford & Ross Hockrow).

“It was a jammed packed, intelligent, well-presented and an informative presentation that kept the attendees transfixed and leaving with tools, knowledge and tons of incentives to go forward and conquer in the photography world.

“If you have not had an opportunity to attend, run, quickly to the Photofusion Revolution website and sign up to attend one in your area. Clay has been one of our favorite professional photographers for years and it was a joy to attend the DC workshop.”

The Photo Fusion Team wants to thank all our attendees for their generous words and support!

One of the best parts of touring is the exciting cities that we get to see (for about 20 minutes) before we set up for each show.  Sacramento was no exception.  Our venue, Memorial Auditorium, was 2 blocks from magnificent gardens that surrounded the capitol of California shown in the first slide.

I’ve been fortunate to perform at some unique venues; however, Jeff outdid himself on this one.  We were booked in a real classic location, where dozens of epic concerts happened over the past 20 years, including Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Carlos Santana, Grateful Dead, Jim Morrison and the Doors, Ted Nugent, and a host of others shown in old photographs and concert posters in the hallway.

Now we need to create poster that we can send the Memorial Auditorium to add to their walls!

The vendor area was filled with a mini trade show, including Kameron with Zoho Design, Photo Source and others.  We did not get the big arena that all my heroes performed in. However, we were quite content with the Jean Runyon Little theatre, which featured a great balcony for overflow seating.

Cameron from Zoho Design

In the photos below, we are shooting live on stage. Pictured is Jeff and Ross in separate slides making a short film on stage to demonstrate shot sequencing. I was lucky to have found a great model in Felicia, a member of the audience who sat in the front row and came on stage for my portrait demonstration.

This past Saturday’s event was the third wedding for Matthew and Alexa.  The first was in Monaco, the second was in the Hamptons, and this past weekend, they celebrated in D.C.    We found ourselves in the mix early for decoration pictures, and we had the privilege of working with the renowned chef, Wolfgang Puck. You know me, I never miss a chance to make a portrait of a celebrity. I simply stood him behind a large decorated table and used flash on camera, bounced in my new Rogue light modifier. The portrait worked out great.

My buddy Calvin Hayes made a picture of me taking the photograph, and he caught Wolfgang’s expression as he viewed the images on the back of the camera.

A tripod and long exposure was the key.

He was anxious to see the image.

He was a great sport and loved the picture.

The Rat pack strolled by and I couldn’t miss that opportunity of having a picture made with Sammy Davis and Frank Sinatra:

The florist, Amaryllis created an outstanding backdrop for the party.

The client tented the Newseum 555 Pennsylvania Ave.

It was a living room with the best view in D.C.

The guests were treated to an amazing evening.

The sunset was sent from Heaven above.

Lady Bunny took the helm as the DJ and dance queen.

The florists from France joined the florists from DC for a fun evening.

Fireworks surprised us all!

The Casino in Monaco provided the dream setting for their July 3rd wedding.

Alex and Matthew truly had a dream wedding.

One of my favorite photographs of the day.

The wedding was filmed with new DSLR Canon cameras for a film that Ross Hockrow and I collaborated on.    It really came out spectacularly, and at the recent party in D.C., the mother of the groom surprised the guests with the film, along with over 100 images in slide show format after the film.

Here is the couple watching the video of their wedding.

Plasmas were placed strategically around the tent for great viewing.

We’ve attached the film for you to enjoy.

The unforgettable artist, Monte Zucker (1929-2007)

I would like to take a moment to recognize today as the late great Monte Zucker’s birthday. Monte was a master photographer and a master teacher, and I feel eternally grateful to have served as his understudy for so many years. He is truly one of the most influential photographers in the industry.

A specialist in wedding photography, Monte has been in the in the industry since 1947. In the 1970s, he operated a studio in Switzerland.
He was named Brides Magazine’s Wedding Photographer of the Year of 1990, and United Nations Photographer of the Year of 2002. He also wrote monthly columns in magazines such as Shutterbug Magazine.

Several photography equipment manufacturers have named their equipment in his honor, most notably Westcott’s “Monte Reflector.”

Something Monte is remembered for, unlike other photographers of his generation, is his readiness to embrace new technologies while never forgetting classic technique. He presented a variety of workshops and wrote a wide selections of books about photographic technique.

Although he is no longer with us, Monte’s beautiful photographs remain to remind us of his contagious energy and his passion for photography and for life.

It all started when I was in Park City at a good family friend’s Bar Mitzvah for their son, Bryan Hinden.  During the golf outing, I was making infrared pictures of the golf course.  It was good timing, or luck, or both, as they were just building the Waldorf Astoria, previously known as the Dakota Mountain Lodge.

I made a trip out to Park City with camera in hand during the fall to make images that would be considered for decoration in parts of the hotel. As I was watching hot air balloons rise over the valley at sunrise, I met a photographer named Steven Friedman. We spent some quality time working together with our coveted toys.

He and his wife were a very gracious couple, and through long dinners at night and some 5:00 am calls, I had plenty of time to learn some great tips on landscape. Steven’s work is truly the some of the best you will find (click here for a look at his portfolio).

And surely enough, some of his tips were very similar to my own portraiture techniques. Find a good background first, arrange composition… then, light from God is the final refinement.  I do the same thing with a simple background: pose, light, refine!

I visited the hotel after a whirlwind 14 days… two impressively large and beautiful weddings, back to back. I arrived at the model homes and found a FEDEX package from my studio.

The Waldorf Astoria clients had taken a look at them, and the art buyer went wild for the infrareds. She said it was the best art she had ever seen! She commented that they were simple, direct, and dramatic, making a powerful statement for the hotel.

The hotel placed a huge order: 1,500 framed pieces!  And they needed it ASAP! They were in the middle of getting the property ready for ski season.  I was worried, with my Cameracraftsment trip only 2 weeks away. Alaska seemed like the farthest place in the world at that moment. But I knew I had to go, missing this meeting might have meant it would be my last.

Lilia and I headed to an Alaskan Cruise.  I found myself in infrared heaven, and the energy continued to flow with infrared collections of some of Alaska’s premium landscapes. It was paradise.

Once Ben Banks arrived at the VisArts Center and began printing with accurate profiles using Canon’s top-of-the-line printers and inks, the fun really began.  We made catalogues that organized the art for the hotel.  This was truly one of the most difficult tasks, to select the appropriate images each room, where vertical and horizontal displays played such a significant role. Measurements, visuals and emails were flying fast and heavy.

U-Hauls were filled to the brim and delivered on time, each print matted, signed and framed. Below is a taste of the magnificent natural images, along with a few of the actual framed hotel photographs:

You can also view the video below for a behind-the-scenes look at the process:

http://vimeo.com/14483727

Be sure to keep following me on Facebook at Clay Blackmore and on Twitter at Claynco, and check out www.photofusionrevolution.com for all 30 cities I will be visiting for my latest teaching tour, How To Photograph Everyone. Tickets are on sale now, and the tour starts next week!