Taka タカ model practice shoot

Model - Taka タカ

Taka is your average lad, and it is his first time doing a photography session. In the beginning, he was a bit rigid, but after some good photos, he wasn't as tense and was able to be his usual self

Location

Tarumi 垂水
Arima Onsen (Hotsprings) 有馬温泉

Gear

5D3
- 24-70mm 2.8, 85mm 1.2 (ND8), 50mm 1.4
- Speedlite 600EX-RT with ST-E3 radio trigger
Lighting
- 2 lights without modifiers
- As its a practice model shoot, I was keeping the lighting setup to be as simple as possible. Thus, most shots are shot with
  - 45 degrees facing the model, top to bottom when space allows
  - I'll add in the details if the lighting setup is different along the post

Theme

I wouldn't call it a theme, but in general, cool, guy pictures, with an essence of the bad guy

Tarumi 垂水

Started as a bright sunny day, but the clouds came in later which helped a lot.

Man in a patterned shirt and hat stands before the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge over calm water. 2 lights together from the right @1/1EXIF Man in patterned shirt and hat stands beside railing with large suspension bridge blurred in background. 5 D3 2075EXIF Ran into a slight problem where I thought the batteries were charged but turns out it has discharged itself and had some time wondering what went wrong. So glad I always bring spare/extra accessories, not just batteries

Changed the batteries and everything was normal again. Normal meaning near 1s charging time as I was shooting at 1/1 against the sun

Man in a black hat and green patterned shirt stands before a blurred bridge spanning water. 2 lights @ 1/1EXIF Man in a brown hat leaning against a weathered concrete wall on a waterfront walkway. 2 lights @ 1/1 from leftEXIF Man in fedora and patterned shirt leaning against a concrete wall with metal railing. 5 D3 2124 2EXIF

Man in brown fedora crouching against a textured concrete wall, wearing a dark patterned shirt and beige trousers. 2 lights just below my shooting positionEXIF Man in brown fedora and black cat-patterned shirt stands before chain-link fence, holding a cigarette aloft. 2 lights from leftEXIF

Man in a hat and floral shirt stands with arms crossed beside a chain-link fence overlooking calm water. 5 D3 2170EXIF

Man mid-air with arms raised on a seaside promenade beside a stone wall and railing. Shoot-through umbrella from leftEXIF Man in a hat leaning on a seaside railing with a coastal path and distant building behind him. 1 light left , 1 light behind model legsEXIF Man in a brown hat leaning against a seaside railing with arms crossed, overlooking calm water under an overcast sky. At this point of the day, the clouds came in which really helped!EXIF Man in hat framed by stone archway, with large suspension bridge spanning water behind him. 1 light from the right, behind the stone ringEXIF

You can see where the light is coming from the shadows

Man in hat sits inside a stone archway, with a suspension bridge across the water behind him. 5 D3 2237EXIF

Man in brown hat with embroidered patch gazes toward a large suspension bridge against cloudy sky. Cropped to give that poster feelEXIF

Tarumi was a good and fun place to shoot! Especially with the bridge at the background. Time flew real fast... Wish I had more time there

Man in hat walks along a gravel path bordered by light green railings and manicured trees. 1 light, walking while assistant follows along at a 45 degree angleEXIF Smiling man in green shirt and sunglasses driving a car with seatbelt fastened. In the car heading towards our next locationEXIF

Arima Onsen 有馬温泉

Tourist locations... people! Most of the time we had to wait for people to pass by and luckily while you're in Japan, the locals are kind enough to wait and have fun looking at the photo session

Some of the places were really tight, and my assistant had a difficult time hiding herself. Luckily though, its a tourist location, my model and assistant ended up looking at the attractions which really helped tense things down

Taka was getting used to modelling and was posing automatically without much directions

Man in green shirt and black overalls stands beneath a traditional wooden gate with stone steps behind him. 1 light on the right behind the wooden doorEXIF Tight space. Originally asked Taka to stand right beneath the shelter but the lights couldn't reach and it was too tight to hide it. Moved 2~3 steps back and got this shot

Man in green shirt and black overalls walking down stone stairs with metal railing. 1 light from right. Power of the 85mmEXIF Man in green shirt and cap behind a wooden torii gate with blurred town background. 1 light from leftEXIF Smiling man in green shirt and black overalls kneels beneath a wooden torii gate with arms raised. 1 light from right and 1 from behindEXIF 5 D3 2338 2EXIF I have always wanted to shoot in a tight alley!

1 backlight, 1 light from right. Really really tight

Man in cap seated on stone steps, strong shadows defining his form against a dark background. 1 light from rightEXIF Man in green shirt and black cap sits on stone steps beside a pebble path. 5 D3 2363EXIF Man in grey shirt sits on wooden bench outdoors, child in red plaid jacket stands blurred in background. A quick break. 1 light from leftEXIF Man in green shirt and overalls smokes on a park bench with smoke curling upward against dark trees. 1 light behind leg, 1 light from left. Hi-speed syncEXIF Man in green shirt and black overalls leans on a bright red bridge railing against a dusky sky. 1 light from left. Again tourists waiting on our shootEXIF We signaled for them to go along but they decided to stay and watch for a while Man in dark cap and overalls adjusts hat against blurred night lights, wearing a necklace with pendant. 1 light from leftEXIF I like this shot, feels like a titanic movie Man in dark cap and green shirt with hand on chin, against blurred bokeh background. Light from rightEXIF Person in green shirt and black overalls stands on a rock beside glowing cherry blossoms against twilight sky. 1 light from right, 1 light below the cherry blossomsEXIF Man in green shirt with crossed arms stands before blurred cherry blossoms. Same lighting, different angleEXIF Man in green shirt and beanie sits on a concrete ledge at night, with blurred warm city lights behind him. 5 D3 2535EXIF

Tip on dark locations

Taka was getting tired and I tried my best to finish this last scene. This is a rather dark place to shoot in. Assistant was holding an iPhone with its LED lights turned on to achieve focus and then turning it away before the shutter press

Manual Focus

A nice tip during dark shoots where your camera has problem focusing on the subject's face, is to use Manual Focus

The iPhone LED lights are used so that you can see in the dark

Another way is to use your camera's live view. As you focus on the subject, the live view will compensate for the dark scene and try to shoot a bright photo. It's 50-50 chance that the focus hits correctly, let alone focusing on the eyes of the subject. Better than nothing

Man in green shirt and black beanie smiles while seated outdoors at night against blurred city lights. Last shot of the dayEXIF

After Snaps

No lights

Man in a knit beanie with eyes closed, holding a cigarette near his lips in black and white. 5 D3 2564EXIF Two men clinking glasses of colorful drinks while smiling warmly in a dimly lit restaurant. 5 D3 2602EXIF Two men converse across a table, each holding a glass with drinks, inside a warmly lit bar. 5 D3 2608EXIF Blurred black-and-white figure blowing soap bubbles toward the camera lens. 5 D3 2636EXIF