So Where Are The Pots?

Yeah. Where are the pots? After this past weekend, I needed a day where I didn't spend the entirety of the hot sweaty day staring at the same mountain of pots. As much fun as looking at pots can be, there is a threshold. And I crossed it yesterday. At this point, I would be happy to start our sale a month early. (just watch out!)

Instead, I wanted to try some new ideas with my camera. I try not to dwell on some of my problems or snafus... but I have been grappling with an issue for about two weeks now. The strobes that I am using are not infinitely adjustable (as most new flash units are)... instead they use 1/3 power, 2/3, and full power. Even at 1/3 power I find myself shooting typically around 1/100 at f/5.6 or more. If you take just a few steps back at that aperture, the focal length preserves too much distracting background. So my goal has been to figure out how to retain that buttery background (narrow DOF) while shooting flash. I asked one of my photographer buddies (J.Souza!!) out in California for ideas and he suggested using a BIG bed sheet to increase the size of the light source (which then could be pulled back from the subject (to lower the intensity)... which is a great idea. Didn't get a chance to get to the fabric store this weekend so I was hoping there was another option.

J. Souza also suggested I try putting a neutral density filter on the lens. Most of my experience with ND filters has been using them to turn waterfalls into those silken streams everyone seems to think is so great. So... after having made my share of waterfall silken pics, I tossed the ND filters back in the bag and promptly forgot about them. This is the best thing about the concept of coopetition (cooperation + competition via LIDLIPS [syl arena]... the idea that even though Justin and I could potentially see one another as competition, the reality is that we are both learning from each other. What could be better? I only wish he lived closer so we could shoot together more! Perhaps as our professions grow we'll find reasons to both be on the same side of the continent and we'll have more opportunities.

Justin Bieber is in the house! Just kidding.

Back to the ND filters. I tossed them onto my favorite little 50mm f/1.8 lens, and kicked on my flash transmitter. First shot out of the gate was pretty close. Dialed up a bit more light... because the ND filter I was using was a .6ND which cuts a substantial chunk of light out of the picture. I anticipated it making the camera struggle more during focusing. It may have impaired it some, but not as much as I would have guessed. I shot pretty close to wide open and I LOVE the buttery quality of the background. Luckily I had an amicable (and patient) model today. We also had a chance to test out our reflector and stand today.

My chores,... ummm,... no, not yet.

Suffice to say, I LOVE the way the light is moving. I wish (and will probably keep right on wishing) that we had a grip who could lug lights and hold reflectors during our shoots. Seems like most of the time, it just isnt going to happen, so I need to learn how to do it without the extra hands. Stands are coming in VERY handy.

I guess this is her way of saying we don't feed her enough.

Fork you Dad. Talk to the Fork Dad.

As things would have it, today was as sticky and hot as summer days get around here. Mid-eighties by 9am, and the humidity has climbed all day. As I type this tonight, we're hovering around 94% humidity. You could wring gallons of water from this "air".

Shooting in the studio is always a fun respite from dealing with hot stuff in the house... chores, cleaning, bills. Somehow the studio stays cooler till much later in the day. Probably the concrete slab acting as a thermal sink. Tomorrow the day is filled with physical therapy and delivering images to my most recent portrait clients.

Willing Subjects

I have been ultra fortunate this week to have had four willing subjects to sit for their portraits. I have a lot of things I have been ruminating on since beginning this new venture, but tonight is too far gone to begin expressing those musings.

For now, I must suffice to share some of today's images. More tomorrow.

Birthday Presents Come in Waves

And when the waves are good, you ride the waves.



Aurora and I took a trip up to Rochester last night to pick up two new strobes I had seen on Craigslist. I have wanted real studio strobes for at least twenty years. Always just out of reach, both in terms of skill, but also expense. Yesterday's find was more of a steal. These strobes have seen virtually no use. Since I already had light stands for my speedlights, setting up the strobes was no sweat. I wasn't sure how I would trigger them initially, but I think for now, I am pretty happy having a wireless trigger on one, and then have the other one slaved so it pops when it sees the first one fire. Pretty simple.


Of course, I had to get Aurora and Nancy to submit for some posing. I need plenty of time behind the lens to really figure out how I want to move the light and shadow. I think, sometimes, one light might be all I really need. Today though, has been non-stop flash. Probably shot over 500 images to get 20 or so that are pretty decent. Lots more to learn.





This was a fun hair-light experiment. I gelled it with a purple gel, and aimed it from straight behind Aurora. Just enough light to give her a "purple haze". Pretty fun. I tried some similar ideas using pink and red filters with Nancy's portraits tonight. After looking them over, Nancy was forthright that they would NEVER be seen by another human being. So I guess they were pretty hideous. Like I said... tons more to learn.

The Birthday That Almost Wasn't

Nancy shot under strobe, 1/200, f/6.3
Details about this image will be the subject of a blog posting later in the week.

As anyone who follows this blog knows, I have the most awesome partner in the world. Nancy has done the impossible this year. She stood by my bed in the ICU, knowing the pain my body was in, not knowing whether I would ever regain consciousness, not knowing if I was really even in there. And she sang to me.

So I came back from that strange place. Bringing with me all the problems of one whose body's warranty has expired. Heck, at this point, I am shocked I haven't been issued a recall on most of my organs. Still Nancy has remained steadfast and determined to keep me on this side of the universe. As she wrote about it in her blog yesterday: I wasn't supposed to see this birthday. No hoopla, no party, but boy oh boy were there a TON of facebook birthday wishes.






She asked me a few days before my birthday what I wanted for my birthday. What could I say? What I wanted at the time she asked would strike most as funny, pedantic, pedestrian even. I wanted sleep. I hadn't slept since before surgery back in September. Not more than two hours of continuous uninterrupted sleep... at all... for over six months.

That's what I wanted.

What I got was my lovely cpap machine and its concomitant hoses and headgear. For my birthday, I slept nearly six hours at a stretch. I didn't toss and turn. I didn't change position in bed at all. When I woke up I felt like no time had passed. Apparently, the exhaustion is so severe that once I zonk, I ZONK very hard.

Tonight Nancy joined me out in the studio to try out some new flash project ideas I had. Now that I can see where the light is heading I am so excited to play!

Finally Getting to Try Stuff

This morning I went out to the studio, and got seriously depressed. What I wanted to do was make pots. I have been wanting to make pots since getting out of the hospital. Despite a quick foray back in January, the studio has been quiet. Every time I try to throw, I am reminded (painfully) about what I can and cannot do. This herniation at the ostomy site wont simple vanish overnight. It needs to be dealt with, and that's the plan now. I miss making pots in the worst way.

I feel very lucky to have had Hannah here through March. She kept me working in the studio most weeks even if I couldn't throw pots. I could be glazing work she had thrown, or helping her get ready to load a kiln, or maybe start working on a new glaze. Now the studio is pretty quiet.

I decided today to take advantage of that quiet. I have wanted to PLAY in the studio since before my surgery. After buying all that flash photography gear, I had mountains of ideas to try. Here's the thing with flash photography... if you're doing it right, no one knows that flash was used. Some of my favorite flash images look like they were shot with daylight peeking through a window. That's what I have been craving. Gentle light, directional... but I think by starting with two lights I was more than confused about how to proceed.

Today, with just one light on a stand, shooting through a white umbrella, I took a few snapshots for a customer far-far-away. After looking at them, I thought, HEY! Why not shoot some samples from around the gallery so people can see what we have on our shelves. Not to boast, but for the first time ever, we have stockpiles of some forms. Mugs we have LOTS of. Plates we have by the bushel. We have more pots on the shelves now than we normally do before July. Not bad considering I can't make more right now! Here's hoping that we learn a lot at the Cleveland Clinic this week!!!

A Week & Some

©2010 Cold Springs Studio Photography - Alex Solla

Last Wednesday I spent the afternoon shooting interior images for the Hayward House Bed and Breakfast in Interlaken NY. I cannot imagine a property that more embodies the essence of a bed and breakfast. While I've never sampled from their breakfast fare, I can say without reservation, that their home is one I would recommend to any friend of ours. Every single little detail has been thought out meticulously.

Having spent the past decade slowly renovating our studio (and in little ways, our house), I can say that Michelle and Kevin have done far more than renovate. They have lifted this home into a whole other realm. Each room has more stories than I can count. I can certainly imagine guests deciding that a day NOT doing anything, and simply staying put at the B&B would be a great way to spend the day.

Which brings us to today. I was asked to reshoot some of the images that just didn't make the cut last week. It's part of the job. Sometimes you get it dead-on, straight out of the gate. Other times you go round and round. Today I was lucky enough to have Michelle join me as artistic director, grip, tour guide and art critic. Wearing all those hats made it possible for me to focus on making sure each image we made served their needs for their website and promotion. I think this level of symbiosis is critical for creative collaboration to bear fruit. It also makes the time FLY!

©2010 Cold Springs Studio Photography - Alex Solla

Snow Day

My mom arrived from Miami yesterday. Today the forecast called for a snownado...whatever that is. Supposed to get wicked winds and scary deep snow tonight. Less than a decade ago, this wouldn't have even rated a "BIG" snowstorm rating. I think with all the media over-exposure, we are simply expecting more and more drama from our weather. Can't we just have normalcy? I sometimes wonder if we have lost the ability to understand when hyperbole has lost its meaning.

While the snow outside fell steadily, we stayed inside and kept warm. Nice way to pass the day. By the time we had reached mid-afternoon everyone was ready for a nap which gave me a chance to set up lights. Got a few dozen images off before everyone awoke. Then it was laughing and cavorting of the first degree.

Staring Down Sunday Night

Nancy has been working on repurposing/reconstructing/recycling sweaters by felting them and turning them into other garments. This week it was berets. The knitted scarf and hat was last hockey season's efforts... which were accompanied by legwarmers too!






Aurora was kind enough to hold still a while to let me play around a little with flash last night and tonight. I need more time with my flashes to really gain more confidence. Time time time.

Update

The new Photography website is live and seems to be "bug-free"... so if you find anything amiss, please let me know!

Playing with light and shadow

Just a short posting tonight. Yesterday was spent relaxing and cleaning. Sounds simple enough, right? My hope was to go out and spend the morning shooting pictures in the amazing winter light. We were able to get a few good shots, but the ground was muddy instead of frozen and that made things more difficult. I also was ill prepared for how cold my fingers could get in just a few moments. In reading other photographer's blogs, they often comment on simple solutions for keeping one's fingers intact in cold weather. Today wasn't even close to fridgid... I think the high was nearly 37 degrees. Suffice to say that your fingers might not freeze to the metal legs of the tripod... but they SURE feel like they will. Ouch!

These few pictures were shot during our holiday festivities at Nancy's parent's home. Shot with ambient light (not much) and a single flash shot through a white umbrella. There is so much I am trying to learn about flash photography, and none of this is coming easy. Fun, sure. Easy, not so much.