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(Not) Back to Basics

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”
– Anthony Robbins

 

A few weeks ago I was chatting with Bert (Meskens, a talented Belgian photographer) about how we are spoiled with choice by hauling all our gear to shoots, meaning we can always shoot under the best conditions (sort of ;-)).
I figured it would prove to be very educational if we were to go to a shoot with just a prime lens and Sunbounce reflector, forcing us to be creative in solving lighting issues. Bert followed my train of thought and we decided to work together, meaning we could assist each other.
The whole idea wasn’t very original, as I remember reading about Bert Stephani going out with just a prime.

 

We found Marijke willing to be our model for the day. Sandra was contacted to provide the make-up and we found a suitable location in the petite village of Lillo, a photogenic isolated village in the harbour area of Antwerp.

 

To be on the safe side, we did bring most of our gear any way… just in case. 🙂
This turned out to be a good thing because, while (mostly) dry, the quality of the ambient light was changing constantly. So I guess we cheated on our own challenge by using the gear we brought, but we’ll try this concept again soon.

 

Nevertheless, we got some nice photos on this windy and chilly August afternoon…




Behind the scenes at the ETM shoot

It’s always fun to take a look behind the scenes. This video was shot by ETM.
I’m in it, proving that I’m not afraid of heights! 🙂

 

Third ETM shoot

On September 3rd I went to Elen, located in Limburg, near the border with Holland.  The purpose was a shoot with models of European Top Models.
The location was nice and varied, with stables, horses, a swimming pool, a hay barn, etc.  With this being one of the few good days in the Belgian summer of 2011, I decided to do all of the shooting outside.  Actually the weather was almost too good for a photoshoot with hot temperatures and very harsh sunlight…
Luckily I brought Eva as my assistant, who helped me by bouncing the sunlight (Yes, I bounce!) or by blocking the harsh sunlight when appropriate.

 

As there were seven models, I had my work cut out for me.  🙂

 

Here are some of the highlights:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all the models, the makeup artists, Linda and Patrick for the great location, ETM for making this possible and Eva for the extra pair of hands without which I couldn’t have done all this!

New DVD by Strobistworkshops.be

Peter and Michel (who taught me most of what I know about photography) just released their first DVD which is about shooting models on location.

You can get more info here: http://www.strobistworkshops.be/dvd.htm

Just a sneak peak:

 

Get your copy now!  It’s very informative and inspiring!

(and I’m in the DVD as well :-))

Behind the scenes videos

I’ve participated in a few Shooting Days in the past year.  Most of the times there’s someone with a camcorder present to shoot some behind the scenes (BTS) footage.
While a shooting day is different from a normal shoot, this footage does give an indication of the ambiance and fun that comes with such an event.

 

Take a look and see if you can find me. 🙂


European Top Models Shooting Day in As (Belgium) – July 2011



European Top Models Shooting Day in Houthalen-Helchteren (Belgium) – May 2011



Strobistworkshops’ second Shooting Day in Baasrode (Belgium) – May 2011



Strobistworkshops’ first Shooting Day in Waterschei (Belgium) – August 2010

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