EOI - Sydney Portraiture Workshop.

[gstark]

Jack,

You're in.

I've just updated the list, and both dates are now fully subscribed.

[michael_]

Will do Gary ill collect the info for you.

[greg]

Hi Gary

Please add my name to the Aug 4th workshop

Cheers
Greg

[gstark]

Hi Gary

Please add my name to the Aug 4th workshop

Cheers
Greg

Already did. You're #9.

[TTT]

Gary,
thank for putting me on June waitlist.
I should be ok for August if there is no vacancy in June

Teo

[michael_]

anyone wish to swap 16th june for 4th august?

[michael_]

Teo if you want to take my spot for 16th and ill taek yours for 4th aug that would be perfect.

[TTT]

michael_,
that sounds good for the swap.

gary,
that ok with you ?

[michael_]

Gary just want to confirm it was cool to swap?

[gstark]

No problem for me.

[TTT]

I have look at this thread and is still wondering where the venue is for June 16.
I need to get there by public transport, it's in Balmain so does bus 433 get near the place ? :?:

thanks

Teo

[Reschsmooth]

I have look at this thread and is still wondering where the venue is for June 16.
I need to get there by public transport, it's in Balmain so does bus 433 get near the place ?

thanks

Teo

Not sure exactly where the venue is, but 442 (from QVB) will get you to and down Darling Street - to east Balmain. 441 will get you from QVB to Birchgrove down Rowntree Street.

Hope that helps

[gstark]

It's opposite Balmain Hospital, on Booth St, and just a short stroll from Darling St. Easy to get to by public transport or horeless carriage.

I'll post more details later.

I also need to open up an FTP site for images from the photo course as well as from this shoot.

[gstark]

The perils of being busy ....

OK, Y'all ... pay attention.

Finally.

Both workshops are being held, starting at 10:30 am, at 2 Booth St in Balmain. It's just across the road from the Balmain Hospital, and it's not the park.

The first of these is this coming Saturday, June 16.

We'll actuially start a little later, because Maggi conducts her yoga class before us, and she finishes at .... hmmm .... 10!

We have a room at the back of the centre; it's a sort of holistic healing community centre. From the corner, just go down the hill a few meters, ad you'll see a pathway heading towards the back of the centre.

I'll be bringing a few different lighting setups that we'll be free to use throughout the day. Please keep the room tidy so that we can continue to use this facility.

Our model for the day is Inica Vardy. I'm still hoping to line up a second model for the day, believe it or not.



Any questions? Please ask in this thread.

[Oz_Beachside]

how far is sydney from melbourne?

[gstark]

About an hour plus some change.

[Technik]

Thanks for organising this Garry. See you all this Saturday

[Vodka]

Looking forward to it! Thanks Gary!
Ben

[TTT]

got it, thanks for map

[Vodka]

Guys (and girl),

Thanks for a fantastic day. Learnt a great deal (especially from Gary), and had heaps of fun taking (lots of) photos of Inica, trying different settings on the camera, and playing with the lighting equipment.

Big thanks to Gary for organising this.

Word of advice for the next group - try to look for free parking in the nearby streets. Street parking near the hospital is expensive!

Ben
(the guy using the D80 + grip + 70-200VR)

[Oz_Beachside]

LETS SEE THE IMAGES!!!

[W00DY]

Just wanted to echo Ben in thanking Gary for organising and leading the day.

Inica for being VERY patient with us all, even though she had not had much sleep and also had to work last night (hope you production went well on it's last night.) Hope there are no side effects from all the flashes!!!

As for the lighting setup, I rushed home and checked ebay but couldn't find those particular ones (there were similar though). Great lights for the price you paid Gary.

Hope all the members in August get as much out of the day as I did.

Off to look through all the images now.

Cheers,
Woody
aka - Andrew or the smaller S5 shooter

[Geoff]

LETS SEE THE IMAGES!!!

Here here!!

[Paul]

Okay, apoligies for the delay as it's been a busy week so far..
Anyhoo for those interested here's some of my better images from the weekend portrait workshop.
Special thanks to Gary for the orginising the workshop and light set ups and of course Inica for kindly posing during the session.
The lighting setups we had were just great to use and for $300 there certainly a bargain.. Poon this could be a winner on the bargains section!

To level the playing field and to give consistant settings and results we all shot at ISO200 as Gary was teaching us about natural light and what to expect our levels to be at given appertures.

Okay so to my first shot, this is in natural light which was coming in through the window from the right hand side with no flash fired.
D200, F5.6, 1/60sec, ISO200, Spot Metering, Auto WB, Nikkor 28-70mm @ 70mm



Second shot is also in natural light with no flash fired.
D200, F2.8, 1/30sec, ISO200, Spot Metering, Cloudy WB, Nikkor 70-200mm VR @ 135mm
I've converted to black and white in NX and adjusted the brightness to -14, contrast to +11 and warmed it to +10



This last shot was either going to be hit or miss as Gary showed us some of the old tricks using Cokin filters with masked sections and other goodies.
Basically this shot was taken as normal but in front of the lens was a hand held (gotta love VR!) clear cokin filter that had scratches everywhere but the centre of the filter thus causing a blur effect. Photoshop eat your heart out!
D200, F11, 1/80sec, ISO200, Spot Metering, Cloudy WB, Nikkor 70-200mm VR @ 175mm (This set up had the flash fired to activate the 2 light set we had - softbox & rim-lighting)
In NX I've adjusted the saturation to +4 and warmed it to +10
It looks a bit orangy/yellow but the image is more about the filter technique.



Critique most welcome, please bear in mind that these images are based on lighting technique and not PS skills plus we were trying to capture the character of the model in a natural pose.

[Vodka]

Here's one of the group taking a break while Gary's adjusting the lighting. I was mighty impressed with those cheap studio lights from ebay!



Ben

[Technik]

Thanks for organising the workshop Garry! Despite the dreadful weather, it was an enjoyable day to learn something new about lighting, exposure settings. etc.

Special thanks to our lovely model Inica, it was a pleasure working with you. Here is a quick shot I took at the session:



Cheers
Leon

[Reschsmooth]

The August workshop is only 10 days away and I am looking forward to it.

Gary, I know you already have one set of lights - do you need/want me to bring my set?

[Geoff]

Patrick - we will more than likely have another model this time, of Nigerian decent! Fabulous dark skin and beautiful facial structure

[Reschsmooth]

Fantastic! Should be great

[michael_]

still on for the 4th?

[gstark]

still on for the 4th?

Is the Pope Jewish?


Er, I mean yes.


Lots of lighting gear organised, including some new stuff from Poon. Model organised. Venue organised.

[michael_]

cool, will you pm members the info? still balmain? bring myself camera and flash and $15? anything else?

[gstark]

cool, will you pm members the info? still balmain? bring myself camera and flash and $15? anything else?

Michael,

Camera, flash, notebook, $15 ...

Location details are on page 4 of this thread, in this post.

Start time will be around 10:30 or 10:45, depending upon when Maggie finishes her yoga class.

[Reschsmooth]

So, whilst I will bring the SB800 and Metz, I don't need to bring the other studio lights/stands/brollies?

[Kyle]

Still another space gary?

[gstark]

So, whilst I will bring the SB800 and Metz, I don't need to bring the other studio lights/stands/brollies?

PAtrick,

If you like, yes. I may try to remember to bring my Metz as well. Note to self: Batteries for Metz!


Kyle, you're in.

[Geoff]

Benedicta the Nigerian model is confirmed for this event as our model

[Reschsmooth]

So, whilst I will bring the SB800 and Metz, I don't need to bring the other studio lights/stands/brollies?

PAtrick,

If you like, yes. I may try to remember to bring my Metz as well. Note to self: Batteries for Metz!

Umm, yes, I will be charging both battery packs and putting the eneloops in the other pack. I informally shot a wedding last year and it was embarrassing and frustrating asking people to hold their pose for a couple of minutes whilst the flash charged! Especially when you are doing the family shot with the 80 year old granny!

[gstark]

Benedicta the Nigerian model is confirmed for this event as our model

Which I meant to mention in my earlier post, but totally overlooked.

Thanx, Geoff.

[Kris]

Now im back in Sydney, can I attend please Gary, not been to a meet in AGES!

[gstark]

Is that a "pretty please" Kris?



You can get to play with the new lights, even. (take that as a "yes")

They were delayed getting into the country: according to FedEx, AQIS wanted to check them out too. Should have them in my hands tomorrow.

[Kris]

PRETTY PLEAAASE

Cool - ive never done a shot in anything that resembles a studio so im a total newbie. Should be good experience

[Reschsmooth]

I am really looking forward to this as, to date, a lot of my 'studio' stuff has been hit and miss. I am currently reading "Light - Science & Magic" which covers light/lighting from a first principals basis (to the extent I have read it). I am not a fan of hit and miss results. What I am hoping to learn:

1. Placement of lights for specific effects.
2. Lighting ratios for specific effects.
3. Use of light-affecting aparati (soft boxes, brollies, etc) and when to use what (given availability of it all, of course).
4. WB adjustments - what and when?
5. Everything else.

I don't know if any or all of the above are in the curriculum, but I am sure I will improve my knowledge and skill by at least 100%!

[gstark]

Patrick,

4. WB adjustments - what and when?

This part's really easy: none.



Step 1: Manual wb. Probably Flash -1 (or maybe -2)

Step 2: fergudaboudid.


The guts of this is that, in any given studio setting, your light sources are going to be constant, which means that the wb of your lighting source is also going to be .... constant.

So, once you have a wb setting that you like, for that given light source, you set it, and you forget it.

If you try to use an auto setting, the camera behaves in the way that its computer tells it to, which means that it's going to assess the wb for each and every shot. What this means to you is that any variation in your composition will change the relationship of all of the components in your shot.

This changes the composite wb reading that your camera is going to be making, except that it's your composition, and not the wb, that's changed. But your camera is stoopid, and doesn't understand this, and thus it's considered to be not a good thing.

And it will do this for every single shot that you're making, which is even more of not a good thing.

So ... for a constant light source: manual wb, and "move along; nothing else to see here".

[asaroha]

Waiting in KL airport for my flight back to Sydney after 7 months of absence and just saw this

Is there any space available still ? Would love to try my hand on studio portrait.

On similar note, does anyone know how to get to the venue with public transport ?

[Geoff]

Has anything been organised for lunch as yet?

[gstark]

Here's the amended list for this Saturday.

Yi-P
Patrick
billybass (Bill)
dviv (David)
Kris
Asohara
Michael_
Sandy_feet (Rod)
Greg
Jack
Kyle
Geoff

Is there anyone who thinks they should be on this list but isn't?

Is there anyone who's on this list but thinks they shouldn't be?

Geoff,

Nothing organised for lunch as yet .... and given that we won't be joined by Peter's Pikers .... we'll only need to organise some light snacks.

[gstark]

On similar note, does anyone know how to get to the venue with public transport ?

Abel,

Check a few pages back in this thread. All you need to know about getting to the venue is there, including a map.

[Kris]

Anyone leaving from Sydneys eastern suburbs or near by???

[Reschsmooth]

On similar note, does anyone know how to get to the venue with public transport ?

Based on the map, if I was catching PT from the CBD, I would catch the 442 bus from QVB (York St) and get off in Balmain as soon as you pass Woolies on Darling Street.

When you get off, keep walking down Darling Street and turn right at the end of the block on which Woolies is. Gladstone Park should be on the next block and follow the road (Durvall?) along as per Gary's map.

(Alternatively, get off at the bus stop opposite the West End Hotel on Mullens Road and do a mini-pub crawl going to the WE Hotel, The Exchange Hotel, Dirty Dicks (IIRC), Town Hall Hotel, Unity Hall Hotel and then to the workshop)