Photos: [M.H] Sneak Peek

Hey,

Just did a shoot last week that was a lot of fun.  First time in a while I had to actually elevate myself on stools and other things so I wasn't shooting up at the model.  All and all a very great shoot with the quite tall and lovely model.

Here is a sneak peek so stay posted for the rest!

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

Photos: [N] Flower Series Extras

Hey,

Just finished editing my shoot from last weekend and I loved the final products.  It was a fun shoot with my makeup artist and the model.  As always and we had a blast.  Got a great flower series photo from it which I will post with the rest when I am done the series (at 6 now).  Also one of the photos was really dark and I edited it a lot more than I usually do just to see how it would look.  I think it turned out well.

Here is one of the extras and you can check my Flickr for the others.  Without further adieu:

Portrait - 105mm VR Macro

Hope you enjoy!

Update & Photos: Beauty Dish

Hey,

So I got a chance to use the beauty dish twice now and I love it.  Still getting the hang of it but luckily for me, a friend came over to help me practice using it.  I was practicing lighting on myself, however that is never as good as having someone else being the model.

Here are some of the shots from practicing with the beauty dish:

Portrait - Beauty Dish - 50mm f/1.4D

Portrait - Beauty Dish - 50mm f/1.4D

Hope you enjoy them and stay posted for more photos and my initial review of the beauty dish now that I have gotten to use it a bit.

Photos: Sneak Peek

Hey,

Here is a sneak peek of the photos I took earlier this week in my studio with a ballet dancer.  Hope you enjoy!

Portrait - 35mm f/1.8G

Portrait - 17-55mm f/2.8

Stay posted for the rest!

Photos: [E] in Studio

Hey,

Thought I would take a quick break from app reviews and post some of the photos form my shoot I did over the holidays with a very lovely model.

We made a made dash to my studio and I am glad we did because we got some amazing shots as well as another Flower Series (FS) shot.  A very fun day and we got some very good images I thought.

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

There are more (different) on Flickr in the set with this model's other photos from the last shoot we did.  The sharpness of the 50mm f/1.4 D never ceases to amaze me.  

Hope you enjoy the images!

Photos: Nat's Flower Series Extras

Photos: Nat's Flower Series Extras


So I was able to fit in another shoot and do another flower series shoot in my studio.  I really liked this one because I kind of got to build the shoot from the ground up.  I went out and bought a bed sheet and used pins to make a dress with it.  Got the flowers and used my studio.  The model was a great help and was also able to get the large lily I have ever seen to stay in her hair which, was an impressive feat.


I can't wait to have enough of these photos to call them a series.  I have three currently and hopefully will get more over Christmas break.


These are two extra photos from the flower series however the one shot I will use for the series is not posted yet.  So without further adieu here are the Flower Series Extras from this shoot:

Portrait - 105mm

Portrait - 35mm

Thank you for looking!

Photos: Sarah's Flower Series Extras

Photos: Sarah's Flower Series Extras


Just did a shoot with the lovely Sarah and the shots turned out really well.  It was the first real studio shoot I've done in my studio (unless you count me sitting in front of my magazines as one).  I was really impressed with the photos and since my review of the 35mm DX f/1.8 lens is so popular, everyone should be happy to hear the 35mm will be my new studio lens for full body shots.  Personally I want my 50mm to be my main portrait lens but it is not wide enough to get the full body in the frame so the 35mm it is.


I was really happy with these shots and I hope you are as well.  I will start showing my Flower Series photos when I have enough of them to be called a series.  Two doesn't count as a series yet.  So in the mean time here are some other shots form the shoot!

Portrait - 35mm f/1.8 G 

Portrait - 50mm f/1.4 D

Portrait - 35mm f/1.8 G

Thank you for viewing and I hope you enjoyed them!

Photos: Studio Self Portrait

Hey,


So personally when I get something exciting I usually try to use it as fast as I can.  This case I wanted to use my studio after I had it setup so... I did.  I had this idea after thinking I wanted to review magazines I read since I find some are better than others and thought I would share said info.


As I was thinking about reviewing magazines I thought about doing a photo like this and so here it is.  I will write a review of the magazines I have read probably tomorrow if not for sure this week sometime.

But before I do the magazine reviews I thought I would toss up this photo since I liked it:

Self-Portrait - 17-55mm

Hope you like the first photo up that is taken in my studio.


Just a warning I will probably toss this photo at the top of my magazine review since it is me and all my magazines to date.

Update: Studio IV

Hey,


Amazing news!  The studio is up and functional.


So I wanted to make a studio with the least amount of money spent and pretty much all DIY.  So I tried duct taping (inexpensive I know) the paper to the ceiling.  I had a feeling it wouldn't work but I wanted it away from the far wall because I wanted to keep the heater on.  The paper didn't stay up so I went to plan B.  Turn the heater off and then tap it to the wall itself and not the ceiling.  This will then give better odds of the paper staying up since the force being exerted is perpendicular to the tape instead of how it was set up being taped to the ceiling.  So far so good haha.  It could fall but I don't think it will.


I put some tacks into the tape just as a precautionary thing so that they might hold it enough if it is falling to give me time to notice.


Since I have a studio now (unless it falls down on me again) I will start doing more photography as well as I will change my Model Mayhem profile.  I decided that since I have a studio I could help models with their portfolios as well as building mine own doing shoots.  I have been contacted by a couple of models to do shoot however they have not had ideas of what to do.  So I think I will set it up that if they want Time For Print (TFP) then I will decide on the ideas unless the ones they have are going to build my portfolio. If their ideas wont build my portfolio I will charge for building their portfolio.


Additionally I might do graduation photos to make back some money form building the studio (which wasn't that much) however making money back form photography is never a bad idea.


I thought the construction of the studio would be a little more complex however it wasn't haha.  So my Updates did not have as much detail about the construction as I wanted but oh well.  C'est la vie.  If you have specific questions for me about the studio please do not hesitate and send me an e-mail at tomhoustonphotography@gmail.com.  Or you can comment on a post and I will respond via a comment.


So here are two photos from of the studio however it is hard to capture all of it with my 17-55mm.  Just to give some dimensions, the paper is on a 8'x8' plywood floor.  So it is roughly 9 feet tall and about 9 feet long by almost 9 feet wide.  So a fair size if I want group shots or even someone laying on the floor.

My studio.

My studio from a lower angle.

I hope you are as excited as I am about this.  So yes, one can build a studio in their spare room quite easily.  I spent less than $500 for sure on the materials to build it (excluding flashes/stands/umbrellas).  Now I shall get some flower series shots done hopefully!

Tom

Update: Studio III

Hey,

Exciting news!  Got the plywood with the help of a friend who graciously donated her time, vehicle and strength to help me get the plywood in my studio.  I decided that making a frame out of 2x4's to attach the plywood to is a little overkill in my case.  So I am just going to try to find a simple solution to stop the plywood from sagging a little when you stand in the middle of it.  It isn't a deal really but I will do that this week.  Then all I need to do is duct tape the paper to the ceiling and away I go.

So here is the updated plywood studio shot:

Studio with the plywood floor!

I am very exciting right now however I am super busy so I am not sure when I will get around to setting all this up.  But I don't exactly have time to be shooting in it anyways so I am not too concerned.

Hope you guys are all excited as I am!

Update: Studio II

Hey,


So I got the seamless paper as I believe I have said.  The roll is now sitting on the floor until I have the floor build.  But I can do another step until then, which is bring in some lights:

Studio, Check.  Seamless Paper Check.

Lights... Check

So I decided to take some photos to play around with the room even though I don't have the flooring or the paper up but... you don't need that to get good shots anyways.

When no one is around to model for you sometimes you must grab a tripod and your remote and do it all yourself...

Self Portrait - 17-55mm

And then if you really want to get all fancy and bust out two flashes with two homemade snoots...  Which can get some cool lighting:

Self Portrait - 17-55mm

So, here is the beginning... I am definitely looking forward to not being the model/lighting assistant/photographer all at once but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Hope you are as excited as I am about the potential of this room/studio.

Update: Studio

Update: Studio
Hey,


So my housemate in my apartment is moving out and I will have an empty room.  I wont be here too much longer so I decided to build a studio in the room instead of finding someone else to live here.  This means I will be able to do more shoots.  Less travel time (almost none) involved, ability to do quick shoots like for my flower series and all and all a good idea I think.  I can also start doing grad photos in a studio which will pay back the cost of building it hopefully.


The room is basically empty now so what my game plan (it changes a little sometimes) is to build a basic plywood floor on 2''x4''s and have that be 8'x8'.  This is because there is carpet on the floor in the room which wont be so good for seamless paper so I will need the hard surface.  So that will make the floor smooth and solid (hopefully).  Then I have ordered a 9' roll of seamless super white paper.  The only catch is I will have to trim a little of the paper roll somehow to have it fit across the width of the room.  This isn't a huge deal cause I will only lose 3-4''s.  I would rather do that than order the 4 1/2' roll and lose half the roll.  It will fit across the length of the room however I think it would be best to go across the width. 


I will have the seamless roll on the floor and then attach the paper edge to the ceiling.  This is because I do not want to do any major damage to the walls or ceilings to hold the roll up and I don't want to invest in a background stand or autopoles right now.  So this means when I cut the paper when it gets dirty or ripped I lose more of the paper in one go but that is okay with me cause I just want simple and easy right now.  I still have yet to figure out how I am going to attach the paper to the ceiling.  I really don't care how as long as it isn't to destructive to the apartment.  I don't care if it is sticky tack or duck tape.  But I will figure that out and share how I managed to keep it up.  


As I build this with my "construction manager," I will take photos as we go so that I can keep everyone posted on the progress of the studio.  Also here I can share what is working and what isn't.  Additionally if you are wondering any of the finer details like, "how are you building the floor?" or "how are you going to trim the paper roll?" I will go into specifics as we build it.  The "construction manager" is a good friend (and one of my models) of mine who works at a lumber mill/wood shop that her family owns so she knows her lumber and more importantly construction.  So I have asked for her assistance because she has a hell of a lot more building experience than I do.   So with her, there is a better chance of making less mistakes (which would cost money) as well as she knows how to build things properly and effectively.  I could build the floor and such but I wouldn't have a clue if it was a cost effective way or if it was the smart way of doing it.  


So I am not sure how long all this will take but it should be fun so it wont matter too much on how much time it takes.  Also I can build it at my own pace since I am way to busy with University.  But I want to get it done before christmas at the latest.  Right now all I know is that I have to figure out the best way to attach the edge of the paper to the ceiling.  I might have to put up a thin piece of wood to attach it too since the ceiling is that stucco dry wall stuff.   


It is a fairly big dream/idea to do but it should be good and I will keep everyone posted on it's progress.


Wish me luck!


Tom