The BEST Location For Amazing Photos | Stoke-Ness
I’m late and to be honest I forgot to write this months newsletter (record scratch)
I’ve been working on some exciting projects and lost track of time. But isn’t that the best part of spring? It’s warming up, everything is green and I haven’t wished for time to move faster once. I’m absorbed in every minute of the season.
In this months issue I show you how to photoshop muscles, a must have camera lens and the perfect jam for the warmer weather.
Be stoked,
Isaac
New Places
Photo by Gibeon Photography
Home, where you live.
Alright, now I know this is not a new place, but hear me out. I’ve recently heard far too many excuses from photographers wishing they could take photos in a different location and not taking any ‘cause they don’t have the time or money to travel.
I hear that and agree it sucks. But you won’t get paid to travel unless you can show your work. And you won’t get better at taking photos unless you shoot as many as you can.
So here is this months location: A cute AirBNB near where you live.
Search for the best looking rental home in the area. Reach out to the owner and ask if you can shoot photos of the place in good light for free and you will give them the photos. Some of you might be able to trade a night for the images and shoot both sunset and sunrise. If the owners don’t want to trade for a night, it’s still fun to shoot photos for free.
Go shoot photos of the place. Bring a friend or friends to model. Shoot all the scenes you can think of using all the amenities (hot tub, ping pong, fireplace, dock…) Now deliver the photos and be stoked that you had an inspiring place to shoot. This is so much better than wishing you were somewhere else =)
I’d love to see your photos and hear how this goes if you do it, maybe I’ll even feature them in next months issue.
Gear
Photo by Forrest Mankins
Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II USM
I’ve used most every lens Canon makes for my Canon 5D Mark IV body.
After I borrowed a friends 24-70mm, I had major FOMO that I didn’t have one in my kit. I bought one last month and it has since become my go to lens.
Here are the 3 things that convinced me to get one:
Usability: The range of this lens lets me shoot landscapes, portrait and action shots without changing lenses. I can create a entire catalog of images that features detail, medium and wide shots of whatever subject i’m shooting.
If i’m shooting a mountain bike story, for example, I can shoot details of the muddy tires without needing to be inches away (70mm). I can then shoot a wide action shot of a biker ripping past me (24mm). I can then catch them as they roll way in the distance down a perfect single track and still have bokeh with the foreground and background blurry. All of this without switching a lens.
I also love that it is a “fast” lens with a 2.8 aperture. This allows more light to come in making it easier to get fast shutter speeds in low light.
Seperation: With my 16-35mm lens I could shoot similar photos and crop in post to create images that work at a distance. What I can’t get is the bokeh that creates subject separation. Using the MTB rider as an example again: When I get bokeh in the foreground and background, but the rider sharp, it creates a depth that you can’t fake with editing. I like depth. Depth is what makes a regular photo really stand out. This lens is has the widest range for bokeh of almost any lens I’ve used. From 18” to about 60’ away.
Sharpness: It’s incredibly sharp. I tried a few other brands of lenses first and found this one to be super sharp every time. Now sharpness is not always a hallmark of my photos I admit. Creating an edit that doesn’t look sharp is easy enough, making an image sharp that wasn’t to begin with is a hard process that often looks fake. Start with a sharp lens and you will never regret it.
I have recently shot commercial work for Abecrombie & Fitch and Ascis. Without this lens my job would have been much harder. If you can only buy one lens, start with this one.
Buy it HERE
Who I'm loving on Instagram
Forest is one of the photographers I am most inspired by. He has had a career shooting photos for outdoor causes and brands in ways that set trends for years. What stands out most about his work is the concepts he comes up with to show a scene in a new way.
From western work for Filson to iconic Patagonia Magazine covers, the man is pure talent and a must follow.
Give him a follow Here
Music I'm Diggin'
Sunny D by Jaeden Camstra
This cruising, chill track is perfect for a drive in spring weather with the window down. It’s a blend of nostalgia and now that makes you want to slow the world down for a minute and enjoy life.
10/10 would recommend
Give it a spin on Spotify here.
Videos, Movies, and TV
Heatseeker and the Making of Heatseeker by Nico Vuignier
This months video is a double header.
Nico has been making insane videos that feature creative new ways to film skiing for years. Both of these videos continue to push the boundaries. Nico is a master of figuring out new ways to make common things look incredible. Heatseeker is visually insane and entertaining.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH IT
My biggest takeaway was how long it takes to make something that pushes what is possible. Most people (myself included) are only interested in putting days or weeks into a YouTube video. Nico spent 4 YEARS on this video. He doens’t put out a video every week, month, or even 6 months. It changed my perspective on what I make and how long it should take. Watch it and you will see what I mean.
Also you should watch it because even of you don’t care about Skiing or making videos, it’s fascinating.
10/10 would recommend.
Reads
Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind by 99U
Sometimes working as a freelancer it can be hard to stay focused and get shit done. I needed reset.
I’m halfway through this book and the techniques have already changed my days. I’m working with more intention and getting way more done.
If you are looking to optimize your work, even if you are full time at a job and only freelance on the side, I highly recommend this book. It will change your life for the better.
P.S. this book is formatted to be extremely easy to read. You will actually finish this one instead of leaving on the shelf.
Photo/Video Technique
Before
After
How To “Photoshop” people with the Liquify filter.
We have all heard how models on the covers of magazines are “airbrushed” to make them look skinny or fuller in some ahem areas.
Well it’s a heck of a lot easier than airbrushing and so fun to mess around with.
First you will need Adobe Photoshop.
Open your image and copy the layer so that you can work on it without making the changes permanent (until you export).
Open the Filter drop down menu and select Liquify. There are several options for tools here. I use the Forward Warp, Pucker and Bloat tool most. Adjust the settings and play around with it until you are able to shape the image the way you want. A little goes a very long way here. Click the Preview check box off and on to see what you have changed. When you are happy with your changes click ok.
You can now export or if you were working in Adobe Lightroom and opened the image from that program you can save the image and it will save the changes back in Lightroom as well.
This is a really fun technique, and when used with little moderation it can help your images look a little more professional. Just keep in mind that changing the way peoples bodies look is not always popular. I quickly (and imperfectly) changed the image above for the purpose of showing you what’s possible, but I would never actually edit a person so dramatically. Fluggs is a rad dude just the way he is =)
When I set out to make this newsletter almost 2 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined how much fun it would be to connect with you all through email. What I love most is the responses and questions I get. If you have specific questions, related to this email or not, don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for reading.
Be stoked and have a great month,
Isaac
