Jul 10
19
New Photographer Joining
Rochester Photographer Andris Silins would like to welcome Hunter as the new addition to the team. Hunter arrived last week and is already been involved with two location photo shoot sessions. Although he is relatively new to the photography field, Hunter has been in popular demand. ”The phone has been ringing off the hook along with numerous emails already requesting time with him,” said Photographer Andris Silins. Due to the high demand, Hunter is already considering opening up his photography calendar for booking weddings and portrait sessions for the year 2030. Hunter expects to go far with the help of his sister Paige, who in only two years has become quite the Nikon user now that she learned how to use the camera Play [>] button. Paige is a big advocate of chimping (CHeck IMage Preview) until the digital SLR camera batteries are dead and together with Hunter they will make a strong team. In the mean time, between naps and feedings, Hunter will be helping with local portrait sessions and shadowing the Rochester PhotographerAndris Silins.
Paige and Hunter discussing the lighting setup
Hunter confirming the studio props are comfortable
Jun 10
25
Great Wedding Photograph
- Bride and Groom wedding kiss
There was four hours between the wedding ceremony and the wedding reception that was held at the Radisson Riverside Hotel in Rochester NY. This extra time gave me the opportunity to print and frame a 4×6 photograph. At the reception I placed the framed wedding photo at the bride and groom head table as a little gift from me to them. They loved the photograph and placed it next to their wedding cake so all of the guests could enjoy it. Once again, I’d like to congratulate the happy newlyweds and I hope they enjoyed their wedding as much as everyone else.
It’s been a while since I did an update for Rochester Photographer…
I recently did a nice wedding as a second wedding photographer with my friend from Alwyn Photography. The wedding was in Webster, NY and the wedding reception was at Eagle Valein Fairport, NY. Being a second photographer removed some of the pressure of the day and gave me an opportunity to run the Nikon Advanced Wireless System (AWS) during the reception and to see how it compared to my Pocket Wizards. Let’s just say I started using AWS and 15 min into working with it I was back to using my time tested Pocket Wizards to fire my remote speedlights. When AWS worked, it worked pretty well. My problem was the inconsistency of the remote speedlights not firing. I was using the Nikon SB-900as the master and the sensor side of the remote speedlights were facing into the center of the room. On average I was 15-25 feet away from the remote lights and they only fired about 1/3 of the time. To say the least I was not pleased with the results of the remotes not firing off each time. I quickly switched over to the pocket wizards and I was back in business. The rest of the wedding reception went well and I learned that the AWS isn’t all it’s cracked up to be since it appears to need a perfectly clear line of site from the master speedlight to the remote speedlight. Meaning no wedding guests can be in the way which makes the system pretty limiting for wedding photography since capturing one time moments is what wedding photography is about.
Opening day at Watkins Glen International Speedway was this past weekend and Rochester photographer Andris Silins was there. Not only was I there but I had an opportunity to ride along in a Audi TT for three laps on the track. The great thing about opening day is that for $25 anyone can take their car on the track for three laps. The only stipulations were no passing and they had a pace car out in front of each group to keep everyone at a fairly controllable speed. The track is a little over three miles long with 11 turns and we were able to get up to about 80mph a few times. This is different than creating photographs for families and couples or wedding photography but is just as much fun if you’re into fast cars.
While I was grinning ear to ear I had the opportunity to grab some great photographs of this Porsche 911 that was just ahead of us on the track. Enjoy!
Watkins Glen Opening Day
Watkins Glen Opening Day
Apr 10
16
Photography is About Lighting
Rochester Photographer Andris Silins is holding class… Today’s lesson is photography and light.
According to the great Wikipedia, the word photograph finds it origins from the Greek words “phos” (light) and “graphe” (representation by means of lines) and when combining the two words it translates to “drawing with light.” Photography is all about capturing light and using light to create images. About now you might be asking yourself, “what does this mean to me and why should I care about light?” If your photographer doesn’t know how to use light to an advantage or utilize additional lighting sources then the photographs for your wedding, event, family, etc might not be as good as they should be.
When looking for photographers in the Rochester and Monroe County area you have to know what you want. In regards to lighting and photography we’ll break it into three different categories to help you better understand your options:
Available light photography: the photographer uses no artificial or added light from a flash. Advantages to the photographer are no need to worry about flashes or additional auxiliary lights but just taking the photographs. The only downside (if you call it that) to available light photography is when it’s dark or there are lots of harsh shadows the photos will look dark and have harsh shadows. With available light photography the dark shadows that could have been filled in with a fill flash stay dark shadows. Some people love the available light look but others could be a little disappointed in the end results. There are some good available light photographers out there. Make sure you take a good look at some examples to see what you could get and make sure you like the look.
On camera flash photography: the photographer uses a flash attached directly to the camera. The flash can be used to brighten dark areas or harsh shadows. The on camera flash can be turned and angled to bounce the light off of a nearby wall or ceiling which can give the effect of large, soft and diffused light source upon your subjects. Soft, diffused light generally makes for pleasing photographs with less harsh and contrasty shadows. The photographers that are good with an on camera flash can really bring the subject out in the final images. On camera flash photography is what most event and wedding photographers utilize because it is a simple way to improve photographs.
Off camera/remote flash photography: the photographer uses one or more remote flashes to light the subject and or surroundings. This is an advanced method and allows for great photographs and endless possibilities. Look through any magazine and you will see photographs of nicely lit models in the advertisements. These models were all photographed using anywhere from 2-5 remote lights. Off camera lighting for events and weddings is about the closest you can get without actually being in a photography studio. Multiple off camera lights that are on light stands around the room allow a photographer to control the direction and intensity of lights to make photographs pop. The only downside is that multiple: light stands, flashes, radio transmitters, batteries, etc are all needed to produce these outstanding photos. This additional lighting equipment comes with added expenses and needed experience but is worth it for the clients. Rochester Photographer Andris Silins uses remote off camera lighting while at the same time utilizing on camera flash lighting for the best results.