2010-05-29 | Model Shoot With The E-Pl1

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These videos are to show what goes on during our shoots. If you learn something great, if not no big deal. We’re not paid professionals nor paid to advertise anything but are out just to have fun and take cool photos.

The theme we had in mind for this photoshoot shoot was more or less a sport illustrated feel with the model in a bikini. For the first part of the shoot on the beach we decided not to do nothing fancy so went with natural light. We used a 30” x 40” reflector and the on camera flash for some fill light. Also a good to way combat the harsh afternoon light so to find some shade under a tree or by a building so you get nice even soft light. And when we shoot in public places like the beach, especially when we have a lot of gear and a beautiful model, we get a lot of attention. Sometimes it can be distracting when they’re gawking and asking us questions as it messes the photographers and the models groove.

When I was shooting with the E-PL1 I always tried using the view finder because I was so used to a regular DSLR. But, they do make an electronic viewfinder for people who can’t shoot with out one. In my opinion, the live view LCD was a bit easier to compose and focus the shot. We used various modes on the camera from Manuel to full automatic. I was really surprised to see that the automatic mode nailed almost every shoot that I took.

For the shots in the park by the river we brought out our mono blocks. We used my Alien Bee’s 800 with a 22in beauty dish which was powered by a vagabond and used Alvin’s Flashpoint 320M powered by its own little battery. When the model went into the water we moved the lights so there was one on her left and one on her right. The one on camera left was set at a higher power than the one on camera right to give it a little more depth to the photo and create some shape. And while we were there we got some natural light shots. We used a very large aperture to give us that nice shallow depth of field to blur out the background and make the model sick out from the background.

Then on the last location we shot right next to the water by the locks. Again we shot a mixture of strobe and natural light. Since there was limited space at that location I put the 9-18mm lens on to capture the whole scene.

Quick tip, don’t drop your brand new Sennheiser wireless mic receiver in the water! My heart sank as i quickly grabbed it in time before it sank to the bottom. Took out the batteries, gave a good shake, let it dry over night, and it was good as new! So i just want to thank Sennheiser for making a great product!

Now, I’m a big Nikon guy and never really used any Olympus gear before and the transition to the E-Pl1 was surprisingly very easy. And the photos it captured were quite impressive, comparable to a big heavy DLSR. You get the nice DOF, big sensor, quality features in a very compact package. If you are going on a vacation and don’t wan’t to lug your big DSLR around I would highly recommend getting the E-PL1.

Dave Gruentzel
www.itakeyourphoto.com
www.flickr.com/davegruentzel

Alvin Arzaga
www.alvinarzaga.com
www.flickr.com/alvinj88

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