View allAll Photos Tagged bertstephani

Zaventem (Belgium) lighting test with Erika

I wanted to check out some setups in my ministudio, so I asked my friend/muse/model Erika to pose for me.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

LIGHTING INFO:

This picture is lit with just a medium softbox on a studio strobe to camera left (almost next to the model for hight contrast). Triggered with Pocketwizards.No complicated lighting setup at all but I'm still pretty new to studio photography and I'm trying to get the details right.

Brussels, BELGIUM

 

I've set up this shoot with my muse and favorite model Erika to explore a few new ideas. I do experiment when photographing clients but I can't go as far as I wish. That's why I need this kind of freewheeling improvisation shoots from time to time.

As usual it was great to have Ake around as an assistant. Frederik, a communications student, shot some making-of footage for us.

 

One of the keywords I had in mind for this shoot was "hippie". Erika got some cool hippiewear out of her magic suitcase and we played around in natural light.

 

making of video on YouTube

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Brussels, BELGIUM

 

I've set up this shoot with my muse and favorite model Erika to explore a few new ideas. I do experiment when photographing clients but I can't go as far as I wish. That's why I need this kind of freewheeling improvisation shoots from time to time.

As usual it was great to have Ake around as an assistant. Frederik, a communications student, shot some making-of footage for us.

 

LIGHTING INFO:

We underexposed the background by a stop or three for a dramatic effect. Erika is lit with a Canon 580EXII flash (I think at 1/4) to camera left with a shoot through umbrella.

 

YouTube video - part II (including this pic)

 

also check:

YouTube video - part I

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Steenokkerzeel, BELGIUM

 

Accidently removed these pictures from my Flickr stream, so here they are again.

 

Shooting just for the fun of shooting is something that I need to do every now and then. No clients, no equipment test, no instructional videos - just fun. And when you can do that together with a very talented and equally charming photographer, it's even better.

 

One speedlight with shoot-through umbrella to camera right.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

and our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

Brussels, BELGIUM

 

I've set up this shoot with my muse and favorite model Erika to explore a few new ideas. I do experiment when photographing clients but I can't go as far as I wish. That's why I need this kind of freewheeling improvisation shoots from time to time.

As usual it was great to have Ake around as an assistant. Frederik, a communications student, shot some making-of footage for us.

 

LIGHTING INFO:

natural light only

 

YouTube video - part II (including this pic)

 

also check:

YouTube video - part I

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Cullera, Valencia, SPAIN

 

Walking around at a congress for professional photographers with a 25 Euro plastic toy camera, provokes some strange looks sometimes. I only had time to shoot one roll of Kodak Portra 160NC film (medium format). Looking at the very particular look the Holga gives these pictures, I should have shot a lot more frames. It’s not that these are great pictures, but I still like them.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

or our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

BELGIUM - Kraainem

A while ago I did a model shoot with the fantastic Kim Van Noten. We didn't have a real plan except for having fun while creating pictures. Ake was my kind assistant for this shoot and she also shot some video.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

LIGHTING INFO:

The main light is natural light. I added a snooted SB-24 behind the model to create a warm summer feel to the image and separate the model fom the background.

 

I made a video to show how we did this:

youtube.com/watch?v=sqMI72jsXRQ

 

More info about this session will be on my brand new blog soon: www.bertstephani.com/blog

BELGIUM - Kraainem

A while ago I did a model shoot with the fantastic Kim Van Noten. We didn't have a real plan except for having fun while creating pictures. Ake was my kind assistant for this shoot and she also shot some video.

 

The video can be found here: Confessions of a Photographer - episode 2

And there's also Confessions of a Photographer - episode 1

More info, pics and video's can be found on my blog

 

LIGHTING INFO:

A bare SB-24 to camera left is the main light. I think it was at 1/4 or 1/2 power. The available light was rather dim under the dense tree cover, so it was not a problem to overpower the ambient light.

Kim is standing is a tunnel of trees, and I found the end of the tunnel a nice abstract background. By lighting the model with a flash, you can adjust the exposure of the subject and the background indipendently.

 

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Erpe-Mere, BELGIUM

 

After six months of work, MOTIVATIONAL LIGHT, my instructional video about lighting is finally available.

 

For more info, trailers, bonus footage and purchasing, visit:

www.motivationallight.com

 

This image was shot for a sequence to illustrate how to use the "shelter technique" aka the "afdakskes technique".

 

Also check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

and our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

 

Zaventem (Belgium)

Photoshoot with Davina

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

Lighting Info:

Just a studiolight with a medium softbox in front of the model (camera right). To softbox was aimed so only the edge of the light 'feathered' Davina's face (and other assets).

De Haan, BELGIUM

 

I strongly (convince myself to) believe that professional photographers should take some time to play every now and then. We played around all the time when we where amateurs and that's what made us good enough to go pro anyway. So to become a better pro, I try to allow some time to play in my tight schedule.

 

A few months ago I got into a conversation between some like minded photographers and we decided to do some kind of fun shoot together. I actually didn't have the time but I went anyway. And I'm glad I did, because I came back with more energy and motivation.

 

Model Fauve in the dunes was lit with the low sun coming from camera right and a California Sunbounce mini micro reflector (silver) to camera left (just out of the frame.

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Somewhere in Limburg, BELGIUM

 

Last Saturday my cousin got married and I had the honor to photograph this fantastic day. They choose to have a winter wedding and boy did they get what they wanted. Because of the unexpected snow we almost didn't get there.

 

Between church and reception I asked them to jump in the car and give me 15 minutes to make some pics in the snow before the sun would set. I saw this vineyard, pulled over and took some pictures.

 

We exposed for the spectacular sunset and lit the couple with a Hensel Porty Lithium 12 battery powered generator. To soften the light we attached the fantastic Hensel beautydish to the Porty Head. This was close to full power.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

or our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

BELGIUM - Vilvoorde

I wanted to create an image for a photo contest about the environment. The idea was to make a picture of a jogger in 2020. After we had the shot we wanted, we had some time to improvise some other pics with the same setup.

 

LIGHTING INFO:

We placed two Vivitar 285HV's behind the model to create a strong separation light. A third flash was placed about 30° to camera left to fill in the front of the model. Triggered with Pocket Wizards.

 

More info, pics and making of video can be found on my blog

 

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Kampenhout, BELGIUM

 

Christina and I went out for a magic walk/talk/shoot on the longest day of the year.

 

The weather was pretty bad the whole day but when C arrived, she brought the summer with her. But that didn't mean we couldn't use her umbrella as a prop.

 

All shot with wonderful available light and the Panasonic GF1 + 20mm pancake lens.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

and our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

Zaventem, BELGIUM

 

Many e-mails I get from aspiring photographers start with "I only have ..." Usually followed by an entry level DSLR and a lens or 2. Well, when I started out too with only ...

But owning a limited amount of gear shouldn't hold anyone back from becoming a better photographer. On the contrary, HAVING LIMITED GEAR IS NOT A DISADVANTAGE BUT AN ASSET. Off course as a pro you need the right gear for the job but in your quest to become a photographer having limited gear, will force you to think on your feet and be creative with what you have. I guarantee you that this experience will come in handy sooner or later.

 

A few weeks ago I was talked to an avid amateur photographer who complained that it's impossible to make good pictures at a party without lots of expensive gear. In an attempt to prove him wrong, I played around with my little compact camera at a cool party. I used the DJ's stroboscopic lights to make this picture.

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Brussels, BELGIUM

 

I've set up this shoot with my muse and favorite model Erika to explore a few new ideas. I do experiment when photographing clients but I can't go as far as I wish. That's why I need this kind of freewheeling improvisation shoots from time to time.

As usual it was great to have Ake around as an assistant. Frederik, a communications student, shot some making-of footage for us.

 

LIGHTING INFO:

natural light only

 

YouTube video - part II (including this pic)

 

also check:

YouTube video - part I

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Brussels, BELGIUM

 

I've set up this shoot with my muse and favorite model Erika to explore a few new ideas. I do experiment when photographing clients but I can't go as far as I wish. That's why I need this kind of freewheeling improvisation shoots from time to time.

As usual it was great to have Ake around as an assistant. Frederik, a communications student, shot some making-of footage for us.

 

LIGHTING INFO:

natural light only

 

YouTube video - part II (including this pic)

 

also check:

YouTube video - part I

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Zaventem (Belgium) lighting test with Erika

I wanted to check out some setups in my ministudio, so I asked my friend/muse/model Erika to pose for me.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

LIGHTING INFO:

My studio light isn't fast enough to stop motion so I used a bare SB24 on a stand camera left as my main light. To create the atmosphere of a party, I placed another small strobe (Sigme DG500 super) behind the model to give a hairlight and some cool flare. Both strobes were triggered by PocketWizards

BELGIUM - Zaventem

I've always been the kind of person who likes to do the opposite of what a sain person would do. So what do I do on a very windy, rainy, cold day with low and uninteresting light, yup, I go outside. Model Kaatje was a trooper in that bad weather.

 

Also check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

BELGIUM - Vilvoorde

I wanted to create an image for a photo contest about the environment. The idea was to make a picture of a jogger in 2020. After we had the shot we wanted, we had some time to improvise some other pics with the same setup.

 

LIGHTING INFO:

We placed two Vivitar 285HV's behind the model to create a strong separation light. A third flash was placed about 30° to camera left to fill in the front of the model. Triggered with Pocket Wizards.

 

More info, pics and making of video can be found on my blog

 

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Strombeek-Bever, BELGIUM

 

UPLACE, a fine corportate client, is going to sponsor triathlete Bruno 'Bruce' Clerbout so he can completely focus on his sports carreer as a professional athlete. They asked me to do some promo shots.

 

TECHNICAL INFO

The biggest difficulty for this shoot was that it was near freezing and extremely windy. To get some interesting light on this grey day, we had to light every shot with flashes. We also had to work extremely fast to avoid Bruno getting ill.

 

Bruno is lit by 2 Vivitar 285HV's on 1/2 power on each side, slightly behind him. Another Vivitar was set to camera right in a small softbox to act as fill. It was so windy that every flash had to be held by an assistant.

 

Also check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

BELGIUM - Kraainem

A while ago I did a model shoot with the fantastic Kim Van Noten. We didn't have a real plan except for having fun while creating pictures. Ake was my kind assistant for this shoot and she also shot some video.

 

The video can be found here: Confessions of a Photographer - episode 2

And there's also Confessions of a Photographer - episode 1

More info, pics and video's can be found on my blog

 

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BELGIUM - Brussels

Sven aka Ponette is my best friend and the godfather of my youngest daughter. We don't need to see each other very often to have complete trust and have great fun.

This time we took Sven and his g/f Marijke to the market in Brussels. Going somewhere with Sven is always a bit like watching Crocodile Dundee in New York. And going to the market was like a 5 hour exotic vacation.

 

Noa enjoyed watching all the colors and movement on the market.

 

If you like my pictures, check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

BELGIUM - Kraainem

A while ago I did a model shoot with the fantastic Kim Van Noten. We didn't have a real plan except for having fun while creating pictures. Ake was my kind assistant for this shoot and she also shot some video. I'll soon post some more pics from this shoot and put up a link of the video.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

BELGIUM - Kraainem

A while ago I did a model shoot with the fantastic Kim Van Noten. We didn't have a real plan except for having fun while creating pictures. Ake was my kind assistant for this shoot and she also shot some video.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

LIGHTING INFO:

The main light is natural light. I added a snooted SB-24 behind the model to create a warm summer feel to the image and separate the model fom the background.

 

I made a video to show how we did this:

youtube.com/watch?v=sqMI72jsXRQ

 

More info about this session will be on my brand new blog soon: www.bertstephani.com/blog

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

De Haan, BELGIUM

 

I strongly (convince myself to) believe that professional photographers should take some time to play every now and then. We played around all the time when we where amateurs and that's what made us good enough to go pro anyway. So to become a better pro, I try to allow some time to play in my tight schedule.

 

A few months ago I got into a conversation between some like minded photographers and we decided to do some kind of fun shoot together. I actually didn't have the time but I went anyway. And I'm glad I did, because I came back with more energy and motivation.

 

Annelien posing for Tom

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Zaventem (Belgium) lighting test with Erika

I wanted to check out some setups in my ministudio, so I asked my friend/muse/model Erika to pose for me.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

LIGHTING INFO:

This picture is lit with just a medium softbox on a studio strobe to camera left. Triggered with Pocketwizards.No complicated lighting setup at all but I'm still pretty new to studio photography and I'm trying to get the details right.

Erpe-Mere, BELGIUM

 

After six months of work, MOTIVATIONAL LIGHT, my instructional video about lighting is finally available.

 

For more info, trailers, bonus footage and purchasing, visit:

www.motivationallight.com

 

This image was shot for a sequence to illustrate how to use the "shelter technique" aka the "afdakskes technique".

 

Also check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

and our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

 

Aalst, BELGIUM

 

This is an image from the first shoot I did for www.squeezethelime.com, our new educational project.

My favorite model Erika was so kind to pose for me.

 

LIGHTING INFO

1 Vivitar 285HV's behind me shot into a white(-ish) wall. A second Vivitar with a gridspot behind Erika (camera right) for hair light. I've made a making-of movie of this shoot, check it out at www.squeezethelime.com

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

BELGIUM - Kraainem

A while ago I did a model shoot with the fantastic Kim Van Noten. We didn't have a real plan except for having fun while creating pictures. Ake was my kind assistant for this shoot and she also shot some video.

 

The video can be found here: Confessions of a Photographer - episode 2

And there's also Confessions of a Photographer - episode 1

More info, pics and video's can be found on my blog

 

LIGHTING INFO:

The ambient light was really soft but I wanted an edgier look. So I put an SB-24 to camera left to get a bit more contrast in the picture. I played around with the shutterspeed to get more/less of the ambient light in.

 

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Zaventem (Belgium) lighting test with Erika

I wanted to check out some setups in my ministudio, so I asked my friend/muse/model Erika to pose for me.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

LIGHTING INFO:

This picture is lit with just a medium softbox on a studio strobe to camera left. The background is a dark grey wall in my office. Triggered with Pocketwizards. No complicated lighting setup at all but I'm still pretty new to studio photography and I'm trying to get the details right.

Zaventem (Belgium) lighting test with Erika

I wanted to check out some setups in my ministudio, so I asked my friend/muse/model Erika to pose for me.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

LIGHTING INFO:

Being supercreative is great but you got to master the classics first. There's nothing extraordinary about this lighting setup: just a medium softbox on a studio strobe to camera right and a snooted SB-24 behind the model as a hairlight. I placed the softbox a bit further away from the model then with the first shots to make the light a bit harder.

Lights triggered with Pocketwizards.

Nothing fancy at all but I'm still pretty new to studio photography and I'm trying to get the details right.

Steenokkerzeel, BELGIUM

Another shoot I did for LIME a while ago. I photographed Herlinde on her first shoot ever.

 

For a making-of video and more info, please visit www.squeezethelime.com

 

www.bertstephani.com

Kampenhout, BELGIUM

 

Christina and I went out for a magic walk/talk/shoot on the longest day of the year.

 

The weather was pretty bad the whole day but when C arrived, she brought the summer with her. But that didn't mean we couldn't use her umbrella as a prop.

 

All shot with wonderful available light and the Panasonic GF1 + 20mm pancake lens.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

and our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

Oslo, Norway

 

I'm having a blast teaching a two day workshop in this wonderful city with an equally wonderful group of photographers. Linnea was our model for today. Despite the fact that posing when 25 photographers are watching you is really difficult, she was amazing and unleashed one killer look upon the other.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

or our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

Apeldoorn, THE NETHERLANDS

 

I got to do a fun workshop / demo at a "strobist" festival organized by a Dutch camerastore (www.cameratools.nl). They provided me with some cool skaters and a small ramp.

 

LIGHTING INFO:

I love giving workshop but it's sometimes frustrating that you miss good opportunities because you don't always have time to explore shots a bit more or simply fail to see the potential of a test shot. This is one of those test shots. It was made to find the right power setting for the flash on setup 2 but I failed to see the potential of the image itself. I could have easily made this so much better, but it's still my favorite of the set.

The background is underexposed for a dramatic effect and the subject is lighting himself with a Lumopro flash.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

or our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

Aalst, BELGIUM

 

For the last couple of months I've been working countless hours on an instructional DVD about lighting. This week we entered the final post processing stage and I'm very thrilled to see all the hard work come together in the editing suite. The DVD should be available worldwide in a couple of weeks.

 

The idea of doing a DVD has been ripening for about two years now. I didn't want to start it head over heels. Instead I've been writing and rewriting the script many times just to make sure that it's a useful addition to the lighting videos that are already out there.

 

Check out a little behind-the-scenes sneak peek at www.youtube.com/watch?v=E14geuRXdgo

 

This was shot on our first day of recording. Natural light and Erika's natural beauty make my work easy.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

or our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

Erpe-Mere, BELGIUM

 

After six months of work, MOTIVATIONAL LIGHT, my instructional video about lighting is finally available.

 

For more info, trailers, bonus footage and purchasing, visit:

www.motivationallight.com

 

This image was shot for a sequence in which we explored the power of window light.

 

Also check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

and our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

Leuven, BELGIUM

 

Right before a life guard told me to put my camera away because I was "invading the privacy" at the swimming pool, I made this shot of Kobe swimming under water.

 

For an upcoming project I'll need to shoot in a pool and I was thinking that using textures in Photoshop could work on those shots. As a test I tried some very un-me post processing techniques on this picture ... and I kinda like it.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

Brussels, BELGIUM

 

I've set up this shoot with my muse and favorite model Erika to explore a few new ideas. I do experiment when photographing clients but I can't go as far as I wish. That's why I need this kind of freewheeling improvisation shoots from time to time.

As usual it was great to have Ake around as an assistant. Frederik, a communications student, shot some making-of footage for us.

 

LIGHTING INFO:

natural light only

 

YouTube video - part II (including this pic)

 

also check:

YouTube video - part I

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Aalst, BELGIUM

 

This is an image from the first shoot I did for www.squeezethelime.com, our new educational project.

My favorite model Erika was so kind to pose for me.

 

LIGHTING INFO

2 Vivitar 285HV's on each side behind Erika. Natural light for fill. I've made a making-of movie of this shoot, check it out at www.squeezethelime.com

 

Check out my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

De Haan, BELGIUM

 

In my never ending quest for original angles and creative compositions, I started playing with an Olympus E-PL1 and an underwater housing.

 

Last weekend I took the kids for a short trip to the Belgian coast and took the camera and my wetsuit with me just in case I felt crazy enough to get into the freezing water for some first test shots. And yep ... I was crazy enough :-)

 

I only spent 10 minutes or so in the surf but I'm pretty happy with the results.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

Viroinval, BELGIUM

 

Some pics of the camping trip in the Ardennes with the kids.

 

All shot with the Panasonic Lumix GF1 and the 20mm with available light

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

and our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

Zaventem, BELGIUM

 

Just a picture to illustrate my blog:

www.bertstephani.com/blog

Zaventem (Belgium) lighting test with Erika

I wanted to check out some setups in my ministudio, so I asked my friend/muse/model Erika to pose for me.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

LIGHTING INFO:

Being supercreative is great but you got to master the classics first. There's nothing extraordinary about this lighting setup: just a medium softbox on a studio strobe to camera right and a snooted SB-24 behind the model as a hairlight. I placed the softbox a bit further away from the model then with the first shots to make the light a bit harder.

Lights triggered with Pocketwizards.

Nothing fancy at all but I'm still pretty new to studio photography and I'm trying to get the details right.

Zaventem (Belgium) lighting test with Erika

I wanted to check out some setups in my ministudio, so I asked my friend/muse/model Erika to pose for me.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

LIGHTING INFO:

Being supercreative is great but you got to master the classics first. There's nothing extraordinary about this lighting setup: just a medium softbox on a studio strobe to camera right and a snooted SB-24 behind the model as a hairlight. I placed the softbox a bit further away from the model then with the first shots to make the light a bit harder.

Lights triggered with Pocketwizards.

Nothing fancy at all but I'm still pretty new to studio photography and I'm trying to get the details right.

BELGIUM - Zaventem

My son Kobe playing with the new Macbook

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHT RESERVED

Zaventem (Belgium) lighting test with Erika

I wanted to check out some setups in my ministudio, so I asked my friend/muse/model Erika to pose for me.

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI

 

LIGHTING INFO:

After playing around with the gentle light of the softbox, I wanted to try some shots with hard light. I used the studiolight with just a standard reflector as the main light. To make the model stand out from the background I used a small snooted SB24 speedlight behind her. Triggered by PocketWizzards.

Steenokkerzeel, BELGIUM

 

I had the great honor and pleasure to photograph the wedding of my neighbours Gert and Sylvia.

 

Really happy with this shot packed with reflections. I can't really figure out how I did it but it anymore but it was something with two windows and a mirror.

 

Check out my blog: www.bertstephani.com/blog

and our photography project: www.squeezethelime.com

BELGIUM - Kraainem

A while ago I did a model shoot with the fantastic Kim Van Noten. We didn't have a real plan except for having fun while creating pictures. Ake was my kind assistant for this shoot and she also shot some video.

 

More info, pics and video's can be found on my blog

 

PHOTO BY BERT STEPHANI - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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