Lightroom 3.0 + Fuji Instax

So it has been over 2 months since I last put up anything and it's shameful.  I've still been doing shoots but somewhere in there my 3 day jobs picked up in the amount of work I've had and there really wasn't much to say.  Still shooting models and fashion, still traveling, still got kids, blah blah blah.  First bit of equipment news, I bought a Fuji Instax, which punks out horizontal "polaroids."

There has been a little leap in the tech department that is worth writing about though: over the last month I did catch up with Lightroom 3.0, and to go along with that I really improved my use of presets.  Presets are basically "style shortcuts," and you can use the existing ones or import third party presets or design your own.  First step came when I downloaded a few preset packs made by common users around the globe-- like this one-- and then, out of the hundreds I scavenged, I made my own user presets by adjusting and combining the other effects.  This robot/ model photo is using a style I titled "Corbjin" after Anto Corbjin, rock photographer god best known for his work with U2 and Depeche Mode. 

Each shoot I've been a part of, I try to do an overall style that reflects the mood of the shoot-- no two shoots are the same so no two styles should be exactly the same.  This image is from a Greek goddess themed shoot and as such I wanted it to have a bit of classical sculptural feel, while at the same time reflecting a goddess beaming light.  

 On a more colorful side, Lightroom 3.0 helped me improve some vintage film presets especially since they added a "grain" slider in the develop feature.  I shoot a lot of vintage fashion and I like the look of the images to match the concept, so this is my "1970s movie" look...

 This one is from a project that is supposed to look like a comic, and I had to get more graphic design-y with it.  Because the comic will be multiple panels across a few pages, the look had to remain consisten in each photo, thus the need for a special preset... "superhero."

This image had almost no adjustments (a bit of vinetting and color adjustment) and was shot in a backyard with no lights on a rare cloudy Saturday morning.  I'm including it because I don't want to leave the impression that "style" has to do with finding the right button to push in the right circumstances-- for sure I spent a lot more time doing other things to the photos pre- and post-preset. 

Beyond the computer work, the concept, the weather, how I feel that day, what kind of model I have, and so many other factors all reflect in what the images ultimately look like. It's not every model who will have a lizard on their head, or dress as a superhero or goddess, or own weird props and be able to do their own insane makeup, or crawl around the sea in a vintage dress... these are the kinds of photos that come out when I think everything goes right.

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