Photographing The Joker

Looking through some files in my Lightroom Catalogue the other day and I noticed a series of images that I took when presenting for Sony at their Roadshow last year showcasing the new Sony A7IV.

I put together a video giving my feedback on the new camera that I only got my hands on the day before the Roadshow started, and in that video you can see snippets of when I was photographing my friend Graham Currey who was dressed as The Joker..

As for the set up, I used just the one light which was positioned above Graham, slightly forward of him and angled directly down to the floor so that I could also bounce some light into his face using a silver reflector.

The resulted in a version of what is commonly called horror lighting or up lighting, and which I thought would work great for the Joker character and give the pictures a much more dramatic look.

Kit:

• Camera: Sony A7IV

• Lens: Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master

• Lighting: Westcott FJ400 + Silver Reflector

Settings:

f/5.6 , 85mm , 1/160sec , ISO 200

Hope you like the results, and as alway, if you have any questions / comments, please do make use of the comments section below and I’ll be sure to respond.

Cheers,
Glyn

❓WHO is Glyn Dewis and WHAT is this CHANNEL❓

At the beginning of the year, one of my priorities and things I wanted to spend more time on developing was my YouTube Channel, and over the past (almost) 6 months I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm having so much fun putting videos together the way that is 'me' and each week learning and trying something new to add to the production value.

One thing that's been missing though is a Trailer; something that in 60 seconds or less tells folks that haven't subscribed, the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN and HOW of me and what the Channel is all about, but yesterday I put some time aside and did it…

Hope you like it 😉

I DID IT 🌳 I used my DRONE to photograph this INCREDIBLE Lone Tree (Settings + Editing)

Using a Drone for Photography is FANTASTIC! So many new and unique compositions!

In this video I finally photograph an incredible tree that would have been impossible to do on foot BUT thanks to my Drone it became possible! I go through the Drone Camera settings and then dive into Lightroom to create a HDR and finally into Photoshop and jump in and out of Topaz Studio 2 to create a painterly effect.

Hope you enjoy it
Glyn

The Lone Tree and my Drone - An Obsession

This tree has become a bit of an obsession.

I first noticed it when helping friends move home. They didn’t move far. Just further down the lanes in Mid Devon but to a beautiful new spot. So incredibly peaceful. The silence only broken by the sound of the wildlife and that’s to be relished.

It was when driving through the lanes on the back and forth trips I saw the tree high up on a hill, all alone. Couldn’t decide if it felt proud or lonely. It was screaming out to be photographed though.

With it being across a ploughed field perched on top of a hill in another field and quite some distance from the lane I’d stopped in, there was no way to get close on foot. But then I do have a drone. That could work.

I was thinking of maybe doing a long exposure with the clouds over the top of the tree but I’ve lost count how many times I’ve headed over when I thought conditions were right. It’s only a short drive. Well 30 minutes-ish from home but incredible how in such a short journey the conditions can change. Maybe that’s just a Devon thing.

I tried an evening shot with the setting sun but got there a little too late. Didn’t work out too bad though I guess.

Then followed several more aborted missions.

The other day though things started to slot into place.

Blue skies. Fluffy white clouds. No wind. Well…very little.

Using my DJI Air 2S Drone, I took off vertical from where I’d parked up to make sure there were no livestock over the other side hill. Didn’t want to disturb them or worse still…scare them.

All clear.

Set the drone to take 5 Raw photographs at 5 different exposures. Made a HDR image in Lightroom.

Originally thought about just including the tree and the arc of the hill.

Changed my mind and included part of the ploughed field.

Glad I did.

Edited the resulting file in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Finished off with one ‘look’ using Topaz Studio 2.

Hope you like it.

I’ll do a Behind the Scenes video showing this on my YouTube Channel.

I'M ADDICTED!!! 📷 Long Exposures by the Sea (HOW TO) BASIC to BEAUTIFUL 😍

It's incredible how using a long exposure can completely transform the look and feel of a location.

In this video I take you through the Photography showing how a 30 second long exposure can smooth out waves to create a glass like surface, to the retouching in both Lightroom and Photoshop, also showing how to make selections and cuts with one slider.

Enjoy,
Glyn

WORTH THE RISK? Taking Photographs over the SEA with my Drone

In this latest video I take you behind the scenes from the first day with my new drone; the DJI Air 2S as I dare to fly it out over the Atlantic Ocean in Cornwall to capture a photograph that simply would not be possible without it…

Photographing Whiteford Lighthouse in South Wales with my Drone

So a few days ago I headed back to photograph Whiteford Lighthouse in South Wales; the very same place that only a couple of weeks ago I very nearly smashed my camera, lens and a filter.

Not one to give in though, this time I headed back but with a completely different game plan … to use my Drone instead of my main camera.

My reason for this was that ordinarily to photograph the lighthouse, you have to be near to it so that you can photograph it at the right angle and for that you need to wait for the tide to be out as it is such a long way offshore. Trouble is I didn’t want to photograph the lighthouse when the tide was out so that it was stood on a flat, dry, rocky sea bed with no water around it.

The solution would be to use my DJI Air 2 drone; the question though is, would the quality from the drone be good enough?

Well, I’m VERY happy to say the answer to that question is a definite YES…

This time everything came together…

I was joined by my dear friend Anthony Crothers, and having checked the weather, the cloud cover, the tide times and the drone flying zones, when we finally got to the location, it simply couldn’t have been better.

So, here’s a Behind the Scenes video PLUS I go through as bit of the retouching of the final image in both Lightroom and Photoshop…

Good to be Back! Portraits of World War 2 Veterans

After almost 2 years it felt great the other day to be able to photograph another of our World War 2 Veterans…

Because of the Covid-19 Pandemic it’s not been possible and not been safe to take portraits, especially of people in such advanced years, but thankfully now times have changed and I’m able to resume.

This latest portrait is of 101 year old, World War 2 Veteran, Gordon Short who served in the 9th Devons and was attached to the 4th Battalion the Royal West Kents an served in Burma.

I photographed Gordon at his home in Devon which just happens to be a 10 minute drive from my home in the next village having been contacted by one of his sons who’d heard of my 39-45 Portraits Project.

I kept the set up as had in all the previous portraits to ensure continuity…

• Lighting: Westcott FJ80 Speedlite in a Westcott Rapid Box Switch Large Octa

• Background: X-Drop Background using the Grey Material*

• Camera: Sony A7RIV

• Lens: Sony 55mm f/1.8 ZA

*Ordinarily I would have used my own branded canvas effect background but not knowing how much space I’d have to work in, I opted to use the grey material that comes included with the X-Drop because it folds up to be really compact and when fixing it to the frame you don’t need to roll it out. I then made it look like my canvas background by adding a texture to it in Photoshop.

In the next couple of days I’m heading back to see Gordon and to present him with his portrait, printed and in a mount … cannot wait!