Photography Workshops

Yellowstone National Park

Every year I have the opportunity to photograph with clients that travel from all around the country to Yellowstone National Park. Weddings, elopements, Yellowstone surprise proposals and even photographic mini tours with the Yogatography workshop in the fall that I collaborate and teach with my dear friend Margaret Burns Vap of Big Sky Yoga Retreats.

Yesterday my wife Heather and I took sometime for ourselves to investigate, hike a little and take in the immensity of this super natural place. Most of the park is still closed for the winter, but soon the snow plows will be at work clearing the way for the spring opening and summer visitors!

Enjoy this brief glimpse into the northern tip of Yellowstone National Park. From the plains below Mt Everts, to The Forces of the Northern Range area and finally the other worldly, supernatural Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces … it is a magical place!

Enjoy the view!

Heather’s elation pretty much sums it up!

my outdoor studio – Montana

I have come to LOVE my outdoor studio here in Montana.  I spent the early years of my photography career in big, dark, well equipped studios with a team of pro’s that make food magic.  Any light that I used had to be set up and carefully modified and controlled. Often one set would involve 4 to 6 lights.  Yes, shooting food was meticulous and challenging. I liked it but I didn’t love it!

(FAST FORWARD to the present) For the last 15 years of wedding photography it’s been a very different experience.  Shooting on the run 95% of the time and learning to quickly and efficiently use some flash on or off camera to handle any and all lighting conditions.

Lately I have had a number of shoots at sunset and I find that I love it!  The light is continually changing until it is gone… and it all happens in about 15 to 20 minutes.  So  you have to get it right or go home without… or possibly to a crap load of post production and photoshop work.  Luckily my years of lighting experience pays off every time I walk out the door to shoot!

MY OUTDOOR  STUDIO….  One main light source (THE SUN) that is on a big dimmer switch and it is slowing going, going, gone.  Other light sources are battery powered flash with some subtle color gels to help match the color of the sun at dusk.  These have to be continually adjusted, down, down, down in order to gently finesse the light.

LAST NIGHT…   Last night was different.  The sun was setting gently in and out of smoke from local forest fires and some low hanging clouds.  The smoke offered a big soft box effect that was surreal and soft.  There was no need to add any flash. We were in a cloud of sublime light!

YOGATOGRAPHY…  I was working with my friend Margaret Burns Vap, head yogini at Big Sky Yoga Retreats.  We were working on some creative ideas for the Yogatography (see the video) retreat at the end of the month. If this interests you we have two seats left in this creatively fun and challenging yoga and photography retreat for women.

For this photo shoot, our beautiful models were Morgane Vap, Emma Olsen, Margaret and our equine beauties Love and Skywalker.  What a work out!  And in the end I was very pleased with what came off the card this morning.

Tomorrow it’s weddings as usual, but last night was an exciting time in MY OUTDOOR STUDIO – Montana!







‘waiting for the eclipse’

 

Truth is… I got bored on the day of the eclipse. Everyone in town was sitting around with silly glasses on staring at the sky, as though ‘looking through a glass darkly’!  hahaha….  So I raced down the river valley giving myself only 10 minutes to set up and solve whatever lighting challenge the circumstance might present.  I can only imagine what people around were thinking about the funny photog dude rushing around, back and forth from the camera to the lights and then standing in his chosen spot… doing ‘selfie’ lighting checks.  Then things settled down and I found the image I was looking for.  It was worth it.

I call it ‘waiting for the eclipse’

Making Sense of light

On Saturday I taught a workshop on the subject of Making Sense of Light and Studio Lighting.  I had a great time with a few students, hair and makeup talent Brittnee Madill, and lovely model Sarah Bates.  Here are two very contrasting images.  One I fashioned after a style that I love very much… traditional black and white.  I actually did shoot some b&w film but I have to wait a while to get that back from the lab.  The other was a creation put together by Brittnee and Sarah and then we went at in the studio to find the appropriate lighting to dress it out!

Always something new!  Now I am thinking about the next workshop. So if you missed this one, keep an eye out for our next one in January.

Sarah b&w_Larry Stanley
Sarah_blue_Larry Stanley