beauty shots

Catching up on some post work last night and going through some recent beauty shots.

Makeup by Terri Lodge.

Tried out a variety of lighting set-ups from multiple umbrellas to ringflash.

So I hope to someday get caught up on this mountain of post-production and actually get some new material posted on my website.

Until then, you’re welcome to visit and check out fashion photos, portraits, fashion show photos and more:

Pete Springer Photography, Portland, Oregon

you can just fix it in photoshop, right?

Photographers often hear something like, “Oh, that can be fixed in photoshop.” So today’s post is about the limitations of photoshop. The above photo is a recent image from my trip to Las Vegas. Cool idea, beautiful model, great location– but I bombed on my exposure. It can be fixed in photoshop, right?

Well… not quite. I shoot RAW files, and yes, there’s about a single stop exposure latitude and the ability to tweak WB. But the above photo has blown highlights, meaning there’s just no data there. Anyway, I’m pretty slick with photoshop (there are definitely folks who are better though) so I opened the file in ACR, tweaked the exposure, cranked the recovery tool to 100%, pulled the clarity tool over, then opened the file. Converted it to a b & w using the LAB method, did two curves tweaks on it, and the result is below. Sure was a lot of work and not really a lot of improvement.

The lesson– get it right in camera. There’s only so much you can do in photoshop to save a file that wasn’t quite right to begin with. And… considering a typical shoot can yield 200 plus images, photoshoppin’ all those files intensely would quickly lead to madness!

Pete Springer Photography, Portland, Oregon

hey portland boutiques!

Busy photo weekend for me– started out with a boutique shoot doing catalog style shooting for web use. Which gets me to this– all you Portland, Oregon boutique owners and designers! I offer on-location shoots of your clothing! I’m fast, good, and quite skilled in lighting your designs/clothing for things like websites, catalogs, and on-line sales. This above image will be used for greenloop on their website for web sales.

And though it looks simple, it’s actually four studio strobes metered to perfection. Trust me– you’ll boost your sales if you use quality photography on your website. The ol’ point & shoot natural light shots are not going to inspire much confidence in your potential customers.

Okay, moving on, I also had a really fun portrait shoot yesterday — two sisters.

I enjoy shooting on location for the variety of backgrounds and looks possible. These folks were fun to work with too and I really appreciate the room to explore some more creative options to the traditional portrait.

Of course, if traditional portraits are your thing, that’s fine too. It’s just sometimes fun to shoot a little bit of variety.

As usual, many, many thanks to Terri Lodge for her outstanding makeup services on this shoot. Yes, I can arrange professional makeup for your photoshoot too!

Pete Springer Photography, Portland, Oregon

i’ll be damned

That massive behemoth that is the daily local newspaper in these parts actually has a pretty decent article/feature on Portland Fashion Week today. I’m amazed.

What helps the article tremendously is that they assigned a staff photographer to shoot the photos for it… instead of their usual writer shooting crappy, out-of-focus p&s shots from the front row. It’s only taken that massive behemoth three years to come around to the local fashion scene, but hey, I’m willing to applaud them for finally taking note and actually assigning a decent photog to cover two of the shows this past week.

Yeah, they’ve covered other local fashion shows in the past, but notably absent has been coverage of the Portland fashion week events and collections, even though this is the third year of PFW and the fourth or fifth year of the collections shows.

I remember all too well the snap of convicted criminal Paris Hilton sitting front row at New York fashion week that ran in that daily newspaper a couple of years ago. When I asked the writer why they ran features like that but not features on the local fashion scene, I was told in no uncertain terms that she would much rather cover New York fashion week than anything in Portland. Strange comment from a local writer for a local daily, but hey, what do I know about newspapers? Aside from their dramatically declining readership and the fact people under 40 make up a very small percentage of their readership, of course…

But really, I’m sincerely applauding their photo feature today. Good photos and a well written article. Good to see the local newspaper is finally taking an interest in local feature stories!

Pete Springer Photography

more PFW ramblings

Portland Fashion Week may be done for 2007, but my ramblings aren’t! Isn’t that what blogs are for? Random thoughts and insights?

So this photo above– normally I’m really good at watching how many pics are left on my CF cards, but right after this shot, I pushed the shutter, nothing happened because the CF card was full. Swapping cards at an event like this is a little complicated because if you’ve been shooting fast, often the files are still writing to the card for a few seconds afterwards (and you can’t yank the card or you’ll lose those photos). So as the files were writing, I quickly fished a blank CF out of my pocket, waited another second for the write light to go off, loaded up the blank card, and of course missed the end of the runway shot. So I grabbed a shot of the back of the design– and wouldn’t you know it? My editor wanted both photos! The lesson? You have to be fast and really, really know your equipment in situations like this.

So a lot of people dabble in runway shooting and they may end up with a couple of decent shots, but ask yourself how many people can nail a decent shot of EVERY single design? ‘Cause you really never know what an editor will want.

BTW: for this show, I was shooting for ultra a website that has been doing an awesome job of reviewing and writing up all the PFW shows. Congrats to Lisa and the rest of the team, your coverage has really been top notch and better than any of the mainstream publications like that really bad one that starts with an “O” or those others that have long since decided photo quality is not important. And I’m not talking about The Mercury because I actually really admire them.

Seriously– take a spin around the google listings for PFW and local publications. Some of the photos showing up on the blogs are horrendous– out-of-focus, poorly composed snaps. One local publication blog even has comments asking why the photos are so bad! Someday those places will learn that the internet is actually quite popular and will most likely outlive their print publications.

Not to dwell on this too much, but Tuesday, my website had over 2800 unique visitors. Wednesday, it was over 1900, and yesterday, merely 1600. Those are not page views, those are unique visitors. The best part about the internet is a lil’ po-dunk photog like me with virtually no budget can get out there and give those well-financed, advertiser driven publications a real run for their money.

Moving on… so this is the runway shot of this design by Lucia Apparel which I mentioned yesterday. Designer Sarah Wallace is really a great person and a cool designer so I have no problem helping her out with a lil’ publicity. Anyway, so that’s the runway shot.

Here’s that same design shot in a more editorial way. Runway photos are cool, but it’s always more fun to play around off the runway.

One more from Lucia… my point is that a good photographer can shoot both on and off the runway. And well, I’m clearly full of myself today so why not give myself a pat on the back?

Okay, okay, my arm isn’t quite tired just yet. So one more from PFW that I really liked. Check out the perfect rembrandt style lighting (accomplished with a bit of planning on my part and a gridded strobe on a stand off the end of the runway).

Just a whole bunch of rambling thoughts today but also a chance to showcase some cool photography. Point and shoot cams are fun for party snaps, but when it comes to photos you want to stand out from the crowd, it’s time to bring in a pro.

Pete Springer Photography

portland fashion week – final night

Here’s a photo that photographers reading this will really appreciate– a kicker light on the runway (see the rim of light on the model’s right side?)! Someone shot a flash from the side of the runway just as I pushed the shutter (no small coincidence considering flashes fire about about 1/1000th of a second)! I LOVE it when stuff like that happens, especially when it adds to my photo. Kickers are very commonly used in the studio (and on location) but getting a random one on the runway is rare in my experience. Actually, this is the first time it’s ever happened to me with such a perfect kicker effect.

Yup, this model again. The camera absolutely loves her though and knowing that, I tend to overshoot her a bit. I know, I know, these shows are about the clothes but anyone who doesn’t notice the models too is full of it.

I liked this shot too– the designs are from Lucia Apparel. Ironically, I had already seen almost this entire collection since I had a job shooting it for the designer back in September. Designer Sarah Wallace is a fairly recent Art Institute grad and she’s really talented (and organized — I’ve never worked with a designer who was more organized on a shoot!) It was still fun to see all her clothes on the runway. Nice job, Sarah!

Just messing around a bit here with different camera positions. I shot most of this show in what I term a “very safe” manner– one camera body from one position and almost all my shots are standard walking on the runway. By the end though, I just had to try a couple non-traditional runway shots. It’s actually not as easy as it sounds because first I had to make sure I nailed the traditional shot, then swivel the strobe and camera and get my focus and grab a couple landscape portrait shots. Needless to say, the models aren’t slowing down for me while this is happening!

Another messin’ around shot. Lots of space to the left but that is very intentional.

Yeah, this model again too. She had such a great runway walk (as I pointed out yesterday)– not necessarily full of attitude and all that– just crazy photogenic and absolutely awesome at creating a perfect hour-glass shape while walking. I’m not sure if I’ve ever shot a runway model who was so consistent at delivering that perfect runway look. Probably happens all the time in Paris and London and Milan and New York, but that’s not where I live.

So this model has a dazzling smile she delivered at the end of the runway– after six nights on the runway and well into the final look, I could tell she was ready to be done with these shows. Can’t blame her– I only shot four nights and it was an absolute blast, but damn, all these late nights getting photos downloaded and posted does take a toll! And I was not in the limelight walking the runway night after night after night.

So yeah, I gotta hand it to the models– runway is not easy especially when you have to do it over and over and over, night after night, in front of crowds of people who are all looking at you.

For photos from the entire show, head on over to my website– there are more than 400 of ‘em from last night alone! Yeah, yeah, yeah — way too many photos but I tell ya’ when a show ends after 10 p.m. and I have to get home and get them sorted and edited and posted, sometimes it’s easiest just to post ‘em all.

Pete Springer Photography

portland fashion week continues

Yup, this model again. It’s pretty hard to shoot a bad photo of her, so that’s why she’s turning up in my photo blog so much. Thanks Addy! You really shine on the runway.

Check out this runway walk– I have one series from last night where I just nailed shot after shot of this model (one key in runway shooting is to shoot when both feet are on the ground or at least a semi-flattering position with the feet). I don’t know her name but look at that beautiful hour-glass shape she’s creating with her walk! There’s a reason models walk the way they do on the runway– it photographs much better than a wide stance created by regular walking. This dress, BTW, converts to a sore of skirt/blouse combo.

So I experimented a bunch last night too and took a lot of chances with my shooting. Rigged a WL with 30-degree grid at an angle to the runway prior to the show and messed around to get different angles and looks just for variety. This type of shooting is tough to get anything original since there’s a big ol’ gaggle of photogs at the end of the runway and we’re all pretty much shooting the same shot with the same gear over and over. That’s fine, I guess, but I really, really strive to work out different (and unique) angles and set-ups that no one else is getting. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but what’s the point of photography if you’re not willing to take chances?

My favorite shot from last night. I need to clean that big ol’ 70-200 out of the lower edge, but this is EXACTLY what I had in mind when setting up the WL. It took a lot of experimenting to get this but in the end, it was worth it for me.

Okay, back to my ’safe’ position with the IIn and 580. I think someone else’s strobe was going off just as I shot this, giving a kind of cool “glow” (to me anyway).

So there are plenty more photos from the fashion show last night on my website but the order and layout of the gallery is all out of whack in a huge way. I finally had to step away from the computer at midnight, up again before 7 a.m., and still didn’t get done in time for the day job. Keep in mind I have a dog to walk, breakfast to eat, etc, etc. I posted the gallery anyway just because I figure a bunch of messy-straight-outta-the-camera-jpegs are better than nothing. And damn– this show is driving the traffic! Over 2000 (yes, that’s two-thousand) unique views on my website yesterday alone! That’s about 10-20 times my normal traffic. So go on– click below– see for yourself what the fuss is all about!

Pete Springer Photography, Portland Oregon, Portland Fashion Week Photos

the collections – portland fashion week

I played it really safe last night shooting The Collections– concentrated on just one camera body (my beloved IIn with the equally beloved 70-200), no brackets, and shot the entire show from one position. It was really crowded and I felt a little overwhelmed from trying so hard the night before to get really unique photos only to deal with the server crash, etc overnight.

One ironic twist, though, Sunday night I positioned myself in the center of the runway and the models walked out to the stage right side of the runway (two models on the runway much of the time). So last night, I positioned myself to the side to get a cleaner shot– and the models walked the center of the runway! Thus, the crowd in many of my shots. Oh well– live and learn. The cleanest photos are probably the 200 mm shots right when the models stepped onto the runway.

I love this shot just because of her hair. I should live in the south– big hair country! It looks like there is some backlighting here which always is good with hair. Yeah, yeah, I know the show is about the clothes, but sometimes I just get caught up in cool stuff like runway hair.

See what I mean about the center of the runway? A day late, a dollar short for me. You can see if she walked to her right on the runway just how clean my shot would have been…

Classic Kate Towers design here. Kate is really cool– I’ve shot her at work in her studio and she has the sweetest dog.  Yeah, yeah, I’m a big dog lover.  Anyway, even without a program or info, I’d know this was one of Kate’s designs from a mile away. Her boutique business partner Holly Stalder is similar– very unique, almost branded designs that you can recognize from a distance.

So here’s a quick story about this model– I handed her a business card after the show and she said something like, “You photograph me all the time! I always check out your website!” Whoops… guess the styling was really good for this show because I didn’t remember that I had given her a card before. Must have been at the POVA show which was early in the morning. Least that’s my excuse.

As usual, many, many, many more fashion show photos from Portland Fashion Week on my website. I’m still struggling to get the thumbs zoomed (yeah, yeah, you’re thinking, WTF does that mean?) so the layout isn’t quite as design friendly as I’d like, but I’m finding that’s a process that is best automated for the middle of the night. Blab blab blab… nevermind, too much coffee to keep going and it’s makes me a blabber mouth!

Pete Springer Photography, Portland, Oregon

portland fashion week

Finally got to shoot a Portland Fashion Week show last night. Got everything uploading as I went to bed, only to find out in the morning the server had taken a dive for about an hour overnight. Thus, the photo order, processing, etc, etc are all screwed up on my website and not everything loaded. It really looks messy but I hope to get it cleaned up soon. In the meantime, you’ll just have to settle for a sneak preview here.

From a photographer’s perspective, these shows are tough to shoot original material because everybody is piled at the end of the runway in basically the same position shooting with the same gear and shooting the same photos. I guess that’s sort of the point from a PR perspective and truly, I have to hand it to the PFW organizers– this is the slickest produced and put together Portland Fashion Week since it began three years ago. In fact, the shows 3 years ago were pretty rough around the edges– these events are nicely done. Good job Tito, Tod, and Chris for pulling this all together this year.

So here was one attempt at something slightly different– I went for landscape view with a very shallow depth of field. This shot highlights the model more than the clothes, but that’s just the way it goes. Besides, Addy is a great model.

Here you can see the photog pit at the end of the runway. Same gear, same perspective, etc, etc. One photog even has two assistants shooting for him (the two white lenses on the floor) which must be nice. For me, it’s just shooting two different bodies and scrambling to get something, anything, that is a bit unique.

Finally, I ran around to the side of the runway and slipped my camera down low to grab a couple of alternative shots. The show organizers didn’t much care for that though, and I was asked not to shoot from this position. Oh well, at least I nailed one alternate shot before getting the boot!

I also popped a 2x extender on my 70-200 at one point to gain some length. Ended up really just nailing some face shots (rather than clothes) but that’s the way it goes sometimes when you’re experimenting. There will be plenty of shots showing the clothes from other photogs. Besides, this is with a 5D (one clunky ass cam for a fashion show) so the detail is stunning. Like I say, that camera is slow and clunky for this kind of work, but I sure love the resolution and detail of shooting full frame.

Alright, one more photo for today. I still can’t figure out if my flash rigs were making a difference in providing fill. But at least I had a sort of dress rehearsal for tonight where there are a bunch of local designers who have been around forever and usually put on really great shows. If nothing else, it’s fun just to be shooting fast and steady and seeing what I can come up with that’s a bit different.

So… there are more pics on my website under “Fashion Shows” but as I said, it’s a bit messy right now due to that server crash overnight. Nothing has been post-processed either, and some photos are missing (to be added soon, but it may take a lil’ bit since I have a day job to deal with first), so with all that in mind, feel free to check it out:

Pete Springer, Portland, Oregon fashion photographer

elizabeth dye

So today I wanted to give a big shout out to Elizabeth Dye, a Portland, Oregon fashion designer (and yeah, that first photo on her website is one of mine). These are some photos I shot of Elizabeth in her studio back in April — shot on spec for a website that never used them.

Anyway, so why an entire post about this designer? Well, for one I’m all fired up about the use of the web as a tool (that’s why I was in Toronto– for a conference on using the web effectively and blogs are quite effective)… but the other reason is Elizabeth is probably the main person who helped me see the reality of the Portland fashion scene.

You see, a couple of years ago I did a story on the fashion scene for my day job and Elizabeth wrote me an email that, well, pretty much single handedly told me I needed to interview some people REALLY involved in the scene– people too busy to make it into the limelight sometimes because they were working so hard designing clothes. So I quickly arranged an interview with her and put together another story.

So why a post about this today? Well, I’ve been pondering this a whole lot lately– there are plenty of people locally who get mentioned all the time when it comes to local fashion. People who end up in the newspaper or other big media outlets, people who know how to promote themselves, but at the same time aren’t necessarily the folks who really drive local fashion. Yeah, yeah, I know that sounds confusing and it is.

Guess what I’m trying to say is there are outstanding local designers like Elizabeth Dye who are REALLY driven and inspired by fashion itself and not the publicity. People who have been toiling behind the scenes for years and will continue to do so because it’s their passion. It’s not the PR that drives them, it’s the design aspect.

So there’s a fashion show tomorrow night that will feature many of these inspired designers (including Elizabeth), and well, I just wanted to take a moment today to thank all of them for helping to show me what matters in my own photography goals and dreams. It’s not the recognition, it’s not the money, it’s not the publicity, it’s just about doing something you love and continuing to do it even when you’re not always getting noticed.

Yeah, yeah, a bit of preachy, soapbox post from me today. But I’ve been traveling tons lately and met and photographed many, many people and now that I’m back in town, I really feel like I have an entirely different perspective on the local “scene”. So to go full circle to how I started this rambling post today, I just wanted to give credit to Elizabeth because she was really the person who told me all this several years ago. It took a while to sink in, but just like Tony Soprano last season when he visited Las Vegas, I now feel like, “I get it!”

Pete Springer Photography