Michael Connell's photostream  

I did some white background shots with Stephanie for her portfolio. This shot in front of a 53" roll of white seamless. This was fairly easy to do and I like the results. Be sure to check out my blog for more info on how to get the most out of a small roll of seamless paper.

Processing info:
- Raw conversion in Lightroom.
- Nik Color Efex Dynamic Skin Softener blended in Photoshop.
- Nik Sharpener blended in Photoshop.
- Curves adjustment in Photoshop.

Strobist info:
- Background: 2x SB-28 flagged flashes on either side of background firing toward opposite sides. Background was lit to about 1.5 stops over subjects.
- Key: SB-28 fired into 60" reflective umbrella.
- Fill: large white reflector.
- Triggers: Cactus V.

Latest blog entry: Getting the Most from 53 Inch White Seamless.

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I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

I did some white background shots with Stephanie for her portfolio. This shot in front of a 53" roll of white seamless. This was fairly easy to do and I like the results. I think I might use the seamless paper more often.

Processing info:
- Raw conversion in Lightroom.
- Nik Color Efex Dynamic Skin Softener blended in Photoshop.
- Nik Sharpener blended in Photoshop.
- Curves adjustment in Photoshop.

Strobist info:
- Background: 2x SB-28 flagged flashes on either side of background firing toward opposite sides. Background was lit to about 1.5 stops over subjects.
- Key: SB-28 fired into 60" reflective umbrella.
- Fill: large white reflector.
- Triggers: Cactus V.

Latest blog entry: Getting the Most from 53 Inch White Seamless.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus

I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

One of my model friends, Stephanie, is getting into model management and asked me to do a group shot on a pure white background. Here is what I came up with. It was done on the cheap strobist style and only a single roll of 53" white seamless was used. Post processing was fairly minimal - layering and masking in Photoshop and some contrast adjustment with Curves.

Strobist info:
- Background: 2x SB-28 flagged flashes on either side of background firing toward opposite sides. Background was lit to about 1.5 stops over subjects.
- Key: SB-28 fired into 60" reflective umbrella.
- Fill: large white reflector.
- Triggers: Cactus V.

Read more about how this shot was made on my blog.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus

I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

I've been offline for a few days and I'm sorry being a poor contact for my Flickr friends lately. It's bit been quite a week. Today's shot is of Chloe, who is recovering at home now following major survery last Tuesday. She had a huge mass removed from her liver. The surgery went as well as it could have. Some of the mass wasn't removable but with a study of the mass they will hopefully be able to figure out a long term treatment to keep it from growing back. I hated to put Chloe through this. We were told that if we had waited any longer that it would have been too late so I'm relieved that we seem to have made the right decision.

She is doing OK at the moment, although after the first night at home we had to take her back in due to a fever and a lot of coughing. There was a possibility of pneumonia so they kept her another night on an antibiotic drip. She came home again yesterday in good spirits and quite obviously ready to leave the hospital. Her cries of protest at being crated in the vet hospital were heard throughout the building! She is much happier at home with her favorite toy and her warm monkey pajamas. For whatever reason she decided to lay on some towels instead of in her bed this afternoon. She's resting comfortably next to me in my office.

Please hit 'L' for large on black!

Latest blog entry: All Digital Images are Post Processed

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus

I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!

I was laying on the floor with Chloe here in my office as I sometimes do, just gazing into her eyes for a while. It's a special thing to be able to do that. "Dog people" will understand. By nature, dogs would perceive a stare as a threat or challenge and to be able to have this privilege means that the dog trusts you. Chloe is a dog who doesn't offer that trust very readily and I'm so honored that I have it. She has been one of my best friends for almost 9 years now.

It's been a troubling past few days. I know she can sense it. This morning we have to take her in for major surgery. There is a large mass on her liver that is affecting her metabolism. She's lost a lot of weight and if the mass continues to grow, it's going to cause more problems. She has the appearance of health otherwise and the decision to put her through the pain of surgery has not been an easy one. We finally decided that it is better to do it now while she hopefully has the strength to recover.

Flickr friends, happy thoughts or a prayer for Chloe would be appreciated today. I'm hoping we come through this and that we'll have many more years together.

Please hit 'L' for large on black!

Latest blog entry: All Digital Images are Post Processed

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google Plus

I welcome comments and I will be happy to reciprocate by checking out and commenting on your photostream. Group invites are welcome, but I do not participate in Post / Award groups. I reserve the right to delete gaudy, glittery, flashing group invite icons!