Light and Color in the Big City

Been a long while since I’ve done a job in NYC. Heading there for the first real, boots on the ground, camera in hand experience in mid-June. Liza Politi, Ari Espay and I will conduct two back to back workshops, running June 9-13th (sold out) and the following week, June 16-20 (filling quickly).

Manhattan has always been about light and color to me, among many other things. I shot these on assignment for Nikon as the very first time I ever shot a mirrorless camera in earnest. New things to learn, but the same paths of light and color to follow. Speedlights on the street! Below is a 50mm lens, Nikon Z7, one SB-5000 Speedlight, with a Lastolite Speed-Lite Two Plus softbox, hand held, overhead of the model. Moving quickly, as this was a pre-production model Z camera, and still under wraps at that point. Less time out on the street in public, the better. 50mm Z lens at 1.8. Crazy sharp.

Change of outfit, and back out in Times Square. Same deal, Speedlights done quick. 35mm Z lens at 1.8. Raw gelled Speedlight out of frame to camera right, for the hint of city street green. I like the picture, but had early stumbles with the camera, and sorting out focus and control of the lights. Learn as you go, for sure. The pano format in the Z system is something I have really embraced, along with the 1:1 format for square portraiture. So many options.

The below, was two Lastolite Ezybox Pro Strip softboxes, as you can see, handheld on poles. Two Speedlights apiece in both. Green gel again on the backlight. The color of the street was, well, the color of the street. It was wild and intense. 3:00am, Chinatown. The set below was shot with the 24-70 f/4, an early lens in the Z system and is ridiculously sharp.

Back to NY soon. Been quite a while, happy to hit the streets again!

More tk….