The Munchkin's Notebook

On December 16 th , I did a Gilded Age inspired session with Laci Neal .   The inspiration for the shoot was a mix of the show “The Gilded Age” and historical photos of Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Vanderbilt from the 1880s.       For this session, I used: Photography Equipment Props/Miscellaneous Cannon R6 24-105 mm Lens Transmitter/Trigger 2 Phottix strobes 2 c-stands 1 Backdrop stand 1 canvas backdrop Sandbags 1 rectangular softbox 6x6 silver reflector Light stand Bell reflector with grid Boom arm Clamps Tablet clamp Flower arrangements Chair Flower stand Wine glass Hand mirror Opera Glasses Tiny purse   The set up For this session, I wanted to channel the images of the heiresses of the American Gilded Age, specifically images of Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Vanderbilt.  From these images I gathered they were either taken in their sprawling mansions or simpl...

On November 19 th , I did a holiday themed session with Sanj .   For this session, I wanted to do a set consisting of all silvers and whites with these large ornaments I bought at Michales Crafts.   The set really, I think is reminiscent of a modern or simplistic window display, giving the shoot a very commercial feel. For this session, I used: Photography Equipment Props/Miscellaneous Cannon R6 24-105 mm Lens Transmitter/Trigger 2 Phottix strobes 2 c-stands 2 light stands 1 Backdrop stand 1 canvas backdrop Sandbags 1 octabox 1 bell reflector 6x6 foot silver reflector 40-degree Grid Barndoors White backdrop Ottoman White cloth Ornaments Fishing line Silver bells Stool 3x6 foot metal frame White garland Dowel rods J-hooks Backdrop bar   The set up To build the set I hung a white backdrop with enough length to cover the floor.  I then hung the...

On November 18 th , I did a Taylor Swift inspired session with Coralinx Cosplay .  The inspiration for the session was the Evermore album by Taylor Swift and fan art by Alef Vernon .   Since the fan art turned the album cover outfit into pajamas, I went with a warm and cozy set with warm brown, tan, and cream tones.   For this session, I used: Photography Equipment Props/Miscellaneous Cannon R6 24-105 mm Lens Transmitter/Trigger 2 Phottix strobes 2 c-stands 1 Backdrop stand 1 canvas backdrop Sandbags 1 octa box box 1 umbrella 6x6 silver reflector ¼ cut black mist filter Grid String lights Fake candles Antique trunk Ottoman Sheepskin rug Blankets End table CD Walkman Coffee mug Taylor Swift CD cases   The set up This set was all about creating the atmosphere and story to make it feel all warm and cozy.  When I looked at the fan art by Alef V...

On November 12 th , I attended the D.C. Cosplay Photo Shoots ’ meet-up held at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.  This event was respectful to the cemetery and in line with other events they host, such as 5K runs, speaker series, movie nights, tours, and programming .  In essence, the cemetery is going back to how early rural cemeteries were viewed and used as public parks.  The Congressional Cemetery has been in operation for 207 years, and until the mid-1830s , almost every Congressman who died in D.C. was buried there.  The cemetery became neglected during the 20 th century but was restored after being placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list as an endangered site, and a local group of dog owners who walked their dogs there thus began paying for its upkeep, Those initial dog owners became the K9 Corps who now pay an annual fee to walk their dogs off-leash in the cemetery, which makes up about ¼ of the cemeteries’ operating fu...

On September 30 th , I attended a special D.C. Cosplay Photo Shoots   meet-up at Big Barn 1810 , in Maryland.  Big Barn 1810 is a great place to shoot, and I have done several one-on-one sessions there in the past.  It is best known for its large windows on the far side of the barn that let in a ton of natural light. For this session I used: Canon R6 2 Speed lights Trigger 1 Light stands 24 - 105mm lens Gels Camera Settings: For this shoot, I used an ISO 125.  I don’t know why I used ISO 125; I think it is because I bumped the dial-up from 100.  While ISO 125 is an odd ISO, it got the job done.  My aperture ranged from F4.5 to F20 with most shots being at either F5 or F8.  There was a large variation in aperture based on the setting, lighting, and how much I wanted in focus.  With the R6 I’m more comfortable shooting at some of the wider apertures.   The shutter speed ranged from 1/60s to 1/125s with the most shots b...

On September 9 th , I attended the D.C. Cosplay Photo Shoots ’ meet up at Lesher's Poultry Farm Sunflower Fields in Chambersburg, PA.  This was a rare late evening shoot, so the photographer could capture a bit of the sunset, which was the thought at least.   A large storm was supposed to roll in the evening; threatening the shoot, so we ended early to beat the storm.  So, there were no sunset photos, just moody clouds. For this session I used: Canon R6 2 Speed lights Trigger 1 Light stands 24 - 105mm lens Bug spray Camera Settings: This was an outdoor event in an open field with storm clouds rolling in.  Normally, I would keep my ISO locked at ISO100 but for some reason I was moving my ISO around a lot.  It ranged from ISO 100 to ISO 2000.  I’m thinking I might have set something up wrong on the camera, I might have had the third ring on the lens controlling ISO by accident.  But the Canon R6 has great range and the image at...