Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Test Shots + Answers to Your Photography Questions

 

I am finally working on getting my portfolio together, which means I have been doing a lot of test shoots as of late. I shot these photos of Lo last weekend, and I am really digging the mass amount of greenery. She is wearing one of my vintage 50s pin-up bathing suits I scored at an estate sale for under $2, a vintage hat I picked up one day while thrifting, and some random African beads used as as necklaces.

I shoot with a Nikon D60. If you are interested in that model, know that it has now been replaced with a newer model: Nikon D5000 

The Nikon D5000 will run about $600 [comes w/18-55 lens] - HOWEVER; if you can find a vendor that carries Refurbished camera's, you can get a Nikon D60 [with the 18-55 lens] for about $200-$250 - Whenever you are purchasing a refurb, always source from a reputable vendor. Samy's Camera is one of my favorites www.samys.com 

As far as lenses are concerned, I love to shoot with prime lenses [lenses that don't have zoom capability] because I find that they are much clearer. Here are some of my favorites!


Nikon 50mm 1.8 [$124.95]- This is hands down one of my favorite lenses to use for food photography, and portraiture shots. It's perfect for low-light conditions, and produces photos that are crystal clear. 
One note about this lens is that it will NOT auto-focus on the following Nikon models: D40, D40x, D60 and D5000, which means you will need to focus manually. 

Big Bucks? You can get the Nikon 50mm 1.4 [$439.95] instead, which has the capability to auto-focus on all Nikon DSLR models. This is also much faster in comparison to the 1.8 model which can be crucial if you are shooting a moving subject. The creamy bokeh [out of focus/blurred distorted area] that this model produces is also a selling point.

Nikon 85mm 1.8 [$432.97]- One of my favorite lenses to use for in-studio shoots, as well as close range shots on location. The clarity that this lens produces is unbelievable, and the bokeh [out of focus/blurred distorted area] is nice as well if you're in to that kind of thing.

I also love to visit photographer's websites for inspiration; here are some of my favorites at the moment:

www.3680photography.com - Met this photographer at the Bilal concert, and I was hooked on his work after seeing one photo.

Kwesi Abbensetts - I absolutely love the grittiness of his work! I have been a fan for some time now!



19 comments:

  1. Great work! I model, it'd be great to collab with you one day. =)

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  2. These shots are Fab, and I really love the greenery as well, I actually really dig the contrast of green to Lo's popping Red lips. Fab!!!

    -xo

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  3. The second photo looks perfect. Great shoot.

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  4. Professional pix, professional model!? Love em!!

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  5. what's the lipstick name pleae? i love it!

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  6. These photos are gorgeous! You guys rock!

    ...I'm so glad you did a post about photography because I've been shopping around for an upgrade to a dSLR and I've been trying to research and see what my favorite fashion bloggers are using. I'll definitely look into a Nikon because your photos are always so vibrant.

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  7. Beautiful shots, Two of my favorite things -- photography and modeling in one post, awesome. :D

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  8. Liv,
    The lipstick color is RubyWoo by MAC.

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  9. LOVE THESE PHOTOS! LO BETTER WERK!!!! :-) SHE IS SO TOP MODEL RIGHT NOW.

    GREAT SHOTS NIKOLE!


    CHECK OUT SOME OF MY FRIEND'S PHOTOGRAPHY AT WWW.31STBLOCK.COM

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  10. LOVE THE SHOTS! I dabble a lil in photography as well, as a matter of fact I just recently purchased the Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens that you mentioned. I love to use it for portrait work and it also gives a pretty good depth of field. I shoot with a D80. My friend just bought the D5000 and she absolutely loves it! Keep it up!

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  11. Beautiful photos!

    This post is right on time! I received a Nikon D5000 as a mother's day gift and I'm learning all the basics of photography now. It's so awesome to see what kinda of shots I can get with my camera (and the right lens :)

    Also bookmarking the photographer websites you mentioned.

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  12. Thanks for the photographers...good luck with you portfolio. I'm trying to work on mine too.

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  13. Great pics, great post! BTW there is a new feature you can use on your blog to let people post your blog to other social networking sites. I would love it you had one :)I have it on mine under my post.

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  14. Stunning photos! I'm also picking up photography & running test shots to build a portfolio.
    I work with a Canon Rebel Xsi though :) Thanks for posting the photographer websites. I'm always looking for inspiration!

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  15. These pics are so dope..I wish I were this creative...

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  16. @CoCoCosmopolitan Hit me up! nikole@themoptopmaven lets connect and make it happen :-)

    @Morgan-Ashley Thank you!!I love the contrast of the greenery and red lips as well!

    @Hell Notes for Beauty™ Thank you! That is one of my favorite shots as well!

    @Ife' I concur

    @Shakira Thank you very much!

    @wonder211 Thank You!

    @Liv Ruby Woo/MAC

    @Sheree Thank you! Glad I could be of some assistance!

    @Veronica W. HA HA HA! Thank you very much! And I love your friend's site! Adding it to my list of sites to stalk!

    @Lolitta It DOES give a good depth of field, it's one of my favorite lenses.

    @Elle Congrats! I know you will love it! Take pics of everything! I know I do...lol

    @K.I. Double Thank you! Good Luck with yours as well!

    @Encourage and Uplift Thanks a million, I will definitely check out my dashboard and add it to my posts.

    @LadyCook Thank you so much!

    @birthday à la mode Thank you, are you L.A based? Always looking for photographers in the area to collab with!

    @mpoweredbody Thank you so much! I am SURE you are! We are all capable of it!

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