I have been absent from the Weekly Photo Challenge for quite a while, but Krista’s tales of hard work and determination inspired me to dive back in this week with a true mark of victory!
I recently had the opportunity to meet and shoot the winner of Top Chef Canada, Rene Rodriguez, owner of Navarra Restaurant in downtown Ottawa. Rene has an amazing look; we share a love of U2; and after hearing that he purchased a motorcycle with some of his contest winnings, I decided to try to model our shoot after a Rolling Stone cover.
Keeping things simple, I shot Rene and his bike in the alley behind his restaurant using a two-light setup. I placed one speed light in a shoot-through umbrella as the main light, and added a second speed light as a kicker to add a rim (or highlight) for some depth and separation.
I had two setups in mind, one featuring Rene front and centre, with his bike behind him and slightly out of focus, and the second with Rene on his bike. I am really happy with the results of the shoot, and even added some coloured gels for interest, but unfortunately I can’t show you the images from this shoot as they are part of a project to be released next spring. However, I can show you a portrait I took of our victorious chef against a fence at the end of the shoot.
The portrait above uses the same two-light setup, an umbrella as the key (or main) light on camera left, and a bare head flash at camera right to add a slight kiss of light on Rene’s left cheek and down his left arm to help separate him from the background.
Rene was a great subject, and obviously very used to having his photo taken since winning Top Chef Canada in 2014. The culinary scene is truly an amazing scene to be a part of, and I have really enjoyed working with a number of different chefs this year. I look forward to working with some more that I have lined up over the next few months.
Nice portrait Shane.
Thanks Cardinal! How are things in your part of the world these days?
Great portrait, I hope we eventually get to see the one with his bike, love to see those
Thanks Claire! Yes, I’ll be able to share the other images next spring 🙂
Great shot – love the sunlight in the background…
Thanks 🙂 The constant change between the sun and cloud really tested me with the lighting, but I much preferred the images with the sun hitting the fence.
Fantastic shot, and what an experience! Hard work pays off and opens even more doors, hey?!
Thanks Jess! Hard work sure does pay off… I hope 🙂
Fantastic portrait Shane. You’ve gotten so incredibly proficient at these portraitures! I love the lighting you created here. And btw…I love Top Chef!
So, the light streaks on the wooden background is natural sunlight, not some kind of gobo thing? And you metered for this ambiance light?
Correct, the light on the background is natural. I meter in my head, I make my best guess on the camera settings and adjust from there. I can usually get it within two or three tries. It helps to know my camera well, but I’d love to try it with a full frame body so I could produce larger, more detailed shots.
Great shot, btw…;-)
Ha, thanks! I appreciate it.
A fabulous shot Shane!
Thanks Julie 🙂
Strong portrait. Captivating!
Thanks so much Elen. Hope all is well on your little patch of Earth 🙂
That it is, Shane. That it is!
Wonderful portrait, Shane.
I have yet to make it to Navarra but it’s on my must go to list!
Thanks Karen, you’ll have to let me know what you think of it.
Fantastic portrait Shane
Thank you so much 🙂