ELLE MAGAZINE

Photography by Johnathan Andrews published on page 96 in the April 2013 issue of Elle Magazine!



Elle Magazine - April 2013

Food Photography

I am at present busy doing a series of shoots for a cook book. It is lots of fun (tasting all the dishes!) and challenging at the same time.

The lighting decision that I made in the very beginning of the project was based on using a versatile and easy to replicate lighting setup. The shoot was going to take place (in the client's home), over a period of a few months, which ruled out the use of natural light (seasonal factors being one reason). To enable me to shoot at wide apertures (creative decision) and use even flash light, I decided to use two diffused studio flash heads, bouncing the light from the ceiling.



This whole idea, of course, had to change when it came to shooting the chapter dividers... small apertures and overhead shots need lots of light.

I am so looking forward to the end result (the book) and really very keen to take my food photography to the next dimension.

Johnathan Andrews

Mozart Festival Photography

I have to date photographed 6 events (rehearsals and concerts) and the most enjoyable aspect is the passion the artists have. I can identify with their passion, because it is similar to what I invest into most of my work as photographer.

Below is one of the most passionate and powerfull images I was able to capture thus far.

Apart from the great moment captured here, the camera settings are worth mentioning: 1/400, f/2.8, ISO5000 shot with a Nikon D800 and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.




Sir Roger Norrington conducting a rehearsal with the ZKO and SANYO - Photograph by Johnathan Andrews.

OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER for the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival - 2013

It was exciting when all was done and said to make me the official photographer for the festival concerts and rehearsals!

 

"The 5th Johannesburg International Mozart Festival takes place on an annual basis on and around 27 January – Mozart’s anniversary – at a time when the regular subscription series of the South African classical music scene come to a halt for their summer break and audiences will particularly enjoy the more informal character of festival music-making.

The Johannesburg International Mozart Festival provides a unique combination of classical performances on the highest international level with a keenly intelligent and creative approach to programming and an enterprising portfolio of all-encompassing education and outreach projects for children, students and audiences of all corners of society. Both the Festival’s logo and its website domain www.join-mozart-festival.org (“join” being an abbreviation of “JOhannesburg INternational”) reflect the Festival’s ambition and desire to invite people of all backgrounds and ages to join in and be united in the enjoyment and celebration of music."

http://www.join-mozart-festival.org/festival/the-idea/

Creative Colour Challenge

When I receive a commission to create a 'different' kind of photograph, and I manage to carry out the assignment to spec, it affirms that 'it is all worth it'! Challenges are the spice of photography.

I received a commissioned from a client to photograph a range of lamps which they used in their engineering plants. The image specifications included to capture the colours of Ultra Violet (UV) lighting the lamps, as well as that the lamps had to be as sharp/in focus as possible.

After purchasing the necessary UV lamps and other items for the shoot, the assignment could be tackled. I decided to use a 24-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens.

The first round in studio was a disaster. I spent hours setting up the UV lights, reflecting them, positioning them and shooting them. The complicating factor was that the image needed to be exposed using the UV light only - this essentially meant long exposures and wide apertures. But I needed smaller apertures and faster shutter speeds for better quality - certainly not bumping up the ISO, as low noise and grain was not negotiable. I aborted my first technical approach and decided to go back to the drawing board.

I ended up shooting the lamps using one studio flash head, fitted with a deep octa soft box, and a 105mm f/2.8 Nikkor Micro lens. This allowed me to capture the required lamp images at 1/160 f/36 ISO125.

But, did the flash light not 'wash away' the UV colours?

How was the final shot (featured below) achieved?

The solution was quite simple, but took many hours to finally figure out...

The answer was in the post-production phase. I opened the RAW file in Photoshop and simply played with the temperature and tint adjustment sliders!!

 

Lighting for Portraiture

Scene composition, lighting, posing the model and wardrobe are all components to keep in mind when photographing a portrait like this. I however think that lighting is one of the most important contributors to the overall impact of the image.

The lighting technique used in this portrait is a combination of Split Lighting with a touch of Low Key drama.

I used two lights only. A fill light on the right side of the model could have been used, as well as a back light onto the background, but I decided that a fill and back light would distract from the dramatic lighting effect which I wished to create.

The key light was diffused with a 150X50 strip and placed to the left of the model. The light was placed low (slightly behind the model) and angled upwards towards the model.

The hair light (fitted with a honeycomb grid) was placed on a boom stand and angled downwards aiming the light at her left shoulder. The honeycomb grid made it easy to direct the light onto a specific place.

A new blog created...

Watch this space!