Lightenupandshoot is part of the Westcott Top Pro Tour

Lightenupandshoot is hosting part of the Westcott Top Pro Tour.  Be sure to join us in the fun.  

September 18th, Tampa, FL

****We love your comments.  Please comment on the Westcott Blog what you would like to see from us on September 18th.  Don't hold back...let's get crazy****

Comment on the Westcott Blog (click here)

 

Mirador Shoot with Adventure Girl Shawna

Hey everybody!  Mikey here, a few nights ago I went up to Mirador de Las Palmas to do a relax and shoot with Shawna, Matt and Johannes (Andy stayed home to do some retouching).  Matt shot some video with his Nikon D90 and I thought it was so cool I decided to post it.  Thanks Matt!

A little update:  Andy and I have been busy shooting video in between our work schedule.  We plan on going into seclusion this weekend to edit videos and map out a two week trip we have planned in the US sometime in July.  So,  stay tuned for more videos and our summer schedule for lightenandshoot.

NEW VIDEO!! Our Backpackers Studio and where to buy!! Part 1

Michael is back from Estados Unidos...finally!! We decided to add a video showing the backpacker's studio and how easy it is to assemble! We also take two minutes and set up a speedlight on a stand. Part two will include a demo of the gear and different light modifiers, so stay tuned!

So what is the backpackers studio (remember I am going to patent this saying so watch out you terminology robbers)? The backpackers studio is our lightweight and extremely portable studio that has helped us so much that we want to share it with you. Through our thousands and thousands of dollars of gear purchased we realized one very big thing:

LESS IS MORE!

So with this new found knowledge we put together, the backpackers studio. Everything we need to be able to take the pictures we want with as little gear as possible.

All the links you need to buy everything we use is listed. I am going to list everything we have in the bag, and I am in no way implying that this is the Golden List. This is just what has worked out well for US and we thought we would share.

If you have any questions just leave a comment and I'll answer ASAP!!!

One very big note!! We signed up for amazon and bhphoto affiliate link thingydoodlemabobbers so we will make cash if you buy from the links below (the darker gray is a link).

Our great money making idea number 11,365 (yes we've had that many more since the T-Shirt idea)

Our backpackers studio after the break...

High Sync Speed - Lightenupandshoot

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is "How do you get your camera to sync faster than the maximum sync speed". In this video, we show our top secret government technique, ok so we're trying to be funny but it really does work.

In this shoot that was done for Under Armour, the day was just too bright and we only had 1 hour of photos with Giovanni Moreno (Soccer player for Nacional). We did not want to waste time so we had to go beyond our sync speed to get the stop action we needed. As soon as the black bar showed up, we simply composed for it and shot away! No worries, just went forward!

We're happy with the shots, the customer is happy with the shots...so all is well!

Part of the entire lightenupandshoot philosophy is to know the boundaries of your gear and then go beyond them. Flash sync speed has been a very big problem for some photographers, but if you know your getting a black bar, then simply step back, recompose with the black bar in mind....then CROP!

Yes, it's that easy! Remember it's not a mistake if you know it's going to happen!

So as always, get out of your chair, stop reading this and go try it! When it works and you wipe that grin off your face...go tell someone about it!

If you have any questions, just leave a comment and we'll get right on it!

Mikey and Andy

BIG NOTE: MAKE SURE YOUR CAMERA IS IN MANUAL MODE AS WELL AS YOUR FLASH!!

Depth of Flash Exposure aka The Inverse Square Law or Flash to Subject Distance

The inverse square law or flash to subject distance video. It has so many names we decided to add another one - DEPTH OF FLASH EXPOSURE. This just makes more sense to us, so take it as you'd like. To us Depth of Field and Flash to Subject Distance have a lot in common. So much that it just computed easier if we renamed it.
Check out the video as we try to describe THE INVERSE SQUARE LAW in total lightenupandshoot style. See exactly how complicated this thing really is, but how easy to understand it should be with our new terminology...ok so maybe it's still complicated but we tried!
Now just to clarify, the measurements we give in the video are not exact. It is simply for you to be able to wrap your head around the concept that the closer the light, the less DOFE you have. The farther away the light, the more DOFE you have!
We are definitely not out measuring anything with a tape measure, but if you want to...you'll see it's close.
We try to teach, like we like to learn...so any association with reality might be left far behind...but in the end, we know what we're talking about...and hopefully you do as well.
If you have any questions, just leave a comment and we'll get back to you!

New Website is up! Please HELP!!!!!

Hello all you lightenupandshooters! For the past couple of months we have been working on a new website.


The blog has been extremely friendly to us, but we decided that since lightenupandshoot is more of a philosophy instead of just Mikey and Andy, we needed a place with more interaction.


The site is still in BETA, although very close to being finished. Everything is working including registration!


All suggestions are welcome, good or bad.

Our main goal is easy navigation, we know with the blog it is sometimes hard to find articles. Let us know if the layout is pleasing and everything is easy to find.


We also wanted to include a forum so that there could be more community interaction. You must register to use the forum, this way we can kick anyone out that is being unproductive to the rest of us! Let us know if there is a topic that you would like, or if we have to many. Again, any suggestion is positively received!


Thanks for being lightenupandshooters!


New Website : The New Lightenupandshoot Website CLICK HERE


Andy & Mikey

Lighten Up and Let Them Shoot - The Amazon

Sometimes in life you think you have it all planned out...then suddenly nothing goes as planned. So what do you do? You give up? Do you put your tail in between your legs and go home?

That is just not what lightenupandshoot is all about!

So what did we do? Find out after the break...

El Amazonas - lightenupandshoot heads to The Amazon River!!!!!!!!!

Andy and I just returned from 10 days in the Amazon. Anacondas, mosquitos, indigenas people, jungle trekking, and awesome video footage of us teaching kids photography in the rainforest. Stay tuned for a series of videos that will be sure to inspire you to break out the camera and take a trip to the Amazon River Basin. ENJOY THE SNEAK PEAK AND AS ALWAYS: LIGHTENUPANDSHOOT!!!

Lighten Up and Snoot : The Envigado Shoot, Bar La Sierra

Alright people it's time to learn a thing or two. So Mikey and I head out to what we think is the coolest bar in all of Envigado, La Sierra which is owned by our good friend Carlos Mario. It's a tiny and I mean tiny bar with some of the coolest atmosphere you can ever imagine. It is true what they say, good things come in small packages.

We went out with Gaby as our model and we wanted to play with a snoot technique we wanted to share with you. We love snoots! Unbelievable creativity in something so simple!

More info, photos, and brand spankin new Lightroom Presets after the break

6 Months of Lightenupandshoot!!

A quick video to show what lightenupandshoot has done in the past 6 months. We love this rollercoaster we're on, and we hope it never ends!!

Thank you for being part of it!! Share it with everyone!! Lightenupandshoot.com is not about Andy and Mikey, it's about a photographic lifestyle!! It's about living life and capturing moments that would normally slip away!! It's about feeling like you've changed someone's life with a quick press of the shutter button!! It's about being you!! Not what some camera company wants you to be!!

Thanks again!! And stay tuned for more!!

Andy and Mikey