White Balance Blog

I don't think I've ever done a job where the subjects were having so much fun! The kids came up with the idea to make a photobooth, which created a lot of energy and, well, silly faces. The kids had a great time and the project was pretty simple. We also shot candids, and made a slideshow during the event for a backdrop - they kept us busy!

Read Full Entry

Posted by Allan White in Portfolio, Kids | *

Kristi and I got to go to IdeaCamp Pacific NW today, and really just soak in all the energy, people, and stories flowing from this very creative, motivated group of Christ-followers. It was really fulfilling to catch up with old friends like John Sowers and LV Hanson and reconnect with new ones like Dawn Decart and Brett Alijets.

Read Full Entry

I shot this photo of my mom, watching the kids play on the trampoline. Yes, I’m totally evoking the famous “Whistler’s Mother” painting.

Today I shot a few portraits of Keith Palau, Director of Donor Relations here at Luis Palau. I shot a few in the studio, and just went outside with a flash & diffuser just for a minute; these turned out much more natural and pleasant in my opinion.

Having a strong backlight makes the photo just sparkle, if done right. The basic idea is to get a strong backlight (setting sun, flash, etc.) for interest, then throw lots of light on the subject to compensate. In this case, I used a Westcott Apollo light modifier with an off-camera, hand-held flash. I pushed the flash to +2 stops of extra light (you lose about a stop with the diffuser), and pulled back the camera’s exposure -2 stops. In short, the scene is overbright (matching the bright background), so you reduce exposure to compensate.

I’m still learning this technique from the likes of Tyler Gould and Strobist. There’s a lot of trial and error; there’s many variables. I’m drawn to it for some reason.

As part of any package of “official” portraits these days, I included a square, 512 pixel-square icon for use with social media sites. Need a headshot?