California Dreamin'

Every time I'm in Los Angeles for work, or play, I crash with a few buddies of mine, one of them being my best friend of 27 years, Ryan. One of the other guys at the house happens to be a guitarist for Lifehouse, Ben Carey. What a perfect opportunity to get some edgy rock star portraits.

For this set I wanted a ring flash effect, which gives a very direct flash to the subject, filling all the shadows on the face and produces a "halo" around the subject. Since I don't have an extra $500 lying around, once again I had to improvise. I taped two Canon Speedlight handheld strobes directly to my 16-35mm lens, which unfortunately only created half a halo. I was still very happy with the results.

Ben Carey, guitarist, Lifehouse

Ben with his dog, Gibson

I also tested the system out on another buddy of mine. I love the urban look I get from this photo:



I love how this technique lights up the eyes:



A trip to southern Cali isn't complete without a ride on the Harleys. Ben on the left, Ryan on the right:




Matt Nelson, of the Nelson Brothers:



Matt on his shiny new bike:



Ryan cruisin' the 210: