BBP: In the Spotlight with David Bergman

This quick tip will ‘share some light’ on exposure settings when shooting a concert… or really anything that has a spotlight. Photographer David Bergman tells us his experience firsthand – “I shoot a lot of concerts and fans ask me all the time what exposure settings they should use with their camera to get the best shots. I can’t give you specific numbers because every situation is different but I’ll give you some tips to help you get to the right place. If you simply put your camera on an auto mode at a concert the odds are your subject is going to be way too bright.”

“Why does this happen? In most cases there’s a spotlight on the subject and the face is lit up properly but everything around them might be really dark making your camera brighten up the whole image to try to compensate. This is true whether it’s a big concert or even if it’s your kids high school play. The thing to realize is that even though the production lighting might be changing color and brightness constantly, the spotlight is a very consistent source of light. It’s always creating the same exact exposure on the subject, so you simply need to figure out what that exposure is and then lock it in on manual mode.”

“There are a number of ways to figure out that exposure, but the easiest way is to just start somewhere and adjust as necessary until you get it right. Most of the time you’ll want your ISO pretty high and your aperture open as wide as your lens will allow. Then play around with your shutter speed until you get the lead singers face so it’s just right. This works even if you’re using a point-and-shoot camera, the only difference between that and a DSLR is that you usually can get away with higher ISO’s and wider apertures on the big cameras, so you’ll wind up with slower shutter speeds on your point-and-shoot, and more of your shots will have motion blur, some of them will still be usable, but a few of them won’t be.”

*For more information visit AdoramaTV YT page, and of course you can keep up with David on Instagram and Twitter @DavidBergman. LATEST UPDATE: David opened up new IGTV episodes where you can ask him questions live! find out more at http://www.AskDavidBergman.com

Check out our WORKSHOPS in Los Angeles that teach you hands-on how to make great photos!

Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV:

José Alfonso + Rebecca Lee

A beautiful shoot performed by a duo – photographer José Alfonso and his muse of the day, model Rebecca Lee, happened within the walls of our Moroccan Shower stage Hill 6.

Follow:

Photographer @Jose_Alfonso_Photos

Name is José Alfonso

Model @duchessbecca

Name is Rebecca Lee

About the stage:

Hill 6 Studio is a sleek and elegant daylight studio with Moroccan shower, free-standing bathtub, moving prop wall and lots of day light. Adding up to our beautiful “gloss floor” studio 6 at Hill location is newly installed Moroccan clay textured shower corner with a deck and a standing shoot-through glass.

E-comm shoot for Amelsi

About our client and their shoot:

My name is Shushanik, and I recently had a photoshoot at FDPhotostudio. My team of three, photographer, model and I, the owner of a new online boutique Amelsi, had a great time shooting at Art 2 Studio and Olympic 4. Both of the studios were unique in their own way. At Art 2 we were missing something for photography and they guy provided it to us and kindly helped us set it up so we got the most perfect pictures. Will definitely be back to take more pictures.

Check out the online boutique Amelsi on Instagram: @amelsiboutique.

About the stage:

Art 2, is one of the busiest stages we currently offer. Equipped with everything you need for a perfect intimate, romantic or empowering style of photoshoot, this stage always leaves our clients excited and hungry for more time. Featuring a dark wood floor platform across the stage and a sexy dark leather lounge chair creates welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. A wall section with the brick veneer adds a flavor of downtown loft New York style. Among these unique features, the stage comes with great equipment – three strobe lights, three backdrops of white, grey and black color, sound system, makeup station and changing station. Take a look at Art 2 on our website for availability as well as rates.

Matthew Barton at NY Studio 4

About the photographer and the shoot:

I’m Matthew Barton. A portrait photographer and a soldier from Brooklyn. Me and my team rented Studio 4 of your Queens, NY Location and we loved how aesthetic, colorful , and customizable the LED lights and photo equipment were! We posted the pictures on social media and our friends and family were raving on the awesomeness of the backgrounds and lighting. We would like to book this studio for our future photoshoots, along with our friends and fellow creative artists. I’m sure they will deeply appreciate the hospitality of the staff and the great value this studio brings to all involved.

Follow:

Matthew Barton – Photographer and model IG @Barton.images

Don Camron- model

Jacob- model

About this location:

Our Blackout & RGB enforced studio 4 with “Action Painting” wall is on a high demand. This blackout stage was designed to provide complete control over the strobe light. As with any our other stages a standard package of three basic backdrops and three lights is available within the stage already. Find out more about our new NY Studio 4’s pricing and availability by visiting our website!

Burdy Beauty Campaign Shoot

A quick beauty shoot for the cosmetics store call Burdy Beauty took place in NY studio 6, also known as the “Flower Wall” stage.

Check out the Burdy Beauty store on Instagram: @burdybeauty

The stage:

Simply described as “Morning light studio with rough exposed wall and metal door” NY Studio 6 is all you need for the vast majority of fashion/lifestyle/beauty photoshoots. Minimalistic and industrial, white and bright stage will give an abundant amount for natural light to play with. Find out more about our new NY Studio 6 “Exposed Block”! ‘s pricing and availability by visiting our website!

Dance shoot at Olympic 5

About the talent and the shoot:

My name is Brendan Ashleigh (IG: @brendan.Ashleigh) I am a dancer and choreographer based in Los Angeles. I have the opportunity to work with an amazing dancer Marcus (IG:@kendrell_marcus) I need an amazing videographer Eze (IG:@ezephotography). This is one of my first projects that I’ve done for myself since the pandemic and represents my style in such a special way.

Watch the resulting video on Instagram.

About the stage:

Stage Olympic 5 also known as a “Metal Garage” stage is a huge metal hangar with car access and dedicated production room, restrooms and MUA tables for rent for photo and filming productions. Find out more about Olympic 5 on our WEBSITE.

BBP: Two Bodies are Better Than One with David Bergman

What are the advantages of shooting with two camera bodies? Does the advantage of its convenience overweigh the burden of the high expense? Why would you ever do that and how do you manage those? Photographer David Bergman shares his experience while on the road with Bon Jovi.

“Concerts, like many other live events, have a lot of fast action. Things can happen all around the satge. I might want to make a wide angle shot of the full production and then quickly zoom in for a tight shot of the musicians. There are some zoom lenses that go from super wide to super tight. But most pro lenses with fast apertures don’t have a huge range.”

“So if you only have one camera body, you lose a lot of time trying to switch lenses and you might miss the shot you were trying to make. Also, in a dark environment it can be really tough to switch quickly and there’s a good chance you’re going to drop something and that stuff is really expensive.”

“Of course, it’s an extra expense but the best thing to is use two separate bodies, each with a different lens on it. I like to stay consistent as far as which lenses I keep on which shoulder. In my case, I keep the longer zoom on my right shoulder and the wide on my left. That way I always know where to reach when I need something quickly without even having to look down.”

“Another issue that comes up when using multiple cameras is that the dials tend to rub up against my body when I switch to the other lens. So when I go back to the first lens some of my settings may have changed. The simple solution to fix that is to just get in the habit of turning off my cameras before I drop it to my side. Then I turn it on again when I pick it up. That way all of my settings will be intact.”

“What lenses do I prefer? I use to 24-105mm as my wide and the 100-400mm for my super tight shot. That gives me a range of 24mm all the way up to 400mm. This setup helps me to make the shots that I need by having both lenses always at my fingertips ready to go.”

Check out our WORKSHOPS in Los Angeles that teach you hands-on how to make great photos!

Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV:

Natural Light photography in Hill 1

About the photographer and shoot:

My name is Patrick and I am a photographer under my business Oasis Imagery & Film based in West Palm Beach , FL. I recently flew to LA and shoot at FD Photo Studio and it was a great experience for me. Loved the natural light that your studio had to offer.

Follow:

Photographer: www.instagram.com/oasisimagery

Model: www.instagram.com/angelmydarling

The stage:

Studio Hill 1 has a few distinct features you will not find in any other stages. Facing the west side this stage gets lots of natural light in the afternoon and has amazing lighting conditions during the golden hour. Among included props are industrial wooden table with benches, two antique green chairs and white leather comfy chair. And the bed. The bed that comes with clean sheets (fees apply) and photogenic look, ready for always anticipated, the “bed scene” Besides, Hill 1 comes equipped with black, white and grey backdrops already installed and three strobe lights included in the hourly rate. Have a look at Hill 1 on our website information, prices and availability. .

Become Better Photographer: Monopod Mastery with David Bergman

One of very nifty equipment pieces that every photographer should have is the monopod – easy to transport, light and convenient. Surprisingly, many photographers use it for incorrect reasons. Photographer David Bergman from AdoramaTV explains the correct application of the monopod.

David Bergman explains: “The most common use of the monopod is by photographers at sporting events using a 600 mm lens being held up by a monopod. There are two advantages to it is that it adds some stability to a really long focal lengths. In those situations everything is amplified, and you don’t want to have your camera moving.”

“The second reason is that those lens are really heavy. I don’t care how strong you are but you are not going to handhold a 600 mm lens through the entire game – not going to happen.”

“So when would you use the monopod “incorrectly?” Among the way new photographers there is a misconception that a monopod is used to freeze action while shooting sport events. This is incorrect, as you will be shooting at a very shutter speed anyways, about 1/500 of a second, and there is no way to introduce the motion blur at that speed, even if ht scammer is handheld. So if you are shooting with a short lens, ditch that monopod as there is no use for it.”

Check out our WORKSHOPS in Los Angeles that teach you hands-on how to make great photos!

Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV: