Why this blog?

With the plethora of blogs and instructional websites out there, one may ask, "Why is Robert doing a site/blog devoted to technical and artistic details of photography? For sure there are plenty of them out there."

The response is "You're right, but..."

And the "but" is pretty powerful. First my plan is to occasionally escape the technical band and immerse myself in the aesthetic side of life as well as the motivational side. Let's face it, if it was all technical only the nerds would be doing this. Secondly, I'm not a technical wizard and I have trouble learning from other blogs, books and websites when it comes to technical details. Workshops are the same way for me. Or should I say, I don't generally have the time for workshops. So this site is really a selfish endeavor. By figuring technical details out and writing them down I solidify my own knowledge. In other words if I have to write about it, I learn it better. Lastly, this is after all, all about pictures. So my focus will be on pictures, and using the picture to instruct. Or at least that is my plan, let's hope I stick to it!

So, first a shout out to some of the individuals who inspired my jump. First there is Joe McNally and his Hot Shoe Diaries book. I read the book cover to cover and although most of the technical details went over my head I learned what can be done with those little wireless flashes. Joe shoots the Nikon system while I shoot Canon. Therefore there is a translation factor involved. However I truly recommend the book. Next came Syl Arena. He's Joe to Canon flash and his website is Speedliting. He says that Canon can do it too. That's good because I have a lot of money invested in Canon.

So there you have it. A blog manifesto. Now keep in mind that I have several other websites and blogs so I'll do my best to post and keep things on the wavelength of the common man.

And oh yeah, about that top picture. Nothing fancy there. Just bounced flash, using a bounce card. For on the fly shooting I like Peter Gregg's method. His system has gotten more and more elaborate and who can blame him as I'm sure he's making money by the boat load. I originally purchased his system simply for the thick black rubber bands that he offered. I use those with white foam that I buy from art or hobby stores. One bounce card lasts a full season for me. But be sure to check out his videos on the website as he definitely has something to offer. For those of you that like to shoot while on the run and don't always have assistants or fancy lighting systems about his idea is worth a good look!

Wedding and Sunset Portraits

Capturing a wedding couple at sunset makes for beautiful pictures. However there is a bit of technical detail that goes behind capturing such an image. The above images were taken at The Villa, a cool new venue located in East Bridgewater and run by my pal Jonathan Saphire of the Saphire Event Group.

These pictures were shot with a Canon 5D and the following specs: ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/400 or thereabouts. Since the shutter speed registers the ambient light I was sure to look for proper saturation of sunset in my images as I went along.

However the key to this shot was off camera wireless flash. I set my 580 EX II as the master and turned it off (not literally off, but its flash output off). I wanted no light to be shooting forward directly at the couple from my camera. Instead I used my other flash as a slave to provide nice 45 degree angle lighting giving depth and shadow to the faces. Yet there was one more component to the making of these images. I used my Promax System by Lumiquest with gold insert to allow for a nice golden hue to light up the couple. My assistant simply held the flash off to camera-left or camera-right being sure to have the wireless sensor on the slave pointing in my direction. If one doesn't have an assistant one can simply set up the flash on a stand.

Wedding at The Villa

This series of images was taken by Boston photographer Robert Castagna at The Villa, a beautiful new venue in the Boston and New England area. Technical details and information will follow.

Boston Portrait Photographer

Besides weddings and Bar Mitzvahs, Robert Castagna is also a portrait photographer serving the Boston area. Whether in studio or on location dramatic Robert Castagna Photography provides portraits for musicians, writers, artists or professionals.