Kris Saelen

New Addition to my Camera Family

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I recently bought a Canon PowerShot G7X mkII. I have not owned a point-and-shoot camera for a very long time. The last one I had, was a Canon PowerShot A95.

I was tired of hauling around my big Canon dSLR just to take snapshots. When I go location scouting or out with friends the dSLR is often too much of a hassle. Even on weekend trips to places where I go often, there’s no reason to have that dSLR on me all the time. And I was increasingly dissatisfied with the photos from my iPhone in low light conditions.

So I was on the look out for a small camera that would fit in the back pocket of my pants. It had to be able to shoot RAW, 1920 x 1080 video and shoot decent quality photos at high ISO. I would like to transfer the phots directly to my iPhone over WiFi. I wanted an articulating LCD screen for vlogging and selfies .

As far I was concerned it had to be a Canon camera. I am a happy Canon shooter for almost 20 years now and I am familiar with the menus, the icons on the buttons and the general look and feel of Canon cameras. It seemed the obvious choice. And after some careful consideration I bought the Canon PowerShot G7X mkII.

So far, I’m quite happy with the camera. It’s small but it’s not one of those lightweight thingies so it really feels good in my hands. And with the f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens and decent high ISO quality, it is far better suited for snapshot at concerts than my iPhone.

Another advantage of this little camera is that there’s an underwater housing for it that does not cost a fortune. I am no underwater photographer and I have no desire to become one. But I have some ideas for photo shoots around the a pool and having that underwater housing adds some opportunities to those shoots.

Canon PowerShot G7X mkII
Canon PowerShot G7X mkII with Underwater Housing
Kris Saelen

Alexandra in the All-White Set

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It has been a little quiet on the photography front this year. I don’t spend as much time behind the camera as I would like. And I am spending way not enough time sharing my work. Too much other priorities I’m afraid.

The little time I did spend in my studio had me revisit an old love: the all-white set. I did some work with Lynn in the all-white set in January and with Alexandra somewhere in May. Let me share my favorite pic from that shoot.

All-White Set & Latex with Alexandra

Kris Saelen

My iPhoneography Workflow

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My photography workflow on the desktop is centered around Adobe Lightroom. I shoot with my Canon and GoPro camera’s, import the files to LR and start my editing and retouching process there. I insist on having all my photos–the photos I made myself that is–in one place. And that definitely includes photos made with my iPhone. It as a camera that is as good as any, and I take my iPhoneography serious.

Since the release of Lightroom CC for iPhone, my workflow for taking photos with my iPhone, I will pretty much the same. LR Mobile automatically synchronizes to LR on the desktop and helps me to keep all my photos in one place.

Setting up sync is easy: Adobe has step-by-step instructions to help you with that.

I have Sync Only Over WiFi turned on in LR Mobile. Every time my iPhone connects to a WiFi network, my photos get uploaded automatically. I don’t want to upload my photos over a 3G or 4G data connection. Photos made with an iPhone have become quite large. Uploading them over my data connection would burn through my data bundle in no time.

I use the camera inside LR Mobile as much as I can. I have it set to shooting in RAW at the highest quality. I have set it up once and then I never touch it again so I know every shot I take will be at the highest quality available.

Once you’ve got sync and the picture quality setup, just hit the little camera icon LR Mobile’s home screen and fire away. Oh btw, soon enough you will realize the power of LR Mobile’s camera. But I’m not getting into details there.

MacBook Pro and iPhone with LightroomI often edit the photos I make with my iPhone in Lightroom CC, export to my iPhone’s camera roll and publish to social media. Lightroom ‘s controls for editing are very similar to Lightroom Classic on the desktop as you can see from the illustration above. And that is a big plus for me: I know the LR tools quite good, so editing on Lightroom CC is easy. Also, I can start to edit on my iPhone and continue on my laptop without loosing any work or time because your edits are synced in both directions as you make them.

I just love the seamless interaction between Lightroom CC on my phone and on the desktop version.

I still use Hipstamatic quite often too to make photos with my iPhone. I like their endless possibilities to style a photo right in the app. So, what about those photos? And what about the photos you shoot with any other apps? Should you just leave them on your phone or should you transfer them to your archive with the rest of your photos? As far as I am concerned, the answer is quite clearly to archive them like you would with all your other photos!

I used to synchronize the photos from my iPhone’s camera roll to my Dropbox on my phone and then pick them up on my desktop and import them in Lightroom. It works perfect that way. I still have that workflow in place as a backup btw.

But Lightroom CC has made it a little easier. Right inLightroom CC’s home screen, at the bottom, there’s a Camera Roll button that will let you import your photos from your camera roll to Lightroom CC.

Save

Save

Save

Kris Saelen

My Favorite Make-Up Artist Elem

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My favorite make-up artist Elem

Meet Elem! She’s my favorite make-up artist. I have the absolute pleasure to call this young lady my friend.

And I’m fortunate to work with her on many of my photography projects. She lifts my work to an higher level. She has worked with me on so many occasions, all it takes is a few words, a quick look at the model’s outfits and a little mood board for her to know exactly what it takes. I entrust her with the whole make-up and hair thing on set. What ever she comes up with always turns out great.

You’re amazing Elem! Thank you!

Kris Saelen

Volkel Air Show

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The air show of the Royal Dutch Air Force are always something to look forward to. Their Luchtmachtdagen are a perfect organization and usually have a great line up.

This year was particularly exciting as it was the 1st air show since the Dutch brought the F-35 into service. I had high hopes that they would display their newest birds. And I was not disappointed. Not only did they display their F-35, they also put together a fighter heritage flight with a Spitfire, an F-16 and the new F-35.

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
KLu Heritage Flight

Here’s a little impression with the best of the rest:

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
Boeing CH-47 Chinook
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
Kris Saelen

Introducing the Great Work of Britt

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I know my favorite model Shannety needs no more introduction. Anytime I have her on my set, I am certain we’ll produce beautiful images. I would like to introduce you to the work of Shannety’s friend Britt.

On our latest collaboration, Shannety asked if she could bring Britt to do her make-up. I was not disappointed! Britt did an amazing job. These 2 portraits really show case her work. And on top of being a very good make-up artist, she a very cool young lady. It was really fun to have her on set. I hope work with her again some time soon.

She has her own blog too: brittboeckx.com. Go check it out.

Portrait of Shannety with makeup by Britt
Portrait of Shannety with makeup by Britt
Kris Saelen

#PlusIsEqual (part 2)

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A couple of weeks ago, I shot my 1st project for 2019. It was quite a big production involving 5 models and 2 make-up artists, in a studio that wasn’t my own. So it was quite a challenge to get it all arranged. But I think I pulled it off nicely. At least judging from the reactions, we have produced a couple of nice pics.

After presenting these 5 lovely ladies in lingerie in an earlier post, today I have a more casual look to share with you.

#PlusIsEqual

I am not used to running big productions like these. I could not have done it without the generous help of my friends Michel & Karen. Thank you guys! Fortunately, I did not have to worry about make-up on this production. The very talented make-up artist Elem and her friend Manouche had that covered. And they handled it beautifully!

And a very big thank you to all 5 models off course: Elise, Liesbet, Sharon, Cindy and Caroline.

Kris Saelen

Lynn in Black and White

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OK, I admit: it ain’t even close to black & white. These pics are pretty much done in technicolor. They’re lit wit 3 Elinchrom with Lee Filters color gels which turned my white background into a bright pink.

But lovely Lynn is wearing black and white latex by William Wilde and matching ballet by Kassiopeya heels though. So does that count as back and white?

Lynn in Black Latex
Lynn in White Latex
Lynn in Black Latex
Lynn in White Latex
Kris Saelen

Ring Light Portraits

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I recently bought a Falcon Eyes FLC-65 ring light. A make-up artist I worked with last year, uses it to light up the model’s face while she applies make-up. I was quite impressed with the output of the light. As the light was not too expensive, I decided to have a go at it.

My beautiful friend Romi was kind enough to sit down with me for a 1st test of the light. She’s used to model for me. She knows to be a little patient with me when I want to test new gear or new setups. She’s also confident that something good will come out of those little test sessions.

It took me a little getting used to shooting with continuous light, an ISO over 100 and have my lens wide open. But once I got the hang of it, we produced a few nice portraits.

Ring Light Portrait of Model Romi
Ring Light Portrait of Model Romi


Kris Saelen

#PlusIsEqual (part 1)

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I have been working with plus-size models from long before it became fashionable to grace their curvy beauty on the cover of magazines like Sports Illustrated or on the catwalks of NY Fashion Week. Long before the hashtag #PlusIsEqual was ever invented. I honestly believe women are beautiful, no matter their size.

Riding the coattails of the hype, I started working on my own #PlusIsEqual production. It seemed the appropriate time to gather a few of my favorite curvy models and show you all how beautiful they are.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of having these 5 beauties in a studio.

#PlusIsEqual

A big thank you to the models. Caroline, Sharon, Liesbet, Elise and Cindy: you are amazingly beautiful ladies and it was an honor and a pleasure to work with you!

But this pic wouldn’t be anything without excellent work of Elem and Manouche–the 2 make-up artists of the day– and the help of my friends Michel & Karen who were kind enough to let me use their studio for the shoot. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!