Robert Orsa Photography: Blog

Fashion Shoot

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:29:14 GMT

I had been given the assignment simply titled, "Fashion" to complete. Typically, when I think of fashion, I think of clothing you'd never actually see anyone in real life wear in a real setting. So my approach was going to be a little more refined. I didn't want it to be that crazy; so I called upon Stephanie once again to help me pull this off. I've had the pleasure of working with Stephanie on three previous occasions. See here, here and here to see images of our past work together. Hair and make up were done by Stephanie's friend, (and featured model here) Crystal. Thank you ladies, for a wonderful job!

Malibu Portrait Session with Anna

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:38:22 GMT

With a big storm due the following day, I was expecting my shoot with Anna to welcome us with cloud cover. Instead, we had some really beautiful weather. Accompanied by her friend-make up artist-hair stylist, Stephanie, we explored some great hiking trails in Malibu. I'm still in the early stages of my edits from the shoot, but here are a few favorites from our work together.

Location Portrait Session with Crystal

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:27:56 GMT

Today was the first of two location portrait sessions I have set up this week. Today I had the pleasure of working with Crystal for the second time. We started about an hour before sunset so we were able to get quite a variety of images. We started with some natural-light-only images. With the harsh contrast of light to shadow, we added some off camera fill light. We finished off with some wonderful sunset images. Here are a few favorites from today's session.

Fruit - Food Photography

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:40:00 GMT

During last year's 365 project, I had the opportunity to find and grow at food photography. I've read countless blogs, watched youtube and Kelby Training videos, etc., and most importantly, practiced the craft on my own. All of my professional paid work thus far has been in events or portrait work. My hope is to add the genre of food photography to my list of employed photography work. Here is a sample of some of my food photography that focused specifically on fruit.

Studio Portraits

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:07:07 GMT

I've been having fun working on lighting for studio portraits lately. Here's a sample of what I've been producing:

Below is my take on a Peter Hurley headshot!

Jonathan & Rachel's Wedding

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 15:04:00 GMT

I recently had the opportunity to be the second shooter/assistant for Karen Ard at Jonathan and Rachel's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception was a lot of fun. It was a great day.

Something New

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:56:00 GMT

I've been studying some new lighting techniques using smoke. This is my first attempt and I'm quite pleased with the results. There is a lot more to what I've been studying so be on the lookout to see how this work develops.

High School Senior Portraits - Breawna

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:26:00 GMT

We got an early jump on Breawna's high school senior portraits as she is currently still a junior. Breawna is also an aspiring model and athlete. She was a natural in front of the camera. Accompanied by her mother, we had a wonderful morning creating some of the following images.

SALEF Awards and Scholarship Banquet

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:09:00 GMT

Getting to shoot an event at the Biltmore Hotel's Crystal Ballroom is something special. It was a beautiful venue to have SALEF's annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet. The room was packed. Guests were treated to a wonderful meal, guest speakers, a speech from a scholarship recipient, and the awarding of scholarships. It was a wonderful evening. Below are some highlights.

Clinica Romero Health Walk - Los Angeles Event Photography

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:41:00 GMT

Clinica Romero, in Los Angeles, provides "quality health care, health education, and community advocacy on behalf of the underserved men, women and children of Greater Los Angeles." They put on a wonderful community event that began at the clinic. Speakers included the clinic's director, Dr. Pacheco, as well as many political figures from the local community and the state. Following the speakers was the health walk around town, and concluded with a health fair at MacArthur park that included live entertainment. Here are a few highlights from the day.

Los Angeles Corporate Party - BDO

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:19:00 GMT

How often does an organization reach its 100th Anniversary doing business? I'd have to speculate not too often these days. But BDO has accomplished just that. It was an honor to have been able to document this momentous occasion. At the company's request, I'm not posting pictures of their guests, but you can see the wonderful set-up, as well as the beautifully catered work of Contemporary Catering.

Stephanie's Senior Portraits

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 13:37:00 GMT

Entering the 2010/2011 school year means a whole new class of seniors with whom to work. My very first senior session this year was with Stephanie. We had gorgeous weather and we had a lot of fun working together. Her Aunt even had fun helping with the lighting. Here's a sample of some of the wonderful images we created together.

Braemar Country Club Bar Mitzvah

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:56:00 GMT

I've recently been blessed to have received many wonderful opportunities to document some very special occasions. I had the privilege of accompanying Karen Ard of Karen Ard Photography to photograph the reception of Jake's Bar Mitzvah. The venue is one in which I was familiar. Back when my wife worked at an elementary school, Braemar Country club hosted their annual fund raiser. I was thrilled to return in the role of an event vendor. We arrived early to set up and begin shooting the details of the event. As I began setting up my gear, the MC and his associates were busy setting up the dance floor and some pretty incredible lighting. As I watched them set up I took a second glance and realized I knew him. I immediately flashed back some 13 years to my wedding. The evening's MC was in fact the DJ at our wedding 13 years prior. It was wonderful to reconnect with Gil Zuniga of Zuniga Entertainment after so many years. He and his team put on a wonderful event and kept everyone entertained throughout. I'm sure Jake had the time of his life...an event he will cherish for a lifetime.

Detail images

Guests were greeted by a few Laker Girls upon arrival

The man of the hour, Jake

Gil Zuniga of Zuniga Entertainment and his team put on a wonderful event

Jake dancing the night away

Maddy's Big Day

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:58:00 GMT

I had the honor of getting to shoot the reception for Maddy's Bat Mitzvah. From my first contact with her mother, Alison, I knew it was going to be a wonderful experience. My expectations were far exceeded. Maddy has a delightful family. Everyone had a wonderful time. My assistant Carl and I had a so much fun working with the family and all the guests. Gil Zuniga and David Wachs of Zuniga Entertainment did an absolutely amazing job keeping everyone on their feet dancing and the kids engaged in lots of games. I felt truly blessed to be able to document such a wonderful occasion.

Christina & Frankie

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:49:00 GMT

I had the pleasure of working with Christina and Frankie today. It was an honor for me to have been chosen by them to create their family/maternity images. They were an absolutely wonderful couple to spend the day with. Here are some of the highlights from out time together.

Thank You, Zack Arias

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 21:01:00 GMT

I had heard of Zack Arias quite a while ago. I browsed some of his work and was very interested in his OneLight DVD that I saw promos for. I finally got the set of dvds and loved them. I'll need to rewatch them many times to really absorb all that is presented. As I did more searching for Zack's work on the internet, I came across this really great edit technique that I had to try for myself. What he flies by and does in just a few minutes took me about half an hour to achieve. But it was my first time and I love how it came out. I did this dance shoot with Brittaney last October and knew this was the image (pictured above) to which I needed to apply this edit technique. My plan is to follow Zack's guide to setting up a studio for high key work and try a lot more of this. I have to say I was getting really bored of studio work but his model really motivates me to want to do a lot more of this type of work. So for all the above, if you're reading, thank you, Zack Arias.

Senior Session with Kristy

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:23:00 GMT

I had been planning this senior session with Kristy for months. Our schedules kept conflicting; rain had come and gone, a car accident (she's ok) and a vacation were among our obstacles. With all that behind us we finally were able to work together. I had really been looking forward to this photo session with Kristy because she is a high school senior at my alma mater. The weather cooperated and we put together some really great images. Another great photo shoot!

Two Models - Two Photographers

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 08:56:00 GMT

I had the wonderful opportunity to work with another photographer on a shoot with two models recently. Karen and I knew each other from high school and thanks to Facebook, recently reconnected. I arranged a photo session with a high school senior, Evelyn, and her friend, Amanda.Karen is a wonderfully accomplished wedding and portrait photographer. She primarily is a natural light photographer. I bring my portable, off-camera lighting almost everywhere I go now so this made for a fun meeting of the minds. I got Karen using lighting and she got me shooting in natural light only situations.
All in all it was a wonderful experience and we got some really great images.
Please stop by and take a look at Karen's work. Karen Ard Photography

Evelyn

Evelyn
Amanda
Amanda
Amanda

Portfolio Session - Sherri

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 10:09:00 GMT

There is a location I've been wanting to try for quite some time. Working over 30 times at the same location has its pros and cons. So getting out somewhere else was very welcomed. Sherri came with her friend/make-up-artist, Romy. Together we got some really great images. Full sun and fill flash from camera left made the hillside pictures pop. Another great shoot!

Amy Grant in Concert

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:55:00 GMT

Some friends blessed us with tickets to go see Amy Grant in concert last week. Not just any tickets, but front row tickets. And they you have to love when both the artist and the venue have no restrictions on photography! It was a great show and I got some fun shots.

Meet Jessica

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:15:00 GMT

My most recent shoot was with Jessica. Teamed with her friend/make-up-artist/hair stylist, Becca, we did something I have not done in a long time; a glamor head shot session. We set up at Becca's home in the living room. The backdrop was the newly painted and textured wall of the living room. I tried some lighting that was unique to me. I had one light at camera left at about a 45 degree angle to Jessica coming down and across her face. This lit her hair and face well but created some shadows and pockets under the eyes. Instead of setting up another 45 degree angle light at camera right and using a reflector underneath, I used a second light at camera right but this time from below her face working up toward the other light. This filled in the shadows under the eyes nicely. Here are some samples from our shoot.

Welcome

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:59:00 GMT

I figured it was time I started a blog purely dedicated to my pursuit of my craft. If anything it will be a way for me to document my growth. It'll be a way to see where I've been,where I am, and perhaps figure out where my next move will be.

Just a little background: I've been creating images for well over twenty years. It stared when I had a job as a courier for a law firm in the mid 80's. I got to drive all over L.A. so I got my first 35mm, a Nikon FG. I swore I'd never go digital. Now I swear I'll never go back to film. For twenty years I shot mostly landscape images. I was too nervous to shoot people. That all changed in July of 2008. I officially started my photography business. I dove head first into shooting people. Now it's hard for me to shoot anything else. So I'm anxious to see where I am a few years from now. Never say never, right?

Currently my "thing" is learning lighting. I'm fascinated with off camera lighting (aka Strobist style). David Hobby has done an amazing job presenting this craft. I feel like I'm only beginning to scratch the surface. Another recent influence is the work of Mike and Andy over at Lighten Up and Shoot. They present short informative videos that really show the "how to" without all the theory. Very practical. And they're funny!

I'll end my first post with one of my most recent images. This is Alexis and this was her very first shoot. She did an wonderful job and I think she had a blast. It was a shoot that ended up with some rather unexpected drama for both of us but that's another story. All in all, it was a great shoot. Here is one of my favorite shots from the shoot. I exposed for the blue sky in the background. One of Alexis' friends held my strobe (Vivitar 285hv) in a softbox at camera left and at about a 45 degree angle (about 10 o'clock). I love how the light sweeps across her and drops off quickly into deep shadow. I purposely did not use a reflector to pop back light into her right side. I liked the extreme contrast here.

Click image to see larger view