Behind the Scenes

In Part II of the Outdoor Studio, Photographer William Gill gets technical about his lighting setup as he illuminates a large train in marshland.

Introducing the art of photographing trains at night, photographer William Gill gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his methodology and routine.

Several weeks ago, when I had been loaned the incredible Sigma APO Macro 180mm (OS) lens for our review, I got to play around with close-up and macro photography. One of my creations was the photo shown above, Setting of the Second Sun, which may just have been an excuse to play with my son’s LEGO Star Wars figures.  Close-up photography is, to me, almost zen-like.  While it is a an art that requires precision, discipline and a lot of patience, you have absolute control over every aspect of the shot.  The process behind a photograph like this is often misconstrued as something that is entirely thought up in the photographer’s mind and then with a quick setup, you have the shot.  It’s not like that at all, it’s a process.  Using this photograph as an example, I would like to take you through the process behind it’s creation.  In the end, I hope that you will have a better understanding of building a similar shot, and I hope that you garner some wisdom from my process. The Setup You have to start somewhere, so let’s start with a basic setup.  I used a piece of foam core as my ground …

I approached a challenge without my heart, failed and I got called on it. I could resent the comments, but I shall remain humble and admit my failures. Furthermore, I will learn from this. Read on to see how I failed, and how I’ll be stronger as a result.

Part 3 of 3 in a series that explores a self-portrait project featuring ruins. We explore the challenges and analyze photos from the series in this Behind The Scenes discussion.

Part 2 of 3 in a series that explores a self-portrait project featuring ruins. We explore the challenges and analyze photos from the series in this Behind The Scenes discussion.

Part 1 of 3 in a series that explores a self-portrait project featuring ruins. We explore the challenges and analyze photos from the series in this Behind The Scenes discussion.

A model railroad under a Christmas tree – a planned out photograph that took a lot of thought and effort. Follow along as I discuss the entire process from start to finish while constructing and building this photograph. Read on for some behind-the-scenes shots and explanations of the entire process.