Hector, Drink and Click Portrait – Austin, Texas

I made this portrait of Hector at the same place and on the same day as yesterday’s portrait of Christina — at Stay Gold, which is a bar east of downtown. You might have noticed the out of focus lights in the background. In fact, today’s photo shows these even more dramatically than yesterday’s.

I used a continuously lit modifier for this portrait, which you can see in the reflection on Hector’s glasses. Continuous lights are really nice to use, though they have the disadvantage of extra gear compared to using available light. With big light modifiers, there’s an additional downside that they may be affected by wind in outdoor setups. However, I definitely prefer them over strobes, though strobes can be used more effectively during daylight to potentially overpower the sun.

I know the theories of portrait lighting, though I really don’t practice them often enough. The truth is, I still basically make these portraits for fun, at mostly Drink and Clicks, so I’m not serious about portraiture. Maybe someday.

Hector, though, is fun to shoot. He is stylish and well dressed. I even featured him previously in a rare color (and black and white) Drink and Click portrait, by bar light. While I’m satisfied with today’s portrait, I much prefer the environmental portrait in the bar.