Bruce Dorn
Bruce Dorn has been involved in the visual arts thirty-five years.
Bruce’s photographic career began in 1973 when Conde Nast publishing named him as a Guest Art Director of Mademoiselle Magazine. After opening a studio on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Bruce immediately began to shoot photo essays for a variety of fashion, business, and news magazines. He soon expanded his services to include both Annual Report and Advertising photography.
In 1976, Bruce was offered a position as a lecturer at the Fine Art campus of Indiana and Purdue University in Indianapolis where he taught all levels of Design and Photography. In 1980, Bruce moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he opened Studio B, a boutique studio specializing in advertising and visual problem solving. In 1983, an opportunity arose to act as the Director of Photography for series of thirty-second television commercials that took Bruce to the finals of the Clio Awards competition. One of the other finalists in the same category was the Hollywood visual effects powerhouse, Robert Able and Associates. Shortly after the competition, Robert Able interviewed Bruce and offered him the position of Creative Director at RAA.
After relocating to Hollywood, Bruce conceptualized and directed hundreds of national and international television commercials for RAA. In the process, Bruce was inducted into the Directors Guild of America and won numerous industry awards. These include multiple Art Directors Club Awards, Clios, Mobius Awards, and a Bronze Lion from the Cannes Commercial Film Festival.
In 1989 Bruce opened Bruce Dorn Films, a commercial production company specializing in both analogue and digital effects. As a director/cameraman, Bruce specialized in high-risk cinematography. His expertise in motorsport, underwater, and helicopter work was in constant demand until he retired from Hollywood in 2001.
Bruce currently lives in Prescott, Arizona where he and his wife - internationally-recognized digital painter Maura Dutra - operate iDC Photography, a Visual Arts studio. Bruce travels extensively as he serves his commercial clientele, guides digital safaris, and lectures on lighting, photography, and digital film-making technique. Bruce is a Canon Explorer of Light, a Canon Print Master, and a Corel Painter Master. He is also an unrepentant gadgeteer and enjoys inventing all manner of nifty gizmos in his Little Shop of Wonders…
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Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Part 12, Lesson 10: Manage Intensity
Concept: Control light fall-off to balance intensity.
Tools: Two Softboxes+Studio Strobe
Action: I love the figure in repose. Long and languid, it always inspires my subjects to a bit of theatricality. All I need is room to stretch out and a few proper tools… more »
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Hosted in Sedona, Arizona
I am really excited to say that the Environmental Portraiture workshop I am teaching at has sold out for Saturday, Mat 7th. There’s still a few seats left for Sunday, May 8th - we have beautiful landscapes and beautiful models to work with, so if you are in the area head to Canon’s site to find out more information and sign up: EOS Destination Workshops more »
Monday, April 11, 2011
Part 11, Lesson 9: Embrace Serendipity
Concept: Have a plan, but try to embrace the unexpected. Tools: Fresnel Focusing Spot+Unexpected Sungun
Action: I suspected that this balcony and stairs could provide a tasty composition and felt that a single directional source should create a crisp and glamorous lighting pattern. After rigging a single undiffused Mole-Richardson “InBetweenie” Tungsten Solarspot, it was a snap to balance to the room and we were soon ready to shoot.
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Wednesday, April 06, 2011
What’s better than springtime in one of the most beautiful places on earth? Well, the same location with professional models to photograph, plenty of nifty Canon gear to play with, and a generous instructor to lean on… more »
Monday, March 28, 2011
Part 10, Lesson 8: Spotlight For Emphasis
Concept: Cast a tight beam for theatrical emphasis.
Tools: Two 200w Mole InBetweenie SolarSpots
Action: This image was created within the tight confines of a tiny and ornate lavatory. The faux-painted walls and gilded accessories found in this space assured that uncontrolled reflections would abound if an unfocussed light source was introduced. Too much output from our supplemental source could wreak havoc as well… more »
Friday, March 25, 2011
Part 9, Lesson 7: Light from Within
Concept: Supplemental light sources can be exceptionally effective when hidden within the scene.
Tools: Kino Flo Daylight Single
Action: This situation featured a mix of indirect-daylight and a handful of 10-watt incandescent “flame” globes controlled by a wall dimmer. The juxtaposition of the two very different color balances sounded fun, but the broad disparity in candlepower was a challenge for both eye and sensor. more »
Monday, March 14, 2011
Part 8, Lesson 6: Considering Color
Concept: Carefully consider your color palette when mixing light sources.
Tools: Daylight Fluorescent+Softbox+Natural Reflector
Action: This scenario was a perfect opportunity to work with one of my favorite new lighting instruments, the Westcott Spiderlite TD5 in a matching Westcott 36” x 48” softbox. Although the Spiderlite may be fitted with Edison-based AC-powered strobes or 3200K tungsten globes, I chose the third option and installed a full set of Westcott’s daylight-balanced fluorescent lamps.
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Monday, February 28, 2011
Part 7, Lesson 5: Optimize Architecture
Concept: Utilize your set’s architectural opportunities.
Tools: Monolight+Large Softbox+Full-Length Reflector
Action: The framing in this situation was a gift. The symmetry of the architecture - mixed with loads of interesting detail in the décor - presented an opportunity that was impossible to pass by. The only available light was that which emitted from an ornate hanging fixture and the two small windows we’ve mentioned before.
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Part 7, Lesson 4: Creating Depth
Concept: Place pools of light to create a sense of depth.
Tools: Monolight+Two Speedlites+Two Strobe Slippers+Softboxes
Action: The rather deep staging of this scene poses a specific challenge. With one player in the immediate foreground and the other well back in the space, appropriate depth-of-field would be a primary consideration.
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Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Part 6, Lesson 3: Guide the Viewer’s Eye
Concept: Use lighting to direct the eye and create emphasis within the frame.
Tools: Monolight+SoftBox+Speedlite+Strobe Slipper
Action: I was intrigued by the potential of creating a “long shot” in this location and that meant a bit of a lighting rethink would definitely be in order. I wanted to add a male figure to the set-up, but knew that the viewer’s attention must continue to stay on the Bride. We started by removing the aforementioned Softbox and Boom Arm from the Slipper.
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Friday, February 04, 2011
Part 5, Lesson 2: Accommodate Action
Concept: Use handheld flash for highly-mobile subjects.
Tools: Two SoftBoxes+Speedlite+Strobe Slipper+Monolight
Action: Simply turning 180 degrees revealed another potential composition. I needed to include detail shots throughout the day, so I thought I would take this moment to document one of the elaborate hairstyles.
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Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Part 4, Lesson One: Don’t Overwhelm, Enhance!
Concept: Tastefully supplement ambient light with the simplest of tools.
Tools: Sungun
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Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Part 3: “Vintage Glamour” - A Bridal Fashion Editorial
My mandate for this editorial shoot was to create a look that harkened back to an earlier era; a time when fashion poses were caricatures of reality and the lighting quite direct. While a more casual “lifestyle” look was considered, it was ultimately rejected in favor of this much more stylized approach.
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Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Part 2: Quality, Direction, and Intensity
The intent of this instructional series is to equip you with the cognitive and structural tools necessary to begin your own personal exploration of light. If you are willing to invest the long-term effort, your personal observations, experimentation, and eventual instinctive responses may well evolve into a unique and recognizable style, creating a look that is yours and yours alone.
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Matt Brandon | 05/08- 07:38 PM
Is there such a thing as integrity in a photograph?
Richard Harrington | 05/02- 04:54 PM
New Location Lights
Sara Frances | 04/28- 08:37 AM
Discover show and grant opportunities on CaFÉ website.
Dan Carr | 04/22- 11:11 PM
80MP, 60MP and 40MP CCD Medium Format backs
Richard Harrington | 04/22- 11:17 AM
The PC All-In One for Video Editing, Motion Graphics, and Photo Editing
Richard Harrington | 04/22- 05:27 AM
The Adobe CS6 Public Announce Date is April 23, 2012.
Richard Harrington | 04/21- 02:40 PM
Richard Harrington interviews Chuck Westfall of Canon about the next generation of Canon cameras.
Richard Harrington | 04/21- 01:50 PM
The Sachtler ACE M Tripod System Makes Going Mobile Easier
Dan Carr | 04/20- 07:15 PM
All the HDSLR news you need to know about from NAB 2012
Sara Frances | 04/18- 06:36 AM
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s hexacopter!
Sara Frances | 04/13- 06:45 AM
New Black and White canvas printing - contest info at end.
Sara Frances | 04/13- 05:39 AM
You’ve got another chance at learning Profit Secrets from family portraiture.
Dan Carr | 04/12- 09:48 AM
Is this the ultimate combo cam ? 18MP stills & 4K video
Sara Frances | 04/08- 11:10 AM
Is this disaster how some of your groups turn out! Great for comedic relief, but generally people want to see traditional smiling faces.
Art Adams | 04/06- 02:43 PM
Where there’s smoke there’s fire… or a production company shooting a PSA for a non-profit. This is how you create a high-end look on a budget.
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