Photos for New "Posing DVD"

Just wrapped up filming and photography for our DVD on Posing!

It will take Ken about 3 weeks to edit everything and we should have it ready for January 15.

These are just a few of the many photos taken.

We have examples of children, toddlers, women, couples, and families. We filmed all the examples on location in peoples homes using studio lights and at the park using natural light. This DVD gives you clear and precise instruction on how to properly pose your subject(s) no matter where you are. Posing that looks real and natural not stiff like a mannequin. It also will give you clear instruction on how to conduct the portrait session for maximum efficiency and results. Lastly it will show you how to get every ones attention and how to get real expressions that are natural and not fake or forced.

Orlando photography class

Orlando Photography Class was a Winner!

I actually got a standing ovation when it was over. I think that was a first. :) thanks

We had a great model and fantastic weather (80 degrees in December) so we took photos outdoors between segments.

I believe everybody got a chance to photograph the model using some of the techniques.

That's it! This concludes the 2009 tour. Next fall (2010) we will have a new schedule and new topics. Using on camera flash, off camera flash, a combination of both, Sun Synchro, using studio lights and Posing. I think it will be called the Flash Tour. Maybe.

So what is next?

The Full 2 Day Photography workshop January 30 and 31.

Where? Orlando, Florida

Why?

Because at the end of every Seminar a lot of the attendees ask me if there will be any "hands on classes". Yes, the work shop will be mostly photography sessions with 2 models. We then download the photos and use editing software to adjust and crop.

We will limit the class to 15 people and it will be open to only those that have been to one of my seminars. This is because we need to hit the ground running. Now that we know the fine points of Lighting and Composition and how they affect the subject physically and the viewer psychologically we need to put it all together.

If you are interested please email me at manny@getthepicture.tv or call me at 727-375-0480.

How much? $300 or $275 if you sign up before January 15. So what's on your Christmas list?

Studio portraits on location and portable flash

Saturday sale event at Dillards had an extra added value for shoppers. If you bought a dress The make up artist at Clinique would do your make up for FREE and I would take a FREE portrait of you with your new dress and make up. Wow, what a terrific deal this was. Ultimately you would receive a FREE 8x10 photo. What a great deal for all the Dillards clientele.
Doing studio portraits on location means that you have to tear down your lights, backdrop, stands, cameras, etc. and pack them in your car. When you get to the location all that equipment has to be assembled and the process has to be repeated when your done. Having portable studio lights makes life easier.

I do have 4 regular studio strobes. The power packs are self contained so they are heavy which requires heavy duty stands. I love them in the studio but not to pack them up and transport them. For ease of transport I have Novatron lights. Novatrons like Speedotron, and Dyna-lite are portable flash units that are made for location photography. They are compact and made for travel. There are other brands but these are the ones that I am familiar with. They are powerful and durable. I bought them over 20 years ago and they are still going strong. A complete kit that has four lights, a main power pack, umbrellas, stands, and carrying case to put everything in goes for about $1,400 to $1,500 dollars. Some cases have wheels to make your day sweat free. All for less than the camera you own and they never get outdated like your camera. They are the best investment you could make.

I use them for location portraits and commercial jobs. You can also purchase soft boxes and other attachments separately.

Being able to take your studio photography on location is a big plus.
The quality of your images remains constant.

If you do on location studio work portable studio flashes are something you should try and invest in. They can make life a litlle bit easier.

Jacksonville Photography Seminar

A great photography class in Jacksonville !

Our Jacksonville photo class was very exciting. We had a terrific model and great weather. We got in a good amount of photos in between the lectures.

The question and answer period at the end was very interesting as everyone asked really good questions. Everyone got so involved that some stayed as much as 45 minutes after the seminar had ended to ask questions .
We have one seminar left this year in Orlando on December 13. Although we are a month away we already have the same mount of people that signed up for Jacksonville. Orlando is going to be a whopper!

How to use more than one flash

I had to take some photos of the Coral Room at the Rusty Pelican. Using the flash on the camera just wasn't enough because of the size of the room.

When we look at a room like this our eyes are constantly adjusting for differences in brightness. They adjust so quickly we are not even aware of it. This ability allows us to see detail everywhere regardless of how bright or dim the area is lit.
A photo can only be taken at one setting. If you set your camera for the outside light your inside will turn out dark. If you set your camera for the inside light the outdoor view will be pure white because it is much brighter. You must bring the different brightness levels within the same setting so there will be detail everywhere.

In order to do this you have to use multiple flash units. In the very top photo I used three flashes.

Here is what to do. First find the correct exposure for the outside. In this case it was 1/125 of a second at f/5.6. This will be the exposure setting for the photo. The reason for this is you cannot change the intensity of existing light. You can change the power setting of the flash.

Next, I placed a flash on a stand on the left to light that side of the room.
Then I took my flash on the camera and bounced it off the ceiling. That lit the table in the forground. I bounced the flash instead of straight on because I was too close to the table. Lastly I put another flash on floor behind the table on the right. This was aimed at the right side of the room where the cutains are. All flashes were on auto and set to f/5.6.

All together I have two lights on the background and one light on the food tables in the foreground.

The flashes were connected electronically with Radio Slaves so there were no wires. The end result is that you see detail outside the windows and the food on the table as well as the curtains in the background.

Create a self assignment

Want to really boost your creativity? Give yourself an assignment. Think of something that you like or dislike. Then go out and photograph it. Photograph it from different angles and at different times of the day. Look at it with a different point of view. Photograph it out of context. Perhaps something about it looks unusual or different when compared to other similar things. Accentuate likeness and differences.

Here is the nice thing about a self assignment, you're the boss. You are not trying to please a client and you can spend as much time and resources as you wish. Give yourself a time frame so you don't put it off each year till your 90th birthday.

This is where you unleash your creativity. Use whatever equipment and skills you have to the fullest.

Here is the first step; just pick a subject. It's that easy. Perhaps you like flowers or dogs. Maybe you think tennis balls are unique or maybe you want to make a statement about empty plastic bottles. Once you start thinking this way it will be hard to narrow it down to just one subject.
Once you do stay with it. Don't change your subject or theme. That will force you to think of different possibilities. Before you know it you will have an entire body of work on that theme. My first self assignment was in 1994 "The Sensual Guitar." I thought it was about time I gave myself a new one. Smoking Statues.

I was in New York over the summer to give a lecture at B and H Photo Video. While I was there I took photos of the skyscrapers with the 15mm fisheye lens. When I go back I'll continue that self assignment. Maybe I'll call it "Concrete Redwoods".

This creativity will flow into your daily photography because you'll start to look at everything differently. So what will your self assignment be?

Equipment Review Page

It's coming, the equipment review page on our getthepicture.tv website. "Gearing Up"

Often I am asked, "What equipment should I buy?" Having the proper equipment for the specific photo assignment does make life easier. When purchasing a camera, lens, lights, tripods, and software it's important to keep in mind what kind of photography that it will be used for. There will always be those unusual jobs but what kind of photography do you do most of the time? Answering that determines what is best.

In today's digital world there are so many choices of equipment some of which is really good and some not. Some built to withstand use and abuse and some built to give you a headache.

I do have my share of equipment. The photo above shows me with about 60% of the equipment that I have.

We are now putting together the newest page on our website http://www.getthepicture.tv/. I will review the "stuff" that I think makes our job easier. There is nothing so frustrating as spending your money on something that just doesn't measure up for the task at hand. So get ready for "Gearing Up"

Boca Raton Seminar

I have been so busy with the weddings and seminars this past two months that I have not been able to blog as much as I would like. Below are some photos from the Boca Seminar.



The Boca Raton Seminar was a real success! Not only was it well attended but we kept right on schedule. As a bonus we got into posing and were able to do a good amount of photography.

Amanda, our model was very pretty and patient. When we went outside it got cool (76 degrees).

I would like to thank everyone for attending. Especially those who really traveled from as far as Seminole and Tampa to attend. Our seminars, and DVDs are really taking off.

Our website is being viewed by people in 34 countries and the blog is viewed by people in 11 countries. Thank you all!

Please do sign up for our NEWSLETTER if you have not done so yet. Although it goes out only once a month it is more detailed. You can do that at http://www.getthepicture.tv/

Two Seminars left this year. Jacksonville and Orlando.

Engagement photos

I just took some engagement photos of Erin and Michael at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida.

UT for everyone that is familiar with it. Michael, I found out, plays for the Marlins and went to school here. I like what everyone likes about UT and that is the architecture. Rain or shine you can always take photos because of the huge porch. The lighting is perfect because the overhang forces light to come from a low angle and not overhead. Great directional light.

When photographing couples I try to do poses that look real. I think of how a couple would hang out enjoying an afternoon together. Whether they are standing or sitting I like couples facing each other. Body language is important. When couples face each other it says a lot to someone looking at the photo. First it says they agree with each other and they are one. In contrast, have you seen photos where couples are standing back to back? That type of pose might be cute but what does that say about their relationship?

I also like the heads to just touch a little to show closeness.

Second, facing each other means you belong to each other. We wanted to go out on the field and do a few fun shots but there was a game. Oh well, we might stop hear on the day of the wedding. On the field with a tux!

Of course I had to get at least one photo with the Fisheye lens. The 15mm lens on the full frame 5D is just awesome! As a small image on this blog it might not look like much but enlarged this is great with detail everywhere. Depth of Field ? I focused on them but the minarets are tack sharp too.

What's been happening!

Just got back from B and H in New York City, September 14. I gave 2 presentations to a packed room. Below is a video I took of some of the attendees waiting to get in.



The folks at B and H were very gracious and allowed me to sell the Instructional DVD's that Ken Cherry and I produced.



Our Tampa seminar was also a real success. We ran out of DVD's! Some people drove 3 hours one way to be there. That really is very humbling so I strive to make sure it was worth it for them.

I have to say that I always seem to get the most attentive audience no matter where I lecture.

When we first decided to do seminars, or one day classes, the first fear I had was, what if people fall asleep during my presentation? Our seminars are 5 hours and if you have attended one you know we go over because of the interest.

I read somewhere; If the student falls asleep it is time to wake up the teacher. I try very hard to give precise information but in a fun and interesting format. Anything that keeps the energy level high.
This Thursday, September 24 I will be on Studio 10. A Tampa Bay TV show at 10AM. talking about pet photography. If you miss it you can go to their website after 4 and watch it on your computer. It's things like this that really make me love computers!
Monday, October 5 I will be a guest speaker at Photo Arts Group of Charlotte County.

October 18 is the Boca Raton Seminar. If you are signed up for our Newsletter all this will be in greater detail plus at the end of the week I'll send out the article on Better Pet Photography Made Easy.
This is an exciting time! So go out and take some great photographs!
Manny

Using the telephoto lens to capture wildlife

How many times have you looked at those National Geographic photos and wished that you could get some great photos of wild and untamed creatures?



Capturing wild and exotic animals usually means traveling to an exotic place like the Arctic or Africa and the like.

Not so! If there is a zoo near you the possibilities are endless. In one place and one day you will be able to photograph animals that normally inhabit different continents. Think of the time and money you will save!

I decided to take my camera and the 70 to 200mm Zoom lens and go to the Lowery Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida. It is about 45 minutes from where I live.


There are only two things you have to overcome. First, the distance between you and the animal you are trying to photograph. Second, the fence that is going to ruin your shot and let everybody know that you really didn't go to the Congo to photograph that Panther. Don't you just hate it when someone whips out their zoo photos to tell you about all the cool animals they saw, and all you can see is a fence.


Let's start with the distance. Your zoom lens set at 200 will bring your subject fairly close to very close depending on the size of the animals' habitat. That leaves us with that annoying fence.

Just do what I do. Jump over it. NO! DO NOT JUMP OVER THE FENCE. Even the most huggable and cutest looking animal will tear your face off and eat you alive. A wild animal is dangerous at all times even if it looks bored stiff and yawning.




So how do we get rid of the fence? Luckily the lens set at 200mm has "shallow" Depth of Field. This means that the only thing in focus is your point of focus and not much else.

(If you are not 100% sure of Depth of Field and how it works I will give you a precise definition and explanation of it in my next newsletter. Please sign up for it if you are not on it yet. I have heard a lot of explanations but this will be the one and only explanation for Depth of Field that will put you in the know.)



Get as close as you can to the fence but still at a safe distance. In other words, close but not close enough that the animal on the other side could stick it's arm or paw and grab you. For example I got close to this fence but there is a lower wood fence not visible to prevent people from putting themselves up against it. Safety first.

Next, put your cameras' auto setting on AV (Aperture Priority). Manually set the lens at the widest opening. Your camera will choose the appropriate shutter speed. Now when you focus the lens on your subject the fence magically disappears. Why? By focusing your lens on something far away only the point of focus is sharp. The fence which is close to you is so out of focus that the light is bent and goes around it. It is almost invisible. If you look closely at the very first photo in this article the fence is visible only as faint diamond pattern.

The bird wanted to disembowel me and peck at my face as soon as it saw me. So I kept a little distance between me and the fence in case it decided to charge.

I don't know about you but I like my organs where they are. Although some will say my face could use a little improvement I have become used to it. Which brings me top this last photo. This is a Rainbow Lori. At the Lowery Park Zoo you can buy this stuff they like to eat and go in the enclosure with them. They are very friendly and will not eat you. They will eat the food you bring them out of your hand. Bring the kids.
Tell your friends you just got back from the rainforest and you got these cool photos to show them.

Go to the Trade Show!


The Florida Professional Photographers are having the yearly convention this Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th.
If you would like to go to the Trade Show and see the latest cameras and equipment go to http://fpponline.org/trade_show_coupon_form.php and get a discount on the entrance fee. ($20)

All the major companies like Canon and Nikon will be there plus frame companies, backgrounds, lights, tripods. If it has anything to do with photography and video you'll see it there.

Family Beach Photos

This past weekend I had the opportunity to take some family photos on the beach. It rained all the way till sunset. It stopped and then turned into a slow drizzle. Half of the family was from out of town and leaving the next day. So we went out and took these photos.

With a group this size you want to keep everybody close. First,it does give a sense of unity. Second, it allows me to get close so we don't have tiny heads. The most important thing is to make sure nobodys' head is hidden behind anybody else.

Look at the color coordination! They put a lot of effort in this by making sure everybody matched. This keeps everyone in as a family member adding to the feeling of togetherness.

Next we got a shot of all the cousins. I did a formal shot and then this. We all liked this better because it looks like they were having fun. On all the photos I used 2 flashes. One on camera and one off camera held by my assistant. The photos were taken at ISO 400 at f/5.6 at 1/30 of a second. The one of the cousins at 1/15 of a second because it was getting really dark.

Boston, my kind of town!

The day after I went to New York City we decided to take a drive to Boston. My wife had been there to visit my son at college and she raved about it. The skyline is smaller than New York City but really very nice. Using the Dominant Subject Rule I got a shot of the Skyline.

We got there late, about 3:30, and were all starving so we went to Regina Pizza in the North End. This is like Little Italy in New York only 1,000 times better! No offense to New York. I still Love New York Many in the streets, stores, and restaurants speak Italian. The food is excellent and the pastry shops are the best. There were lines 15 to 50 deep for everything. The only way you'll have it better is if you go to Italy.

The place was packed and the pizza excellent.

It seems like there is always a feast in one part of the town or the other. So we went to the Feast! We got there just in time to see a procession. Leading the procession in the Italian feast were Irish bagpipes. We all thought that was great. Hey, only in America!
The streets at the feast were blocked off from traffic so everyone just walked around. You get a real sense of community here.
There is Wonder Woman, Super Girl, and the Fantastic Four have The Invisible Girl. Bostons' North End has the Incomparable "Canoli Girl". She had "Canoli Girl" written on her shirt, stand and everything else. I thought she was great! She had a terffic attitude and the cannoli were pretty good. She was so nice to me that I didn't have the heart to tell her that she spelled cannoli wrong.

I gave the camera to my brother-in-law, Cosimo, to take a photo of me and "Canoli Girl". He really needs to buy my DVD's

By the way, You can leave comments on any of the blogs. Your feedback is always welcome.