Orlando 2 day photo class

What is the secret for great Photography?

More excellent photos by another photographer that attended the Orlando 2 day workshop.

Edita got some great shots in even with the cold weather which was a constant distraction for the photographers and models. It's hard to "focus" on what you are doing when you are freezing so you really have to appreciate the results that everyone got.

Before I describe the photos that Edita took take a look at the top photo of Edita. Notice that as with everyone else I have featured so far she is not looking through the camera when taking the photo. She is looking and "connecting" or building rapport with the model. This is so imperative if you intend on getting natural looking expressions from your subject. You cannot hide behind the lens. Your subject cannot relate to your camera but they can relate to you.

Cropping on all the photos is Dominant Subject Rule. This is the cropping used most of the time in Portraiture or Modeling.

Edita also avoided shadows on the eyes caused by the hat in the studio photo. Look at the models expression. Very relaxed, very real. No forced or fake smiles here.

The photo on the right has excellent Rembrandt Lighting. No reflectors or flash were used for the outdoor photos. Professional results with minimal equipment. Too much equipment can slow you down.

If I can quote a famous photographer, "the purpose of my camera is to get out of my way so I can do photography".

Look through the camera to focus and compose and then come out from behind the camera to "connect" and take your shot.

That is the secret for great photographs.

Photography by Joyce in Orlando

Two Day Orlando Photography Master Class. Photos by Joyce

They say bigger is better. I don't know if that is true but Joyce came with the mother of all lenses. The canon 100mm to 400mm L lens. As you go to the higher mm the background turns into blobs of color. Especially in the close up photography and wider f/stops. Later in this article you'll see examples of this.

Let's start with the studio photography. This photo was done using the Novatron portable studio lights. Notice the 90 degree lighting and detail in the eyes. This is not easy when your subject is wearing a hat. Keeping the shadow caused by the hat out of the eyes takes a little work. A really excellent portrait study. If the red bothers you it might look better in black and white. Keep in mind that the monitor you are viewing this on is contrasty and the shadows aren't as deep as they appear. Although the light ratio is high there is detail in the highlights and shadows. Which is the definition of a "perfect exposure".

This next studio portrait was done without the lights. It was taken on the porch of the apartment we stayed at using available light. Again bringing home the point that it is not the equipment but the expertise of the photographer that produces professional results. Although we used people for models this technique can be used for product and still life photography as well as pet photography. The subject does not matter.

Most of the time Joyce nailed the exposure to the point where it did not need any correction what so ever. The close up on the top left is an example. Even the color is right on. The more you get it right in the photography the less time on the computer fixing it. This leaves more time to take more photos.

And now for the 400mm mother of all lenses. The previous photos the lens was set at less than 400. The photo on the right the lens was set at 400mm and at its' widest aperture. I think f/4. Look at the background. No trees or bushes just blobs of color. It looks like a painted studio backdrop. The subject is tack sharp. This why I tell everyone not to worry about the depth of field. Just make sure your subject is in focus.

Lastly, we took some photos at night. Keep in mind that it was freezing. Look at the exposure of the background. It's right on the money. Most photographers will overexpose the background at night. Using flash to light the subject and ambient for the background makes for interesting photography. This is another shot that required no exposure or color adjustment. Straight out of the camera. I usually like color more than black and white but this shot looks really good in black and white. If I were either of these models would I pay for this photography? The better question is does Joyce accept credit cards?

Really terrific!

Photography by Lea at the Orlando 2 day workshop

This set of photos were taken by Lea in Orlando. Really good lighting and composition as well as expression. There is an old saying in professional photography, "expressions sell photos". This is true. Combine that with good technical skills like lighting and composition and you have a winning combination.

The other side of this is you could have a technically perfect photo but without a sincere expression from your subject you are dead in the water. As you look at these photos notice how relaxed and confident the subject looks. This has a lot to do with the photographer. If the photographer has control of camera technique and is also able to establish a good rapport a successful outcome is guaranteed. As you can see in the 2 photos of Lea she is using a tripod and cable release for precision and to help her "connect" with the model.

The use of the telephoto lens throws the background out of focus so the attention goes to the model. The choice of background here is equally important. It is low key and not loud or busy. The color close up on the left has split lighting which gives the illusion of depth and roundness. Lea also made this in black and white. Some might have a preference for color and others for the black and white. The bottom line is that it is a terrific portrait either way. If it were not making it into a black and white would not help much.

The first day everyone got to practice studio portrait lighting. Being able to do studio portraiture really puts you in a different league. Although having studio lights is convenient it is not a prerequisite to studio photography. Knowledge and the correct application of the knowledge is everything. These studio portraits were created not in a studio but on the porch of the apartment we were staying at. No studio lights. Just a studio background and well executed technique. The wide angle shot to the right shows our model holding a white balance card. It is amazing how little you need in terms of equipment to produce professional results. This is why for me there is no such thing as professional equipment. Only professional photographers.

Great Job Lea!

Photography by Patrick

Photographers at Orlando Photography Workshop

The next several blogs that I will be posting will feature the photographers that attended the 2 day Orlando workshop and their photos. This blog hi-lights some of the photography of Patrick.

Patrick took this photo at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. We had an overcast day which is perfect for portraiture. This was taken with a Sony camera on a tripod. No flash or reflectors were used. Shot in the horizontal format he used informal composition to place his subject and later vignetted the edges to bring all the attention to the model. Then established rapport and got a great expression. The next photo he used a vertical format, came up close, and tilted the camera for a Diagonal composition. The diagonal makes it more dynamic. When you are in a place like Rollins College it is easy to overpower your subject with the beautiful backdrops. By concentrating on the subject and not making the background the centerpiece of the photo attention is kept on the model. Placing the eyes on the top third for maximum visual effect, the attention goes directly to the expression. Afterwards he made it into a Sepia tone image probably using Photoshop. What is nice about black and white or sepia is there are no colors to distract you from appreciating the subject.

These are just some of the great photos he took. Although the day was overcast which helped with the lighting it was freezing. Any photographer can come up with good images when circunstances are perfect. The learned photographer achieves consistantly good results no matter what happens. This is the case here. Looking at the model she looks perfectly comfortable. If I were her parents would I purchase these photos? In a heartbeat!

A Conversation With General Petraeus

I was hired by The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition to photograph General David Petraeus at the Renaissance Hotel in Tampa on February 3rd. There was a lot of military brass from many countries. All of which are helping the United States fight on terrorism. On hand were some politicians and quite a few private companies. The evening began with some light cocktails and hand shaking.

When General Petraeus arrived everyone was already seated and stood up and gave him a standing ovation. After an introduction he sat down for an interview with a well known journalist.

I used my 24mm to 70mm f/2.8 L zoom lens for most of the photos and the 70mm to 200mm f/4 L zoom lens for the close up shots. Most of the shots were taken at ISO 400 at 1/30 of a second at f/5.6 or f/4 to pick up the ambient light in the room.

After some questions from the journalist (sorry, can't remember his name) The General took some questions from the audience. He left as soon as the time was up. Everybody else stayed for desert. A very exciting evening with an American Hero. To the General and the Troops, thank you.