Photos by Missy at the 2 Day Workshop

Missy got some great shots in Orlando and Tampa. The one on the left was in Tampa at USF.

Using the Diagonal line in Composition within a horizontal format makes for an interesting composition.

Using no flash or reflectors the lighting on the model is also excellent. Not to mention the relaxed expression. Whether we took the photos in the day or at night you can see we all used a tripod for accuracy. Some of the photos were taken at a shutter speed as low as 1/4 of a second. After editing the photos she made the photo below into a black and white. This is one of the photos taken on the porch of the place we stayed at. The lighting is natural light without flash or reflectors. Directional light coming from the left and causing slight shadows on the right. I say slight because you can still see detail in the shadows. They are not black. The use of the Dominant Subject Rule and Informal Composition make this a Professional Portrait to be proud of.

Although a little cool in the shade the day in Tampa was a lot warmer than Orlando. Every now and then we got that little gust of wind to help out with the hair. Again, I really like the expressions. They are very natural and not forced or fake. Good rapport with the model is key. The more confident you are with the technique the more energy you can put to establishing a connection or rapport with the model. Lighting and Composition are important but it's the expression that sells the photo.

If you are wondering which camera she used or what lens I purposely left that out. Everyone at the workshop had Canon, Nikon, and Sony cameras. Lenses ranged from the expensive to economical. Yet everyone walked away with terrific photos. That's because Missy and the rest of the photographers invested in themselves and learned technique.

All the equipment in the world can't save you but a little equipment with the right technique will yield amazing results.

Great job Missy!

Tammie Workshop photos

Orlando and USF Photos by Tammie

Cable release in one hand giving directions with the other. Tammie has it under control. Really that's what professional photography is about. Having control so things turn out as you planned. If someone is paying for the photos they (photos) should turn out to their expectations. The only way that will happen is if you have control over what you are doing.

Tammie has some really good Photoshop skills to enhance the photos. Vignetting (darkening of edges) and converting to black and white as well as retouching. However, she "enhances" the photos not "fixes" them. Her composition is on the money and so is the lighting. Excellent studio portrait. Except these were taken on a porch with ambient light and not studio lights. Look at how accurate the 45 degree lighting is (Short 45 to be exact). Detail in the highlights and detail in the shadows. A perfect exposure.

Same holds true of the photo to the left of the young man. The hat is cut off. That's because she placed the eyes on the top third where they belong. It's a photo of him not the hat. I really think she nailed the expressions as well. Honest, real expressions and not fake or forced smiles. Looking at their eyes they are focused and full of expression.

The nighttime photo of the young lady on the right is very impressive. This was taken with just one flash on camera and a slow shutter speed to pick up the ambient light in the background. Photo was taken on a tripod. Not a lot of equipment but a lot of results.

The 2 days in Orlando were freezing (for Florida anyway). Everyone did a great job. A lot of credit has to be given to the models who were wearing light clothes. Tammie, Missy and Paula got sick and had to leave the second day. We met in Tampa at USF a week ago to finish things up and it was still cold. Sometimes you just can't get a break.

These next set of photos were taken at USF. I could write a book with all the photos that everyone took. When one of our models got cold we let her take a break and wear her coat. So everyone started taking photos of her in her coat.

Terrific use of the Diagonal line in these next set of photos not to mention the lighting. Exposure is also exact. Again, note the expressions. This means there was a good rapport with the model.
In all the photos so far the choice of background has been terrific. The backgrounds are very simple and not busy. Choosing a backdrop that does not take away from the subject is key. It's very easy as a photographer to get caught up with the pretty flowers or so many other things that will take away from the subject. There are so many other photos I would like to put on this blog. I could go on and on.

Great job Tammie!

But wait! One last thing.

A quick thanks to Ken Cherry for all the great photos of us in action. This is a shot of Ken I took a few months ago with his video camera. We were all so busy taking photos of the models and he was busy taking photos of us that no one took photos of Ken.

Studio Backdrop

Studio Scenic Backdrops are synonymous with professional photography!

Nothing says "professional" to your client like a studio backdrop. It just has this classical look that can't be gotten any other way. Add the studio lights for absolute control and accuracy of light patterns and it spells professional.

I love the realism of the outdoor on location portrait. If I want columns in the photo I go somewhere where there are real columns in my background.
So what is it about those painted fake backdrops that I like?

The fantasy! They are not real and are undefined so they are more dreamy and full of fantasy. Very idealistic. In these photos the only thing that is real is the bride. Someone real surrounded by fantasy.
Change the photo into a black and white and you have the ultimate idealistic image.

This reminds me of photos taken in the 1920's and 1930's. Where people went to a professional photographer and took the photos in the studio.

Back then taking the huge and cumbersome view camera outdoor was a nightmare. So the photographer created the fantasy of the outdoor with the painted backdrop.

There was no color so to warm up the skin tones there was Sepia. Not only did sepia add warmth to the skin tones it also now gives a feeling of nostalgia.

So here is how I took these photos;

I used three Novatron portable studio lights. The camera was set at ISO 100. The shutter speed was 100 and the f/stop was 5.6.

The main light was to the left as you look at the photo (slightly behind the models shoulder or 90 degrees). There was a second main light to the left of the camera ( about a stop and a half weaker than the first main light). Lastly there was an overall fill light to the right of the camera. The fill was about a stop weaker than the second main. The light was directional and was wrapped around the subject. Lighting straight out of the Renaissance.

I thought I would take a break from the Orlando workshop photos and share this with you. Next blog will focus on another photographer that attended the 2 day workshop. So who will it be? Hmmm, there are 2 more plus, Tammie, Missy, and Paula who finished there second day in Tampa.