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.

Bridal show

Rusty Pelican Bridal Show and new web site.

Just got back from the Rusty Pelican in Tampa. There was a bridal show with different vendors and services represented.

I just uploaded a new website for the studio. If you would like to see it click the link on the right of this blog. I created it myself which is a miracle since I dislike being in front of the computer and prefer to be in back of the camera.

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.

Trip to New York

Trip to NEW YORK CITY

My wife and I drove to New Jersey. We stopped at Lane Farms in Georgia. I love peaches but hate the peaches we by at the store so I wanted to go to the source.

We went inside and they had big juicy peaches everywhere. We bought a box for $30. We ate peaches all the way to N.J. By the time we reached New Jersey I had peaches coming out of my ears.

We took some photos inside.

Ever take a photo indoors using flash? If you want to make your background lighter or darker put the camera on MANUAL and change your shutter speed. To make the background darker use a higher speed like 1/60 or 1/125th of a second. The photo of my wife was taken at 1/125th of a second at f/4.

If you want to pick up the ambient light (existing light) lower your shutter speed to 1/30 or 1/15th of a second. The shutter controls the ambient light and the aperture controls the flash. At this lower speed look at how brighter the background came out.

Hold the camera steady. As you pick up ambient light at slower shutter speeds you will start to pick up movement so don't go too low.

I think we were in South Carolina when we came across this water tower. Pretty cool.

When we got to New Jersey my inlaws treated us to dinner and we celebrated my wifes' birthday. She is 29 "plus". I don't know what the "plus" equals. The last person that knew her real age was accidentally run over by a Fiat.

By the way, the waiter that took this photo really needs to come to one of my seminars or buy my DVD's. If he keeps taking bad photos like this he might get hit by a Fiat.

My sister ordered (and paid for) our favorite cake. A Napolean Cream Puff cake from Carlos' Bakery in Hoboken, N.J. It is the house special. Nobody makes it better. I mean nobody. $100 serves 20 people. I should have taken a photo before we devoured it. It was a work of art.

Next stop was Liberty State Park in Jersey City New Jersey. I wanted to take a photo of the Statue of Liberty but did not have time to go to Lower Manhattan or the Island itself. So I had to settle for a back view of the statue. New Jersey is a great state but has always been the butt of everyones' jokes. They even placed Miss Liberty with her back to the state. Oh well.

Now, if you have been using my rules of composition you know that this is a badly composed photo.

The photo below is much better.

I walked around a bit and came across this Monument below. It is of an American soldier of WWII carrying a Concentration Camp survivor.

Nothing that is worth anything in life is ever free, especially freedom.

Next blog will be about my day in New York City. I went to my favorite place. B and H photo. It is the most colossal photo, video, electonics store ever. Don't miss it!

In the meantime, if you should see a Fiat run for your life!

Posing

How should you pose a subject?

There are specific poses that I can show you and I could show you how posing works. Weight distribution and body language are important.

Rather than trying to describe something that is better left to a live demo let me give you a few ideas.

Learn to be a really good observer. The best photographers are just that. Great observers, and then they translate what they "see" on paper. It's no different when it comes to posing. Most people pose themselves really well by just being there. However, the moment you point a camera at them they become self conscious and "break" the pose.

After I take a photo where I have posed someone I tell them to "relax" while I set up the next shot. As I move the camera or tripod I keep on eye on the subject. Without fail they will relax into a really terrific pose. If at that point I tell them I am going to take a photo they will freeze up and break the pose. So I simply tell them, "don't move that looks great" or " do what you just did a second ago".

You will be surprised how many poses your subject will give you if you just observe.

A mistake I often see is the photographer asking the subject to pose. This will only give you awkward poses that look fake because you are asking the person to perform making them self conscious.

Lastly I look for poses that the subject looks good photographed as a full length (head to toe). If he or she looks good full length I can also take some from the waist up and head and shoulders without making the person move. This way you can create extra photos from the same pose.

If you look at these three photos you'll see that I started with a full length pose. Then I took a photo from the waist up and finally a head and shoulder. All within a matter of seconds. If you repeat this 10 times you'll have 30 photos.

All this by just observing how someone is seated or standing