Posing techniques DVD

What's Going On? A new posing DVD !

I have been getting emails asking what I am up to. Am I still on planet Earth?

I have not sent out a Newsletter in over a month and also not posted any blogs in about the same time. The reason for this is Ken and I have been busy producing the "Posing with Attitude" DVD.

It is almost 2 hours long (116 minutes) and is split up in 2 parts. The lecture and the live sessions.

There are examples of men, women, couples, children, and families. We had a pet segment (dog) but had to cut it out as it did not fit.

It is on sale on http://www.amazon.com/ for $29.95. Search for "posing with attitude".

Many are also asking when is the next installment of "Jump Start Your Photography" DVD coming out? I just finished the Powerpoint presentation and am practicing the presentation so it flows smoothly when we film it.

We got so many outstanding reviews for "Jump Start" that we don't want to dissappoint anyone by rushing the next set. Our goal is to exceed everyones expectations with "The Skilled Photographer". More composition, more lighting, more camera functions, more live photo sessions. More but all new material. The Skilled Photographer simply picks up where Jump Start left off.

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.

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!