I just realized that folks may think the lights that I put up are big hot lights on stands like they might see used in a movie or a TV show. I have posted “behind the scenes” shots of the formal fantasy portrait work I do, where I do use studio strobes. So I see [...]
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We had a really good time yesterday shooting down in Nelson, NV for the cover shot of a Las Vegas magazine.
Adrienne is a great model! Jennifer was the Woman Of Many Hats – in addition to being editor of the magazine, she took care of everything that needed taking care of: hair, makeup, schlepping, food, [...]
That jarring headline is a quote from “Tropic Thunder”, where Robert Downey Jr.’s character advises Ben Stiller’s character to pull it back, never go all the way.
Tropic Thunder : Film Clip – Nobody Goes Full Retard – watch more funny videos
Throttle back your Photoshop effects. Or better, use none at all. Photoshop actions can be [...]
Move Around. Crouch and look up. Stand on a ladder & look down. Put your subjects above you. Put them below you. Get real close. Provide your viewers a look, an angle, different than the one they see in everyday life.
Look around at a wedding. 99% of the people with cameras are either standing or [...]
If you don’t have off-camera strobes or don’t know how to use them [see #4], turn your subjects’ backs to the sun, shoot in manual mode and expose for your subjects’ faces. Your photos will immediately be better than any point-and-shoot civilian who tries this. Their photos will be dark and underexposed.
Yours will be high-key, [...]
I’m shocked to learn how seldom people say “Thank you.” I recently moved my family to Las Vegas from out of state. Many people made time to meet with me as I was scouting Vegas, and I tried to send thank you notes, and often little gifts, to all of them. Once I moved here, [...]
Offer to help those around you with your photography. Venues need good photography of their rooms, their gorgeous landscaping, their events in progress, their food. Friends need headshots. Friends need family shots. Spread the love (i.e., do these things for free) and the love comes back.
Seems everybody’s got a camera at weddings nowadays.
One way to make your pictures look different than everybody else’s is to get up real close, and to pull way back.
Get close with a long lens, or by walking right into the action (not advised during the ceremony!) You’ll have captured the feelings of the moment, and [...]
Invest in Yourself. Take Workshops. All clichés aside, you’re worth it! If the workshop is good, and you put that learning into practice, then you’ll quickly earn back its cost with your next several shoots. If you don’t have $1,000 or $500 to go sit at the feet of someone you consider a master, then [...]
Hire an Assistant. Once you’ve learned to notice reflected light and distracting objects etc., and once you start using off-camera lights and reflectors and you understand how to use a Key and a Fill and a Kicker light, it’s better to hire someone who will execute your thoughts while you’re shooting, rather than interrupt yourself. [...]