Tamara Lackey

All posts tagged Tamara Lackey

Photographing Olympic Athletes

Posted by scottbourne on August 2, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , , .

(Post and photo by Tamara Lackey - follow Tamara on Twitter)

The Olympics: A spectacle of possibility, of what it takes to compete at the optimal worldwide level – the opportunity to pull in mind, body, spirit and technique for that one crucial moment you’re trained for your whole life.  Heady, inspiring stuff.

I’ve had the honor of photographing a few Olympian athletes and coaches, and it still amazes me – watching how spectacularly they come to life when they are so in their element.

When I photographed Olympic gold-medal winner Cullen Jones, I put on a bathing suit for the shoot and met him on his home turf:  the pool.  I was surprised to find that he was open to anything, as long as it made for a good photograph.  He could conjure up a mean squint as easily as he could produce a megawatt smile, complete with dimples. I was also surprised at exactly what zero body fat looked like upclose … and I ate salad for the rest of the week.

When I photographed Olympic runner Shalane Flanagan, I was treated to a tour of her and her husband’s home, fully modified for her life of training.  I also got a peek at how she maximizes her training – interestingly enough, she sleeps in a sealed, hypoxic room, designed to be similar to being at 10,000 feet altitude.  This is where she increased her lung capacity nightly.  And she showed me her gravity-free treadmill.  When she has to take it easy, or go through rehab, she is able to still run without taking the physical hit to her body.  And her garage?  I’ve honestly never seen so many sneakers in my life.

Eritrean-born Meb Keflezighi won the New York Marathon, the 2012 U.S. Olympics Trials (in a time of 2:09:08) and is racing track & field for the U.S in London, focused on the marathon.  Our recent cover shoot took place early morning at Kenen Stadium, in Chapel hill, North Carolina, where he would start a race of 4,000 runners – many of which were also big fans. He talked to me of possibility, family, and the choices we make. He smiled often.  His brother told me he does that quite a lot, in fact.  You almost wouldn’t guess that his level of endurance was quite so intense.

We all know it’s a privilege to do work we love. But sometimes it goes beyond that. Our work, as photographers, can introduce us to stand-out individuals in our society. It gives us the opportunity to watch the Olympic games with our children and excitedly point at faces that are all-too familiar to us now (not just the photography and the conversations but the editing and the tweaking for publications and the ongoing viewing on our galleries).  We get to say “Hey, I swam with him, I walked through her home, I stood at the start line with him and high-fived passing runners … and because of so much of THAT, I feel closer to so much of THIS right now.

And all just because one day I decided to pick up a camera and figure out how to use it well.

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Photofocus Podcast July 15, 2012

Posted by Richard Harrington on July 15, 2012
Posted in: Audio Podcast. Tagged: , , , , , .

NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE: The Photofocus Podcast Feed HAS CHANGED!

Here is the new feed: feed://feeds.feedburner.com/photofocuspodcast
Download episode here…

PLEASE BE PATIENT – OUR SERVERS SEE LARGE LOADS ON PUBLISHING DAYS. THE DOWNLOADS MAY GO SLOWLY BUT THEY WILL FINISH.

 Host Rich Harrington and co-host Scott Bourne interview Tamara Lackey about her photography and business philosophies.
  • Portrait photography techniques
  • Creating a connection with your subject
  • Common mistakes new pros make
  • How to handle photography sales
  • Effective social media techniques for marketing and sales
  • Canon 1DX Review
  • Where to meetup with Rich and Scott for training

Our Guest

Tamara Lackey is a renowned professional photographer,  author, speaker and web series host. Her authentic lifestyle photography, from children’s portraits to celebrity portraits, is praised within her industry and published internationally. Tamara’s work has been featured in dozens of media outlets including Vogue, O – The Oprah Magazine, Town & Country, Parenting Magazine, Food & Wine, Men’s Journal, Professional Photographer Magazine, Rangefinder Magazine, NBC’s The Martha Stewart Show, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, CNN’s Anderson, PBS’ Need to Know and NBC’s The Today Show.

Tamara’s new web series, the reDefine Show, examines the inspiring stories of top-tier creative artists who make it work.  Tamara’s interview style showcases her abiding interest in real conversations that share practical tips, innovative methods, and previews of the newest and most useful technologies on the market.

Download episode here…

Sorry we’re no longer providing show notes.

Hosted by Rich Harrington & Scott Bourne

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10 Smart Questions to Ask Yourself before Shooting at The Beach

Posted by scottbourne on May 8, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , , .


November, 2011, Hokitika, New Zealand
1/50th sec, f/22, ISO 100
(Post and photo by Tamara Lackey - follow Tamara on Twitter)

I have been fortunate enough to shoot a great number of portraits in a variety of beach locations, in a variety of countries, over the last decade – and, along the way, I have learned a few good things to question in advance.

After, of course, determining the very basic “right time of day to shoot” (1. early morning light! 2. just around sunset!), here are 10 smart questions to ask yourself before selecting the ideal beach location:

How crowded is it?
How wide is the actual beach area, and how much remains after the tide comes in?
Where is the sun rising and setting?
How buggy is it?
What kind of wind shelter is there?
If shade might be needed, how much is offered?
How clean is it? How much debris is washed up on shore and is it safe (jellyfish, etc.)?
What kind of natural seating elements are available?
How rough is the water and what effect might it have?
How long does it take to get to the actual shooting location, and how dark might it be when you return?

There are only another 50 questions you could use to evaluate which beach to shoot at, and I’d be interested to know the questions you ask for the type of beach shooting you prefer – but this should at least get you started when it comes to thinking about selecting a location.

From my perspective, given all those data points, the one question I consider the most, above all others, is how crowded is it? I can deal with any other problem, although lack of any sort of wind shelter is a close second – but not having enough space to move about and shoot in all sorts of directions and really feel the freedom that the beach offers to such sessions is a big miss when it comes to why beach sessions can be so compelling in the first place.

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The Power of Selective Framing

Posted by scottbourne on February 17, 2012
Posted in: Tips. Tagged: , , , .

Guest post & photos by Tamara Lackey - Follow Tamara on Twitter

One of the most significant aspects of photography is that the way you see things is the way things end up being seen – and few things determine that more than the power of selective framing. The recognition that we, the photographers, have the power to frame things however we choose to, knowing it will completely change the way the viewer will experience them, is an extremely liberating realization. Just like in the entirety of life, things are hardly ever “just the way they are” – it’s often just the way we see them.

And if this is an expedition of truth, you get to lead it. In fact, you are often being commissioned to lead it. Look at these two images, for instance – do you see a man and woman in love and and in sync with each other, or do you see a mother and father surrounded by the beautiful chaos that is having children? You choose how you wish to portray them simply by determining what is in the frame. I would suggest, however, that since you’re helping to create interpretations of these individuals for years to come, you frame wisely.

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Three Solutions for Working with a Resistant Photographic Subject.

Posted by scottbourne on January 26, 2012
Posted in: Tips. Tagged: , , , .

Guest Post and Photo by Tamara Lackey – Follow Tamara on Twitter - twitter.com/tamaralackey

One of the more difficult things for a portrait photographer to do is start the shoot with a resistant subject. You can light them stunningly well, pose them beautifully, and place them against the most perfect backdrop ever – but if your subject is not choosing to engage in the experience of being photographed, it’s quite difficult to achieve your best portrait work.

What’s a ready-to-go shooter to do?

1. Get to the root of the resistance. Are they self-conscious? Have they had a bad / boring / harrowing previous experience?

With adults – and children – I ask them quite directly. I ask them to specifically tell me the details of their previous experience, and then I try to get to the root of why it was so detrimental. I will close the discussion by explaining, in exhausting and often humorous detail, just how this particular experience will not mirror any previous negative ones.

2. Are you automatically hearing from your subject that he or she never looks good in photographs?

Many people have a self-image that conflicts with how positively others view them. One of the perks of this job is to show another how you beautifully you see them – and how you can enhance that through great lighting and posing.

An excellent tool at your disposal is the act of mirroring. Show them how you think they’d look best – play with various expressions and engage them through your sincere interest in truly wanting to show off their best attributes. Tell them they need do nothing but mimic at first. As long as you’re willing to play along, that takes the pressure off of them – and, if shooting digitally, you can show them how you are actually getting attractive photographs of them, which does wonders to boost confidence.

3. Are they simply running in the opposite direction?

This applies frequently to children and pets. Hopefully not as much to brides – but there’s a lot of pressure out there, so you can’t really rule that possibility out in all cases.

With children and pets, I let them get it out of their system – often encouraging more running and activity right out of the gate, if I see that’s what they need. In terms of the photographer, this requires a good sense of perspective, a basic understanding of the sheer power of bottled-up energy, and an active willingness to wait for the right moment.

With brides, it’s a whole different issue and usually one best suited for a relationship counselor. And that’s pretty awesome because, every so often, it’s nice to know that we photographers don’t have to do everything.

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Well Lit Portraits by Tamara Lackey

Posted by scottbourne on January 7, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , .

Guest Post and Photo by Tamara Lackey – Follow Tamara on Twitter - twitter.com/tamaralackey

 From my perspective, I can achieve the most amazing capture of a portrait, the most endearing expression, the absolutely sweetest interaction in the world – but if it’s not well lit, I have lost the opportunity to do that image the justice I should have. If it’s overexposed (detail in the image is completely lost), underexposed (lost details in the shadows, too much grain/noise apparent when trying to lighten), or even lit in an unappealing way (exaggerates unattractive qualities), then it is because I didn’t light it well. And, to be honest, not lighting an image well kinda drives me crazy. Because I absolutely know it can be better – I mean, I saw it, with my superior-to-camera-technology eyes. I knew what it could’ve been. And I didn’t get it. Grrrr.

The best method I’d suggest for avoiding this outcome is also the most straightforward one. Learn the basics of lighting; keep things as simple as possible, practice often, and know what to look for when lighting portraits.

And why practice often? Because if you’re shooting in the contemporary style, you are most likely photographing subjects who breathe, move, change position – and who will leave your carefully-created, very controlled lighting setup. Practice allows you to better know how to quickly adjust on the spot, to be able to mindfully shift what you need to shift to be able to adjust to rapidly-changing circumstances. If you don’t know how to do that, you will undoubtedly lose the opportunity to fluidly light a shoot in motion. And, speaking just for my work, nearly all my best portraits were captured while my subjects were very much in motion.

When I first started shooting in the studio, I used my light meter to check everything, brushing it up against many a cheek. After a while, though, I started using it less and less because I realized that it truly didn’t jibe with the way I was shooting – which was freeform, and very much reacting to my subjects’ actions. As it turned out, my subjects never seemed to stay still. They most certainly wouldn’t stay put in the spot I lit so beautifully for them.

And, in fact, they actually still don’t.

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A Mini Review of Tamara Lackey’s Contemporary Children’s Photography Instructional DVD

Posted by scottbourne on May 18, 2010
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , .

If you’re interested in making money as a photographer, or if you just want to make better images of your own children, you owe it to yourself to check out “Inside Contemporary Children’s Photography” – http://www.filmbaby.com/films/4730.

The 90-minute DVD is simply one of the best investments you could make if children’s portraiture interests you. And it should. Weddings, children and pets (in that order) are the three most popular subjects that professional photographers can choose to make money.

If you’re going to run a business, then you want to emulate someone who’s done it successfully. Tamara Lackey, a North Carolina-based children’s portraitist is such a person. She’s photographed more than 1000 children’s sessions. Her work is inspiring and her ability to share and teach is simply as good as it gets.

Oh yeah – she also literally wrote the book on children’s photography. Her book “The Art of Children’s Portrait Photography” is highly-rated and a great companion to this instructional DVD.

The DVD covers everything from the basics of setting up the studio, to shooting, to selling and everything in between. You’ll see Tamara pose and light her subjects. But more importantly, you’ll watch her deliver the magic sauce that makes it possible to have good, positive interactions with her clients and subjects. This is critically important in children’s portraiture, and Tamara is a master at it.

The behind-the-scenes approach taken by the DVD is both entertaining and informative. Throughout the production, there’s no point at which I was bored.

The DVD also contains material provided by Tamara’s studio director. Lisa Walter deals with the business side of the equation and offers some concrete tips in a short period of time.

My only complaint about the DVD is that it’s too short. I found myself wanting more. I guess that’s a good problem.

The production values on this DVD will probably shock you – in a good way. This DVD is broadcast TV quality. Make no mistake. This instructional DVD production isn’t an afterthought. It isn’t Tamara’s friends or family standing in the back of a room during one of her seminars with a $500 camcorder. This is a well-thought out, well-crafted, well-shot, well-lit, well-edited product produced by Rex Ballard who is an Emmy-Award winner who’s worked on shows like ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Matlock and documentaries made for The History Channel and National Geographic. His experience shows, as the DVD is well-organized and very enjoyable to watch.

The DVD is priced at $199. It’s well worth it given the high signal to noise ratio, the excellent production values, and the teaching of someone who is actually successful at photographing children for a living.

If you photograph kids, pony up the $200 and you won’t be sorry. It’s a better investment in your children’s photography business than any camera or lens could ever be.

For more information on Tamara’s DVD, visit Tamara Lackey’s website.

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