“When clients demand something, it’s mediocre at best. You don’t have to shoot it the way they want you to shoot it.” Ewan and Brianna Phelan (out of this world amazing boudoir photographers you can read about here) said this once at a seminar I was lucky enough to be present for and the statement really resonated with me. In wedding photography, we often get wrapped up in client requests that make us groan. Not only for the simple reason that they “saw it on Pinterest” and it’s blatant plagiarism to be copying the exact image, but from the … [Read more...] about You Don’t Have To
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Are Camera Stores a thing of the past?
When digital cameras first came on the scene, I was hesitant to switch to this new format. Not for fear of technology, but for fear of making the wrong investment. I was lost, I had no idea where to turn. I tried to research online, but I didn't know what questions to ask. I visited our local camera store but they were overpriced. Best Buy just opened in our town but their sales people had less knowledge than I had. In desperation, I made the mistake of going to a local computer store. Based on the owners recommendation, I purchased a camera he … [Read more...] about Are Camera Stores a thing of the past?
Building Connections at Photoshop World
Editors Note: If you're thinking about attending Photoshop World, today is the last day to get the early bird rate of $200 off. If you've been sitting on the fence, check out the registration page now. This Photoshop World will mark my 30th event Ive attended in the past 15 years.In that time, Ive transformed from a beginner into an instructor. Youre probably wondering, why are you still attending if you know this stuff. Its simple, I get to network and build connections with others...not just other instructors but attendees as well. First … [Read more...] about Building Connections at Photoshop World
12 Tips for Getting the Most out of Photoshop World
Photoshop World is my time to be selfish. All year long I help others develop their skills in Photography, Photoshop and yes Martial Arts. When I attend this conference I get to relax and have fun while learning new skills and meeting old and soon to be new friends. I plan my days to get the most of PSW. Kelby One host two Photoshop Worlds every year; East Coast and West Coast. I have had the honor to attend all of them (except for 1) since 1999. Most people don't have the luxury to attend the conference twice a year so selecting classes may be … [Read more...] about 12 Tips for Getting the Most out of Photoshop World
Couples Boudoir – Beyond a Stroll in the Park — NSFW
When I set out my product offerings to my wedding clients back in 1998 a pre wedding shoot was a novel idea. It became the 'walk in a park' photo shoot for many photographers with shots couples walking towards the camera holding hands or leaning against a tree kissing. This serves most customers well but I've always favoured a city or urban shoot location like the one in this post because I can shoot whatever the weather with plenty of underpasses or covered areas to shoot in. However the upsurge of boudoir and dudeoir photography a couple of … [Read more...] about Couples Boudoir – Beyond a Stroll in the Park — NSFW
Photographing Couples With Just One Lens
In my previous post I showed how I capture love. Those tight passionate shots only make up a part of my engagement shoots. Here is the detail of my pre-wedding or engagement portraits process. I have included my business targets in case they are of interest to those of you who shoot weddings for a living. I use just one lens and keep everything simple. The business bit... My aim is to have about 60 or 70 frames to show the client so I find myself taking about 200 photographs in total during the session. I keep approximately 1 in 3 frames to … [Read more...] about Photographing Couples With Just One Lens
Photographing Couples – Capturing Love
Shooting couples is like portraiture with an extra dynamic relationship. Having been trained in television Ive seen many a director at work cajoling the very essence of a plot out of the actors. Passion to pain all come easily into shot with the right cast and a great director. When I'm shooting pre wedding photographs or weddings themselves the love is not an emotion to be conjured from deep within, it is there right under the surface. It is my job to capture it at it's most acute and in as natural a way as I can. Let me share with you some … [Read more...] about Photographing Couples – Capturing Love
Photographers: Sometimes You Just Have To Be Brave
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. -Nelson Mandela At Photoshop World a few weeks ago, several photographers spoke to me about breaking out. They all had a common denominator. They were afraid to move forward. Some thought they didn't have the right gear. Still others were afraid they lacked skill. Others said they feared rejection. I can name one million things that might hold you back from success as a photographer. … [Read more...] about Photographers: Sometimes You Just Have To Be Brave
How To Find The Courage To Be Creative
Photography (practiced at its highest levels) is a creative endeavor. But creativity takes courage. It takes more courage than you may think. While many of you are focused on trying something just because it's NEW - you don't get to REALLY test your courage until you try something YOU! This post applies to any art, but I am aiming at photographers because I know many of you are struggling with this. So please read on. It's hard to be vulnerable - especially in this day and age when people can say anything they want anonymously about you … [Read more...] about How To Find The Courage To Be Creative
Three Things Portrait Photographers Can Do To Establish A Connection With Their Subjects
There are several ways to establish a connection with your next portrait subject. Here are three. 1) Shooting straight on with your subject at or near eye-level establishes eye contact and a close relationship between the subject and the viewer. There is an intimacy to a straight on camera position that evokes an emotional response. The straight on shot can work from any height, but it is most effective at eye level. If you want to establish an immediate connection between the viewer and the subject, shoot straight on. 2) Try to get an … [Read more...] about Three Things Portrait Photographers Can Do To Establish A Connection With Their Subjects
Five Ways to Get People To “Connect” With Your Photographs
Have you ever seen a photograph that just grabs and holds your attention? I'd call that "connecting" with an image. How do you do that? How do you create a photograph that "connects" with people? Obviously, you'll want a great composition, great light, perfect exposure, etc., but what else? Lots of people make perfectly technically-acceptable photos every day. There are other aspects to compelling imagery that you might want to think about if you really want to connect with someone photographically. 1. Before you decide to make an image, … [Read more...] about Five Ways to Get People To “Connect” With Your Photographs
Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 4
EDITORS NOTE: Guest Post by To see Part 1 in this series, go to : https://photofocus.com/2009/11/16/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-1/ To see Part 2 in this series, go to : https://photofocus.com/2009/11/17/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-2/ To see Part 2 in this series, go to: https://photofocus.com/2009/11/18/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-3/ Editing Your Project Now that you have your footage "in the can," it's time to do the editing. I won't go into any details regarding editing systems. There are too many. … [Read more...] about Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 4
Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 3
EDITOR'S NOTE: Guest Post by To see Part 1 in this series, go to : https://photofocus.com/2009/11/16/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-1/ To see Part 2 in this series, go to : https://photofocus.com/2009/11/17/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-2/ In parts I and II of this series, we covered framing and image capture. In this part, Ill offer a few tips on lighting and audio. Note: this is not meant to be an exhaustive discourse on how to light for a set. You may have heard about three-point lighting. This will not get into that. … [Read more...] about Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 3
Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 2
EDITOR'S NOTE: Guest Post by To see Part 1 in this series, go to : https://photofocus.com/2009/11/16/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-1/ In this installment, well cover some more shooting tips for getting good video footage for interviews. Mistakes and Retakesit is okay if the subject makes a mistake, garbles his/her words, or for some other reason, wants to repeat something said. Let the camera roll a few seconds before repeating, then have the subject repeat what was said. Cutaways & B-rollafter conducting the interview, … [Read more...] about Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 2
Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 1
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a series of guest posts by my friend, . Ron is an international award-winning video producer, speaker, and video business coach. For the second consecutive year he was named to the Event DV Top 25 event videographers in the industry, and he and his wife are authors of the Peachpit Press book, Refocus: Cutting-Edge Strategies to Evolve Your Video Business. Ron writes about visual arts, social media, and creative inspiration on his blog bladeronner.com. The filmmaking bug is alive and well in the photography community. … [Read more...] about Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 1
ReFrame Conference Wrap Up
I attended the ReFrame conference in San Francisco last week. I had some medical stuff that kept me from making the trip to New York for Photo East, so that freed up a few days to go to the Bay Area to learn more about convergence. It seems that I could have also done that in New York. Based on reports I got from friends at the show, this year's Photo East was all abuzz over hybrid video/DSLR cameras. ReFrame was focused on the wedding video business. Frankly, I have no personal or business interest in that space. But there was plenty of … [Read more...] about ReFrame Conference Wrap Up
Zacuto Z-Finder Review
I got my hands on a V2 Zacuto Z-Finder this week. This is the revised, second version of the Z-Finder. The Z-Finder is Zacutos Optical Viewfinder (made by Schneider) that offers digital camera owners 3x focusable magnification, a 40mm diameter lens, an eyecup preventing extraneous light leakage, and a field of view perfectly matched to LCD screens. While the company touts this product as a filmmaker's tool, I personally think it's something most still photographers could greatly benefit from as well. In fact, I'm kind of bordering on saying … [Read more...] about Zacuto Z-Finder Review
Hybrid DLSR/Video Shooters Poll
Whether you call it convergence, or hybrid DSLR/video, combo-cams, or VSLRs, there's no doubt that this space is heating up. I've been monitoring it very, very closely. I've tested each and every camera that works in this space and I've been researching all the companies that provide tools for photographers and filmmakers who are interested in hybrid cameras. I believe that most of the coverage of convergence we've seen so far has come from the perspective of the filmmaking community. The problem with that is, that my research shows there are … [Read more...] about Hybrid DLSR/Video Shooters Poll
