The old saying, "the early bird gets the worm" is not only true in life it's true in photography as well. One way to improve your photography is to take pictures during the time of day when the light is most beautiful. Over the years, I have learned that the hour right before sunrise is one of those magical times. Sunset / Sunrise Most of us love capturing a beautiful sunset right before the sun disappears from the sky, but watching the sun come up in the morning also offers incredible moments to create powerful images. To capture your … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: A Free Way To Create Powerful Images
Matthew Jordan Smith
The Mind Your Own Business Podcast | Photofocus Podcast June 2, 2017
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/the-mind-your-own-business-podcast-photofocus-podcast-june-2-2017 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Don't forget to post a review on iTunes. In this episode, we chat with celebrity fashion and beauty photographer Matthew Jordan Smith about: How making connections brings lifelong clients The importance of relationship building Doing your homework and preparing prior to the photo shoot Doing your research and knowing your client The convergence of various hard and soft skills The … [Read more...] about The Mind Your Own Business Podcast | Photofocus Podcast June 2, 2017
How To Take Better Pictures In Low Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjoEOai_q6o In this First part of a two part series, learn from celebrity photographer Matthew Jordan Smith How To Take Better Pictures In Low Light and finish them off with LUCID software from Athentech. … [Read more...] about How To Take Better Pictures In Low Light
How to Take Better Portraits of Women with Matthew Jordan Smith
Are you looking for some great tips form an expert photographer? We've got a great video here from Matthew Jordan Smith How to Shoot and Develop Better Portraits Learn from celebrity photographer Matthew Jordan Smith as he quickly shows you How to Take Better Portraits of Women and finish them off with LUCID by Athentech. These same presets are also in Perfect Skin and Perfectly Clear Complete for Photoshop and Lightroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOMkqXyriMY Who's Matthew Jordan Smith? Matthew Jordan … [Read more...] about How to Take Better Portraits of Women with Matthew Jordan Smith
How To Take Pictures With Flash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvQIzU5lpD0 Learn from celebrity photographer Matthew Jordan Smith as he quickly shows you How To Take Pictures With Flash and finish them off with Perfectly Clear by Athentech. … [Read more...] about How To Take Pictures With Flash
How to Fix Raccoon Eyes in a Photo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk5KEtRcBLg&t=39s Learn from celebrity photographer Matthew Jordan Smith as he quickly shows you How to Fix Raccoon Eyes when shooting a photo and then how to finish them off with Perfectly Clear by Athentech. … [Read more...] about How to Fix Raccoon Eyes in a Photo
Live Webinar: Personal Projects with Matthew Jordan Smith
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, December 19th at 5:00 pm Eastern, 4:00 pm Central, 3:00 pm Mountain, and 2:00 pm Pacific. 6:30 pm in Newfoundland. Check here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Personal … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Personal Projects with Matthew Jordan Smith
Live Webinar: Personal Projects with Matthew Jordan Smith
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, December 19th at 5:00 pm Eastern, 4:00 pm Central, 3:00 pm Mountain, and 2:00 pm Pacific. 6:30 pm in Newfoundland. Check here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Personal … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Personal Projects with Matthew Jordan Smith
How to Fix Raccoon Eyes with Matthew Jordan Smith
Have you ever had a problem photo or subject where they just have total "raccoon eyes?" You know, the problem of really dark circles that just don't look flattering. Join fashion and beauty photographer Matthew Jordan Smith as he shows you how to solve this problem. You'll learn easy shooting techniques as well as postproduction tips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk5KEtRcBLg&t=2s … [Read more...] about How to Fix Raccoon Eyes with Matthew Jordan Smith
Live: Photographing Women Beautifully with Matthew Jordan Smith
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Wednesday, October 12th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2:30 pm in Newfoundland. Check here and it'll show your local time. This … [Read more...] about Live: Photographing Women Beautifully with Matthew Jordan Smith
Photographing Women Beautifully with Matthew Jordan Smith
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Wednesday, October 12th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2:30 pm in Newfoundland. Check here and it'll show your local time. This … [Read more...] about Photographing Women Beautifully with Matthew Jordan Smith
Instant Replay: Running a Professional Photoshoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Did you miss Matthew Jordan Smith revealing the secrets to running a successful photography business? Then watch below and Matthew will show you the techniques he's learned as one of the most prolific celebrity shooters in the world. Rich Harrington hosts this free webinar, and he and Matthew will help you learn everything from working with clients to mastering lighting to retouching for immediate turnaround. https://youtu.be/T4Xp5BDSYK4?t=53s … [Read more...] about Instant Replay: Running a Professional Photoshoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Free Webinar: Running a Professional Photo Shoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Have you ever wanted to drop on to the set of a top pro and see how things really run for a shoot? Don't miss Running a Professional Photo Shoot. Matthew Jordan Smith is going to join us live from Tokyo and walk us through some recent projects. Learn how to plan for a shoot, get practical tips on gear setup, and how to manage clients and talent during the shoot. We'll also explore tethering and onset processing using Lightroom and Perfectly Clear for instant access to polished photos. Join us for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free … [Read more...] about Free Webinar: Running a Professional Photo Shoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Photofocus Podcast February 21st, 2016 Corey Barker & Matthew Jordan Smith
This week we catch up with two amazing artists making an impact on the industry. First we hear from Corey Barker who dives into advice for those getting started and shares insight with his upcoming projects. Next Levi sits down with Matthew Jordan Smith who inspires everyone around him. Get the show here or get it on iTunes Don't forget to post a review on iTunes. Corey Barker Corey was an education and curriculum developer for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), an award-winning designer and illustrator, the … [Read more...] about Photofocus Podcast February 21st, 2016 Corey Barker & Matthew Jordan Smith
Instant Replay: The Importance of Personal Projects
Did you miss yesterday's Google Hangout? Matthew Jordan Smith joined us to discuss the importance of personal projects. We learned practical advise for all photographers as well as insight into Smith's creative process. He shared his new project, Future American President. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QiqmJTjYw If you'd like to support Smith's project, you can visit its Indiegogo page YOUR CHILD'S FUTURE AMERICAN PRESIDENT COVER. Everyone who supports the Indiegoo campaign at a minimum $25 support level will receive all of his … [Read more...] about Instant Replay: The Importance of Personal Projects
Learn the Importance of Special Projects for Photographers with Matthew Jordan Smith
Don't miss tomorrow's Google Hangout. The event is Monday, June 30, 2014. Its absolutely free to attend thanks to LensRentals.com. It starts at 3PM Eastern/Noon Pacific. Join Skip Cohen, Richard Harrington, and Guest Matthew Jordan Smith. They'll explore practical advice for professional and semiprofessional photographers to help with the challenges in running a modern photo business. This Google Hangout is interactive and you can post questions to the experts during the event. Join us for our newest Google+ Hangout for photographers … [Read more...] about Learn the Importance of Special Projects for Photographers with Matthew Jordan Smith
Get to Know Matthew Jordan Smith
We'll be featuring Matthew Jordan Smith soon on our Mind Your Own Business Program this month. However here's a great interview with him from Photofocus contributor Stephan Bollinger. Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGB6syfaB40 Part Two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYcdSPu3i2U Celebrated photographer Matthew Jordan Smith has worked with some of the top names in entertainment today including Halle Berry, Jennifer Connelly, Jamie Foxx, Mandy Moore, and Oprah Winfrey. Singer and actress Vanessa L. Williams, television personality … [Read more...] about Get to Know Matthew Jordan Smith
Future Presidents Photo Project by Matthew Jordan Smith
Guest Post and Photos by Matthew Jordan Smith What impact will a photograph have in a hundred years? This question has been on my mind during the past few years. What if a photograph, created today, had the ability to impact lives and inspire people in the future? A little over a year ago I started on a journey to create a project that would do just that, inspire parents and children to dream big. I call the project Future Presidents. Ive been traveling the country, going state-by-state, photographing children and planting the idea that they … [Read more...] about Future Presidents Photo Project by Matthew Jordan Smith
Selecting The Right Light Modifier
Guest Post and Photos by Recently I was asked how I decide which light source to use for photo shoots and which light modifiers are best in certain situations. The determining factors in making my decision on each shoot varies but I will attempt to describe a few situations here. There are no fast rules that fit every situation on making my lighting decisions but some of the factors I consider before photographing people deal with color's being used, male or female, subject weight, if they have deep set eyes, or a host of other … [Read more...] about Selecting The Right Light Modifier
Sitting For An Icon – Having Your Portrait Made By A Real Pro
Regular readers know that I am perhaps one of the luckiest people in the world. I am friends or associates with some of the finest photographers on the planet. I regularly get to shoot or teach or speak alongside the best. Many of you also know I deeply respect and admire Matthew Jordan Smith. I happen to think he is an iconic photographer who will be remembered for his ability to capture raw emotion in anyone. And.regular readers know that I am not pretty nor am I fond of having my photograph taken. In fact, 90% of the reason I became a … [Read more...] about Sitting For An Icon – Having Your Portrait Made By A Real Pro
You Don’t Need A Big Studio Or Lots Of Gear To Make Beauty Portraits
If you have 200 square feet of space, access to some white foam core, black foam core a few light stands or C-stands, and one single 150 watt or greater light in a reflector, beauty dish or soft box, you have everything you need to make pretty, dramatic portraits. I recently had the honor, privilege and joy of teaching alongside my pal Matthew Jordan Smith at our local SMUG meeting here in Vegas. We worked in a local rental studio to accommodate our 40 students. We didn't know what the studio had in the way of gear and we had originally … [Read more...] about You Don’t Need A Big Studio Or Lots Of Gear To Make Beauty Portraits
Observations From WPPI
It's WPPI week here in Vegas. Since I live here now, it's no big deal for me to head over to the show. My pal Skip Cohen and I taught alongside Michele Celentano at the GoingPro bootcamp on Saturday at the same time WPPI was running their bootcamp. On Sunday, Matthew Jordan Smith and I taught a two hour class for SmugMug at the Vegas SMUG and on Monday I devoted myself to looking at the trade show and meeting with vendors, clients, sponsors and friends who in town for the event. Here are a few observations. The show is a bit smaller this year … [Read more...] about Observations From WPPI
Photofocus Podcast Episode #69
PLEASE BE PATIENT - OUR SERVERS SEE LARGE LOADS ON PUBLISHING DAYS. THE DOWNLOADS MAY GO SLOWLY BUT THEY WILL FINISH. You can subscribe through iTunes free of charge at (Opens the iTunes App) NOTE WE HAVE A NEW iTUNES FEED! Please resubscribe using the new feed. itpc://photofocus.podOmatic.com/rss2.xml or http://photofocus.podOmatic.com/rss2.xml (NOTE: Paste these links into Safari or Firefox or compatible browsers to be taken to the iTunes store and/or Photofocus iTunes feed.) Here's our podcast feed. Thanks. Direct download - Download … [Read more...] about Photofocus Podcast Episode #69
