Creating a photography is a bit like a sculpture. As you style it, light it, pose it and even as you post-produce it, you're chipping away things that don't make sense to you. What's left is something that is intrinsically you. How you come to select the subject in the first place has to be equally, if not more, personal.
Shooting Themes Projects
Shooting themes is about trying to capture the people of my time in a creative way. As a former creative director in an advertising agency, I tend to see in themes rather than individual, one-off portraits. There's nothing wrong with those but to carry through a vision with multiple images makes more of a statement. There are always going to be one or two shots that resonate more strongly with any particular viewer - it's a subjective field we're in - but you go further to strike a chord if you have multiple characters.
My advice is to begin with yourself. Any photographer who's going to succeed continually and not by accident has to do something that interests them and makes them feel something first. Otherwise they are just going through the motions and will create something quite hollow. Draw on your own world, your past, your present and your surroundings. This could be something that has touched you, whether in reality or in your imagination, or something around you.
Start with something accessible. Discipline yourself to your own neighbourhood to get a taste of a series before jumping into anything too grand. A really good photographer is going to make the mundane and bland seem quite unique and wonderful - just look at the work of William Ecclestone. The most important thing is to set yourself some guidelines and a focus. This will help you to overcome that series of a blank page, which you don't how to begin to fill.
Candid Portraits
When I started taking street photographs, the first thing I had to teach myself was how to find the places where there is what I call 'a hive' of good subjects. In other words, where there is a lot of activity that is likely to yield the ind of photos I am looking for. I went to these places in happenstance mode, ready for anything, and this really taught me how to observe. Of course, these hives are a subjective thing fro any photographer - mine could be very different from the next person's - but, for me, it was initially about finding interesting characters.
Posed Portraits
With my posed portrait shots, I want to take the viewer somewhere that being a fly-on-the-wall, however observant, cannot take them. I want to tap my subject on the shoulder and say, 'Hey, talk to me, relate to me. Let our personalities meet for one moment and let me see the essence of you.' In doing this, eye contact is paramount and you're not going to get eye contact without getting their attention.
If you find, by research or pure chance, a hive of wonderful people, or even just one, and you feel that the unguarded moment is not going to give you a good enough shot, or you think the person is so powerful that you must approach them, then you must make that decision. By doing so, you're running the risk of them saying no and it's a time when you have to have your wits about you and be skilled in dealing with people. This is something that I don't think they teach enough on any photography course; just like being a teacher, you can be knowledgeable and academic but if you're not good with people, you're going to be terrible at your job.
Outdoor Lighting
For outdoor photography, unless you particularly want the harsh shadows of midday sun, go for what photographers call 'the magic hour', which is either at sunrise or sunset, when the sun is at it's lowest , creating deep colours and long shadows of buildings and trees. Both times of day have a different quality of light so find out which you prefer. If you do decide to shoot at midday, or if that is the only time you will find your subjects, avoid a totally open area like the middle of a field or beach. Shoot somewhere where there is some sort of shade or cover so that light on the subject is reflected and therefore much softer than harsh, direct sunlight.
Showing posts with label Professionals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Professionals. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 February 2010
Studio Lighting
This can be challenging and even those photographers who have been working with it for years are still learning all the time. While there is a steep learning curve to using flash, you can embrace it quite easily to begin with, allowing you a great deal more creative control over portraits than simply relying on daylight alone.
Things that Professional photographer Bjorn Thomassen says to experiment with:-
Things that Professional photographer Bjorn Thomassen says to experiment with:-
- window light with flash
- flash vs. reflector
- studio flash
- white backgrounds
- flash on location
- flash outdoors
- reflectors
These are areas I look forward to experimenting with over the next few weeks.
Composition - Positioning the Subject
When setting up a portrait, one of your first considerations is how to position the subject within the available space, whether it be a clean white background, a blur of colour or a detailed environment. A lot of photographers talk about finding the light and putting the subject into it, as though the rest of the picture will somehow follow. Steve Shipman has never subscribed to that. For him, the priority is finding an interesting or unusual situation. Once this is established, you can make it work by experimenting with framing and composition to achieve a balance and harmony between the subject and the background.
Here are some of the things that Steve says we should experiment with:-
Here are some of the things that Steve says we should experiment with:-
- The Rule of Thirds (something we covered at college last week)
- Going in close
- Stepping back
- Precision framing
- Lines and shapes
- Depth of field
- Colour
- Unusual angles
- Movement
- Family groups
I will look to experiment with some of these over the coming weeks.
Loking at the Professionals - Matt Hoyle
MY COMMENTS
I feel I have a lot in common with Matt as a person and hopefully one day will be as successful as him as a photographer. Like Matt I have been observing and studying human nature and interaction since I was in my early teens. I have always been fascinated by how people interact together and can spend ages watching people in everyday situations. I think sometimes that if you could take a photo of a group of people and showed it to different groups of people they would all come up with a different story of who the people are, what they do for a living, what they are talking about etc. This thought provoking type of photos are what Matt Hoyle produces in that he chooses interesting subjects to photography as well as using post production techniques to make them slightly different from the norm and therefore opens the photos up for discussion.
Matt has done a series of photos of older people - some swimming, some boxing - and has increased the colour saturation and contrast and made their faces really interesting. I not only love his choice of subjects but also the way he uses post production techniques to highlight the interesting characteristics of his models. One of the things he loves as a photographer that now we're in the digital age he has complete control of the whole photography process. I am looking forward to developing my skills in all areas so that I can have complete control over the photography process.
If you click on Matt Hoyle's name in the blog called 'Looking at the Professionals' to see Matt's amazing photography.
I feel I have a lot in common with Matt as a person and hopefully one day will be as successful as him as a photographer. Like Matt I have been observing and studying human nature and interaction since I was in my early teens. I have always been fascinated by how people interact together and can spend ages watching people in everyday situations. I think sometimes that if you could take a photo of a group of people and showed it to different groups of people they would all come up with a different story of who the people are, what they do for a living, what they are talking about etc. This thought provoking type of photos are what Matt Hoyle produces in that he chooses interesting subjects to photography as well as using post production techniques to make them slightly different from the norm and therefore opens the photos up for discussion.
Matt has done a series of photos of older people - some swimming, some boxing - and has increased the colour saturation and contrast and made their faces really interesting. I not only love his choice of subjects but also the way he uses post production techniques to highlight the interesting characteristics of his models. One of the things he loves as a photographer that now we're in the digital age he has complete control of the whole photography process. I am looking forward to developing my skills in all areas so that I can have complete control over the photography process.
If you click on Matt Hoyle's name in the blog called 'Looking at the Professionals' to see Matt's amazing photography.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Looking at the Professionals - Matt Hoyle
BIOGRAPHY
Based in New York City but originally from Los Angeles, Matt spent his 20s as an advertising creative director in Australia. He then left the industry to pursue photography and was soon awarded Canon Australian Professional Photographer of the Year. With his photographs appearing in Luerzer's Archive, Communication Arts, Cannes and D&AD, Matt was soon back in America and shooting full time with clients like Saatchi's, Rolling Stone magazine and New York magazine.
Matt's work is known for its richness in colour and character as well as for his unique post-production technique. His first book, Encounters, was released in 2007 to great reviews. In Matt's personal projects he loves documenting people and their stories.
Commercially, Matt shoots for some of the most respected agencies and magazines both in America and abroad. His fine art exhibits regularly and has been hung in galleries in New York, Los Angeles, London, Dubai, Australia and Paris.
INTRODUCTION
I've been an observer of people and sensitive to my surroundings my whole life. I grew up in artistic environment: painting, drawing, writing and making music. Creative people always want to share something of what they see with the rest of the world and they'll find any tool to allow them to do that. For me, photography was never just about an aesthetic - a beautiful landscape or the way the light hits a piece of glass - it was always very much about an affinity with society. People have different ways of behaving and expressing themselves and these differences are visual.
To me, photography is not so much about the process. There are many fellow photographers out there who are into the equipment - the look of it, the bells and whistles of the most up-to-date camera or old-school way of shooting film with a large-format camera, which is a production just to set up. this is all cool - photography should be enjoyable or why get into it in the first place? But for me it's about the end result. I want a camera that is an extension of my creativity; something I can use to find, frame and capture my 'pages' of the story with little effort. And so the DSLR is my tool. It fits in one hand, can be snapped in a heartbeat, allows me to see its results and experiment or, if necessary, correct on the fly. It has changed the way I work and had given me the freedom to do more and better photography.
The DSLR has already digitised the image for convenient transfer into my computer, where the other aspect of my photography takes place. Post-production is a big part of photography today, whether you simply want to colour-correct, put a better version of a head on to a perfectly formed body, or, like myself, transform the image into a mood and feel that reality just can't deliver alone. The digital process has allowed me the best luxury a photographer can have: the freedom not to compromise a vision and to have full control over every shot from shutter to print.
The DSLR is not only my most valued tool, it is also now an extension of me. I can get it to act and react with minimal effort and, for me, that is where effortless storytelling and photography come in. I can spend less time thinking and fiddling and more time feeling and doing.
EQUIPMENT
Camera - Canon EOS - 1Ds Mark II; Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro; Nikon D100
Lenses - Canon 24-85mm f/1.8L; 50mm f/1.2; 85mm f/2.8
Lighting gear - 3 Canon 580EX Speedlites; Canon infrared triggers
Accessories - three 20inch white satin reflective umbrellas; Manfrotto portable light stands; umbrella adaptors for the light stands; Epson card reader
Bags - Lowepro backpack (with computer pouch)
When shooting on location I like to travel with the most portable yet effective kit. To me, the Canon stable of equipment works best. The zoom lens is my hero as it's crisp and gives me the freedom to zoom in or out quickly and frame the shot without having to move myself.
The 580EX Speedlites are quite powerful and allow me to shoot both a head-and-shoulders shot and a group of a few people without needing any extra lighting gear. The umbellas I use are satin, which gives me a crisp yet soft skin quality so there are no harsh shadows but still lots of detail in the textures.
My Lowepro backpack manages to carry everything I need, including my computer, without me having to check it in at the airport as baggage. It saves me from hauling excess equipment while travelling. I have an Epsom card reader, which I take on more remote location shoots when I don't want to risk bringing the computer along. This works nicely as a portable hard drive as well as a viewing device with an ample image area. The Manfrotto light stands are quite robust while being the most portable, collapsible stands in their range. They are also easy to pack on the side of my backpack.
Based in New York City but originally from Los Angeles, Matt spent his 20s as an advertising creative director in Australia. He then left the industry to pursue photography and was soon awarded Canon Australian Professional Photographer of the Year. With his photographs appearing in Luerzer's Archive, Communication Arts, Cannes and D&AD, Matt was soon back in America and shooting full time with clients like Saatchi's, Rolling Stone magazine and New York magazine.
Matt's work is known for its richness in colour and character as well as for his unique post-production technique. His first book, Encounters, was released in 2007 to great reviews. In Matt's personal projects he loves documenting people and their stories.
Commercially, Matt shoots for some of the most respected agencies and magazines both in America and abroad. His fine art exhibits regularly and has been hung in galleries in New York, Los Angeles, London, Dubai, Australia and Paris.
INTRODUCTION
I've been an observer of people and sensitive to my surroundings my whole life. I grew up in artistic environment: painting, drawing, writing and making music. Creative people always want to share something of what they see with the rest of the world and they'll find any tool to allow them to do that. For me, photography was never just about an aesthetic - a beautiful landscape or the way the light hits a piece of glass - it was always very much about an affinity with society. People have different ways of behaving and expressing themselves and these differences are visual.
To me, photography is not so much about the process. There are many fellow photographers out there who are into the equipment - the look of it, the bells and whistles of the most up-to-date camera or old-school way of shooting film with a large-format camera, which is a production just to set up. this is all cool - photography should be enjoyable or why get into it in the first place? But for me it's about the end result. I want a camera that is an extension of my creativity; something I can use to find, frame and capture my 'pages' of the story with little effort. And so the DSLR is my tool. It fits in one hand, can be snapped in a heartbeat, allows me to see its results and experiment or, if necessary, correct on the fly. It has changed the way I work and had given me the freedom to do more and better photography.
The DSLR has already digitised the image for convenient transfer into my computer, where the other aspect of my photography takes place. Post-production is a big part of photography today, whether you simply want to colour-correct, put a better version of a head on to a perfectly formed body, or, like myself, transform the image into a mood and feel that reality just can't deliver alone. The digital process has allowed me the best luxury a photographer can have: the freedom not to compromise a vision and to have full control over every shot from shutter to print.
The DSLR is not only my most valued tool, it is also now an extension of me. I can get it to act and react with minimal effort and, for me, that is where effortless storytelling and photography come in. I can spend less time thinking and fiddling and more time feeling and doing.
EQUIPMENT
Camera - Canon EOS - 1Ds Mark II; Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro; Nikon D100
Lenses - Canon 24-85mm f/1.8L; 50mm f/1.2; 85mm f/2.8
Lighting gear - 3 Canon 580EX Speedlites; Canon infrared triggers
Accessories - three 20inch white satin reflective umbrellas; Manfrotto portable light stands; umbrella adaptors for the light stands; Epson card reader
Bags - Lowepro backpack (with computer pouch)
When shooting on location I like to travel with the most portable yet effective kit. To me, the Canon stable of equipment works best. The zoom lens is my hero as it's crisp and gives me the freedom to zoom in or out quickly and frame the shot without having to move myself.
The 580EX Speedlites are quite powerful and allow me to shoot both a head-and-shoulders shot and a group of a few people without needing any extra lighting gear. The umbellas I use are satin, which gives me a crisp yet soft skin quality so there are no harsh shadows but still lots of detail in the textures.
My Lowepro backpack manages to carry everything I need, including my computer, without me having to check it in at the airport as baggage. It saves me from hauling excess equipment while travelling. I have an Epsom card reader, which I take on more remote location shoots when I don't want to risk bringing the computer along. This works nicely as a portable hard drive as well as a viewing device with an ample image area. The Manfrotto light stands are quite robust while being the most portable, collapsible stands in their range. They are also easy to pack on the side of my backpack.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Looking at the Professionals - Mark Cleghorn
Biography
Mark Cleghorn's distinctive images have won hundreds of awards since he started professionally in 1983, including the Kodak European Gold Award 17 times, as well as being awarded four Fellowships for his outstanding images. In 2009 Mark launched PhotoTraining4U.com, an online training resource for photographers using streaming video in its knowledge bank to show photographers not only him at work but a vast selection of teaching and technical films.
Mark was one of the first in his field to fully embrace digital technology in the late 1990's and has not shot film since 2001. His digital workflow methods have helped to get photographers back behind the camera instead of sitting at a computer.
Mark has written books on lighting, portraiture and wedding photography asa well as Photoshop. He has judged photographer's work in print competitions all over the world and is considered to be one of the major influences of style and technique in the wedding and portrait industry today.
Introduction from Mark
What I love about portrait photography is that every shot I take is different. Even though my lighting and other equipment may stay the same and be set up in a similar way, it is the subject in front of my lens that makes the difference to the portrait. This is exaggerated when I turn my camera away from the studio and point it at a wedding, as none of the elements are ever really in my control on the day.
When I prepare for a shoot, I have to take into account not only who the subjects are and what they are like, but also where the location is and the timing of the event. A winter wedding brings far more flash into the variety of images than a summer wedding does, due to the lower light levels and darker nights, both inside a church and during the reception, as well as outside in the elements.
The great thing about shooting a wedding or a portrait with a DSLR is that there are no boundaries for creativity. I can see instantly if an idea has worked or not, allowing me to re-shoot or change the set up dramatically for even more creative effect, or (more often than not) to bring the image back down to earth and shoot something more tame.
From the start of a wedding day, with all the chaos of the preparation, there is never a dull image, as around every corner there seems to be a better photograph to be take. However, the most important part of my job is to make sure that I capture the wedding how the bride wants it to be captured and don't just shoot what I want to - that's the big difference between doing a wedding for fun or for profit.
There are some key secrets to posing and lighting a subject, however they are preceded by familiarity with my equipment combined with my speed and efficiently during the shoot. making best use of the location and its natural light, where possible, gives an instant variety to the images, not only through the backhground but also in the variety of the poses and the expression of the subjects.
A relaxed subject is always a happy subject and this, I promise you, always shows in the portrait. The secret to a natural expression is just keeping the portrait simple; by that I mean minimising the complexity of the pose and the subject's animation. This also applies to the equipment - keep it simple to reduce the likelihood of technical problems and so that you can focus on the portrait instead of the chosen camera, lens or flash.
Equipment
Camera ~ Canon EOS 5D; Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lenses ~ Canon 24-100mm f/4L; Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L; Canon 28-70mm f/2.8L; Sigma 12-24mm f/4
Lighting gear ~ Canon Speedlite with radio triggers; Quantum T5-D portable flash; Bowens Esprit Studio Flash; Quantum Turbo batteries; softboxes
Accessories ~ Lexar cards; Manfrotto tripod; Sekonic light meter; Lastolite reflectors and TriGrip reflectors; diffusion screens; backgrounds
Bags ~ Lowepro; Billingham
What Mark says about Equipment
The right equipment is essential if you want to simplify the task of shooting portaits and weddings. A fast lens is essential in low light otherwise every other shot may have to have flash applied just to capture something. The 24-105mm lens is wide enough for me to get in close to a group without being in their faces for both formal and candid shots and with the telephoto element at the long end, I can shoot three-quarter length shots at a reasonable distance. The 70-200mm lens allows me to work at a distance and for the depth of field to be crushed for a blurred background.
My camera needs to fire when I tell it to and without any delay if I don't want to miss the expression or moment. A range of ISO settings, especially at the high end, is invaluable to allow me to work in low light without flash. I upgraded to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which has an ISO of 6400, and the noise level at 1600 - the maximum of the 5D - is much less obvious. It also has 21 megapixels, giving me a much bigger file.
When I want to use flash it should, again, be instant with enough manual control to look subtle in the photograph without dominating the scene unless required to. When I use Speedlite flashguns, perhaps dotted around the reception room in winter, I have radio triggers, so the sensor sits on the camera's hot shoe and each of the receiver units is attached to the Speedlites. It doesn't make use of the through-the-lens (TTL) function of the flash; I set them on manual so they give an accurate output of flash each time.
Another valuable piece of kit is a double-sided silver/white reflector, which can completely change the look of an image with very little work. The Lastolite TriGrip is a great piece of kit designed to be held in one hand, with the camera in the other. When not in use, it folds neatly into the side of the bag.
My thoughts I what I've read
I can really concur with what Mark says about portrait photography in that every shot you take is different, the equipment stays the same but the subjects are always different. I ave only completed a few portrait sessions for friends and family but each one was as different as the subjects. Whereas Mark it at ease with his equipment and lighting it is the complete reverse for me. Having only been shooting portrait photography for about 4 months everything is stil really new for me and although I'm coming to grips with shooting portraits with my camera, the use of flash and lighting is sometimes a little overwhelming. I relish the thought of being confidence, or at least more confident, in the use of my equipment. Mark stresses the importance of having a relaxed model, that is something that I do feel a little more confident with as I feel my friendly, relaxed personality put people at ease and having a laugh at the same time makes it less of a ordeal, that and bribing the kids I found very useful.
I am hoping to learn some useful trick of the trade from reading Mark's website and books as he must be good at his job to have won so many awards. I think it is important when setting off on a new project that you use those who have gone before me to help me become the best photographer that I can.
Although Mark's equipment will be of a much higher specification that mine I did take some confidence from looking at his equipment list in that I have some similar types of equipment so eventually when I get to grips with how to get the full potential from all the different components I might be able to produce some quality prints like him.
The thing that struck me most from reading about Mark's photography is the importance of having equipment you can rely on and knowing how to use it effectively. That and the importance of the relationships you have with your subjects. These are all areas I am going to work hard at improving.
Mark Cleghorn's distinctive images have won hundreds of awards since he started professionally in 1983, including the Kodak European Gold Award 17 times, as well as being awarded four Fellowships for his outstanding images. In 2009 Mark launched PhotoTraining4U.com, an online training resource for photographers using streaming video in its knowledge bank to show photographers not only him at work but a vast selection of teaching and technical films.
Mark was one of the first in his field to fully embrace digital technology in the late 1990's and has not shot film since 2001. His digital workflow methods have helped to get photographers back behind the camera instead of sitting at a computer.
Mark has written books on lighting, portraiture and wedding photography asa well as Photoshop. He has judged photographer's work in print competitions all over the world and is considered to be one of the major influences of style and technique in the wedding and portrait industry today.
Introduction from Mark
What I love about portrait photography is that every shot I take is different. Even though my lighting and other equipment may stay the same and be set up in a similar way, it is the subject in front of my lens that makes the difference to the portrait. This is exaggerated when I turn my camera away from the studio and point it at a wedding, as none of the elements are ever really in my control on the day.
When I prepare for a shoot, I have to take into account not only who the subjects are and what they are like, but also where the location is and the timing of the event. A winter wedding brings far more flash into the variety of images than a summer wedding does, due to the lower light levels and darker nights, both inside a church and during the reception, as well as outside in the elements.
The great thing about shooting a wedding or a portrait with a DSLR is that there are no boundaries for creativity. I can see instantly if an idea has worked or not, allowing me to re-shoot or change the set up dramatically for even more creative effect, or (more often than not) to bring the image back down to earth and shoot something more tame.
From the start of a wedding day, with all the chaos of the preparation, there is never a dull image, as around every corner there seems to be a better photograph to be take. However, the most important part of my job is to make sure that I capture the wedding how the bride wants it to be captured and don't just shoot what I want to - that's the big difference between doing a wedding for fun or for profit.
There are some key secrets to posing and lighting a subject, however they are preceded by familiarity with my equipment combined with my speed and efficiently during the shoot. making best use of the location and its natural light, where possible, gives an instant variety to the images, not only through the backhground but also in the variety of the poses and the expression of the subjects.
A relaxed subject is always a happy subject and this, I promise you, always shows in the portrait. The secret to a natural expression is just keeping the portrait simple; by that I mean minimising the complexity of the pose and the subject's animation. This also applies to the equipment - keep it simple to reduce the likelihood of technical problems and so that you can focus on the portrait instead of the chosen camera, lens or flash.
Equipment
Camera ~ Canon EOS 5D; Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lenses ~ Canon 24-100mm f/4L; Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L; Canon 28-70mm f/2.8L; Sigma 12-24mm f/4
Lighting gear ~ Canon Speedlite with radio triggers; Quantum T5-D portable flash; Bowens Esprit Studio Flash; Quantum Turbo batteries; softboxes
Accessories ~ Lexar cards; Manfrotto tripod; Sekonic light meter; Lastolite reflectors and TriGrip reflectors; diffusion screens; backgrounds
Bags ~ Lowepro; Billingham
What Mark says about Equipment
The right equipment is essential if you want to simplify the task of shooting portaits and weddings. A fast lens is essential in low light otherwise every other shot may have to have flash applied just to capture something. The 24-105mm lens is wide enough for me to get in close to a group without being in their faces for both formal and candid shots and with the telephoto element at the long end, I can shoot three-quarter length shots at a reasonable distance. The 70-200mm lens allows me to work at a distance and for the depth of field to be crushed for a blurred background.
My camera needs to fire when I tell it to and without any delay if I don't want to miss the expression or moment. A range of ISO settings, especially at the high end, is invaluable to allow me to work in low light without flash. I upgraded to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which has an ISO of 6400, and the noise level at 1600 - the maximum of the 5D - is much less obvious. It also has 21 megapixels, giving me a much bigger file.
When I want to use flash it should, again, be instant with enough manual control to look subtle in the photograph without dominating the scene unless required to. When I use Speedlite flashguns, perhaps dotted around the reception room in winter, I have radio triggers, so the sensor sits on the camera's hot shoe and each of the receiver units is attached to the Speedlites. It doesn't make use of the through-the-lens (TTL) function of the flash; I set them on manual so they give an accurate output of flash each time.
Another valuable piece of kit is a double-sided silver/white reflector, which can completely change the look of an image with very little work. The Lastolite TriGrip is a great piece of kit designed to be held in one hand, with the camera in the other. When not in use, it folds neatly into the side of the bag.
My thoughts I what I've read
I can really concur with what Mark says about portrait photography in that every shot you take is different, the equipment stays the same but the subjects are always different. I ave only completed a few portrait sessions for friends and family but each one was as different as the subjects. Whereas Mark it at ease with his equipment and lighting it is the complete reverse for me. Having only been shooting portrait photography for about 4 months everything is stil really new for me and although I'm coming to grips with shooting portraits with my camera, the use of flash and lighting is sometimes a little overwhelming. I relish the thought of being confidence, or at least more confident, in the use of my equipment. Mark stresses the importance of having a relaxed model, that is something that I do feel a little more confident with as I feel my friendly, relaxed personality put people at ease and having a laugh at the same time makes it less of a ordeal, that and bribing the kids I found very useful.
I am hoping to learn some useful trick of the trade from reading Mark's website and books as he must be good at his job to have won so many awards. I think it is important when setting off on a new project that you use those who have gone before me to help me become the best photographer that I can.
Although Mark's equipment will be of a much higher specification that mine I did take some confidence from looking at his equipment list in that I have some similar types of equipment so eventually when I get to grips with how to get the full potential from all the different components I might be able to produce some quality prints like him.
The thing that struck me most from reading about Mark's photography is the importance of having equipment you can rely on and knowing how to use it effectively. That and the importance of the relationships you have with your subjects. These are all areas I am going to work hard at improving.
Looking at the Professionals
Listed below are some of the professional portrait photographers I have decided to look at for the purpose of this course. If you click on the names below it will take you to their websites where you can see the types of work they do.
Mark Cleghorn
Matt Hoyle
Eamonn McCabe
Steve Shipman
Bjorn Thomassen
In other posts I will be writing about the photographers in more detail - looking at them, their equipment and photos they have taken.
Mark Cleghorn
Matt Hoyle
Eamonn McCabe
Steve Shipman
Bjorn Thomassen
In other posts I will be writing about the photographers in more detail - looking at them, their equipment and photos they have taken.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
