Why not give your photo shoot a theme?

Why not give your photo shoot a theme?

Yes, I know we all want to make money, so the natural thing is to get the photo shoot done and dusted as quickly as possible. Of course, so much can go unnoticed with such an attitude. 

Why not just do it for fun or for one’s portfolio?

I decided on a theme for my photo shoot: Tattoos. I have a friend that has a couple of very interesting tattoos adorning his body. I approached him and explained what I wanted to do.

Well, the next step was the photo shoot. I really had fun although at first I felt a bit nervous – ok, I admit, it was closer to being nerve wrecking... it was a shoot during which I didn’t need to focus on the person as a whole. But of course I didn’t want to miss any of my friend’s personality that is embodied in his tattoos. I knew that if I didn’t manage to capture his personality, it would be like “just taking another picture”, one with no substance: dead, meaningless. I would even go so far as to say a waste of time.

Here are some of the photos from this photo shoot. I would like to share them with you. Enjoy!

 

Lighting for Portrait Photography – Steve Bavister, Book Review

Books that help me in the discovering photography

There were several books that I work my way through; I want to start with one that really helped me. Don’t understand me wrong the others laid the knowledge foundation that you need as a novice; I will review them at a later stage. This book really just brought everything together for me in a very practical way. 

The book is: Lighting for Portrait Photography – Steve Bavister.

Steve Bavister succeeds in demonstrating that you don’t need to be the world’s best photographer to get that great shot. Making use of basic lighting you can achieve that look and feel.

The book consists of four main components: outdoor/ ambient, simple lighting, two lights and more complex setups.

 

Ever photo has a description of the setup, feel of the surrounding and if there was any alterations done to the photo afterwards. You will also find a diagram accompanying each photo that illustrates the setup, it is an easy to follow diagram.  It shows you where the lights were positioned and what other props were used. 

What I really found very useful was the index next to the diagram that indicated what lens, the exposure and what type of light was used, it also indicates the photographer, the client and the use of the photo. 

I really found this book an inspiration, it is more than just theory it takes it down to the practical side. Most books only go as far as telling you what you can do to get a certain shot. Steve Bavister goes that one step further. Tying down all the theory and illustrating it in a practical manor. This book made me believe that I can also get that glam shot, with out having a celebrity in the studio or being the best photographer in the world. Yes it is going to take practice to get there, I will be using this book as a guideline to get the look and feel of a professional.    

I will recommend this book to anyone - beginner, intermediate or even advance photographer 

http://www.creativelens.net/magazine/digital/steve_bavister.cfm

Steve Bavister biography

A former editor of SLR Photography and Photo Answers, and publisher of a portfolio of magazine including Practical Photography, Steve Bavister is one of the UK's most experienced photographic journalists. Currently editor of the monthly journal of the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP), he continues to write articles for a wide range of magazines and websites and is the author of ten books on photography and digital imaging. Steve is also a successful freelance photographer, selling pictures both direct to clients and as a contributor to a leading photo library. His images have appeared in publications as diverse as The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Parents and BBC Music magazine.

My fist photo shoot

My fist photo shoot

After reading several books on the topic, my head was spinning with terminology. F-stop, shutter speed, ISO, where to position the lights and where the subject must be. Well it was time to put my knowledge to the test.

I have obtained a backdrop, three soft boxes, spotlight and some props. I am fortune to have a cottage that I could make my studio. Setting up all of this was really exciting; they have been staring at me for the past month waiting to be used.

Eventually the day has arrived, my daughter agreed to be the first. Now I know how babies must feel when they take their fist step.... the excitement, fear and confusion, it is just to take that fist step. So I took that fist step.

The fist few where over exposed and some of them under exposed, what to do now??? I played around with the positioning of the lights the strength of the flashes, and there it was - my fist good photo. Well I think it was, professionals might differ.

We played around with different poses and props and even wardrobe changes. I was perspiring as if I just ran a 10 km race, the excitement and adrenalin was pumping.  

Enough of my chit-chat her are some of my first photos  

Well that was the fist one done and dusted, it will and only go better with more practice and more reading. My next post I want to introduce you to a book I bought.