New Face of Beauty

Today's shoot is with a new model discovery that is really amazing on camera.  This is my second time shooting her in two weeks and I am certain she will go on to do amazing assignments in the very near future.

The image here is taken about an hour ago and is the unretouched image right out of my Sony A900 camera.  The lens used to create this image is the 85 1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar lens.  The lighting is simple and classic with a twist.  Today's session is shot with the Profoto white beauty dish but we've added the lighting sock over the dish.  Profoto sells a sock to go on top of your beauty dish but I've found it to be too thin.  Speedotron makes a lighting sock as well, but their version is 3/4 of a stop vs the 1/4 stop sock that Profoto makes and gives a better quality of light.

To find the quality of light you like test your lights constantly making small adjustments until you find the look that suits your vision best.  Today we are using two lights to give this effect but to really learn lighting you should always start with one first and master it before adding more lights.

Have a great weekend and always dream big!

Lighting Videos:  Click Here

Truth in Pictures

On September 11, 2001, this was the view from the top of my building on 43rd street and 10th Avenue in New York City.  It is hard to believe ten years has passed but life in many ways is very different.  Cameras don't lie and pure photography tells no lies unless altered in some way.  I recently watched a series of documentaries that brought up all the questions I had in my mind on after that day.  For those of us who witnessed the sights, sounds and smell of the horror of 9/11 we will never forget.

In ten years the world has changed so much.  We no longer have to rely on TV to get the news.  Social media has changed how to receive news and information and photographs can be sent to the world in the blink of an eye.  Photography is powerful!  Never forget to take your camera with you each and every day.

My heart and prayers go out to all those who lost friends, family and loved one ten years ago.

Money and Photography

One of the subjects we rarely hear about in photography is money management and your business.  Yesterday I was interviewed by Tamara Lackey for CreativeLIVE and at this very moment Tamara is having a LIVE class dealing with finance at this very moment.  To log on click the following link:  CreativeLIVE

Always Dream Big

Don't Forget!

Today I had an idea for a great post but after reading Skip Cohen's Blog this morning I felt it was more important to pass this along today.

Yesterday I was speaking with a good friend whom I always have long conversations about work and how to get more work.  We are a bit competitive but that is also part of the beauty of our friendship.  He was vexed about a work situation and the delicate balance between work and life.  I told him when we are gone some may remember our work but our friends and family will remember how much we cared and showed love to them.  Today lets not forget about the big picture on our way to success.

MUST READ BLOG OF THE DAY:  CLICK HERE

The Art of Directing

During my career I have shot countless covers for beauty, entertainment and lifestyle magazines.  I have also shot my share of cosmetic advertisements for clients like Pantene, Olay, Revlon and more.  The image the public gets to see is one special moment from the day, but there are often hundreds of moments captured to around that special image.  Those other moments are stored away and often never seen again except by the photographer.

Getting the perfect moment, or creating the perfect picture, takes more than perfect pixels, a great camera,(a Sony for me) and beautiful lighting.  Once you have all the elements to create magic it is up to you to pull the magic out of your subject.  I will try and use everything at my disposal to make my subjects comfortable to get that perfect moment.  Everything ranging from great music to flowers, research to amazing food, but the connection is really what sets each photographer apart from the rest and enables you to create incredible photographs.  How you speak to your subjects is also key to getting that magical moment and creating great photographs.

When shooting I don't like to over direct my subjects and often tell them not to pose.  I believe a pose will always look fake or stiff or look like an image from another era when posing was all photographers knew.  Today everything in the world has changed so we can't shoot photographs the way we did ten years ago.  When shooting I strive to capture real moments and then direct my subjects based off of what they do naturally.  This way I capture the essence of my subject being themselves with a hit of directions to enhance what they do naturally.

My directing is no more than simply guiding my subject into the moment when they are comfortable and almost forgetting about being photographed.  It is a delicate dance between photographer and subject and one that has the subject leading the dance at times and the photographer leading when the moment is right.  When the moment finally comes around when you have a great shot I like to stay within that moment and  direct my subject to do slight variations on what they do naturally.  This way I get a series of moments and which help me find the decisive moment.

The images shown here are all seconds apart when I directed my subject to give me slightly different variations of a moment.  I don't  know which image is "the" image until I have all the images in Capture One or Lightroom and start the editing process.  When I am shooting I want to make sure I capture every moment possible and at times I will whisper direction to my subjects so I don't break the moment.  Directing is part of your personal style so experiment with what works best for you.  Some photographers are high energy and yelling and screaming, others are totally quiet when they shoot.  Whatever your style may be make sure you are cognizant of special moments and guide your subject to better images.


For a sneak peek into my way of shooting and directing  take a look at this Youtube clip!

Click Here


Photo Equipment Used
Sony A900 DSLR camera
Lens:  85 1.4 Carl Zeiss planar lens & Sony 2.8 /100 macro lens
Strobe:  Acute Profoto pack
Light modifier:  Profoto white beauty dish


I wish you all the best and always dream big!

The Many Ways to Use One Light

Today I had a shoot with a client who was shooting for the first time in his life.  I wanted to give him variety in his images but I also had a time limit to shoot so I did not have the luxury to change my set and lighting around.  With very little effort I used one light modifier to create several distinctively different looks.

In the beginning of my career I learned to use one light multiple ways and in situations like today that training came in handy.  All the images here were made with the same light.  I used a Profoto pack with one head with a beauty dish.  For some images I added the grid to the dish and other I simple adjusted the distance of the light and the angle of light.  Knowing how to manipulate light quickly will impress your clients and help you become a more creative photographer.

All images were shot on a white background but the background is not lit.  Instead I selected to let the light fall off naturally.  The images of the subject on a dark background is shot with the beauty dish very close to my subject with a grid.  The light is concentrated on my subject and the background goes dark for this moody effect.

The images of the subject with the black tie is made by having the same beauty dish directly in front of him and a small fill card underneath to fill under his chin.  This is normally a great beauty light using it in this fashion and great for women, but good on men too at times.

The image of my subject in the white shirt without the tie required me to move my light closer by twelve inches and moved it off to the right slightly which gives the shadowing effect on the left side of the subject.  I think this is a great lighting effect for me.  

The image of my subject without a shirt is again made by adding the grid and taking the light back and raising it by two feet.  Having the light higher helps give more muscle definition by letting the shadows create shape.  Notice also how the light affects the background as well.

Lastly, the shot of my subject in a blue shirt was made very much in the same manner as the shirtless image except the grid is taken out.  For each look I had to use my light meter to check my exposure and adjust my exposure accordingly.

For more information on lighting check out all the video tutorials available in the Gallery Store.

Camera Info:

Sony A900

50mm 1.4 Sony lens

85mm 1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar lens

Always Dream Big

Instructional Photograph Videos:  Click Here

To Freeze or Not to Freeze

There are times when we want to freeze the moment and stop time in its tracks.  An example would be shooting at a sporting event when you want the precise moment frozen in time.  During these moments a faster shutter speed is needed, and knowing how to decide on the proper shutter speed depends on the focal length of your lens.  A long lens, say a 300, 2.8 lens, requires a faster shutter speed than a shorter lens to freeze the action.  The rule is to double the focal length, so if I'm using the 300 2.8 lens at a football game I would want to use a shutter speed of no less than 1/1000 of a second taking into consideration that older camera bodies go up only from 1/ 500th to 1/1000th.  With modern cameras of today we can easily shoot much, much faster.

Speed can also be shown in different ways and sometimes your images are stronger when you let the movement show.  If you want to stand out from the crowd it is sometimes best to do things differently than everyone else.  If 100 photographers are shooting the same football game and everyone is shooting at super fast shutter speeds it may not be a bad idea to do the opposite, shoot at a slower shutter speed to show the beauty of movement.

For the image shown I wanted to do precisely that, show the movement of my subject so the viewer can really appreciate what is happening in the image.  The feeling of showing movement is much stronger at times when you slow down the shutter and allow a little blur to increase the impact of your images.  

The image here is shot with a Sony A900 at F8 @ 1/60th of a second.  For more information on lighting and photo tips check out the videos available at the Gallery Store.

Always Dream Big

Instructional Photography Videos

Back to School

As people head back to school I thought this would be appropriate to share even if you've seen it before.



Think differently!