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This week I was in New York for Photo Plus Expo working with my Sponsor, Sony. I had a great time being in New York and seeing the new A77 at work and holding the new Nex 7 in my hands for the first time. I can not wait to get my hands on both of these camera's, especially the Nex-7. It is absolutely amazing and now has everything I always wanted. It will be the camera I walk around with every day and as soon as I have it I will post images take with it right away. I have a strong feeling it will be a great Christmas gift for family this year.
Speaking of family, I am very happy and proud to spend today with my parents who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. We are all influenced by our surrounding and watching my parents throughout my life has given me a strong belief in love and helped me to believe in it even though life throws curves at you. I have been divorced twice but I still believe in love strongly and it is directly tied to witnessing my parents relationship. I am in awe of their relationship and forever learning about the power of love in relationships. In my photography I am also always learning and as camera's continue to evolve we must all continue to evolve with them. The future of photography is dependent on all of us pushing the envelope as artist and photographers as camera give us more options. The New A77 is the worlds faster DSLR and to see it perform this week at photo plus was very impressive. I will also share the possibilities now available with the A77 camera as soon as I shoot my first images.
Have a great weekend and happy 50th anniversary mom and dad!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Creative Ways to Promote and Market Your Photography
I have received numerous requests asking for a downloadable video focused on promotion and marketing. I am happy to announce the release of this video today in the Gallery Store.
The one thing you can do to increase your bottom line is promotion and marketing. Without this essential part of business you will not see growth in your client base or keep a client base. Marketing and promotion are essential. For years we have all heard the keys to marketing and for the most part it is very much the same thing over and over. I believe to become successful in a creative field you must do things differently than every one else and for this reason I have compiled this video focused on helping you achieve success now and for the future.
Creative Ways to Promote and Market Your Photography will open your eyes to new ways of reaching and keeping new clients. You will also enjoy the process of promotion and marketing like never before. This video is geared for every type of photographer, from wedding to travel, fashion to landscapes, portraits to still life. Finally there is a video fit for every photographer!
Always Dream Big
The one thing you can do to increase your bottom line is promotion and marketing. Without this essential part of business you will not see growth in your client base or keep a client base. Marketing and promotion are essential. For years we have all heard the keys to marketing and for the most part it is very much the same thing over and over. I believe to become successful in a creative field you must do things differently than every one else and for this reason I have compiled this video focused on helping you achieve success now and for the future.
Creative Ways to Promote and Market Your Photography will open your eyes to new ways of reaching and keeping new clients. You will also enjoy the process of promotion and marketing like never before. This video is geared for every type of photographer, from wedding to travel, fashion to landscapes, portraits to still life. Finally there is a video fit for every photographer!
Always Dream Big
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Multiple Lights for Dramatic Portraits
The Profoto beauty dish is one of my favorite light shaping tools. I have used it many times as my main light for years but today I want to show how to use the beauty dish as a fill light.
The two images shown are both created using the beauty dish, but in one example the beauty dish is the main and the other it is the fill. The more dramatic of the images, where the model eyes are illuminated was made using three lights. The main light is a Profoto strobe head with a spot small snoot head made by Profoto. This light allows me to shape the light exactly as I see fit for the shot. The second light is the beauty dish, but acting as a fill light for the shot. The third light is the backlight, or edge light, used to separate and define the subject from the background. It is important to use a light meter for situations like this because you need to know exactly what each light is reading. You can not do a shot like this simply by reading the histograms on your camera. A meter is an essential element in every shoot I do. I used the Sekonic meter for this image and my readings for each light were the following:
Main Light reading (spot small snoot) - F 11.0
Fill Light (Beauty dish) - F. 5.6
Edge light - 5.0
Exposure: F11.0 @ 1/125th
ISO: 200
The camera used to make this image was the Sony A900 with an 100mm macro lens, and I set my ISO to 200 on the meter and the camera. A quick note about ISO. Each camera has a native ISO, which gives you the best files possible from your camera. Unlike film, where the lower the ISO the better the images, with digital the native ISO gives you the best files. Each camera manufacturer has its own native ISO. For Sony the native ISO is 200 and for Canons it is 160.
The second image is made using the beauty dish as the main and the same edge light, but the edge light is brought up in power by one stop. Our model is blond and the edge light is a bit too hot in this example. If she were brunette or had black hair we would be fine with this edge light exposure, so you will need to adjust depending on your subject. To learn more about using lights in complex situations go to the gallery store for downloadable products to improve your photography and inspire you to make your best images ever!
Always experiment to go above and beyond the norm. It is great to learn all the rules of lighting and photography but after you have learned the rules it is fine to break them to achieve better results. Our world of photograph is changing faster and faster so the rules from yesterday will not open the door to the future. Push yourself to experiment and discover new ways to explore the joy and beauty of photography.
Always Dream Big!
Website: www.MatthewJordanSmith.com
Instructional Videos: Online Gallery Store
Friday, October 21, 2011
Shooting for America's Next Top Model
One of the most enjoyable projects I have worked on in my career would be working as a guest photographer on American's Next Top Model. Each episode the show will have a photographer come on to shoot the models and see who performs best. I have been lucky enough to be a guest photographer four times on the show since its beginning.
The image included in this post is from my favorite episode as it was the most challenging of the shoots I have done for the show. The goal was to photograph each model as a celebrity couple. The girl would play both the male and female part of the celebrity couple so called for a lot of hair and makeup and creativity on my part.
To achieve this I had to make sure my lights and camera stayed the same throughout the shoot for each position because the girl would be shot as the male part first, then go back to hair, makeup and styling to be transformed into the female celebrity of the shot. Once I had my lighting set, my photo assistants carefully measured and documented each light and power ratio. Everything was written down so there would be no mistakes. Each light was measured for height and distance and the once the exposure was set to my liking we had our formula, and could easily apply it to each different location. The shoot took a long time but in the end it was worth it and a lot of fun to do. Imagine taking this same technique and doing your own versions at home. Make sure you document everything you do the first time around. My main light for this image was a small Para umbrella, which is still fairly large. The back lights were Profoto flash heads with gels an grids along with black flags to cut the light from hitting the camera and keeping it off the ceiling as well.
If you are interested in learning more about fashion and beauty photography sign up for the live classroom seminar through CreativeLive taking place this November. There you can learn by watching a complete beauty shoot and fashion shoot from beginning to end. To learn more about creative lighting and techniques look into the downloadable videos available in the Gallery Store. There you will learn tips and tricks on how to make better photographs with example and guidance.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Back in Time
I received a call last week from a TV Show that was interested in using an image from a shoot I did a while back. When the producer mentioned the shoot they were interested in I knew it right away because it was my first time shooting a fashion story on location. The TV producer thought the shoot was done in 2004, but they were slightly off as the images were shot in 1992!
You never forget your first, and this was my first fashion story shot in an exotic location. The job was a two-week shoot on the island of St. Lucia and my assignment was to photograph two fashion stories based around resort wear. The TV show called because the male model is now an actor and in the up-coming movie, The Thing. I have watched this actor over the years and each and every time I see him I think back to the shoot in St. Lucia.
The actor is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and if you don't know his name you probably know his face. From the TV show Lost, to HBO's Oz he has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows. His movies include The Bourne Identity, The Mummy Returns, The Thing, Faster, Monk, GI Joe, Unstoppable and many, many more. The interview is for The Thing, and I loved the original and will watch this remake.
Shooting on an island requires great pre-production skills because you can not run to your local photo store if you forget something. You also must be prepared for the worst in case your gear goes down or an assistant drops your meter in the ocean. Anything can happen on location and two weeks on an island will test you to see how well you have prepared. As I write this email we are preparing to go to an island in the Caribbean again for a photo shoot. These types of shoots are some of my favorite jobs but they are not easy. The crew is up around 4 to start hair and makeup and you are going off to shoot in the dark usually and shooting early mornings, breaking during the worst times of the day, (sometimes) and then shooting the end of the day until sunset. Some items that are always in my grip case are three prong to two prong electrical adapters, gaffer tape, can of air to clean gear, large plastic zip locks to protect against humidity, small first aid kit, flashlights, matches and candles, battery operated alarm clock! On many islands the electricity can go off in the middle of the night so you must be prepared for any and everything.
Today there are ways to shoot even during the worst times of the day. The Sun Swatter is a great tool to use once you understand how to use it correctly. I did a shoot recently on location and we had to shoot at twelve noon, the worst time of day. We used the Sun Swatter over the model to block the sun, then used a white fill card to reflect light back in her face and lastly a soft white card underneath to give it the pop in her eyes that I love. The Sun Swatter is made by California Sun Bounce and I will be taking this gear to the islands on my upcoming trip.
The image is photographed with the Sony A900 on location at Griffith Park in Los Angeles around 12:00 noon. The back light is coming from a California Sunbounce silver reflector. The sun is blocked using the Sun Swatter and the fill light is coming from a soft white California Sunbounce reflector about 10 feet away and lastly a soft white card is underneath to give the reflection in the eyes. A shoot like this may seem simple but it is anything but. If you are shooting in California you also need to make sure you have permits because someone will always come by to check. Shooting on an island you don't have that concern thank goodness!
For more information on how to take picture in natural light check out Ten Ways to Use Natural Light, or any of the other great downloadable products in the Gallery Store.
Always Dream Big!
You never forget your first, and this was my first fashion story shot in an exotic location. The job was a two-week shoot on the island of St. Lucia and my assignment was to photograph two fashion stories based around resort wear. The TV show called because the male model is now an actor and in the up-coming movie, The Thing. I have watched this actor over the years and each and every time I see him I think back to the shoot in St. Lucia.
The actor is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and if you don't know his name you probably know his face. From the TV show Lost, to HBO's Oz he has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows. His movies include The Bourne Identity, The Mummy Returns, The Thing, Faster, Monk, GI Joe, Unstoppable and many, many more. The interview is for The Thing, and I loved the original and will watch this remake.
Today there are ways to shoot even during the worst times of the day. The Sun Swatter is a great tool to use once you understand how to use it correctly. I did a shoot recently on location and we had to shoot at twelve noon, the worst time of day. We used the Sun Swatter over the model to block the sun, then used a white fill card to reflect light back in her face and lastly a soft white card underneath to give it the pop in her eyes that I love. The Sun Swatter is made by California Sun Bounce and I will be taking this gear to the islands on my upcoming trip.
For more information on how to take picture in natural light check out Ten Ways to Use Natural Light, or any of the other great downloadable products in the Gallery Store.
Always Dream Big!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Lens Choice and Creating Portraits
I am working on a new series of environmental portraits and this past Friday I made one of the first images for the series. I selected a good friend and artist, Chaz Guest as my first subject. Not many living painters can say they have one of their pieces in the White House but a painting by Chaz of Thurgood Marshall hangs in the White House today.
I told Chaz I wanted to photograph him about a month ago and he got very excited and started pulling images to show me what he wanted. I smiled and gently told him I would create my vision and not to worry. Chaz is an amazing artist and has a curiosity for photography as well. About a year ago he purchased his first camera,.......a Leica. Later he asked me why he wasn't getting the kind of shots with his camera that looked like mine. I smiled and asked him if I purchased the best brushes ever made, the best quality canvas, all the best materials needed for painting would I then be able to paint like him? He paused and said, I never thought of it that way. The camera is the tool, but the person behind the camera, or brush, is the artist. Every artist wants the best tools because they know how important it is to have the best and they have the knowledge to take advantage of the best tools. In learning or growing as a photographer or artist it is important to have all the right tools but you must also learn how to use them.
In preparing my tools for this portrait session I thought about the lenses I wanted to take and decided on using three lenses. A 35mm, a 50mm and an 85mm. The 85mm is the perfect lens for portraits but my new series of portraits I want to show more of the environment so I'm doing things a little different. I also though heavily about the lighting. For the last two months I have been testing ideas on lighting portraits with my interns and finally come up with a solution I like. I will go more into the lighting in a future post but today I want to talk about the lens selection.
Using wide lenses requires that you stay aware of distortion, but if used wisely the images can be really beautiful. One of my favorite lenses for my Mamiya RZ 67 medium format film body was an old 65mm RB lens. It was perfect for portraits. With my Sony A900 body I love using the Carl Zeiss 85mm lens and the Sony 100mm macro lens a lot in my work, but for the portraits I want a different feel.
The image I have selected from Fridays shoot was shot with the 50mm. To make it work I had to back up and keep not shoot at too high or too low of an angle. If I went to low or high the angles in the image looked distorted and my subject also became slightly distorted. I did use the 35mm a lot on this shoot but I had to be careful in using it. To see the image I selected for my website click the following link, www.MatthewJordanSmith.com, and go to the portrait section.
The images below are taken with the Sony 35mm lens, and they are not bad, but the 50mm lens works best to give the effect I am looking for in this series. In the future when I go out to shoot more of this series I will continue to take these same lenses. I even had the Sony 20mm lens on me, but that lens is not meant for this type of work. I love the 20mm when I am shooting landscapes but again you must be careful with it and always aware of lines and angles. In photography we learn rules of engagement for creating great shots but once you learn the rules it is sometimes great to break them and see for yourself what you like. You may discover that you like something that breaks the rules! Remember photography is a CREATIVE art form.
Don't forget, there are a few days left to be a part of the CreativeLIVE class on Fashion and Beauty taking place in Seattle this November. This is the perfect opportunity to learn how to take advantage of all the new camera that are coming out and make your photography better. One camera I am dying to get my hands on is the new Sony A77. It will be the worlds fastest DSLR shooting at 12 frames per second. Now that is FAST! Now that I have the knowledge I hope to be able to show you how to take advantage of that speed very soon.
Always Dream Big!
I told Chaz I wanted to photograph him about a month ago and he got very excited and started pulling images to show me what he wanted. I smiled and gently told him I would create my vision and not to worry. Chaz is an amazing artist and has a curiosity for photography as well. About a year ago he purchased his first camera,.......a Leica. Later he asked me why he wasn't getting the kind of shots with his camera that looked like mine. I smiled and asked him if I purchased the best brushes ever made, the best quality canvas, all the best materials needed for painting would I then be able to paint like him? He paused and said, I never thought of it that way. The camera is the tool, but the person behind the camera, or brush, is the artist. Every artist wants the best tools because they know how important it is to have the best and they have the knowledge to take advantage of the best tools. In learning or growing as a photographer or artist it is important to have all the right tools but you must also learn how to use them.
In preparing my tools for this portrait session I thought about the lenses I wanted to take and decided on using three lenses. A 35mm, a 50mm and an 85mm. The 85mm is the perfect lens for portraits but my new series of portraits I want to show more of the environment so I'm doing things a little different. I also though heavily about the lighting. For the last two months I have been testing ideas on lighting portraits with my interns and finally come up with a solution I like. I will go more into the lighting in a future post but today I want to talk about the lens selection.
Using wide lenses requires that you stay aware of distortion, but if used wisely the images can be really beautiful. One of my favorite lenses for my Mamiya RZ 67 medium format film body was an old 65mm RB lens. It was perfect for portraits. With my Sony A900 body I love using the Carl Zeiss 85mm lens and the Sony 100mm macro lens a lot in my work, but for the portraits I want a different feel.
The image I have selected from Fridays shoot was shot with the 50mm. To make it work I had to back up and keep not shoot at too high or too low of an angle. If I went to low or high the angles in the image looked distorted and my subject also became slightly distorted. I did use the 35mm a lot on this shoot but I had to be careful in using it. To see the image I selected for my website click the following link, www.MatthewJordanSmith.com, and go to the portrait section.
The images below are taken with the Sony 35mm lens, and they are not bad, but the 50mm lens works best to give the effect I am looking for in this series. In the future when I go out to shoot more of this series I will continue to take these same lenses. I even had the Sony 20mm lens on me, but that lens is not meant for this type of work. I love the 20mm when I am shooting landscapes but again you must be careful with it and always aware of lines and angles. In photography we learn rules of engagement for creating great shots but once you learn the rules it is sometimes great to break them and see for yourself what you like. You may discover that you like something that breaks the rules! Remember photography is a CREATIVE art form.
Don't forget, there are a few days left to be a part of the CreativeLIVE class on Fashion and Beauty taking place in Seattle this November. This is the perfect opportunity to learn how to take advantage of all the new camera that are coming out and make your photography better. One camera I am dying to get my hands on is the new Sony A77. It will be the worlds fastest DSLR shooting at 12 frames per second. Now that is FAST! Now that I have the knowledge I hope to be able to show you how to take advantage of that speed very soon.
Always Dream Big!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Antelope Canyon
It is fun to shoot things that are outside of your comfort zone. For this trip I took a tripod, an assortment of lenses, my sekonic meter and two A900 Sony bodies and a A55 body. The images here were created with the Sony 20mm 2.8 lens on my A900 body. I used a tripod and metered with my handheld meter for the correct exposure. I wish I had more time in the canyon but you only get a limited amount of time unless you book the photo tour, which I will do next time for sure. This location is so amazing I would easily pay a premium for private shooting time in this location.
This trip was great in many ways as it gave me time to focus on what I want to teach at my upcoming CreativeLive class on beauty and fashion. It also gave me time to think about the redesign of my website and what images to place where. Look for new images in the coming weeks as the site continues to evolve with fresh content.
Come join me in Seattle for the CreativeLive class. There is still time to join me and you can learn more by watching the video at Creative Live. I hope you can join me as I have a lot of information to pass on to you along with creating a fashion story and beauty story. Yes we will be shooting two full stories in class and you will be a part of it from beginning to end! I look forward to seeing you soon.
Always Dream Big!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Fashion and Beauty
The process of creating is one of the most fulfilling things a photographer can do. The creative process is what excited me about photography in the beginning of my career and it is still one of the things that brings me joy today.
Fashion and beauty are both very creative fields in the photography industry and offer the creative soul an outlet to express their vision of beauty, fashion and how they see the world. We often see the words "Fashion & Beauty" together but even though they are closely related they are different worlds. Fashion photography is usually about clothing and styles and is constantly changing. Fashion is change! Beauty photography deals with the cosmetic industry and revolves around skin and hair.
On November 11-13th I am teaching a class on both Fashion & Beauty at CreativeLive. There we will go through the process of learning the fashion and beauty worlds inside out. We will do both a beauty shoot and a fashion shoot and you will learn how to take a concept and bring it to life. We will work with beautiful models, learn how to work with hair and makeup to develop powerful images and together turn a concept into incredible images. Most importantly you will learn how to become a better fashion and beauty photography and discover the essence of your own creativity. To be a part of this live class you only have to do one simple thing. Send in a video telling me why you would like to be a part of the live class.
To sign up today and learn more click the following link Fashion & Beauty @CreativeLIVE.
I look forward to seeing you soon!
Always Dream Big
Fashion and beauty are both very creative fields in the photography industry and offer the creative soul an outlet to express their vision of beauty, fashion and how they see the world. We often see the words "Fashion & Beauty" together but even though they are closely related they are different worlds. Fashion photography is usually about clothing and styles and is constantly changing. Fashion is change! Beauty photography deals with the cosmetic industry and revolves around skin and hair.
On November 11-13th I am teaching a class on both Fashion & Beauty at CreativeLive. There we will go through the process of learning the fashion and beauty worlds inside out. We will do both a beauty shoot and a fashion shoot and you will learn how to take a concept and bring it to life. We will work with beautiful models, learn how to work with hair and makeup to develop powerful images and together turn a concept into incredible images. Most importantly you will learn how to become a better fashion and beauty photography and discover the essence of your own creativity. To be a part of this live class you only have to do one simple thing. Send in a video telling me why you would like to be a part of the live class.
To sign up today and learn more click the following link Fashion & Beauty @CreativeLIVE.
I look forward to seeing you soon!
Always Dream Big
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