One of Brian Smith's tips for shooting portraits is to get down to the eye level of the subject: in one case, a young child in a button-down with a popped collar against a harsh red wall surveiling his environment. Read more in "8 Tips Every Beginning Portrait Photographer Should Know", by Jill Waterman.
A Chicagoan's take on living rooms
Brennan Anderson is a portrait photographer based in Chicago. In "Making it work: studio photography in small spaces", he shares some tips for shooting gorgeous portraits in his living room. Why not try it out, if you don't have the time to come in to a studio like ours?
Helmut Newton inspires us
This week we bring you Mike Panic's "Ten Tips for Shooting Studio Portraits", who uses Helmut Newton as an example of a photographer who did more with less - just one light, in fact. Check out the post for ten thoughtful tips on how to use studio equipment to shoot portraits.
Portrait Photography in the Studio
This week we bring you a post on getting the best portrait of your subject in a studio environment: "5 STRATEGIES FOR SHOOTING YOUR BEST IN-STUDIO PORTRAITS YET", by Kirk Tuck. As Kirk says in Tip #4, you can do a lot with a single white umbrella. Luckily the studio has both white and silver!
Interview with Anthony!
How do you make a Banner pic?
April 1, 2018.
I was given the job by our media people to make a banner photo for the studio website. That was the brief, apart from maybe showing the cyc curve.
That got me thinking, so I called up a favourite model and bribed her into posing for me: I had a vague idea.
Ages ago it got very hot, so I bought a large fan made in China, possibly from tank and aircraft parts. It is indestructible and the motor is incredibly powerful, with a propeller in black anodised metal. On full power, it moves by itself at speed. So, my notes below.
Version 1:
Not enough red fabric, black fabric needs an iron, don’t like stand & shot bags. Her legs wrong & maybe curve isn’t accentuated enough – unsure.
Version 2:
Better with props, black scarf looks dead & body shadow looks misshapen. Hair & face fine. Need more muscle differentiation. Needs to ‘strain’ more & tighter facial muscles. Still don’t like stand & shot bags.
Version 3:
Almost there. Body better, but lighten thighs a bit, bloody scarf really bugs me – get a lighter material perhaps, so it “flies”. Now hair’s dead. Maybe a 2nd fan? Tighter composition fits better, more compact. Red fabric bits still look too few. Buy more red fabric & tear into strips. Lighting perfect to show curve.
Version 4:
Not done yet – after the Easter break!
Hope you had a wonderful and safe Easter. Talk to you later about my next challenge!
- Anthony