A Portrait Photographer’s Guide To Coaching Clients

Lightstalking is a site that offers lots of advice and ideas for photographers. Often we find that what their contributors writes about directly echoes what we teach in our classes so we feel we are in touch with what Lightstalking has to say. This article by Tiffany Mueller, a professional music and fine art photographer, she blogs at Life Is Unabridged,  is about helping clients to pose better when they are having their portrait taken.

In our Portrait Photography course starting on June 6th we spend quite a bit of time explaining how important this is, we give tutorials on how to pose people and how to show people how to pose, that sounds the same thing but it isn’t. You might not be lucky enough to live in Oxford and so have the chance to attend one of our courses so this article by Tiffany will be of help.

©Keith Barnes   Portrait of John Duggan

Click Here: A Portrait Photographer’s Guide To Coaching Clients

How Self Portraiture Can Make You A Better Photographer

On our Portrait course one of the assignments I set is that students in the class pair up and take pictures of each other in a formal portrait way. The idea is that until you have experienced being photographed by another photographer you might not know what the experience feels like. In gaining that experience you are much more likely to have empathy with your future subjects. I really believe this is an important lesson. This article on the Fuel Your Photography blog by Brooke Snow hints at the same, this is what she says:

“It was frustration that eventually led me to self portraiture.  Frustration and jealousy!  I was excited about the images that I was creating both professionally, and personally, and kept telling my family “Do you know how lucky you are?! You can get fabulous images of you and your family compliments of me!”

But who was there to photograph me and my own family? The challenge wasn’t so much about not being willing to pay someone (I totally believe in hiring a pro for yearly portraits), it was more the frustration of the everyday things that happen. My heart is drawn to lifestyle photography and the storytelling power of photographing everyday life.  I’m not going to have access to another professional every time we have a family gathering, go on a family adventure, or I just plain took the the time to get ready and put on a new dress for no special reason! As I’ve come closer and closer to knowing who I am as a photographer and how I uniquely see the world, this longing has only increased. The longing to not just document how I see other people and their life and relationships, but how I personally see my own life. My view of my family, my relationships, and even myself, will not be the same view as someone else.  This isn’t to say another person’s perspective doesn’t have as much value, it’s just going to be different. And there is  something deeply rewarding and enlightening behind uncovering your own vision of yourself and your family.  Afterall, you know these relationships better than anyone.”

Self portraiture for me, is loosely defined as any image that:

1.  I create a vision for

2.  That I’m in.

I don’t care if someone else pushes the shutter button, or if other people are present in the photograph.  Those two things alone should be considered an achievement!....MORE  In the rest of the article she explains her process and gives tips on how you can do it better

The Secrets to Successful Black and White Portraits

This article on Lighstalking by Tiffany Mueller  gives sound advice on getting better black and white portraits. We run a very successful Black and White digital photography course that covers all this and more, details are here

“Black and white photographs can portray a higher level of timelessness than color images. The lack of color also gives us a better sense of the time and mood behind a portrait.  Because of these characteristics, black and white photography has maintained a strong presence in portraiture. Since the eye perceives black and white photography differently than color photography, the process behind creating compelling black and white portraits is also a little different.” Here are a few pointers to get you started:

©Keith Barnes

Click Here: The Secrets to Compelling Black and White Portraits

Forget Mugshots, Make Stronger Portraits

David DuChemin over at the Pixelated Image blog has another book out, you can download this for a paltry $4 if you use the discount code on offer.

Forget Mugshots won’t make the process of making portraits less scary, but it will help you make stronger people photographs. It’s available today as a PDF for only $4 for the first five days. See below for details. And if you’re a member of the Craft & Vision Community, listen for the next podcast, because Matt Brandon and I are planning to spend it telling stories and talking about this very topic, including more tips and tricks.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the next five days only, use the promotional code MUGSHOTS4 when you checkout so you can have the PDF version of Forget Mugshots for only $4 OR use the code MUGSHOTS20 to get 20% off when you buy 5+ PDF eBooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST March 17, 2012.

“Forget Mugshots, 10 Steps To Better Portraits, is a 35-spread course in improving your people photography. I always laugh when the odd review comes back with sage comments like, “there’s nothing new here.” No, there isn’t. Of course there isn’t. And anyone who pretends to teach “new secrets” is just after your buck. I’m not telling you which aperture to use, or letting you in on some new technique that no one else knows and will rock your world. It’s sound teaching about the priorities, thoughts, and techniques I’ve used to create portraits of people at home and around the world. It’s the “if I could teach you only ten things to focus on when making portraits and people photographs, what would those be?” book.”

FULL DETAILS HERE

Family Photography – tips on getting the best family portraits

By Mike Panic over at Lightstalking

“Family portraits that may be hanging in your grandparents house probably don’t look very fun, but you still enjoy them because they are photos of your loved ones.  It seems that having a formal family photo taken every year or every few years comes into vogue as soon as it goes out and right now the trend is on the uprising.  Shooting family photos don’t have to be so static and boring, like what you have seen in old albums or on the walls of your relatives homes.  Here’s some tips to ensure you don’t make catastrophic mistakes shooting families.”..…MORE

Photo by: morgan.cauch

Click Here: Do You Make These Catastrophic Mistakes in Family Photography?

5 Tips On How To Shoot Killer Portrait Photography by Jim Jordan

This really excellent article on Photoshelter is full of advice and help in how to get great portrait images, even if some of the examples are outside most of our opportunities. Photoshelter is a great blog and one worth bookmarking and following

“Jim Jordan is a widely sought-after fashion, celebrity, lifestyle, and kids photographer based out of Los Angeles and New York City. Some of his notable clients include Vogue, Elle, J.Crew, and Mercedes Benz. He’s also taken portraits for major celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Drew Berrymore, and Charlize Theron.

We wanted to learn more about Jim’s creative process from start to finish – so I picked Jim’s brain and walked away with his top 5 tips on how to shoot killer portrait photography.”

3rd Edition of The Julia Margaret Cameron Award

The Julia Margaret Cameron Award will be given to 12 women photographers which will be invited to exhibit (and sell) their work in a very selective collective exhibition in Paris during 2013, honoring one hundredth year of the birth of Robert Capa, co-founder of Magnum Photos and famous war photojournalist. WPGA will take care of the framing and matting, as well as all gallery expenses. Exhibitors will receive 40% of the sales, 20% will be reserved for the gallery/organizers, and 40% will be donated to a charitable organization selected by the awardees.A catalog will be printed, and all 12 awardees will receive one free copy.

As in the two previous editions, WPGA invites women photographers working in all mediums, styles and schools of thought. Traditional, contemporary, avant-garde, creative and experimental works that include old and new processes, mixed techniques, and challenging personal, emotional or political statements will be welcome.As Mary Ellen wrote in her statement after jurying the first edition of this award, we will like to see, in a time when we’re inundated with imagery and media that is commercially-driven, images representing purity in photography that is inspiring and hopeful.

Open to professional and non professional women photographers from all countries. On this occasion there will be only one section: pro and non-pro will be juried together.

Categories

Portraits
Landscapes and Seascapes
Street Photography and Cityscapes
Fine Art
Nude and Figure
Documentary and Editorial

Only Single images will be accepted; no portfolios in this edition. Closing Date December 31th, 2011, at 11:59pm PST

Charles Darwin JMC

Beatrice JMC

Dina Bova (Israel) , awarded photographer in the 2nd edition of the JMCA, and juror of this edition

Portrait Photography Basic Tips

We run a Portrait Photography course the next one starts on March 1st. Our course covers all you need to understand about natural light portraits, we cover finding the right light, modifying it to suit your purposes, camera settings, subject preparation and posing, environmental portraits, candid portraits and all the other bits you need. If you can’t wait until the 1st March for our course to start this on line tutorial will give you some basics to consider

“Are you looking for portrait photography tips so that you can improve your picture taking skills?

At first thought, portrait photography would seem easy, yet the results are often disappointing.

Many of our pictures often include people, and whether you are photographing a model, taking a family photo, or capturing some candid shots while on vacation, you have probably discovered that great photography is a little more than just pointing a camera and pushing a button.

In fact, a really good photo should convey the subject’s character and personality, and communicate something distinct or identifiable about who they are as a person. Following a few key tips will help you learn how to take great portraits so you will never be disappointed again.”….MORE

©Keith Barnes

Pictures of the week from The Denver Post

Another set of magnificent images from The Denver Post, as I keep saying book mark their website and get a daily feed of breathtaking images....see all the images here

Mist and fog rolls across agricultural fields as the sun rises over the Somerset Levels on January 13, 2012 in Glastonbury, England. After unseasonably mild weather, many parts of the UK were waking up to the first frost of the year. Weather forecasters have warned that there will be more hard frosts and freezing fog this weekend and temperatures will plunge across the country. Although the cold spell is only expected to last until Tuesday, the Met Office is also warning of a ‘risk of colder conditions’ at the beginning of February. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

This Jan. 17, 2012 satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground on Friday, Jan. 13, lying on its starboard side just off the tiny Tuscan island of Isola del Giglio, Italy. As the ship keeps shifting on its rocky ledge, many have raised the prospect of a possible environmental disaster if the 2,300 tonnes of fuel on the half-submerged cruise ship leaks. Satellites are used to monitor the area while authorities are preparing to remove the fuel from inside the vessel. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe)

A model showcases designs on the runway by Qi Gang during the ‘Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza’ show on day one of Hong Kong Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2012 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on January 16, 2012 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Victor Fraile/Getty Images)

British artist David Hockney takes a picture of press photographers with his mobile phone as he poses in front of his painting entitled “The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire 2011 (twenty-eleven)” at the opening of his exhibition David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture in the Royal Academy of Arts on January 16, 2012 in London, England. The exhibition is the first major showcase of David Hockney’s landscape work to be held in the UK. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Hindu devotee holds an oil lamp and offers prayers to the Sun god at the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, on Makar Sankranti festival, that falls during the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela, in Allahabad, India, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. Hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus take a bath at the confluence during the astronomically auspicious period of over 45 days celebrated as “Magh Mela” to rid themselves of their sins and attain prosperity. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

See the rest here

 

Photography Courses Jan/Feb/March 2012

We have recently released dates for our next series of courses. These start in January with the ever popular Understanding your DSLR on the 11th, this is a 4 session evening class but we also have a one day version in January, this is on Sunday 22nd January, so 2 courses to help all of you who receive brand new cameras at Christmas.  A little later in the term we start the Introduction to Photoshop, Composition – Seeing Pictures, Portrait, Black and White Digital, Understanding Your Compact Camera, Intermediate Photography and more Understanding Your DSLR courses spread throughout the term.

Here is a full list of all the courses and dates

	Understanding Your Digital SLR:start dates:11.1.12; 30.1.12; 3.3.12; 7.3.12; (Saturday morning)Understanding Your Digital Compact Camera – starts: 27.2.12 Introduction to Photoshop and Photoshop Elements - starts 22.2.12 6 sessions, Composition In Photography – Seeing Pictures - starts 2.2.12 Portrait Photography: – starts: 1.3.12 Intermediate Photography - starts: 24.1.12 Black and White Digital Photography – starts 6.3.12 Travel Photography starts spring term One Day Understanding Your DSLR - 22.1.12; 19.2.12; 25.3.12; 29.4.12 Most courses are 4 sessions one per week, (Photoshop and Intermediate Photography are 6 sessions) all run on consecutive weeks from start dates. 1 Day DSLR is a one day course, there are 4 dates this term To book a place please send us an email with the course title and start date you wish to attend