Tip : shooting through …..

One can of course always shoot straight at a model, aim light…. fire 

But you can get some really cool effects when you shoot through something. In this case I used a chandelier, actually the light we used was also mainly the chandelier. 

Did you do something funky? With shooting through materials or like this shot using things in the foreground for effect. Let us see and share the shots. 

Tip : poses and light

There is a very simple rule in photography…. In my opinion there are no rules. 

What works for one model won’t work for another. This is also one of the reasons my standard answer to the question “can you advise a good book with example poses” is “there is no such thing as a standard pose”
Some models for example look great shot straight from the front while others really need a more side look/pose. In other words there are plenty of options. 

Now there are also poses I would actually hardly ever use. Like the familiar hands on the head. I don’t know where that one came from but my idea of a pretty pose is not one where you can see both armpits in the frame and a model that looks arrogant or sultry into the camera. Brrrrrrr

Now when you shoot a portrait it’s often a shot that has the face as the main point of attention of course. However you can still use a lot of different “options”. You can of course use some wind to make the hairs flow. But when you use some harder light (which I love) it can be awesome to have the model use her shoulder and part of the upper arm to pose with. Thanks to the light fall off you can get some really powerful shots that really draw the attention of the viewer towards the model. 
Now add some expression and there you go. 
Very simple light but very effective. 

Tip: be ready

It’s difficult to make a shot when you don’t have a camera with you…..
This is one of the first things I learned when I got into street and travel photography. The other thing I learned was that the best camera is the camera you have with you. 
With today’s technology you can get great shots from even your smartphone so there’s hardly an excuses to not come home with some interesting shots. 
But the most important thing is… always be ready to shoot and learn to see the situations. Take for example this shot. It’s not a great shot or situation but somehow it always has a certain attraction for me. I just love the colors, the scene and the hint of Starbucks. It contains the (for me) important part of story telling. 
The shot was actually done with my Sony a7rII on my lap using the silent shutter and flip up screen. A killer Combination for this kind of shots. Just make sure you’re always ready. I do this by using auto ISO with a minimum shutter speed and AV mode. The only thing I know have to change is the apperture and I’m always ready to shoot. 

behind the closed DOORs September 29 2016

In todays episode a first look at the Tethertools CaseAir for wireless tethered shooting

We are also filming a shoot out between two wireless mics, the sennheiser and boya.

Plus a HUGE frustration about my Sony camera.