Tag Archive for: photography

It’s all about expression, especially with glamour

/in /by

I’m not really a glamour shooter, but when I do I love to play with the expression of the model.
For me glamour always should have something that’s a bit “naughty” so working with the expression of the model is vital (as with all of photography I believe). In this case I choose a lower angle and had our model Linda on the floor lit by an Elinchrom Deep Octa with grid from the top. A very simple setup but very effective due to the fast light fall off (if placed correctly).

 

 

Camera : Sony A7RII
Lens : 70-200 F2.8 (Sony)

 

 

As you can see I always play with different expressions, going from rather subtle to a bit more extreme.
Remember that when shooting glamour you can very easily go over the border of glamour to erotic by a subtle expression chance, it’s up to you of course which way you like to go, but as you can see here, the same lighting setup and the same position/model and even retouching give you 3 totally different moods. So always remember to work with your model through different expressions, they REALLY can make the shot.

 

 

Oh and a nice BW conversion also helps sometimes 😀

Linda 0038

Linda 0031

Linda 0019 1

New digital classroom broadcast

/in , /by

August 26th we did another broadcast in our “Digital classroom” series.
In case you missed it, here is another chance to watch it 😀
Please spread the link and make sure everyone joins us for the next broadcast on September 23, this time with Nadine.

 

 

Many thanks to :
BenQ and Rogue/Expo imaging as main sponsors of the Digital classroom and LedGo for the lighting.

Sony A7RII review video

/2 Comments/in , /by

When I switched from Canon to Sony at the release of the A99 I did a small prediction…. “In 10 years Sony could be the new number 1, if they keep doing what they are doing”, little did I know about what would happen in only 2 years.
At the moment you must be living under a rock to not take Sony serious.
In Medium format they are the “unknown” number 1, meaning every manufacturer is now using their sensor from Hasselblad, Phase One, Mamiya/Leaf to Pentax and to be honest, I tested the Credo50 just before release and it was breathtaking what the Sony sensor does. But also Nikon uses a lot of their sensors. The reason is very simple, their sensors are just the best in dynamic range, color and noise performance, I actually hoped that also Canon would switch to Sony sensors (I still love Canon).

Read more

Using a very simple prop can make a difference

/in , /by

We all know the so called “posing stools”, “how to pose books” well don’t get me wrong… they all have a market, but for me they often don’t work.

 

Every model is different, every lighting situation is different but most of all every scene is different.
I love to “sync” the pose to the models clothing, the model, the scene etc. etc. there are so many variables it’s almost limitless, so to have one pose that fits all…. doesn’t really work for me.

 

To help with posing and to let the model get a bit more relaxed in front of the camera it can help if you give him or her something to “play” with, or a better turn something to pose with. And that doesn’t have to be an expensive posing stool or whatever, you can only spend your money once so make sure you spend it on things you can re-use, re-sell etc. And spending 100.00 or more on one stool just is a waste of money in my opinion, although if you shoot a lot of families or the same portraits over and over again it will probably work just fine (otherwise they wouldn’t be on the market right?)

 

This prop I got from a friend of mine who owns a toy store in Emmeloord and he didn’t use it anymore, we actually got three in different lengths, you might recognize it as something to hang lights on in a store or a stage, and you’re (probably) right, but I love to use it to let my models play with during the shoot as you can see in these images with Nadine.

 

Nadine Juli 27 2015 1732

Nadine Juli 27 2015 1740 1

Nadine Juli 27 2015 2027As you can see it’s a different way to pose than without any props, these kind of things will really boost your (and your models) creativity and make sure you keep shooting with fun and don’t end up doing the same thing over and over again, because let’s be honest…. we are in a creative business so repeating the same things over and over… well that’s just boring.

 

Now how do you get the cheap posing things?
Just go out to second hand stores, dumpsters, stage companies etc. and just ask for the “junk” it doesn’t have to new or good looking, in fact the more damaged it is the better it often works for a shoot.

Good luck and good hunting for those amazing props 😀

If you want to learn more about this and more model photography, you can buy our book on Amazon called Mastering the Model Shoot.  Or visit one of our workshops, see www.photography-workshops.eu 

Or join KelbyONE for classes about model photography, see our youtube page for backstage videos, our short photography tips on “Quite Frankly” and our interview shows on “The DOORhof is always open”.