1-Day Portrait Photography Workshop in San Diego, CA – October 2, 2010

The Workshop 411:
As I mentioned on Friday, I have a workshop coming up in San Diego, CA on October 2, 2010.  This workshop is only going to be one day long, but we will move efficiently to cover portrait photography and workflow.

The cost to attend the workshop is only $150.00, which covers the entire day and even includes lunch!  We will be focusing on portrait photography and all the aspects that are encompassed by it.  I’ll talk about lighting, posing, subject interaction, working with models, and more.  Towards the end of the day we’ll discuss post processing and working with images on your computer, as well as turning your photography into a vocation.

When I teach, I prefer to demonstrate and then let my students try their hand at the technique that I’m covering.  This method of “see and do” is much more conducive to learning than the “show and tell” method.  My goal isn’t to stand in front of you and tell you about this stuff, it’s to show it to you and then let you try it for yourself.  I’ll be there for guidance – but I want you to practice so that you can repeat what you’ve learned when I’m not around.

Check out the workshop page for all the details and to sign up!

A Few Words About Our Sponsors:
The workshop is sponsored by Zenfolio and Lumodi, companies whose products I already use.  Zenfolio is THE place to host and sell your photos online!  They provide excellent service that is packed with the features that photographers want.  The fact that they use my favorite lab in the world, Mpix, to fulfill print orders is simply icing on the cake.  Lumodi produces some of the coolest and efficient speedlight beauty dishes available anywhere!  I use both their 11″ and 14″ beauty dishes and love ‘em!  I’ll show you how I use them throughout the workshop too!

All workshop attendees will receive a coupon for 15% discount off a new account with Zenfolio and there will be product on hand from Lumodi for giveaways throughout the day!

If you live in or around the San Diego area or if you are going to be in town on October 2nd, come on out to the workshop and I’ll teach you all about portrait photography using the “see and do” method so that you’ll remember what you learned after the workshop is over.

 

Yes, It’s OK To Blow Out The Background

I’ve talked to several photographers who struggle with foreground and background exposure.  They get frustrated because they want  a particular shot and want to have the whole photo properly exposed.  In certain situations that can be tough to pull off in the camera – especially when the subject of your photograph is a person or people.

Even if your subject is in shade, the scene might be backlit and that will wash out any background on bright sunny day.  Photographers don’t always have the luxury of picking the time of day that we shoot.  Clients may have a specific time and date in mind and they are likely not going to be what we would consider to be ‘ideal’.

This brings me to the point of this post: it’s OK to let your background blow out.  Doing so can sometimes serve double-duty.  First, having the background blown out adds drama to your photo.  Second, it could possibly help to hide distracting elements in the background of your photo.

For instance, the photo above I shot in the middle of the afternoon on a cloudless day.  The available light was bright and harsh so I put my subjects in front of the pillars which provided shade.  I exposed for my subject (the couple) and let the background blow out.  If I had let my camera make the exposure decision for me, it would have exposed for the sky in the background and my subjects would have been very underexposed.

Sure, I could have double-processed in the image in Photoshop to get a properly exposed foreground and background, but where’s the fun in that?  Rules are meant to be broken.  So challenge yourself and go out and try something new.  Get out of your comfort zone.  You will likely surprise yourself with what you learn.

Self-Assignments: Refresh Your Creativity

If you ever find yourself in a bit of a creative rut and have a hard time coming up with new and fresh ideas for your work, I’ve got a method that has helped me out: self-assignments.  You can assign yourself in many different ways, and be as hard or as easy on yourself as you want.  The important thing is that you challenge your own creativity in an effort to bring about new ideas and thoughts for your work.

Over the weekend, I decided to challenge myself to go out and shoot in downtown San Diego with my camera and only one lens.  So I packed my shoulder bag with my D90 and a Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8 lens and set out to the Gaslamp.  The challenge was that I couldn’t be lazy.  If I wanted to be closer than the 35mm focal length would get me, then I had to move.  That affords me to see things that I might not have seen because I would have normally relied on the other lenses in my camera bag.

You can challenge yourself with a particular subject – like buildings, windows, doors, light fixtures, leaves, and the list goes on and on.  You can apply it to all categories of photography too.  Landscapes, portraits, products, nature, architecture – it doesn’t really matter.  What DOES matter is that you’re out and about with your camera in hand, making pictures based on your self-assignment.

Challenge yourself creatively and see the results.  Force yourself to hone your skills and stay sharp with your craft.  Your images will improve and your creative juices will flow like a river into an ocean.

Sometimes It Pays to Bring It All

This past weekend I headed out with a neighbor who wanted to shoot the moon, as it was the closest it has been to Earth in many years. This also brought about a VERY high tide, which the surfers were loving.

The night before, I was packing my gear and thought to myself, “I’m shooting landscapes so I probably will only need my 24-70mm Sigma and my D90″. I could put those and a flash in my Tamrac shoulder bag and be good to go. Then I got to thinking that if something else interesting came along and I didn’t have any other glass, I might miss out.

I ended up bringing my Think Tank Airport Security bag and I was glad that I did because I was right. I would have missed out. After the moon tucked behind the clouds and the sun began to rise, the surfers hit the water. After I got all my moon shots, I decided to throw on my Sigma 70-200mm and start shooting the surfers. Oddly enough, I’d never done this before.

One surfer, who also happens to be a Coronado Beach lifeguard, came up to us and asked if we would mind taking a couple of shots of him. I gladly obliged and got a few shots that I happened to like.

All-in-all, I was pretty happy at the end of the morning. If I hadn’t have brought my other glass, I would have been out of luck for sure. 70mm just isn’t enough reach to get out to the waves, even as close to the water as I was. This was one time where I was glad I lugged my whole bag, even though I set out with no intentions of shooting surfers. I’m even tempted to rent some longer glass and give it another go sometime. Lots and lots of fun!

So the next time you think about packing light, put a little thought into where you’re going and what other subjects you might come across that would call for different gear than what you’re thinking about packing. It may save you from some disappointment!