Hi all, I am back with Jon and Lisa for another fantastic weekend of workshops on the 25th and 26th of February 2012. We have now split the “off camera flash” course into 2 and renamed it Speedlights 1 and Speedlights 2. This is because there is so much you can do with small camera strobes that I was struggling to fit it all into one workshop. So on February...
Learn MoreOne of my regular commissions is to shoot promotional images for a local theatre group, Louth Playgoers, who are based at the fantastic Riverhead Theatre. It is always tricky to come up with ideas that will encourage the press to publish promo information, so it is a delight when the director has a clear brief for you. The March play is Leonard H Caddy’s Jekyll and...
Learn MoreApologies that I haven’t done a tip of the day for a few days, last week was a trifle hectic on both personal and photographic fronts. With today’s hi ISO cameras and vibration control lenses you can reduce camera shake by maintaining a relatively fast shutter speed. A good rule of thumb for hand holding is to take the focal length of your lens and place a one...
Learn MoreWhen you are photographing couples, and this is especially true of bride and groom shots, make sure they put their heads closer together than they think is natural. I am frequently telling couples to get closer together, even touching cheeks. If you don’t do this they will look stilted and...
Learn MoreJust a quickie, I have a couple of places left on this Sunday’s lighitng workshop at my South Willingham studio, near Lincoln. The workshop is Studio 3, check the training menu for full details of the content and on-line booking form. Only £99 per person for a full day’s workshop including a light lunch. We have a maximum of 6 students so you will get plenty...
Learn MoreA late blog from me this evening as I have just got back from shooting a panto – Babes in the Wood – at my local theatre. I thought I would share how I shoot these productions, I’ve probably shot about 100 shows now including drama, musicals and dance shows. The main thing to remember is you can’t use flash, the theatres don’t like it and it...
Learn MoreA really quick tip today as I am engrossed in Lightroom 4 beta and putting together a full blog post for next week on it’s improvements over Lightroom 3. If you are shooting classic formal shots then it is a good idea to get some safe shots in the can (well the digital version of the can!) before trying any dynamic angles. Here are the 3 guides, and remember these...
Learn MoreCurrently on my Kindle – the iPad app and not the reader – among many other photography books is one by David Duchemin; Refining your vision in Adobe Lightroom. This is not another Lightroom instruction manual, and David makes it clear in his introduction that it doesn’t mater if you use Lightroom, Aperture or some other RAw converter what he is...
Learn MoreIf you are anything like me you’ll end up with messages from models from several different websites plus email all about one shoot. You start on Purestorm, then you get a message on Facebook and eventually you swap to email. Add to that photos and details of locations, discussions with MUAs and stylists and it becomes a nightmare! It’s made worse when you are...
Learn MoreThere are several plugins that I use regularly and Nik Color Efex is one of them. The latest version is a leap forward as you can now stack filters within the application and then save them as recipes. I know that you can probably create the same effects with curves and layers in Photoshop but Color Efex is much quicker. The danger with any plugin is that the looks...
Learn MoreOK, I am going to completely contradict my blog from earlier this week and recommend you shoot less! Now I am not saying you should do this on a full-time basis but I suggest you try this once this week. Set your camera to a pre defined ISO based on what you are going to shoot, just like you did when you made the choice of film you were going to load. Switch off or tape...
Learn MoreI picked this up from working with actors and now use it on a lot of shoots, especially upper body and close head shots. Before you start ask your model, or if you are a model to try to get the photographer to join you, in a few basic face exercises. If you have an MUA etc get them to join in as it not only relaxes your subjects face but can get everyone relaxed. 1....
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