New Blog Project - The Raw Files

An exciting project I am starting with a friend of mine. http://therawfiles.blogspot.com/

Light Set Up

Here is a picture showing the lighting set up from a recent shoot. This image shows (from the left) a close up of the eyes to show the catchlights, the lighting setup, the image as it came out of the camera, and the final image. Hope this helps.

A Little Before & After

I have seen a few sites as of late that show before and afters of beauty style work done by professional photographers and retouchers.  Since beauty is a genre that very much interests me I am always on the look out for techniques to achieve the looks many of these photographers create.  More than ever I am convinced that the retouching plays a HUGE role in the final image despite all that you read about how lighting techniques are  responsible for the look of these images. Yes, you need to start with decent light but it need not be complicated at all.  This image was shot with a single large silver umbrella placed high and right beside me.  I was hugging the light stand.

Anyway, here is a before and after showing what the light contributed to the image and what Photoshop contributed.  Believe me, this is how many of those great beauty shots you see look like before (left image!)--sometimes worse.  I am still learning to retouch my images and it is not an easy thing to do well.  (Depending on how your display is set up this image will probably appear too bright and Blogger seems to make the image too warm as well.  Who knows?!)  If you aren't retouching your work and trying to achieve that 'beauty' look though lighting alone you are going to be a very frustrated photographer.

Life Gets in the Way...

Wow.  I have been so busy doing things I have neglected my blog.  I plan on returning soon with a cool project involving a buddy photographer of mine and two models.  Stay tuned.

Seeing Beyond the Nudity

I have had my eye on this girl, Jessie, for about a year now and finally figured it was time to ask her if she wanted to pose for me. I had a feeling that she had a stunning body, but I wanted to be sure which is why I waited so long before asking her. She was game and we met at my studio along with her sister, Noelle, who I have known for a few years. As we were shooting, Noelle remarked that Jessie didn't even seem naked. As soon as Noelle said that I lowered the camera from my eye and just stood there--stunned. Exactly! She nailed it.

I have been trying to put into words the idea of art nudes not being about a 'naked girl', but something more--much more. To create and view these types of images and not see the 'nudity' is an evolution that many people haven't reached. Noelle and I have reached that next level of appreciation of the nude form in all that it has to offer above the obvious. I was shocked that Noelle actually said it--that she was seeing they way I was seeing.

Many of you may be at this evolved level of thought, but I just found it so profound that Noelle didn't even notice that the model was nude. I am still trying to wrap my head around the idea that the form was so beautiful that the nudity was lost. I am not new to the ability to view an art nude without seeing the 'nudity' I have just never really been able to put it into words until Noelle did it for me. Perhaps one day more people will view art nudes and not notice the 'nudity'--at least in our somewhat less evolved western society.

The image below was an ispirtaion from image I saw a while ago. The photo was very similar and done with a stunning Canadian figure model (I think she is from Ontario if I remember correctly). I wish I could give credit to the orignal artist and model, but I do not know who created the image. If some one knows of the image and its creators that I am talking about please let me know so I can give proper credit for the ispiration for my version.

Too Busy!

I am up to my eyeballs with everything right now hence the lack of posts here. I have closed down one of my businesses and I am in the process of starting a new one (both non-photography related). With that, family and other obligations I am a bit short of time these days. I do promise to get back into the swing of things in a little while and hopefully provide some good info to you.