Lighting video?
Hey guys,
Just wanted to say whats up? Also, just wanted to let you know that after a year of planning, I'm FINALLY starting my lighting video! My video will be unique to the market and promises to have something for every one. I'm not sure of the price yet, but I will have an early bird special sign up.
This video will have full break downs of lighting setups as well as walking through the creative process of lighting. There will be TWO versions! One for model photography and one for general portrait! I will break down complex lighting patterns and make them do-able to the every day person. As it stands, the video will most likely be about eight hours lol, just kidding. If I record everything I want to, it most likely will be that long, but I'll edit it down.
Want to get on the mailing list to get first dibs at the sign up? contact me and let me know you want to be on the mailing list!
To hold you over, here's a few images taken over last week:
“Models need more control!”
I was speaking with a model who said to me "Models need more control over what we shoot! Every tfcd shoot, the photog is asking for skin. I'm a fashion model, I don't do skin." I said to her "Simple! start paying photographers their rate, and YOU control what you shoot!"
This totally floored her and she brought up the fact that she's done a lot of local publication work and that she had more of a name locally, than most of the photographers. While I agree with her to an extent, the bottom line is she wants to control what she shoots, there's only one way to do so. Fork it over sister! I realize the thought of a model paying a photographer is outlandish in today's terms, but lets be real. The break down is a need based, for those who don't understand, allow me to break it down;
He who desires the work more, pays.
Pretty simple, right? Or not so. It really is simple, if I want a model in my book, I'm receptive to what she says. If she wants to get paid, I will pay, if she will shoot tfcd but only shoot a specific genre, then that's what we'll shoot if it's what I also want in my book. I will pay the nationally published models to shoot them, cause they have a bigger name than I and it's a simple addition game, but local models or those who want to be models, sad but I'd never pay them. Not because I feel I'm better than them, but because they don't present me with the opportunity to advance my career as I have far more published images than them.
Models want to bring your boyfriend? mother? best friend? an entire entourage? I can tell you most professional photographers will NOT allow this to happen on a tfcd shoot. Does that make the photog a "creeper"? or unprofessional? no, it makes them concerned with you making kissey faces or dozens of images of you looking off to the side to get silent approval from the person you brought. Or more often than not, you not working to your fullest for being embarrassed that they're watching. If it's your dime, you're paying? I don't care what you do! you're totally responsible for those images!
Finally? time and time again, it has been proven that once there's money involved, everyone is a bit more professional.
“Real models…”
Every day I get more and more caught up in the various social networking programs such as Facebook. On there, there are a bunch of clowns who THINK they know what makes one a model and usually I enjoy reading their comments, but for some reason, this one clown made a comment that irked me. So I'm going to blog MY opinion regarding it.
His comment was something along the lines of;
"All these girls wanting to be models. They go get their hair done, their nails done and make up. Honey, you're getting nothing more than a senior portrait done."
This was a few days ago, so I'm not entirely sure if that was the quote word for word, but he did make the senior port comment. Behind his stupid comment, there were dozens of girls saying "I agree" to which he replied "...cept you, I consider you a model" and "...you should be a model, you're hot enough!"
I could get very technical and copy and paste the meaning of the word "model" but what fun would that be? I posted the comment on my page and got some very good responses. One was from a model who said what makes a person a model is getting paid for modeling and striving to get better and better photos. I understand where she's coming from, but it's not always about the money. Any horny guy with a camera will drop 100.00+ per hour to see a hot chick naked. Doesn't make him a photographer or her a model.
Another guy said modeling is "Model: A person who can convincingly act in front of a camera. Plain and simple. "
And most likely, the most profound statement of the post was something that was short and sweet "whoever is in front of my camera?"
There were many great replies, but being a model is taking the ability to come alive. For ME, being a model is stepping outside of your every day comfort zone and pushing yourself, physically, mentally or emotionally, to get the shot that otherwise, is impossible. When a person is in front of my camera, it is MY job to make them a model. If I can't elicit the emotion, then I have failed, not them. Usually, a model-models something. Keeping the item or interest that one is modeling in mind. I.e. if it's an editorial shoot, as a model, you should tell the story. Fashion shoot, sell the product. Glamour shoot, sell your sexy.
As a professional photographer, the term model means something different to everyone. It's just funny to me that the drunk guy at the bar, who has no idea what he's talking about, is always the ones to define who or what a model is.
the nude
For most model photographers starting out, shooting nudes is their first stop. Everyone has their own reasons for shooting nudes; some for the truly artistic reasoning, others for the eroticism of it and yet others, because they wanna see t&a.
I could be way off base here, but I think most red blooded males that get into model photography, START it for the pure t&a factor. There's a guy I know, I had to end my relationship with him because not only was he a user, but because he enjoyed a little too much, shooting nudes. I explained before how he set a model up to come to my studio and when I ended the shoot cause of her tool boyfriend, not less than three minutes of announcing that I was wrapping up the shoot, he had her nude and was firing off shots as if his life depended on his ability to shoot as many images as he can, in as little time possible. I don't blame the guy, but I do blame his actions.
He's been shooting for several years and I just found out that he is STILL the same way! He lines up models that shouldn't be doing nudes, and shoots them nude for the sake of seeing t&a. I'm NOT against shooting nudes, not at all! Even though it's been a good six or seven months since I've shot some, I don't feel it is the end all, be all of model photography. I know I didn't feel this way overnight, but now, I feel as if you're going to shoot them, make it worth both the model AND your time. Don't shoot t&a because it's there. Look to do something different, unique. HOT and something you'll look back on years later and be PROUD that you took it!
I went to Kansas last year to teach a workshop. At the end, I had a nude model come in just to show what can be done with two lights and a naked body. Everyone loves this image, although you don't get to see anything!
One
Hey guys,
In keeping up with my posting tradition, I'm posting one photo of the before and one of the after. I think now that I have more time available to me, I'm going to start offering photo retouching!
The before:
The image I delivered to the models:
Model: “Jay, I LOVE your work, I MUST have it in my book”
Here's what I see in my head when they say that to me:
Let's do some simple math here model:
20 years of holding a camera in my hand. 10 of those at the professional level. 5 of those 10 were hard earned cash spent on memberships, driving to workshops, countless hours reading worthless books and hundreds upon hundreds of hours learning via trial and error.
You love my work, but think I should take all the above, and give it to you free? Yea, no.
PHOTOGRAPHERS: what are you saying about your work, if you're giving it away for free?
Sticking with the outdoor theme..
Today's post is staying true to the outdoor theme that I've been in all summer lol.
I used to hate shooting outdoors, but the more of a "name" I made, the more people wanted outdoor and other types of photos. I ended up HAVING to learn how to shoot.
Here's one of a client. To me, I think she looks like Brittany Spears. Last photo was her being goofy and doubting I could catch her in mid act. Second was her working the lens. A few photog friends have asked me where this location is and gets angry cause I won't tell them. I share shooting tips and tricks, lighting but NOT my locations lol. I spend about 10 hours per week mapping out locations, I'm not going to just GIVE them away lol.
Outdoors with a strobe!
Here's Alex. Alex is a BEAUTIFUL model who isn't as comfortable with herself as I'd like her to be. Bah, this is the breaks, right? Sometimes, I just want to grab the good ones and "control" them. I know a photographer who does that, actually, a few photographers who do that. They find a model and tell them who they can and can't shoot with. I would never do something like that, so I always turn down the models offer.
I brought a strobe outdoors to shoot Alex, a Photogenic Studio max AKB320 with portable battery pack.
24" silver beauty dish as modifier.
