The Art of Posing - by Lou Jacobs, Jr.

I just put down The Art of Posing, by Lou Jacobs Jr. Published in 2010. I read this primarily to prepare for my friend's engagement photo session. As a rule, I jump right into a book, based more or less on the name and the cover. Call me crazy, but I break the age-old adage and make my entire determination based on these 2 factors. Primarily because in this busy get-up-and-go world, I don't have nearly as much time to read the back cover of the book, or flip through it as I would like.

That being said... the tagline "Techniques for Digital Portrait Photographers" was a little misleading, I feel. The book has a short 10 pages of tripe, before getting into the main contents of the book. A form of Question & Answer. The "author" chose 10 photographers, seemingly at random, to pose a number of questions to. Perhaps via email, without a true back and forth. The questions can be readily displayed here:

About your background
Describe your studio
Your specialties
Getting acquainted with the client
First portrait poses
Encouraging improvisation
Inspiring good poses
The importance of lighting
Using props
Discussing what you are doing
Facial flaws and excess weight
Teen poses
Posing young children
Posing groups
Clothing for portraits
Digital alterations
Body language
Cameras, lenses, flash and backgrounds

That's it. These questions, asked of 10 different local photographers from portrait studios around the country. Each answer 1 - 2 paragraphs. Call me crazy, but I didn't find the book all that useful. While there was a line or two of interest, nothing really head turning. A few good images from some of the different photographers, but nothing striking. It was somewhat interesting to see a few techniques that all of the photographers do, but certainly that could have been stated by the author as "studies show 85% of photographers believe building a rapport with your client will make them feel more at ease.".

I'm not saying this isn't a useful book. At this stage in my learning, I'm still very green - and while the text deals with quite basics issues, I felt that more attention could have been given to diversifying the material, instead of just having 10 separate people say basically the same thing.

B&H Booty!

Well, with this engagement photo project swiftly in motion, I decided it was high time I acquired the items I would need to make this shoot as excellent for my friends as possible. So, on our way back from upstate New York, we stopped off at B&H in the city to pickup some gear.

I find that, as I hear most starting photographers do, I tend to shoot in landscape mode more. It's just easier on the hand. Having to contort in an odd fashion to shoot in portrait can get to you after a while. So first on the list was an official Canon 5D mkII grip (BG-E6) & extra battery (LP-E6). I had read some poor reviews of some 3rd party batteries - what with the melting and all. So I decided to go official. Additionally, it comes with a battery magazine that takes AA's. So in a pinch, I can swap out the 2 rechargeable ones for off-the-shelf batteries.

The only other item on my immediate list was a Lastolite 2x4 30" 4-in-1 reflector kit (LAR30K). As they seem to be pretty invaluable, the $43 bucks it cost wasn't going to break the bank. There was a house brand Impact kit, a 5-in-1 @ 42"... but it was a single hoop with reversible zipper-reflection (1 side silver, 1 side gold). This kit is a little smaller, but comes with 2 separate hoops, a reflector and a diffuser.

While perusing their fine establishment, the true nature of a brick & mortar store comes into play. I eyeballed a $19.99 Impact brand light stand (6' - IMLS6B). Not sturdy. Low quality. Heavy. But it'll do the job for little ol' me right now. And down the road, I can upgrade. Of course not knowing anything, the salesman pointed out that if I was mounting a flash to this and desired articulation of the angular-style, I would need a shoe mount adapter (PHSMA). Finally, while looking over the adapter I noticed a "clamp-hole". When I inquired about it he said it was for an umbrella. Eureka! I had already "built" 2 soft boxes at home, this could be perfect! Well, when he told me the reversible umbrella was only $12 bucks (IMU32BW), how could I resist. For 53 bucks I got everything I needed for high quality (well, higher than I do now) portrait shots!

Overall, a superb day. Happy to have picked up some essentials for a moderate price. And the salesman was excellent. I don't often go out of my way to provide feedback, but I absolutely will be filling out a survey for this guy!

Welcome Suprise

Got an excellent phone call last night from my best friend, Danny. The topic of conversation was whether or not I would be interested in shooting him and his fiancee/wife's engagement photographs. They were married a few months back in NYC - a quick official service to make everything legal. The actual ceremony is this coming November down in Disney, Florida. However I did, at their request, bring my camera with me to the event and photographed the proceedings. They seemed happy with the results, although I tend to be very critical about my work and had a number issues.

I was honored to have been asked. But had to think seriously about it for a few moments. In particular, I don't know if I would be comfortable with the possibility of ruining their pictures. I told him straight out that I was not the best with portraiture, as I have zero ability to correctly direct people on how to act/behave/stand in the frame. The few times I've shot people I feel like I'm just taking snapshots.

All that aside, they were still interested in having me do this for them. How could I say no? A chance to practice, and the thought of possibly getting some great shots of my best friend and his wife.

I'm gonna finish up (and review) this last book on composition, and then quickly move into a few books on portraiture and wedding photography. Perhaps pickup a few items to help ensure the shoot goes as planned... a Lastolite diffuser, stand, Justin clamp.... I'm sure I can shop for enough to make this work!

Post-Hurricane Photo Walk

It's been a busy few days here, in Brooklyn. The landfall of Hurricane Irene has affected many people in this area. Current count on the East Coast is 1.4 million without power. Many others are dealing with downed trees, floods and lack of transportation. The city has done an exceptional job of getting everyone prepared for the destruction that *could* have ensued. Thankfully, it wasn't worse.

I took a short journey around my immediate area yesterday to see how businesses and homeowners were prepping for the storm. Some of the pictures were well received - which is great. It's why I'm struggling to get better. I enjoy when a photo makes someone stop and think about it. I myself can quickly breeze through a number of photos without a second glance. But on occasion, one hits me and I have to stop and really "look" at it.

Here are some pics from today's walk, which was much more extensive. I found that while there wasn't much in the way of destruction, there was certainly a lot of activity. Hopefully I've been able to capture some of that here.

Pics from Brooklyn, NY

Post-Hurricane Irene

Pre-Hurricane Photo Walk

Threw some pics I made up on Google+. Mostly just documenting the stores closing early on a Saturday. Check them out!

Pics from Brooklyn, NY

Pre-Hurricane Irene

Review: Composition - From Snapshots to Great Shots by Laurie Excell

Having stepped on the brakes of my "learn-by-doing" method, I've been power-housing through a multitude of photography books as quickly as possible. Most recently, I picked up the book 'Composition - From Snapshots to Great Shots', by Laurie Excell, with chapter contributions by various other author/photographers.

Suffice to say this book was an excellent breakdown of the art. Good for both beginners, or 3-year veterans like myself with no book-knowledge about the subject. The first six chapters are written by Excell, and we jump right in with a chapter on equipment & gear. Mainly focused on what she carries and why - the author provides excellent examples of the different lenses and how they work. Included is a full > cropped sensor comparison image for those interested in knowing the difference.

Chapters 2 and 3 focus on the components that make up exposure, which she refers to as an "exposure triangle", and then light itself. Obvious talk of quality and quantity, this chapter is rather straightforward for anyone who has read about light before. Descriptions of the different kinds of light provided by nature are dominant, with excellent examples of each.

Chapters 4 and 5 get into the nitty-gritty of composition - focusing on lines, shapes, patterns, and all of chapter 5 being dedicated to color. These chapters were exactly what I was looking for in a book, and easily convey what draws the eye in a photos. Leading lines, patterns and framing, as well as orientation of the camera are just some of the topics expertly covered in this section.

After a brief chapter on spatial relations including scale, perspective and depth - we begin our guest-author chapters. Covering the topics of B&W, Sports, "Beyond" the rule of thirds and a so-called compositional dance, these chapters really bring the book home. Each author spends a chapter talking about their topic, with excellent storytelling and visual content.

Included at the end of each chapter are exercises to get your mind in place to understand the concepts and hone your technique. Of the ideas, keeping a camera with you from start to finish and detailing your day is one of the projects I think I'll be working on quite soon!

In a nutshell, for anyone interested in learning some of the basics of composing an image, this book is perfect. I felt the book really enforced the idea of "waiting" for that perfect shot. Oh-so-often I find myself yearning to make a photo quickly and expecting it to be the stuff of legends. Just to come home and reveal poorly-timed, shaky, out-of-focus and boring photos.

Added to the collection, this is definitely a book I will be reading again.

When the "best of the batch" is still pretty bad...

As I look through any given "set" of photos from a particular shoot, I often find myself accepting certain pics.

That is to say, most all of them are rubbish. I take the 'best' of the batch - but they don't feel like I've completed what I set out to in the first place. Often, the moment has passed and I'm stuck with whatever I've made. The itch remains, that I could have, nah should have done things differently.

I settle for the least-worst. Because it's that or bust.

Perhaps it's all part of the learning process. Reviewing one's work and taking note of what ought be done differently in the future...

Assignment Wired

Today I started what I hope will be the first of many projects & contests. Over the past 3 years of photography-related web-surfing, I've amassed a collection of sites that issue weekly assignments/challenges. This always intrigued me, but I never had the courage to just go for it and contribute.

Now, this certainly isn't the same as a classroom environment with a teacher/professor around to challenge you, or classmates to critique you. While I feel both would be great to help with my photography, I think easing my way in with submissions might be a good place to start.

I mean, for one, you're more likely to get no feedback than criticism, right? Not that I particularly care what people "think" of my work, but I feel having someone more skilled in the field to guide me would only be beneficial.

So, for my first assignment titled 'Family', I've chosen my Grandfather. A statuesque man, at a burly 5'1", he turned 98 years old this year. Having served his country in WWII, he has plenty of stories to share. Many of which I've heard numerous times. But that's all well-and-good.

I'll send in my contributions just as soon as they're ready. And perhaps I'll post them here, as well.

Not one of my submissions, but possibly my favorite photo that I've made, to date:

Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson

As I delve further into my new hobby, it's come to my realization that since acquiring my first DSLR, I've spent most of my time taking pictures with zero attention to detail. I take a picture and look back later, asking myself what I like or don't like about it. Turns out, most of the pictures I take are just simply higher quality point-and-shoot photos. While this may be practical for say, a vacation, it doesn't meet my desires for 'creating art'.

This is one of the driving factors that caused me to start reading the 2003 edition of Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson. Beginning with an overview of common types of gear, the book moves into high-speed quite quickly. We are presented with excellent exercises at numerous places - such as choosing a set focal length & subject, shooting multiple times while moving 5 feet closer per shot.

Then the author takes us on a journey through the basic components that can make a notable photo - which he lists as line, shape, form, texture, pattern and color. This breakdown seems to be roughly in line with similar lists I've seen. Ample descriptions of each of the above are presented to us, with explanations of how each draws our attention. There is even talk of the subconscious way our mind handles these individuals elements.

After describing all of these factors and showing some wonderful examples from his own personal collection, he gets down to photography 101: Composition. This is the part of the book I was most looking forward to. Understanding that art is subjective, I'd still like to know what compromises the tradition "artistic image". Peterson covers the rule of thirds, horizons, frames and camera orientation, to name a few.

A common theme I've been learning from many different sources is also mentioned in the text - try to get the picture right in the camera rather than touching it up in post. I often find myself willing to take a larger shot, only to crop later in Lightroom. This, to me, always seemed like the most harmless of actions. However Peterson presses the photographer to ensure the picture matches his or her vision at the time of exposure.

A significant amount of time is spent going over composition, finishing the section with a great commentary on breaking the rules we've just learned, where necessary to make the photo you want.

I was very happy to have had an opportunity to go through this book. Having been my first "basics of photography" text, I feel like I left with a better understanding of composition, and the elements of design outlined by the author.

Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography

When Can I Look Back?

There are photographs that I like. There are those that I don't like.

While on this journey into the world of photography, I hope that someday, I'll be able to look back and know why. I'd like to re-examine the pictures that have inspired me, and be able to understand what attracted me to them.

Did the original photographer grasp the basic concepts & "rules"? Or was this a random shot that turned out amazing?

Perhaps after learning about composition, and lighting, I might find that the photos I really like broke all the "rules". Did the creator knowingly go against the grain to make the photo?

Dinner Without Schmucks (Unless You Count Me)

Tonight was a great night. My wife cooked an amazing meal - some of my favorite Asian food. In addition, we had my best friend and his wife over to dine with us. We always enjoy entertaining for company - and tonight was excellent, start to finish.

Having just finished my new DIY-softbox, I was anxious to try it out with a few quick test shots of my wife to get some of the basics of the larger box down (25" x 17"). Although a bit stressed from all the prepping for dinner and having a major allergy attack, she tolerated my request to model for me(though I had to promise to delete the photos immediately after making them).

Shortly after our guests arrived, I couldn't help but ask the question - would Danny like to pose for a few shots. Not so reluctant, but hardly excited, he agreed. Getting him into place, and adjusting the light for his added height (about a foot taller than my wife) took a brief moment. I immediately knew that the height of the softbox wasn't tall enough to get a nice downward angle. Of course, using a Sunpak camera tripod to hold my strobe, I didn't expect it to reach to the cieling.






So... it would appear I'm fairly uncomfortable asking a subject to move around and pose, as expected. I can't say I'm surprised. This is one of the things that has kept me away from portrait photography. I've always said I prefer to shoot objects and landscapes. Not so much because they interest me, but more because I could shoot without worry of dealing with another human. There. I said it. I'm anti-social. Great trait for a photographer.

But I'm also willing to learn to change. So, take that.

The pics were awful. At 1/16th power, too dark. At 1/4 power, too bright. No matter if the softbox location was closer to the subject or farther away. f/8 @ 125th the whole way. Then again, I only took about 7 or 8 photos before it was obvious my close friend was a little uncomfortable and I stopped.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll find some time to watch the Kelby Training video titled "There Are No Bad Originals", by Dan Margulis. Of course I have no idea what this video is about, but an educated guess based on the name is a flimsy enough excuse to watch the video!

Minimalist Lighting by Kirk Tuck

Surprising to me that a high end hot-shoe flash is around $500.00 while a low-end studio flash w/ modeling light is around the same price. That being said, portability comes into play. The Canon 580EX-II is much easier to travel with than a small studio-strobe.

I Read the 2008 edition of this book looking to keep my lighting equipment to a minimum while still producing professional results. Not terribly interested in high-end studio lighting as I need to keep things portable.

I was a little shocked that the entire first 3 1/4's of the book focused on gear, and not so much technique. The author does have excellent knowledge of the history of lighting in photography, which he covers - but I was a little taken aback by the amount of time he dedicates to getting you up to speed versus teaching you actual lighting techniques.

Page 88 (out of 124 total) is where we begin the so-called "meat & potatoes" of the book. The case studies of previous shoots he's performed. What I enjoyed was the elaborate diagrams he provides detailing the individual setups he used to make each photo. You can really get an idea of what the light is doing in each shot thanks to these illustrations.

The descriptions of the unique problems he faced for the shoots was an eye opener - helping to keep the reader aware that unexpected things will come up. This is something I see talked about with photographers quite often - prepare for curve balls, and have enough gear to overcome the problems.

The case studies are diverse - from corporate portraiture, to food, indoor/outdoor, children & sports - the author covers a bit of ground.

A few things to note. Some of the case studies do involve a multitude of lights. While the equipment used is small-light units, the more available to you the more interesting you can make each shot. I'd assume most readers like myself are using 1 or 2 lights. In some instances the author talks of using 5 separate lights to create a portrait.

The authors work very professional. That is to say that he is a good photographer. However, as I continue my journey into to world of photography, I'm starting to find that I'm more interested in building dramatic lighting scenes rather than simple "well-lit". While this might not be appropriate for a common head-shot, it's a welcome discovery about myself.

Perhaps the books I should be focusing on should be less about lighting, and more about the fundamentals of photography. Even though I've "winged it" for the past 3 years - I don't feel that I know how to describe the types of photos I like, or why I like them.

The images I've made that appeal to me are few and far between. While I am still exceedingly green in this field, I feel like a good background in the basics might help me produce better work. Or at least, appreciate others' work more.

Minimalist Lighting by Kirk Tuck on Amazon.com

Thinking Too Far Ahead and Not Far Enough Behind

A few years ago I was given a wired remote timer for my camera. Great tool for releasing the shutter without touching the camera. Also comes in handy for prolonged exposures (think astronomy photography), photo series (set it to a number of pictures and walk away while it snaps the pics), and more.

While this isn't an accessory I'd use everyday, there are many instances where I've wanted to use it. It worked great out of the box. And maybe a few times after that. Fast forward some time after and I found that the unit would snap a photo, but not display any settings on the LCD screen. Being somewhat technically proficient, I determined that if it can release the shutter with a single button press, as it should - the battery must be running low/dead.

I bought a replacement battery and tried it out (specialty battery only found in certain stores). No go. Even the brand new battery was not producing a result on the screen.

At this point I deemed the LCD broken. While I could use the remote for snapping a photo, I couldn't set it to shoot a number of photos unattended. I put it in a box and thought I'd eventually buy a new one.

Glad that I didn't. While revisiting the issues numerous times, today I actually had a purpose.

Tonight in Brooklyn brought a great thunder & lightning storm. The kind without rain (at least for the first part of it). I decided to try to make a photo I've been meaning to for some time - lightning in the sky.

Grabbed my tripod & camera - set them up at the window aiming up with just a portion of the horizon w/ buildings visible. Set my f-stop to 22, shutter to 2 seconds, ISO to 50. Enabled mirror lockup & 2-second timer. I was ready to rock.

After about the 10th shot, I got very disgruntled having left the dinner table to just continually hit the shutter release on the camera in hopes that I might catch a bolt. So I rushed to the box hidden deep within the closet and found my probably-broken remote.

A few futile minutes later I decided to do what I figured I'd probably done a few times already. Google my issue.

"canon remote black lcd"

First result seemed promising. Exact description of my problem - snaps pics, but cannot be configured for any of the fancy features. I kept reading to see a number of people in agreement with me - LCD screen is probably shot.

For whatever reason, I kept on reading. Through the post that said "my screen always stays on." and another that explained "the LCD never shuts off, but battery life so far is over 14 months for me!".

And then at the end. There it was. The last post, a follow-up from the original poster. The one that made me look around to see if my wife was watching my embarrassed face.

"Thanks for all your input - it isn't defective at all, it's owner is just blonde! I had the darn battery in upside down, it doesn't go in face up..." -Jill

At this point I reversed engineered my actions. Realizing that I probably saw the screen on 24/7, I sought a solution to prolong battery life. Flipping. The. Effing. Battery. Never checking to see if the shutter still clicked, I must have assumed my solution worked - screen was off! And later when the shutter did click? "Why isn't my LCD on???"

Lesson learned. I don't try the simple solutions. And leave notes for myself.

EVERYWHERE.

Q&D DIY Softbox

There are lots of different articles out there on how to create your own softbox. I've thumbed through a few of them. The core concepts are the same across the board.

Construct a box with an opening that holds a material to diffuse the light.

There are lots of variations - including lining the interior with tinfoil, tapering a smaller end @ the light source and a larger opening at the opposite end where the material is, etc.

Last night's photo shoot was a brief introduction to the task of lighting. After a few shots it was obvious to me (as all the training materials had pointed out) that raw light from the strobe was too harsh. The light brought out all of the unflattering features of the face. Created harsh shadows alongside the nose, eye sockets and on the background.

I had already taken it off the hotshoe on the camera and moved it to a tripod, camera left, above the subject.

The next step was to diffuse the light enough to soften it and make it usable. To "improve the quality", as they say. Having purchased a $1 white handkerchief (for a different photography project), and recently acquired a few boxes from the USPS for shipping items to friends - I went to work.

The end result was a simple, simple softbox. I took the USPS box, and placed the handkerchief at one end. Having folded the handkerchief into 4 layers it fit rather perfectly into the open end of the box. I stapled it to the top of the box, and let it fall down so I could change the density from 4 layers to 2 lays simply by flipping the material up and letting it rest atop the box.

Last, I cut a hole in the bottom of the box a little bit smaller than the flash head (a Canon 580EX). Placing the strobe through the hole in the back, bottom of the box - I angled the flash head at 90 degrees. Finding that the box flopped down a bit, I just added a counter-weight to the back of the box in an effort to keep the front up and level with the flash head.

I hope to improve the design - there were a few very detailed diagrams out there that I liked. I think I'll try one in the coming days to see if I can achieve a better result by adding tinfoil to the interior and tapering the size of the box from the near-to-far end.

Productive Night

Spent a bit of time photographing my wife, tonight. As I get more and more interested in learning about photography I find myself constantly thinking about how I would properly light the scene. I feel like throwing myself into the subject matter head first helps cram as much as I can into my tiny brain. However, there is no substitution for doing.

Having never used my strobe off camera before, today was the first opportunity I've had to attempt a professional looking portrait. Kind enough to let me flash her, repeatedly, she sat patiently while I adjusted my single light. Willing to go off and put on some makeup while I built a quick and dirty DIY soft box, she came back and sat again.

The lesson today? I've got a long way to go if I'm going to make this happen. Lucky for me, I've got some time. Tonight's pictures were a very crude starting point. I have zero ability to actually look at the photos and determine where changes need to be made. Perhaps with time, and lots of practice.

August 28th, 2008 was when I got my first DSLR. Here I am just shy of 3 years later and I feel like I've finally got the basics of my camera down tight. I can correct an exposure relatively quickly and do all those creative things I wanted to with depth of field, motion blur, etc. So the somewhat obvious next step for me is lighting. I'm excited to see just how far I am able to go on a limited budget, few subjects, and no input from professionals on progress. I never had an appreciation for art (still don't, really), but with time, if I can't make it....maybe I'll at least be able to fake it.