Whether you’re shooting a model, bride or child, interaction with your subject is a must if you want stunning images. Some photographers expect their victims, sorry, subjects, to do all the work for them. That’s fine if you have a very animated person to shoot, but it’ll only get you so far. Part of the job of a photographer is to also be a director. This needn’t mean pushing your client around and micromanaging each pose, but it should mean having fun, telling stories and putting your subject at ease. I love messing around with my models and brides, and it always produces a fair amount of outtakes which I think are often the best – as they have the *real* laughing smiles! During the winter when wedding season is slow, I spend a lot of time photographing models for both my and their portfolios. It keeps your shooting mind sharp, allows you to practice new techniques and is a great way to polish up your interaction with your subjects. Here are a few outtakes from recent sessions at my studio – full edited highlights of these sessions coming soon…..

Hunting through my archives this morning looking for a certain image for a killer new project (more soon!!) I found these shots of the Alameda car show a few years ago. Park Street in Alameda was chock full of chrome, fins and more Mustangs and Cameros than you could shake a stick at. I was obviously going through a ‘detail only’ period, since there isn’t a single full shot of a car…only lovely bits of shiny stuff…..

I found this quote on a blog I read often:

“When Alexander the Great visited Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for the famed teacher, Diogenes replied, “Only stand out of my light.” Perhaps some day we shall know how to heighten creativity. Until then, one of the best things we can do for creative men and women is to stand out of their light.–John W. Gardner”

With photography, it’s often very easy to forget that the number one most important ingredient is the light. You can buy the most fancy pants camera in the World, attend all the seminars money your wallet will allow…but if you don’t *see* the light, you’re dead. Much of my work is created from studio based shoots…and that usually means ‘flat’ lighting – that is non-directional. I then add the mood later depending on how I feel the image can benefit. Wedding photography is hard, since you can’t control the main light source – the sun – that much. You have to learn to work with the sun and use whatever it’s deciding to do on that given day. Cloudy and overcast? Awesome…great for beautiful soft portraits. Full sun and blue sky? Great…get that sky *and* the sun in the shot. Make them focal points. Use the sun, play with it. Cloudy / sunny / cloudy / sunny?? Close your eyes and pray……