Google has rolled out an updated version of its Image Search feature with faster browsing speeds and a redesigned UI. Users can now view larger versions of images in a preview window with an option to flip through images using arrow keys, and limited metadata, including the pixel dimensions of the original file, is displayed alongside the thumbnail. Click through for more information and a link to Google’s blog post.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
If you bought my DVD, you would know that the relationship I have with Stylist Rodney Burns is beyond special. Rodney has surpassed most “industry working friendships” and become like a family member to me. Where my real family has failed me, my close friends have become like a surrogate family. Rodney is one of those people. He’s like a brother…I really cherish knowing him. All that love stuff aside, we also happen to work really, really well together and totally “get” each others aesthetic. So collaborating with him is pure bliss.
I arrived in LA last January really broken. For personal reasons I won’t go into, I needed to get the fuck out of NYC for a bit and be around my surrogate family. I needed to go home. The best way I know how to deal with emotional pain is to jump head first into work. So 12 hours off the plane I’m at Church Boutique and giving my friend Rodney a huge hug. I think it while I was hugging him that I spotted an original, turn of the century, authentic Opium bed. Okay. So my mind starts ticking: “must shoot this bed”. I have a casting at Photogenics a few days later to see who’s in town and it’s on this day I met Lucy McIntosh. She’s absolutely beautiful and I know I have to shoot her. I take her card and I go back to Rodney to show it to him and he starts showing me clothes and we start verbally hashing out a story board. I go back to my best friend’s house in Silverlake where I’m staying and put together an actual mood board. I have no magazine assignment for this story but I don’t care. I know it’ll get picked up by someone. I reach out to make up artist Camille Clark through Facebook. I tell her I’m in town and I have some shoots coming up and I’d love for her to be on them with me. I reach out to her agent to get her schedule. I actually booked this shoot around Camille’s schedule because I really wanted to work with Camille. I didn’t have a hair stylist on this shoot so I reached out to Timothy Priano. Randi Petersen did the hair. Beth Fricke, also with Artists by Timothy Priano, happened to be at Photogenics the day of my casting and was definitely amped to work with me again. So Beth came on as manicurist for the shoot. Any chance I can get to work with Beth, I take it. She’s hilarious and also an amazing manicurist.
My best friend, Sedi Pak, does the fabulous Fashion Backdrops which are mentioned on the DVD and in other posts. She made me a Gothic inspired wallpaper/stenciled backdrop especially for this shoot! We hung the backdrop behind the bed and lit the set with available light through the windows and doors, and one big ol’ flashlight. Yep, you read that right. Those big, ugly, canister type flashlights you can get at Home Depot, that was one of our main lighting sources. This shoot was the first one of a series of me going back to my original vision, the vision that had me inspired to shoot fashion in the first place. So this shoot is really special to me!
I used the Nikon D300 with a Nikon PC-E Micro Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D Manual Focus Lens. That enabled me to manipulate my focus. I shot at higher ISO’s because I wanted noise and also to allow for the available light. I also shot pretty wide because I wasn’t using very strong light, so my apertures were around f2.8.
I submitted this story to 1968 Magazine and they accepted it. I was pleasantly surprised by the title they chose, “Lucy of the Golden Dawn” as my library is full of Golden Dawn books and I did have an Occult idea in mind when I shot this story. I provided them with the clothing credits and the crew credits. Even though I didn’t have a magazine backing this story when I shot it, I knew I wanted to publish it eventually so I made sure that the clothing credits were were taken while I shot it. That’s important to remember when you’re shooting on spec or for submission. Always have your stylist keep careful record of the clothing and accessories used in each shot so you can give that to the magazine if your story is accepted. I’ve been asked a zillion times to write a blog post about how to submit. And I’m just not going to do it. You should all know that it just takes research. Find magazines that take submissions, read up on their guidelines and then submit. I’m willing to help out as much as I can but I’m not going to hold your hand throughout every step. There’s more glory in doing the hard work yourself and then reaping the rewards from that hard work. So go for it! I know you can do it!!
This shoot was the beginning of a new phase for me. Or the beginning of going back to my roots! It’s the first chapter to the new book that I’ve been working on this entire year. I’m very pleased 1968 Magazine picked the story up! And from seeing the other photographer’s they showcased, I’m in very good company!
On a different note, we had our NYC Workshop last weekend and it was a huge success! 15 people came together at Sun Studios to learn about lighting, retouching and the business of fashion photography. The group were an awesome bunch of people! We’re thinking of having another one very soon here in NYC so keep your eyes on the blog for the latest updates! xoxo
Most of the posts I write about are posts about the creative process or the shoots I have done and how I achieved the results I get. You know, the fun stuff! But as photographers,we have to understand that this is a business, like any other business, and a strong knowledge and good practices are key to making it a successful one. Which should be everyone’s ultimate goal. We all want to do this for a living but in order to do that, we must have a sound business in tact.
One resource that EVERY photographer should know about is APA. APA’s mission statement is as follows: ”Our goal is to establish, endorse, and promote professional practices, standards, and ethics in the photographic and advertising community. We seek to mentor, motivate, educate, and inspire in the pursuit of excellence. Our aim is to champion and speak as one common voice for advertising photographers and image makers to the advertising industry in the United States and the World.”
There are many benefits of joining APA but one of the particularly key benefits is they offer an outstanding insurance program. Designed specifically for photographers, they have many packages to choose from that can be tailored fitted for your individual needs.
For instance, if you don’t normally rent $ 100,000 worth of equipment every time you shoot and only need insurance for the occasional Octabank rental, etc, they can customize your insurance plan to fit your specific needs. They even offer insurance for Students! You can click here for more information on their insurance plans.
Once joining APA you receive the APA business manual which includes a stack of helpful forms to help manage your business. This includes estimating guides, business forms which include estimate and invoice forms, model releases, property releases, assistant invoices, guides on copyright protection. I mean, the list is endless and so important to maintain and uphold your work in today’s market! It’s important to always operate your photography business in the most ethical way. APA offers endless help in aiding us photographers to maintain these practices. They even have a Find an Assistant board where you can list yourself to be considered by a professional photographer for possible work opportunities. And what I find really cool is they have an Assistant Basic Training ! A two day workshop includes getting real world answers from actual professional assistants to hands on training. Hone your skills so you can increase your chances at working for that photographer you’ve always dreamed of working for!
APA also offers products discounts on companies such as Agency Access, Apple, Adobe, Dripbook, Livebooks, Photoshelter and BlinkBid. And you get discounted or free admission to all APA events!
And if this isn’t enough, what APA really does is it gives us photographers a sense of community. Come on, you’ve all felt it….it’s one reason you probably kinda’ like blogs like mine: You can feel totally alone out there trying to figure out how to “Make it” or “keep it coming” because there’s so little help or assistance. At least with APA there is a place to get that help!
I was never particularly a strong business woman when I was first starting out. In retrospect, this actually hurt my business. This is why during my two day workshops, day 2 includes a strong business class where we sit down together and learn about marketing, promoting, copyright laws, estimating a job, what to consider when bidding a job, etc etc etc. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did in the beginning, so I hammer into my students the importance of understanding the business. It’s also an opportunity to ask me whatever questions that are really pressing for you. And just so you know, we have decided to hold one more workshop for this year at ROOT Studios in NYC. Actually ROOT is in Williamsburg which is just over the bridge from Manhattan and where I proudly call home. Williamsburg is probably one of the hippest neighborhoods in the world (and not just cuz I live here) So come join us November 10 and 11 at ROOT for another Fashion Photography Workshop! And since I LIVE here, I know the best bars in the neighborhood for a nice after-workshop drink! Hope to see you there! xoxo
FINALLY! And let me just add, It is about time! After a year of dealing with the mishaps of weirdo web developers and just some of the flakiest people on EARTH, We finally are pleased to announce the new Fashion Photography Blog! We gave our blog a huge overhaul, re-designing the site, adding more user-friendly features and a cleaner platform. Now that we are done and launching today to announce it to the world and show off our new baby, we promise to start updating way more often. Check back often for posts about recent editorial and advertising shoots of mine, new guest writers dishing out really important information that will help you along with your fashion photography. By the way, if you think you’re and expert on all things fashion photography and are interested in becoming a contributor for the blog, feel free to shoot us an email with your credentials and ideas to: admin@fashionphotographyblog.com. We have many surprises for 2013 and can’t wait to start sharing them with you. We’ll also be posting soon about our March 2013 Fashion Photography Workshop in Los Angeles that you can pre-order your tickets for here. But without much more fuss, let me just say that we’re really proud of our new blog. It took A LOT of blood, sweat and tears to get this finished! But we did it! So here you go:
While surfing on Youtube today I came across the following video from photographer Nick Francher creating a DIY studio setup that created a cool effect.
In it he uses peg board to create a background which he then shoots light through to create what he calls a ‘white room’ (he also has white hard board on the floor and ceiling which reflects light around). – check it out!
Nick has shared a lot of images taken in his White Room on his blog (here, here, here and here are just a few).
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
See Nick Francher Create a ‘White Room’ with some Pegboard [Video]
I just wanted to write a short post and let everyone know that we’ll be doing one last workshop for 2012 next month on November 10th and 11th. The last ones in NYC, Berlin and LA have been a huge success! I received an awesome testimonial from one of our previous workshop students Steven Paul.
© Steven Paul Photography 2012
You can read about the details here: NYC Workshop! This time, Root Studios in Williamsburg will be our home for two days of intense learning and bonding! Williamsburg is my home too, so I know the neighborhood inside and out! Just 10 minutes over the Williamsburg bridge and stellar views of Manhattan, Williamsburg has fast become one of the hippest neighborhoods in the world. I won’t go into too much more detail because the workshop page describes it all. And you can sign up at the bottom of the page using paypal.
Hope to see you there!
2012 started with an upheaval of change. Painful, gut-wrenching, seismic change. From January 1st, my life began a new journey. Part of that new journey was my reconciliation with the way I see. The thing is, I’ve always been a little weird. I’ve been told my work is “edgy” since my college days. “Dark, mysterious, seductive, depressing, edgy, suicidal, achingly beautiful, tortured, cathartic”…..these are all words I’ve heard over the years describing my work. So I tried to conform, to shoot in a style that wasn’t mine but would appease the masses. I shot freckled girls in denim jeans on white backgrounds holding puppies and smiling toothy grins of teenaged innocence. I’ve shot long legged girls in itsy-bitsy bikinis on pearl sanded beaches with come hither eyes. I’ve shot commercially acceptable, masses approachable, clean, honest and totally sans “edge” fashion photographs.
But it hasn’t been my vision. This work was not mine! So with the upheaval of change that this year forced upon me came the renewed sense of my own Self, facing me again, asking myself, what’s it all about. I came up with this: if I can’t shoot what I love and how I see, what’s the point.
I flew to my hometown, Los Angeles, on January 9th and I threw myself into work. I know, ironic right? I leave NYC land of fashion uberness to go to tacky LA to throw myself into work. I find it very odd that NY’ers hate LA people but LA people LOVE NY’ers. I think when you’re laying in the sun on January 15th in the backyard sipping on a mojito planning the menu for your outdoor barbeque that evening, there’s really nothing for an LA person to hate on a NY’er. But that’s just one theory. Any way, back to me going home: I shot 4 editorials and 2 video commercials in 6 weeks. I collaborated with my dear friend Rodney Burns who styled all the shoots. Ben Trovato being one of them.
The technical specs on this shoot can’t be any simpler. I shot with no artificial light. I used a large window to the right of the set as my key. That’s it. I shot with the Nikon D3 with my 85mm at 1/160th of a sec at about F4. I shot anywhere from 400 to 1000 ISO. I was inspired by a picture I found of Keith Richards. One picture. That’s all it took. What really tied the shoot together for me was shooting the story on a Fashion Back Drop. I have mentioned my friend, Sedi Pak, in previous posts. Her back drops are amazing and really embellish my shoots! You can view the full editorial on Ben Trovato here.
I look at the results, the final pictures, and I’m pleased. But the feeling goes beyond being “satisfied”. I’m home. If that makes any sense. Shooting what I love and how I see fashion. My greatest wish for myself is that I can stick to this and not listen to people anymore telling me I must conform and change to shoot in a style that isn’t mine. I guess we’re all going to find out together if I can stick to my guns and stay true to my vision now. I’ve shed a lot of baggage so far this year. A lot of negative, heavy, cumbersome baggage. And I’m continuing to shed more. The excuses to NOT stick to my guns are getting fewer and fewer. Since my blog is very public (haha…. understatement of the century) you’re all along on this journey WITH me…….so as I like to say…..stay tuned.
Shot and Edited by: Marty Martin
In keeping with my commitment to stay true to my vision and to continue shooting in a style that is my own, I shot this white story for Kurv Magazine’s spring issue in a way I’ve always wanted to see a White Story.
I’ve done plenty of white stories over the years, but I always sort of compromised here and there because whoever I was shooting for didn’t want to go exactly in the direction I wanted to take it in. In the end, I was always a bit disappointed in the results. But not this time. This shoot, I’m fairly pleased with.
Again, I collaborated with Rodney Burns from Church Boutique in Hollywood, California. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it is to work with Rodney. He’s on my DVD, I write about him all the time, and yet every time I work with him it feels so magical, as if it’s the first time we’re collaborating and I can’t believe my eyes! He’s THAT good! He pulled these pieces from designer Furne One that truly blew my mind. And he coordinated the clothing to compliment the pieces. I trust his eye completely and just KNOW that my shoots are going to rock because of his amazing taste.
I wanted two blondes for this shoot. I’ve worked with Sarah Deanna before and she’s just amazing. She’s as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out! She also is publishing a book soon called Model Skinny. She writes about her healthy secrets on how one can get skinny and stay skinny the healthy way! I love a girl who gives back to our industry in a positive and loving way! I thought Jennifer was a good match for Sarah Deanna because, well ,she’s a stone cold fox as well! Both girls were on point and really knew how to emote for the story. James from Photogenics helped me cast this shoot. It was nice to work with “the old team”, so to speak.
I worked with make up artist Camille Clark from AIM Artists. I’ve worked with Camille many times when I lived in LA and she’s a very talented make up artist. I was excited to work with her again and ended up using her on 3 out of 4 editorials that I shot in LA. Hair stylist Jonathan Mason came on board that day. This was actually the first time I worked with Jonathan and that day we sort of bonded to the point that now when I am in LA, he’s my go to hair stylist. Thanks again to Timothy Priano, owner of Artists by Timothy Priano, for making that introduction!
I used window light and Christmas tree lights behind a silk against a backdrop as my lighting sources. That’s it! I know, I’m sorry I don’t have some great big lighting set up to break off for you. This is my lighting and how I see fashion shot and I never have liked seeing things over-lit. I’ve said that numerous times. Over and over, I’ve reiterated how I use one light, or “less is more” or keep it simple. Well, I’ve gone even more simple now, using available light from a window or the continuous light from the room we are shooting in as my key or main lighting source.
Of course, I used the Nikon D3 and my 85mm lens for the shoot. I also used my 24mm lens and a 50mm lens as well. I think what makes this shoot really work is the amazing styling from Rodney and the emoting from two very professional models, Sarah Deanna and Jennifer. And me staying true to my vision! More to come and excited to continue to share with you my vision! Keep it real! xoxo
Learn more: www.mac-on-campus.com Photographer Tony Corbell explains how he lives and breathes photography. Constantly shooting both on and off the job, Corbell is interested in extraordinary photos of average subjects. Hear him touch upon technology, physics, emotional impact and art in this video.
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Part of the Sega Dreamcast Collection via Steam store.steampowered.com
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