Tell me what you think, I love to hear the good, the bad & the could haves. <3 Thanks for viewing.  

I've got a question for you. What is the subject you often take a picture off? Plants? Pets? Well, I think that you're answer is people. Whether its kids, friends or family, a person is the most photographed subject. Any snapshot photographer using a P&S cam or a guy who has the latest DSLR camera would have lots of people pictures lying around somewhere.

More often than not. most of us think that people photography is easy. Ask them to say "cheese, take the picture and that's it. A lot of people shots just record the person's appearance or his/her attendance to an event. There's really nothing wrong with this but a lot of us often say "Hey, why can't I take a better picture than that?" Well, photographing people is more than just asking them to strike a static pose and tell them to say "cheese". Good people photographs should say something about the person. The best pictures often convey feeling and relationship. I mean most of us have feelings conveyed when we shoot nature or landscape shots so why not do the same when we're taking photos of people? One mistake we also often fall prey to is that we want picture-perfect poses the 1st time out - and a lot of us expect the subject to just stand or sit there and strike wall-worthy portrait pose. We have to coax or gently coach our subject to "strike a pose". Sure, there would be times when only a fleeting snapshot can be made because at times, this is the only way to take photos on the fly or to take photos of a subject that could be.."uncooperative". There's nothing wrong with snapshots like this but it's always best that a photographer builds some sort of rapport with the subject to make him/her comfortable.

Keep It Smiling, Silly!

The simplest way to coax feelings from your subject is to make them smile. A simple smile can really make a difference on yor portrait. Besides, people look best when they're smiling. However, it's not as easy as asking your subject to smile. Commanding your subject to just "smile" won't generate he same effect when your subject smiles naturally because he/she is comfortable with you as the photographer and with what you're doing. What to do 1st to make them comfortable? Simple: flash them pearly-whites of yours and smile - a genuine smile. Be friendly with them. Joke around, smile a lot. Ask questions or discuss things that have a pleasant topic. If you're taking pictures of kids, clown around. Give them treats. You may not have them rolling with laughter but I guarantee that their jolly feeling will be evident in their faces. Mind you though, asking people to smile is not always the solution. There would be instances wherein a sunny smile will not fit the emotional tone or disposition of the scene. Also, before clowning around or shooting, take time to talk to the person (if the subject is someone you don't know personally). Start a rapport. During the height of your light moments together, grab your camera and start shooting.

Posing

Okay, now that you have the subject smiling you would want the person to project a pose that is natural and comfortable. Yes, comfortable. Unless you're in the business of photographing models that are used to uncomfortable shoots, a person being photographed will not like it if he/she is not comfortable with the pose you're asking him/her to strike. You might not hear a complaint but it would be evident in the resulting image. IN moments of casual portrait photography, the tendency of people is to stiffen up and at times do stupid things with their bodies when posing for photo. You definitely don't want this. Unless you're shooting on the fly or doing street photography, you can tell your subject what they can do to make their pose more pleasing the the camera.

A straight on shoot of a person doesn't work most of the time. Well, it would work if you just wan to take a picture of the person and nothing more but straight on photographs won't flatter your subject. His/her shoulders would look too wide, the head too big, the belly or the hips protrude. Sure we can ask them to pose sideways but the resulting image won't create a nice balance as the shoulder would look too small for the head. When asking people to pose for you, one of the 1st things you can ask them to do is pose 15-45 degrees away from the camera. To ensure good posture, ask the subject to have a straight back and hold it. If you're doing candids, you can't ask people to do then hold poses most of the time. So it's up to you to go around and find angles that would work best for your desired result and for the person's posture.

Okay, here's a tip for photographing men-folk. More often than not, men tend to tuck their chins down to look manly and tough. If the guy is a chubby fellow like I am, this will result in an unflattering double chin. To fix this, ask the subject to point his nose towards the lens of the camera. Trust me, The resulting image would look better. Now if the guy likes to have his nose up in the air, make him point his forehead towards the top of the camera - just above the lens. By the way, this works for women too.

Posture

How many of us have taken a picture wherein the subject just slouches around? I have and it ain't pretty. To fix this, ask your subject to imagine he/she is balancing a pail of water on his/her head. For slumpy shoulders, ask the subject to just have his/her back straight. Simple, ain't it? Oh by the way, you want to have the whites of the eyes fairly even, whether or not you're subject is looking away or straight to the camera - and I don't mean having them posed wide-eyed as if they saw a ghost. Well...if you look like a ghost then that's another matter. Just kidding.

If you tell you subject that you'd be taking a classical portrait image, chances are he or she would expect some sort of fancy studio. No studio is needed to get classical portrait shots. Classic portrait shots focus more on the person and his/her features. Classic portraits focus on a person's features: the eyes, the lips, nose and mouth. For me, shooting classic portraits in a non-studio surrounding is more natural - and is generally more fun. Classical portraits in natural surrounding means your subject will do what is natural with him or her and it's up to you to figure out ways how to best capture his/her classical portrait moments.

Classical Portraits

When shooting classical portraits, shoot using a large aperture that would produce good bokeh. In classic portaits, backgrounds come in second and you don't want the background to take the viewers interest away from the subject. Mind you though, choosing a good background is also key. Even if it would be blurred, a bland background can break a nice classic portrait. As a general rule, choose a background  with nice colors and with good light. This will enhance the subject more.

One of the choices that would hound you is the choice of camera placement. As a general rule, classic portraits look best if the camera's lens is placed about 2-4 inches above the eyes as this would put the head and shoulder of the subject in a nice, flattering angle. The eyes would also be framed nicely. However, don't get stuck with this camera placement all the time. Experiment. If you want to emphasize the person's stature, you ca shoot from upwards. If the subject is on the heavy side, find an angle where the camera shoots down. This would make the person look smaller/slimmer. Oh by the way, always try to fill the frame using the Rule of Thirds method but if you do, just leave enough room between the top of the head and the top of the frame but still keeping the eyes on the upper line. Zoom in our out as necessary. If you're doing a head-and-shoulder shot, place yourself about 6-7 feet away from the subject as faces look best when viewed from a distance. Get close, the nose or eyes would look bigger and the ears would look smaller. Move farther out, you loose depth and feature.

Now for the lens. Let's me see. Okay, as a general rule, the best lens to use is the lens that has 2x the focal length of a normal 35mm lens so this would be around 80-85mm. A short, prime zoom lens of 135mm focal length is an excellent choice for portrait photography. Now, if you have a lens that's a telephoto zoom of about 58-135mm, then you're in business. Why is short telephoto good for portraits? Simple: it will produce great results that shows the correct amount of features but with the less amount of distortion. It also allows you to fill the frame without being too close for comfort with your subject. If you want really, tight details you can use an 85-250mm telephoto zoom.

As I said on a previous blog entry, photography is all about light. How you will light your subject can make or break your photo. If you're shooting indoors, try use natural or non-directional lighting. The best source of light would be a window light during morning. This would make for great portraits as the morning light would throw in a nice, warm glow to the image. To read more on light, read my blog entry.

Outdoors Portraiture

Portraits need not be classical all the time. You can certainly use the subject's surroundings to make an excellent portrait. If you're going to use the background as part of the portrait, you need to fluidly integrate the background into the shot to emphasize the relationship between your subject and his/her surroundings.

What background to use? Any background is fair game. Any place where you're subject is is fair game - even inside the toilet. It's how you would portray the finished image that would count i.e. how you used the background and surroundings to artistically form part of the portrait. As you're thinking about your shot, keep in mind the size of your subject in the frame. As much as possible, you want to have your subject fill the frame yet the size balances out with the size and detail of the surrounding. Experiment with sizes and since we are now in the digital age, you can shoot all you want without worrying on the cost of film. Mind you, however, that a person can only remain interested for a definite period of time (depending on the persons mood, personality and/or schedule) so in as much as you'd want to experiment, don't take much time doing so and try to make it right the first 4-6 shots.

If you're working outdoors during a nice and sunny day, look for open shade. This is perfect for shooting outdoor portraits as the subject is naturally lit by the sky and scenery around. Try to look place your subject where the scenery allows light to be reflected into the shaded area. Ideally, non-directional light is excellent for this but if directional light is the only source available, try to move your subjects around a bit and look for a location that works. Hey, nobody said portrait photography is easy. If you want to improve the quality of light, use a white-poster board to reflect light into the shadows or to light the subject from behind. If you have a flash, use fill-flash techniques.

When shooting portraits outdoors, avoid making the scenery as the subject. Use the surroundings to enhance the subject and not to take away a viewer's interest on the subject. Choose backgrounds and scenes that would complement and flatter the subject. If you're shooting foliage, look for backlit foliage that has a lot of greens, yellows or just enough flowers. Greens are great for making flesh tones stand out. Most Filipinos (I'm Pinoy) have dark hair so try to look for a backdrop where the color is lighter than the subject's hair to make the subject stand out. If you need to take a portrait photo of where the person is standing, look for angles and camera positions that would give you low-contrast backgrounds. If the background is strong and distracting, use low or high camera angles.

You also need to avoid situations wherein there would seem to be an appendage growing out of the persons heads. Avoid shots wherein a light people seems to be growing out of the person's head or a branch that seems to come out of a persons ear. Avoid distracting backgrounds. You want clean backgrounds that emphasizes your subject in a good way - not like a mutant where a tree of some sort is growing out from his/her body. In instances wherein the presence of the horizon is strong, look for a higher vantage point or place your camera in a higher position where the horizon just drops below the shoulder.

In taking portraits of people with outdoor or natural backgrounds, don't ask them to pose stiff or don't create a portrait with a lot of vertical or horizontal lines. If your subject is standing, use props if you can. Have the subject hold a book, a pair glasses or ask the subject to put his hands inside his pockets, if the subject is a guy. If it can bend, bend it. If can cross, cross it. Bend elbows, cross legs, tilt the head (although subtly) and avoid pictures wherein the hands are idle. Oh, if you're taking a portrait of a person sitting down, try not to take a picture of the back of the chair as this can be a distracting element in the result image. If there's a stool you can use, use a stool. By the way, seated subjects are more comfortable compared to standing subjects.

Group Photography

The techniques I mentioned above would work well even if you're taking group portraits. However, taking group portraits takes a bit more time in having the right pose, excellent composition because all the things you need to consider in taking portraits have now been multiplied to the number of people in the group.  Pose more than one person under a light source, the light would fall on each of them differently. If the situation would permit you to use non-directional light, use it. If strong, directional light is the only kind available, look for white poster boards you can use to fill in the shadows and to distribute the light evenly. If you're taking group portraits of outdoor activities, look for shade and if it permits, don't shoot under the noon-day sun or during times of the day when the sun is already high up in the sky. If you can't avoid under the noon-day sun, be creative - look for places where you can use backlighting. One trick is to open up your exposure to 1x -2x.  If you have strobe with you, use fill-flash. If you're shooting indoors however, bounce the flash off the ceiling or wall. If you're trying to bounce the flash, stay within a distance of less than ten feet. Any farther will not produce good fill-light as the bounced flash will not be strong enough.

I almost forgot something: distances between subjects during group portraits. If your subjects know each other personally like friens or family, you might want to keep the distances between subjects close to emphasize the relationships. This tecnique would also eliminate distracting shadows that possibly would appear between spaces. If the scene is about a personal or family event like a wedding, birthday or a family picnic, come in close and fill the frame. This is important if you're  shooting a large number of people as the closer you get, the more recognizable the faces would become in the resulting image. For business events where the event or the setting needs to be given emphasis, increase the spacing between the participants - if the number of people in the group is small. If not, ask them to move a little bit closer to each other and then strike a balance betwee the size of the group in the picture and the venue or setting.

So there you have it. Taking portraits is easier than you think. Since you most probably have a digital camera, go out and practice what I've shared and in no time, all of these would come naturally to you. Many thanks to the masters who have generously shared their techniques over the years I have of fiddling about with photography on and off-again, on-again basis. The best tribute I can think of in giving them honor for their time and unselfishness is to share what I've learned from them to other people.

Next time I'll try to take a stab in events photography and as with this article, I'll try to focus in on technique and style rather than the technical details i.e. f/stop and aperture combination. You can learn that for yourself by just reading then remembering the settings and what combination works.

Happy shooting!

I made this image last fall in Times Square. It was Christine's idea, so she got to be the model. I think she did a great job! Talk about the munchies!

                    http://www.infoborder.com/Digital_Cameras/Video/SonyDSLR-A900.php

The theme for this week's photo hunt is wrinkled. I took this one in April of this year. It's a close up of my brother, he's younger, 20 months younger, so that should tell you that I have more wrinkles than he does. I'm always taking strange photos. This one was taken as we waited with friends to get into a great breakfast place, called Gravy, on Mississippi Avenue. Their specialty is... yep, you guessed it, gravy. I think my bro looks good here. You can't see all of him, but if you did you'd say he looked good too. He's a stud. Notice the wrinkles are mostly smile lines. It's a genetic thing... we all smile. All the time. It's sickening.

If you'd like to join in all the photo hunt action, CLICK HERE and you'll be whisked away to the land of tnchick's page. It's a good place to go. Don't forget to click your heels three times, and put on those red converse while you're at it. Cheers....

JackDainel's

Jack Daniel's tours

These photographs are from a stock images bank  veer for the somos brand. When shooting stock photography You have to a game plan. You must produce many photographs in a short period time. Planing is one of the key element. Planning location, photographs in what location, props, models, model clothing changes, shot list and lighting. All key elements to a good stock photography shoot. At the shoot you have to photograph at a fast clip.  Know when you have the money shot. Move on to the  second set  as your assistant  setting up lighting for the third shooting area. This  craziness goes on for three hours. One major key factor is cost.  You need to think about models fee location fee, equipment  cost, assistant cost, preproduction time, retouching time and  post production. You paying this out of your own pocket so you need to do it cheap and good.   It is a very hard business and you really have to be able handle all skill listed to make  living at  of stock photography.   A collection of stock photography may also be called a photo archive, picture library, image bank or photo bank. As modern stock photography distributors often carry stills, video, and illustrations, none of the existing terminology provides a perfect match.

One major key factor is the cost.  You need to think about models fee location fee, equipment  cost, assistant cost, preproduction time, retouching time and  post production. You paying this out of your own pocket so you need to dew it cheap and good.

It is a very hard business and you really have to be able handle all  the skills listed to make living at  the stock photography.

deweyphoto.com

On a recent photography shoot in Pittsburgh, Pa  I came across Randland in my travel. The place stopped me in my tracks and made me wonder. Then the coolest thing happen, Here comes randy himself. The man was a wild-man with passion and hope, and blessing. His passion for life was infect-us. I learn more about life from him in 10 min then I have in the past 10 years. One lesson is to open yourself to giving of yourself and you will receive much much more. Randy is truly a jewel of Pittsburgh. please read the stories about randy 

A Conversation With Randy Gilson

Randy Gilson has planted hundreds of tiny gardens -- in wooden whiskey barrels, at the base of trees, and everywhere else -- throughout his North Side neighborhood. He has also been creating what the locals call "Randyland": a sculpture garden...

Here is an interview with Randy!  By Chris Potter

 How'd you get started putting gardens in the North Side?

In about 1979 I moved here from Homestead. I was trying to protect my family, because I was bad. A lot of my friends were starting to go down the road of the mob, of guns, the trafficking of miscellaneous things. I was always told that I was never going to be anything. I never had any mentors except my mother. She was always doing for everyone around her. She was always saving people from themselves and their problems. She became like an angel, and she told us to do good angel-like deeds.

So I was sitting on my steps on Taylor Avenue, drinking wine. I looked to my left and my right and I saw a lot of beautiful homes, a lot of nice cars -- and a lot of weeds. Stoop-sitting is very popular around here: We shared bottles of wine and talked and laughed. But I thought, "It's kind of dirty over there five doors down." I had $1,000 of unemployment, so I bought a bunch of whiskey barrels and soil, put shrubs in it and planted flowers all over the place. The next time I sat back out there, it looked really nice.

What did the neighbors think?

They laughed at me, they pointed fingers, they shook their heads. But no one stopped me.  I put over 800 gardens on this street -- whiskey barrels and the base of trees, vegetable gardens and parks. People say, "How were you able to do it all?" Well, I was insane. I was all over the place. I was coming home at 1 in the morning; I didn't even know where I was. It was sort of a high, baby. 

And all the sudden I get people wanting to talk about horticulture. I'd say, "I have no idea what you're talking about." I have no experience in gardening and art; I'm supposed to be living underneath a bridge, drinking wine and smoking herb. I didn't know how to do it; I just faked it. If it doesn't grow, maybe it needs more sun. If it's burned on the tips, move it to the shade.

Why gardening, of all things?

My gardens are my therapists. This past summer I was weeding the path, and I came back the next day, and where I weeded, there were weeds again. I was so mad. Then an angel came to me. I have garden angels all around me. And I thought, "My God, how can you get mad at weeds?" Because if I didn't have to come back to my garden, I wouldn't get my therapy. Weeds are important; they keep you in the garden. 

"Randyland" is filled with sculptures, plants, and 40-foot-high murals you've painted with clouds and castles. How do people react to it? 

Thousands of people come from all around the world to the [nearby] Mattress Factory [art gallery]. The Dave Matthews Band came by about two months ago. They jumped out of the van and took pictures. Mayor Murphy was jogging by one day. I said, "You want to see my alligators?" He said, "Randy, you're not allowed to have alligators in the city." I said, "You want to see them?" He's in his Spandex or whatever. So I showed him Randyland, and after he saw the cement alligators he laughed.

Your plan is to open Randyland to the public someday along with a coffee shop; what will people do there?

The goal is to make this an incubator, a place of hatching. This is going to be a place I hope will crack thousands of people's shells.

I'm no artist, I'm no gardener, and yet I create. And I want you to know that I believe in you. You have so much. I guess my mission is to teach people that they are their own nucleus. Be your own best friend, and you can do anything. I want this to be a place where you can go deep within your soul and reflect. From time to time I might come out here and yell at everybody, "Hey, guess what? You're not allowed to talk to the person you're talking to anymore. You need to meet somebody else, because that person might be a whole new wonderful experience." And wouldn't it be great to have a new wonderful experience?

]]> http://deweyphoto.wordpress.com/?p=86 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:31:39 +0000 deweyphoto1 http://deweyphoto.de.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/new-york-yankee-baseball-by-deweyphotocom/ New York Yankee

It was neat getting to meet and photograph joba. I love his background and history. What a cool guy. I had to throw my photograph in for the fun of it!!
Dewey Chapman Deweyphoto.com

Joba Chamberlian

Early life
Chamberlain grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. At age 3, his parents divorced, and his father Harlan took custody of Joba and his younger sister Kevy. Joba served as a ball boy and Kevy as bat boy for Lincoln Northeast High School's state championship baseball team, and eventually graduated from Northeast. He did not jump straight to college; to help pay the bills, Joba briefly worked for the city of Lincoln's maintenance department.
Chamberlain's father was born on a reservation for the Winnebago American Indian Tribe, but had to leave to be treated for polio.[1] Harlan spent his childhood in hospitals and foster homes and now uses a motor scooter to get around. Now retired from the state penitentiary, he works as a substitute teacher and takes tickets at Nebraska University Cornhuskers' games. Chamberlain still has family living on American Indian reservations.
Joba's niece was unable to pronounce the name Justin correctly, pronouncing it as Joba instead and he grew to prefer this name. He eventually had his name legally changed to Joba.

College baseball
Chamberlain played for the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers, leading the team in ERA (2.23), opponents batting average (.250), strikeouts (49), and complete games (4), before transferring to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He helped the Cornhuskers reach the 2005 College World Series and helped Nebraska with the team's first-ever College World Series win, going 10–2 with a 2.81 ERA for the year; his 2005 stats included 5 double-digit strikeout games. Triceps tendinitis limited his 2006 season but he still pitched in 14 games, posting a 6-5 record, a 3.93 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 89.1 innings.

Chamberlain was drafted 41st overall by the New York Yankees in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft; the Yankees received that draft pick as free agent compensation for Tom Gordon, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Chamberlain did not pitch in the organized minors during the 2006 season, but dominated the winter league in Hawaii, posting a 2.63 ERA for the West Oahu CaneFires.
Before the 2007 season, Baseball America ranked Chamberlain as the 4th-best prospect in the pitching-rich Yankee organization, and the 75th-best prospect in Major League Baseball, and ranked his fastball as the best in the Yankee farm system.
He spent the first part of his 2007 season on the A-Advanced Tampa Yankees in the Florida State League. He went 4–0 with a 2.03 ERA in 7 games, and had 51 strikeouts and 11 walks. He was then promoted to the AA Trenton Thunder in the Eastern League, where he was 4–2 in 7 games with a 3.43 ERA and 64 strikeouts. He was named to the U.S. Team in the 2007 All-Star Futures Game July 8 at AT&T Park. Chamberlain pitched the third inning, striking out one, walking one, and allowing a hit and an earned run. On July 24, 2007, Chamberlain was promoted to AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre, and made his first start the next day, striking out 10 in 5 innings and earning his first AAA victory. While the Yankees still saw him as a starter in the future, the team announced on July 29, 2007, that Chamberlain would be moved to the Scranton-Wilkes Barre bullpen, and he made his first appearance the next day, striking out the side in 1 inning pitched and hitting 100 on the radar gun three times. On August 1st, Joba went back to Trenton to make a relief appearance, striking out 2 batters in a 1-2-3 8th inning. He then came back to Scranton, pitching 2 innings and striking out 5 batters.

Major leagues

2007
On August 7, 2007, the Yankees purchased Chamberlain's contract, elevating him to the major leagues for the first time in his career. To make room on their roster, the Yankees designated Miguel Cairo for assignment, and sent down Brian Bruney (coinciding with the activation of Jason Giambi)[2][3] In his debut, a Yankees victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, Chamberlain struck out the first batter he faced and went on to pitch two scoreless innings, striking out two. The television and stadium radar guns clocked his fastest pitch at 100 and 99 miles per hour, respectively, with his slider consistently registering at 87.

New York was a good trip.  I photographed both the new baseball stadiums and two 50 story plus green buildings.  The heights thing got to me a couple times, but, I'm getting better. 

Taken at Proposal Rock in Neskowin, Oregon.

And yet another image from the Mercy Seat DC. You've probably figured out by now it was a profound experience. You can read more about our experiences on my other blog, Life Inside my Head.

Another image from the Mercy Seat DC. Once again, I don't know who this person is, but I'd like to get in touch with him.

This is another image from The Mercy Seat in Washington, D.C. Because it was a prayer meeting I didn't want to be a distraction, so I didn't interupt this woman's prayer to find out who she was. If anyone knows, I'd like to get in touch with her.

Model Kanomi is posing sexy wearing a small black top and black jeans. // Model Kanomi posiert sexy in einem schwarzen Top und schwarzen Jeans.

Weitere Bilder aus dem Bereich Portrait und Akt natürlich auch in meinem Portfolio ! Neue Bilder aus meinen Shootings und Posts zum Thema Fotografie gibt es regelmäßig! Einfach RSS-Feed abonnieren:

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