Live Demos at The Photography Show with Bowens

I'm back and looking forward to it. This year I will be on the stage with my fellow members of TeamBowens where I will be demonstrating live with the new Bowens XMT battery powered lights. I am loving using this new kit and can't wait to show how simple they are to use. Battery powered is definitely the way to go. No more cables!

Anyway, I digress. For one of my demonstrations I will be showing how I light the majority of my portraits using just 2 lights in a wonderfully simple setup that anyone can do. I'll be using 2 large softboxes to create some lovely soft light portraits and I'm thrilled to say I'll have my daughter on stage with me as my subject. For those who know me you may remember that she hasn't been the most co-operative subject over the years.

However, that all seemed to change in January when I asked her to let me test out the new lights with her. Once I allowed her to offer posing suggestions and we started working as a team collaborating on ideas something seemed to click into place. She's now a much more willing subject. Of course being paid has something to do with that I'm sure. Its amazing how much money it takes to keep up with the clothes and makeup requirements of a 13 year old.

For the second demonstration I will be using my daughter's dancing skills to create an artistic dance piece. I will again be using the same lights however instead of 2 we will begin with 1, working our way up to possibly as many as 4 lights and in a very different way to my usual portrait lighting setup.

Now some of you will be thinking that dance photography isn't of interest to you so I'd just like to mention that the lighting I will be demonstrating has further applications. This same sort of lighting I have used in family portraits, maternity portraits (see below) and one of my favourite applications, the fine art male nude (I'm not going to include any here in case it offends anyone).

(This is an example of how this same lighting technique has been used for other applications)

Besides my demonstrations there will be loads others from the rest of the team that will surely inspire and educate. I have plans myself to stick around and watch some of the others as I always find something to learn in watching the other demonstrations. We all do different things and often use the lights in very different ways.

Click here to see the timetable for this years Bowens stage.

Comments

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...

Winner of the Master Photographers Association's UK Family Portrait Award

This year for the first time I decided to join the MPA (Master Photographers Association). As a qualified member this entitled me to compete amongst other professionals throughout the UK. Last night the awards ceremony was held at the Hinckley Island Hotel (amazingly close to home for a change) where I received the news that my family portrait won its category. I am over the moon that it was a unanimous decision from all judges who felt it stood out against all others in the category making it the clear winner. And to have John Stoddart, a man who has photographed a great number of A list celebrities, present the award telling me this is a fantastic image was the icing on the cake. I'll admit that I have never really regarded family groups as my strong suit. They are hard work and not always the most challenging creatively. Until now that is. This project which I consider to be a joint effort along with my clients involved much planning and creativity. Together we came up...

My Associate Panel

As I mentioned in my last blog, I achieved my Associateship in Portraiture with the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers). I just thought I would share with you the panel I submitted. Having sat through the assessment I see that there are a couple of images that I wish I hadn't chosen, more so due to not having enough variety rather than the lack of quality. but overall I am pleased with my submission. I always thought that once I achieved my Associateship I would be done with qualifications. Working towards a Fellowship just seems so unattainable. I don't think I can just sit here not striving towards a goal though. Besides, my husband has already set 5 year plan. So I guess I've not seen the end of qualifications just yet. But don't be expecting any news on this front for quite some time though. A fellowship is on an entirely new level and its going to take a lot of work.

5 Reasons you Should Consider Getting a Professional Headshot

Headshots, or profile pictures are becoming a requirement of so many tools we regularly use or reference today. From Facebook to Linked In, Instagram to Twitter and often any website that represents a company for which you work or own will have a place to include a photograph that is meant to show your audience who you are. And how you present yourself there will tell your audience so much about you. 1. A profile picture is your first opportunity for your audience to see you. Its often the first impression you make and we all know you only have one chance at a first impression. A professional photographer has the skills to show you in the best, most suitable way to give a great first impression. (These headshots were created for recruitment firm Optima UK who asked to have their logo placed behind them. I think it makes these headshots quite eye catching and they should do their job well.) 2. Using a professional to create your headshot will ...

Playing Dress-ups and Creating Fine Art Portraits with These Lovely Young Ladies

Now this is exactly what I like to do. This was not only a fun and creative session but it was also quite relaxed and low stress as each of these girls were old enough to both be patient with me and follow instructions. This allowed me to use my skills to pose and direct as needed, rather than what can happen with very young children who either don't understand the instructions or who really just want to do their own thing. Although the very young bring their own magic to a shoot, like a cuteness factor that can't be beat, being able to take my time and direct my subjects means I can create the vision that is in my head. Probably what is most frustrating about the very young is that I can often see exactly what I want to create but without a little help from the child its not always possible. In this case all four girls worked very well and I think they all enjoyed themselves too, even the youngest performed beautifully and I couldn't be happier with all their portra...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog