The Spice of Life

They say that variety is the spice of life, and I couldn't agree more. I thrive on variety. The truth is, I get bored without it. Doing the same thing day in and day out is what drove me away from the nine to five office job I once had and steered me torward what I do today. What I do today, thankfully, is different virtually every day. And what I did last weekend was so completely different to what I normally do that it alone added enough spice to last me a month.

My latest project is something that has inspired me to explore this subject further. Some may say 'well of course, we're talking about a nude man'. But it is so much more than that. What I love about this subject is all about the light. What most non-photographers don't realise is that the best photographs don't come from the best equipment (although good equipment does help). Its an understanding of lighting patterns. What makes a photographer a good photographer is their ability to see light and to understand where it needs to be and possibly more importantly where it shouldn't be, in order to make an attractive image.

Now I am not saying I have mastered this art because that is far from the truth. This is the sort of thing that will take years to master. But the variety in my subjects is helping me to get there. This project involving the male form has got me doing more with light than I have done since I began using studio lights. I now feel hugely inspired and ready for more. This project is far from finished. In fact, this is hopefully just the beginning.

Comments

Derek Barrett said…

I couldn't agree more. I've just come back to studio work after a long gap and I'm constantly trying to improve and modify my lighting skills.

One thing that people often don't appreciate is that it is the absence of light that shapes the subject. i.e the shadows are more important than the light.

Like you, I've recently been doing some sessions with partially clothed male and female subjects and the interplay of light and shade is what makes the images.

I too, relish the variety that photography can throw at you. No two days are alike and I just love to spend hours improving my craft skills.

10 March 2010 at 21:11

Portraits Even a Teenager Boy Loves

Finally I've had the opportunity to photograph a young man in my studio again. And funnily enough this was the second time that week which is absolutely superb. In both cases these young men were just as enthusiastic to be involved as I was, which is something I don't often get when I'm working with very young children, my usual subjects. With young children I find my energy in their cuteness. But with young adults I get energy from their excitement over how the portraits are working out. I get such a buzz from the experience and that can keep me going for hours, often editing the photos straight after the shoot for hours more. Shoots for teenagers is something I've been wanting to focus on for some time. Its not something that I often get asked for though unfortunately. It tends to be parents of very young children who want to capture moments that are slipping through their fingers at lightening speed. Maybe its teenage moodiness that means these moments don...

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is. For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a com...

Its a Dog's Life

When life gets tough I always look at dogs or my cats and think how lucky they are. I know not all are treated well but those lucky enough to be in a good home, like the ones who come into my studio, have a really great life. They look so happy and its a wonderful thing to see. I honestly love photographing dogs. They are a joy to work with and its almost impossible to produce a bad portrait of a dog which does of course make my life a little easier. I am someone who really needs to love the work I create. I can't help but love the portraits I've created of all the dogs I've photographed over the years. And this shoot was certainly no exception. I found it a real pleasure using a lighter background this time too. I do often gravitate towards darker looks but seeing as this dog had a light coloured coat I thought I'd produce lighter images. This gave me the chance to use a canvas I painted a couple of years ago but never really used and I absolutely love it...

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m...

My Work Experience by Zak Millard

My name is Zak Millard and I am 15 years old. For my two weeks work experience I chose to incorporate a passion of mine, photography. Christina is a very competent photographer and a easy person to get on with, she is also patient which was good for me because I often forgot something or had to ask twice about an instruction. My two weeks with Christina have been very helpful. Though I am a aspiring photographer there is much I have learnt, including: Different lights and there uses. Different light set ups. Key photoshop skills. Exposure compensation. AV/TV settings. Composition. How to keep children's interest! One of the most useful things Christina has taught me is that of photo editing. Photography isn't all about taking the pictures though obviously this is important. The little tweaks made here and there make a lot of difference and in all honesty before Christina showed me these tweaks I would never have made them myself, so thank you Christina for opening ...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog