The Best Photographic Conference of the Year is Nearly Here!!!

The Societies Convention in London is being held from January 20th to the 24th this year. As always I am so looking forward to it. Not only is a great opportunity to receive formal training from some of the best in the industry but its also a chance to learn and gain immense knowledge from so many people from all over the world while enjoying a drink (or 3) at the bar. I always come away from this trip feeling as though I've just attended a family reunion. I've made so many wonderful friends who so often are there for me through the year. It is such a worth while event and for anyone not sure whether to make the trip I can assure you its made a load of difference to me.

Anyway, I am posting this to tell you that I am again running two classes this year, The first is software related and is a 2 hour masterclass. The second is a hands on lighting 4 hour superclass.

Masterclass: You Don't Know What You Don't Know

When: Thursday January 21st from 1:00 to 3:00pm

This class will cover shortcuts, tips and tricks to quicker, easier and more manageable editing. Learn how to apply layer masks, apply textures, use blend modes, use and assign short cut keys, and dodge and burn on non destructive layers. We will address the liquify tool and show that it can be used for more than just reducing lumps and bumps for the perfect figure. As well we will cover creating actions, batch processing and so much more.

I plan to show you how you can use multiple images to create the one perfect shot for those times when you couldn't get it just right with one image. I know we always aim to get it perfect in camera on a single shot but that isn't always possible. So instead you can take elements (ie a person's face, their eyes or a prop that moved) and place it seamlessly on another image to make one perfect portrait.

Feel free to bring questions with you and I will do my best to answer them. Attendees are welcome to contribute as well. Last year I learned something new during my texture's masterclass and I'm hoping I might find the same again this year.

The 2 hours will be crammed with information. The intention of this class is to uncover so many light bulb moments that the time you save in editing throughout the year makes attending the convention all worth while.

Superclass: Foundations in Portrait Lighting Using Bowens Equipment

When: Saturday January 23rd from 9am to 1pm

This class will provide a solid foundation in lighting techniques for both beginners as well as established photographers who've perhaps become too comfortable with safe lighting. It will cover a multitude of essentials required to create beautiful, directional light for a variety of subjects and genres.

To do this we will explain and demonstrate lighting patterns, light ratios and hard versus soft light. We will be using a variety of light modifiers provided by Bowens in conjunction with their popular range of lights to show the different portrait lighting affects each modifier can create. Attendees will also be given the chance to have a guided play with the equipment themselves so photographers are encouraged to bring along their own cameras.

I plan to cover my staple lighting technique used in the bulk of my portraits as a basis to show how simple lighting is all you really need. Typically I use just 2 lights and really that is all you need. But from there we will expand bringing in a further 2 lights in some cases and using modifiers such as a beauty dish, strip softboxes and a fresnel spot. I want to show you how to make a high key portrait really pop, how adding a rim light to your subjects can add some wow and really make a portrait current and fun. And we'll carry on in this way giving everyone a chance to create something of their own using any of the techniques covered.

If you're new to lighting or feel your confidence is lacking then this is a great opportunity to expand your lighting skills and grow your confidence.

I hope to see you there!!!

Comments

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...

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...

Never Work With Children or Animals

Or so the saying goes. But I have to say that working with dogs has been so lovely. They have been almost entirely a dream to work with. I say almost entirely because we have had a few moments where a dog has needed to settle. And one moment where the dog had settled but one of my cats decided to have a look through the glass door which, as you can imagine, rather quickly unsettled the dog. Still, that didn't stop us from creating incredible work. In fact it was during that shoot with the cat instance when I created two of my favourite pieces, shown below. (It was while sitting on the couch here when he noticed the cat peering through the curtain) I don't know if I've just been lucky or all dogs are just easy to work with. I photographed a french bull dog puppy and I thought that would be tough as he hadn't had time to be properly trained yet. But he did everything we wanted in no time at all. And this included the props we used here (below), which to me...

Teen Portraits - Prom Season is Just Around the Corner

If your child is heading to prom in the next couple of months I'd say there is probably no better time than now to have portraits created of your growing teen. With the purchase of a new (and probably expensive) outfit wouldn't it be nice to capture this milestone with a portrait created by a professional. Across the pond this is a hugely popular time to create portraits, and although I am not American (I'm Canadian) I wholeheartedly agree that this is a special moment to record. My prom was a key memory in my teen years and in fact I myself had professional portraits created also. I think I'll go dig them up if I can, though admittedly I think my mother has them back in Canada. I wonder if I can get her to scan one for me. My daughter is currently making plans for college and in the running is one that will move her away from home, as many others are probably experiencing for themselves, particularly those who are 18. This makes it all the more important to ...

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 ...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog