Christina Lauder Portraits

There is nothing I like more than working with a young adult and making them realise they too are just as beautiful as the models that appear in magazines. Having access to a professional photographer who knows how to light and pose can make all the difference when it comes to liking yourself in pictures. In this case this young lady wasn't keen on being photographed. Its not something she particularly enjoyed and certainly didn't look forward to. In fact I had to convince her to trust me. As with so many people, she wasn't all that thrilled to have to see herself in pictures. The more I work with adults both young and not so young the more I'm finding that not many like seeing themselves in pictures. I myself being one of them. I'll admit, photographing professional models is easier. Not because they are more beautiful but because they have a skill. They know how to pose for the camera. And probably more important than that is they are comfortable in fron...

Well we are finished once again for another year. It comes and goes so quickly these days and I spend most of it both loving and fearing the experience. I'm someone who thoroughly enjoys speaking to an audience but loathes the anticipation of it all. Well thats not strictly true. I look forward to the event until just before it when the nerves take over and turn my stomach upside down. And then when its all over I want to do it all over again. I'm already thinking of ideas for next year. (If you have anything you wish to see please get in touch. New ideas are always welcome) I have to admit I was pretty impressed with the turnout for the demos on the Bowens stage. Each time I participate in one of these events I wonder just how many people will be interested in what I have to say. And each time I feel honoured and proud to see such a large audience. It was a fantastic experience and one I feel very lucky to be a part of. I asked for these images to be taken not because I l...

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 collaboratin...