It is encouraging, it proves what can be done with some simple light diffusion. On a sunny day a white bed sheet stretched out above and beside the subject to harness blazing sunlight could work wonders, Nick’s shoot is on a far bigger scale but it’s the same idea.  It’s easy to point to strobes as the solution but diffused natural light is also a great option for portraits on location.  Metal cutters can also help if shooting in a car!

http://bit.ly/cohg65

Hamish.

Hamish.

Hey Team

We’re back from a two-week trip to South Africa. Whilst there, we met some of the Hillsong Cape Town crew. They are a fantastic bunch and it was awesome to share in some of the excitement happening in Cape Town.

Coming back to London, it quickly became evident that winter is just about here. Traditionally, photographers use winter to relax, update their portfolios and plan new shoots for following summer. For me, winter is my favourite time for photography. Here are some reasons to keep shooting this winter:

• The sun is generally low on the horizon, make the light for more pleasing.
• Trees and bushes shed their leaves, making simple, graphic compositions much easier to find.
• Christmas and winter light adds a bit of magic into the air, helping to inspire photographers and models alike.
• The light is generally soft, making it easy to work with natural and artificial lighting.

So please, get out and shoot and fill the flickr pool with some inspirational winter pictures.

There’s a wide range of images showcased based on current affairs and i’ve found it very inspiring.

Check it out….

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/

He sounded interesting, so I typed his name into Google to find his website. Well it seems I had been living in a cave. Jeremy Cowart has been featured on Scott Kelby’s blog and interviewed for the Lightsource podcast, both of which I subscribe to. He has also photographed many well-known (anyone heard of Barack Obama) celebrities. Most bizarrely, I’m a massive fan of a lot of bands coming out of Nashville, many of which Jeremy has done the promo and cover work.

It might surprise you to hear that Jeremy does most of his photography with a single light being very spontaneous and flexible, something we are required to do quite often. Take the time to check out his work and get inspired.

I’ve included a spotify link to some of the bands Jeremy has worked for. Hope you enjoy:

• Mat Kearney
• The Daylights
• Imogen Heap
• Switchfoot

One thing Zack mentioned was quite a surprise to me. He said that so many photographers  mention that they have mastered the technical aspects of photography and ask him how to go about marketing themselves. When Zack checked out their work, he noticed that most of their work was inferior and in actual fact, they had not mastered their craft. Zack is convinced that once a photographer has mastered their craft, business will follow.

My role in our team is to develop the photographers on the team. I would like to start by concentrating on the craft. Before I start planning workshops, I want to ask you what you would like them to be on. Where possible, I will try get an expert to host the workshop.

So what would you like to learn? Here are some ideas:

• Retouching
• Location Lighting
• Portrait Techniques
• Composition
• The three basics (aperture, shutter speed and ISO)

Looking forward to hearing from you.

• Iceland – hands down the most beautiful, dramatic and diverse place I’ve ever seen. Definitely a place I will return to and maybe even live at for a short while. Here are some landscapes and portraits from Iceland.
• Cephalonia – a Greek island. Good for chilling out and getting a tan. Not so much for photography.
• Croatia – Full of great architecture, beautiful beaches and interesting sights. Dubrovnik and Plitvitz are especially enchanting.
• Paris – The French version of London, great for street photography.

I started shooting video on this trip. Once I figure out how to make the 5D files editable, I’ll post a few clips. The reason that I mention this is that I know many of you have video SLRs and with new, cheaper models being released all the time, it is only a natural progression for us to start working on video projects.

I’m loving this video by Chase Jarvis shot with Nikon’s latest offering:

Even more entertaining is the behind the scenes video. Can you honestly tell me that you don’t wish it was you who did this trip?

Closer to home, here is a video from a good friend of mine, Dale shot with a Canon 5D markII. Dale lives out in Haywards Heath and has recently started doing photography full-time. He also runs an interesting blog about his experiences starting out.

The last video is from another good friend of mine, Shane. This one was shot mostly with a Canon 7D and shows a side of Scotland that most of us are not familiar with.

Well, I hope you guys are inspired and I hope the year to come brings ridiculously amazing photos and super cool videos from the team.

We’re keen to see you guys soon – not even to discuss shoot, just to hang out.

Cheers

John

The best way to always keep shooting is to set up test shoots. Nick Onken has a brilliant article on test shoots that sums up the process far better than I could in this article. Please take the time to read it and start applying it to your own photography world.

Here are some basic tips to add to the article:

• Websites like modelmeyhem are great for sourcing like minded talent like models, make up artists, stylists and so on. If you don’t already have an account, set one up, it is free.
• Consider the people you know. Are any of them interesting photo subjects? In your circle of friends, you may know musicians, artists, actors, writers, high-profile business people and so on, all who will make great subjects.
• When working on shoots with a team, always get their contact details and express interest in working on other projects.
• Collaborate with a few other photographers to hire a venue for a shoot. With the cost split amongst a few people, it can be quite affordable and may lead to well paid jobs. Shoot factory lists houses, studios, quirky locations and industrial sites all for hire.
• Post the results on our flickr page. It is always satisfying to receive feedback from a shoot and it keeps everyone else motivated in involved.

I am running a photoshop work shop this weekend so this is just a little brief overview of what I am covering

1. Selection Tools
2. Filters
3. Liquify Tool
4. Layers (Only touching on this briefly because its a massive topic. There are whole books written on this topic.
5. Basic Brushes and Opacity Settings

After that a few questions and then into some Portrait Retouching. Which is as follows:

1. Blemish Removal and Wrinkles
2. Eye Enhancement
3. Lip Enhancement
4. Skin Smoothing and Texturing
5. Sharpening
6. Color adjustments and shadowing
7. Contrast

I am not putting a time on this because it will take a while. So if you keen come and have a listen. I have attached an example for you all first the After and then the Before. Time is still to be announced and place I think will most likely be in the Media hub.

Thanks Brett

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