In this month’s edition of Good Light magazine with tips, tricks and tutorials about portrait & beauty photography they are running a feature including a tutorial on how I created the image on the front cover of my book with details of lens choice, lighting, dealing with the model and photo retouching etc.

Best of all Good Light have allowed me to provide the readers of this blog with a link for a secret voucher so you can download the entire magazine onto your iPad for free directly from the iTunes store. Please check this cool mag at http://GoodLightMag.com

Good Light Magazine

Somebody asked me recently if I had abandoned the blog and the simple answer is no. I’ve just been flat out busy with photography work and I’m also knee deep writing a new book that I hope will be ready in about a month if all goes well. I’ll share more details about that nearer the release date.

Frankly I’m always a little suspicious of photographers who can post blog updates almost every day. How busy can they really be? 

In the meanwhile I thought I’d simply pass on this free offer from Michael Zelbel for a Photoshop template that allows you to make your images with models look like a Hollywood movie poster. Simply download it and give it a try.

PS check out this eBook if you are interested in boudoir photography.

Daylight Nude Photography

Nothing beats daylight nude photography when done properly. It has a soft warmth and natural delicacy that is very hard if not impossible to match with flash or other light sources. There are several reasons why professional photographers might choose to fly half way across the world to photograph a series of images but high up on that list will be the quality of available daylight.

Whether you are shooting glamour, fine art nudes or beauty photography the quality of light is a key element in making your images successful and very often getting the right natural light will give your image a major boost.

These days you can work wonders in Photoshop but I still believe that starting out with a beautiful model photographed in the best possible light is the greatest contribution you can make towards producing a stunning final image. It’s the basic foundation for your image and all the rest is just tinkering at the edges.

The black & white photograph above relies on nothing more than daylight coming through a single window with net curtains and using the bed sheet to offer some soft reflection on the body. It was shot at F4 using a 50mm lens on my 1DsII.

In the past there have been beauty campaigns I have shot in daylight studios using no flash or other sources of light and the images definitely have a natural quality that I very much like. Better still it was also appreciated by the client.

Renting a daylight studio can be expensive but they are in great demand because of the ultimate flexibility they offer and it may be worth looking at your own property to see if there are areas that can be used in a similar way. All it might take are some inexpensive changes such as a fresh coat of paint in a warm natural colour and some net curtains to transform a space into a very workable area for daylight nude photography just like I have done in the picture below.

Whether shooting indoors or outdoors try giving some serious consideration to how you make best use of daylight for your photography.

Glamour Models – How to find and choose the ideal glamour model.

Glamour models are generally somewhat different from the models I would normally work with for beauty or fine art nudes. They tend to have a more rounded curvaceous form with larger breasts and a more overtly sexy look. They are also generally found in different kinds of model agencies than the typical fashion models.

Originally the term glamour photography evoked a much more sophisticated image but over time the lines have blurred to cover all sorts of areas including fairly brazen sexual images that can range from powerful erotic art to the downright tacky and vulgar. Then you  also have more commercial ones like the one above.

The model you see above is a girl I shot in Prague a few years ago and she is pretty much ideal for a wide range of general glamour photography. First of all she has a knockout figure with good clean skin, which makes my life far easier on the shoot because she will look good from just about any angle.

Something else you’ll notice about the model and the way I’ve photographed her is that it creates a sort of “girl next door” type image. In other words I’ve deliberately worked on creating a feel that is friendly and approachable. N.B From a commercial standpoint an image like this is far more saleable than all those images of hard angry looking glamour models.

There is no specific ideal hair colour for glamour models, but a good looking blonde is always a safe bet. Redheads are fairly rare in glamour photography but practically any shade of brunette can work and a light suntan is invariably helpful.

One of the key characteristics I look for in glamour models is a happy, confident attitude so they work with enthusiasm to create the required images for the shoot. Another point I look for is natural grace, which you can tell just by seeing how she moves and holds herself but needless to say you should also be looking for these points when you view her portfolio.

Some of you will already know from my book that I’m not a big fan of models found through the internet because they tend to be less reliable than models with established agencies, however I realise that many photographers are quite happy to work with models found on through any of the various model/photographer websites. Ultimately you have to review your options and see what you can do.

On a commercial job the client should ultimately be covering the model fees, so you way as well save yourself some time and stress by dealing with a good agency and an experienced model. It goes without saying that you should also be cultivating good relations with a wide range of agencies who can help when you need a model either for an assignment or personal work.

You can find a range of agencies with glamour models here.

Nude In Water Studio Photography

Over many years I have always enjoyed creating images using a nude in water, whether outdoors on location or in the studio. First starting with the beauty photography, where water is one of the most commonly used elements to show a healthy moisturised skin I then moved on to beauty nudes where it was just as useful and later on with some glamour photography as well.

Water has a chameleon like quality and is a very versatile tool for the photographer to exploit because of the way it can be used to change the feel of an image from fresh and energetic to sensual, sultry or peaceful, so while there are definitely some tricks to learn it offers many benefits and is also one of the more cost effective props you can use in your photography.

Just for starters, think of all the locations you can choose to photograph a nude in water including waterfalls, streams, lakes, rivers, the beach, swimming pools, jacuzzis and hot water pools etc. Many of these are also surrounded by interesting landscapes or buildings that offer a useful backdrop to your images.

Another great advantage of working with water is that it often brings sense to the picture and gives your model something specific to do, which always helps to create more interesting images if the model feels engaged in the shoot but not in a way that makes her feels awkward and self conscious.

When shooting a nude in water at a studio it’s obviously important to take a few precautions, especially if you are using flash, so you should make every possible effort to maintain a safe distance between any flash packs and splashing water or even an excessive build up of moisture that could be dangerous. Above all make absolutely certain that any lights are securely positioned so they cannot fall in any water. You have a responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those who you are working with.

Another factor to consider is the temperature of the water, which ultimately has to be comfortable and safe for the model. That means it can’t be so hot that it burns, but equally if you are shooting outdoors remember that a frozen landscape with rushing water may sound fantastic but there’s a good chance you’ll end up calling the emergency services when your model starts suffering from hypothermia… In the meanwhile you’ll probably have nothing but a couple images of a model in pain with bright pink skin covered in goosebumps.

When shooting a nude in water, remember that you have incredible scope for experimentation such as altering the movement of the water and playing with the shutter speeds to achieve varying degrees of blur and movement. Then you can apply oil to the skin and also look at how the water interacts with other elements in the image such a frosted sheet of glass or the pebbles on a beach. The opportunities and choices are incredible.

You can see a couple examples of images I have done with a nude in water at my website.

Art Of Boudoir Photography With Speedlights

Art Of Boudoir Photography With Speedlights is the title of a PDF eBook written by Michael Zelbel, which looks specifically at the area of how to shoot boudoir images in a bedroom with simple portable speedlight flash and how to make it work reliably, so that you come away with good images.

Not so long ago it would have been considered impossible to do images like this without studio lighting but thanks to advances in digital cameras and off camera speedlight flash, countless photographers are now looking seriously at ways to do this on a tight budget.

Although it’s great having all the equipment in the world, sometimes it’s a distraction and I like Michael’s minimalist approach and as he demonstrates how it’s possible to put together a fully functional lighting kit for just a few hundred dollars if you are careful.

Instead of including a selection of images from various shoots Michael Zelbel chose to concentrate on just one extended shoot using a single model and shows how to work with the situation to your best advantage. He concentrates specifically on using minimum amounts of equipment, so it’s light and easy to setup, while also allowing space to work in. Practicality is the core message in the Art Of Boudoir Photography With Speedlights.

Although this isn’t a huge eBook it does manage to contain quite a bit of practical information such as:

• Balancing your light sources
• Choosing the right equipment
• Exploiting the natural props found in a bedroom
• The right choice of lingerie
• How to setup your lights
• Warming up the skin tones
• Model posing (including a cheat sheet)
• Mistakes to avoid

There is also some helpful advice on working with the model, finding the right body shapes and explaining the importance of experimentation so it’s not just limited to a technical discussion and should be of interest to anybody interested in working with models.

You can find out more about the Art Of Boudoir Photography With Speedlights and download a copy at Michael’s site. 

Fine Art Nude Shape Study

The above fine art nude image was shot with a 50mm lens on a 35mm SLR. It was simply intended as a bit of fun following a rather mundane commercial shoot. The model had a lovely personality and was happy to do more images, just for the enjoyment and as a chance to experiment.

Working out of my rather cramped studio in Milan, where I was based at the time, I rolled down a piece of black unlit Colorama paper to create the background. I then simply placed a fairly standard rectangular softbox to the side of the model, from not too far away. We then applied oil and water to her skin for a more sensual look.

Normally, this light would render everything in quite a hard way, so I started by attaching various pieces of black board; masking down the area of light, until it became just a small slither of light, which produced more pronounced shadows and greater mood, while ensuring the light did not spill over to a wider area that might have ruined the feel.

The model was from Venezuela and had a naturally dark olive skin, but to accentuate this, I fixed a piece of orange coloured gel to the font of the softbox, creating a much warmer look and measured the light levels with a Gossen flash meter.

I like the way that the black pants blend into the background on this image, helping the composition. A straight cut off with skin, at the bottom of her waist, would have had less visual impact. Overall I wanted to combine the feeling of a fine art nude but with an added sensual warmth and sultry mood.

A fine art nude does not need to complex either in lighting or in composition. In fact trying to be too clever may well backfire and it is often better to concentrate on simple interpretations making use of light, shadows and warmth to create sensual images.

The video above is not specifically related to shooting models or even photography in general but it manages to perfectly sum up the approach of certain companies and individuals who attempt to obtain something for nothing in business. Nowhere is this problem more evident than in photography…

Unfortunately this kind of attitude is something that countless professional photographers face on a regular basis. How many times has a client said “we don’t have much budget this time” as though it was somehow different last week or will change next week…

Then there are those classics about doing the first job cheaply or even free as a test. Why should somebody who has been shooting professionally for years have to prove themselves with a test? Do you ask an electrician to rewire your house for free as a test?

Then we have that old chestnut called recognition with the infamous credit line. Let us publish your pictures for free and you will soon become a legend in Council Bluffs Iowa! In reality of course you’ll just be a soon forgotten struggling photographer who was taken in by a scam artist. The next time you get a request like that try asking the other person if they are paid for their work… Usually they are paid a nice reliable salary.

It’s frustrating and we’ve all be there at some point or another but for some reason photographers are generally far too “understanding and reasonable” (read gullible) when work discussions go in this direction and I think it has become much worse in recent years for all kinds of reasons.

There are far more part time photographers nowadays. These are the weekend warriors of photography with a day job who want to throw their hat in the ring without ever really considering the true costs of doing business. They figure they have a digital camera and that makes them a professional photographer but how long did they spend as an assistant learning how to deliver pictures according to the brief, on time and within the budget every time? How expert are they in colour management and preparing files for commercial print? This list goes on.

The stock agencies selling images for peanuts also deserve special mention… They take a pile it high and sell it cheap approach that grossly devalues both the perception of photography as a profession and the real monetary value of images by selling at prices that reflect neither the photographer’s costs nor the value to the client. They can only do this because they didn’t have to pay for the model, makeup, location, styling or retouching and just before I forget to mention it the photography!

On the other side of the equation there are substantially more corporate bean counters working in companies who only care about an immediate short term saving but have no real clue about the value of good photography and how an experienced professional can help their business. This makes it harder all round and is short sighted from every perspective, not least for the clients themselves.

It is the nature of a market economy that people are free to enter discussions over price and on the whole that is a good thing but the simple fact is that business exists to make a profit. As a professional photographer you need to make a profit, so you must know your real costs and price accordingly to earn a profit. It’s not rocket science and if you fail to make an adequate profit you soon go out of business.

The next time somebody approaches you and wants you to work for free or at below cost price just say no. Chances are you’ll lose that “client” but at that point you can breath a huge sigh of relief because it then becomes somebody else’s problem. Somebody else’s loss if they accept the deal.

Rather than worrying about it spend time on finding clients that are prepared to pay a fair amount for your work and looking at ways to bring added value to your work by improving your skills as a photographer. Fighting to become the cheapest is a miserable business model.

In recent years it has become much more common to see composite images (sometimes known as a montage) like the one above where a subject is inserted into a background photo during post production retouching. Sometimes it produces amazing results but frequently I think photographers are getting it badly wrong and the final image can be quite poor.

Nowadays we see examples of composite images in all kinds of areas from glamour and nude photography through to general advertising, so I thought it would be worth looking at the philosophy and some best practices in creating images like this. I’m not going into precise technical details because there are endless tutorials out there, so I just want to look at some of the basic points that are frequently forgotten.

First a step back in time…

I took the picture above for a cosmetics assignment about 10 years ago when images like this were remarkably rare compared to now. Photoshop was quite limited in what it could do at the time with few of the clever tricks we have available now. Professional retouching was hugely expensive…

The 8 Core Mac Pro I am using today has 32 gigs of Ram but ten years ago very few photographers even had 1 gig of Ram installed. Previously if I wanted to save a 500MB file including a few layers it took several minutes, whereas now it takes about a second. That kind of massive increase in performance has played a large part in the rising popularity of composite images because they are so much quicker to produce now, especially with the advances in Photoshop.

Given the choice I would always choose to shoot something straight and create the right look in camera given enough budget but it’s not always possible, so if you do have to shoot a composite image or perhaps you really want to there are a few things to consider.

First of all you really need to select your background image before you photograph the model. This is essential so that you are able to study the lighting and composition, enabling you to photograph the model in a way that makes sense. Do the shadows on your main subject match the ones in the background image and is the colour temperature a good match? Try to visualise the final image as a whole rather than as separate elements.

I think the worst errors occur when the photographer shoots a model in the studio with no similar element or lighting to help blend in with the background image. In the photograph above I managed to use some real white sand taken from a beach in Greece and shoot the model against a blue paper backdrop, which was a close match for the blue sky. That allows you to do a far better job when cutting out a path and blending the two images.

Although it’s quite possible to do a good selection path yourself in Photoshop, when I look at the workflow of various professional photographers I know almost all of them are sending this work out to companies who do the job quickly and cheaply to a high standard. I think it’s one of those areas where outsourcing really makes sense, especially if you have a number of images to do.

Another point where photographers often fall down is when there is a large difference in file quality between the background image and the main subject, so when they are joined the difference becomes really obvious. In an ideal world both images should be shot with the same camera and lens but if that’s not possible at least try to ensure there isn’t a huge discrepancy so that you can blend the two images as well as possible.

Ask yourself if the final composite image makes sense. There are some incredible examples of photography that would only be possible with composite techniques which are visually inspiring and technically superb but ask yourself honestly if the combination you are creating really works or if it’s just a badly done gimmick…

The only way to learn though is through experimentation so why not have a go?

Portable Flash Photography Training Online

Recently I was in contact with a professional photographer called Phil Steele based in the US who runs a series of effective online video training courses in various aspects of photography and Photoshop that I am sure many of your would find very useful. These are available in high-def or standard-def so you can choose either one depending on your connection speed.

Phil is very well known for his photography training and his obvious enthusiasm was clear as he showed me his site including some free tutorials. He was also kind enough to let me take a look at the courses, which I immediately knew would be of interest to my blog readers.

The first one I wanted to tell you about covers portable flash photography and is called “How to Shoot Professional Looking Headshots and Portraits on a Budget with Small Flashes“. Although not specifically related to nudes or glamour the same basic theories and practices would apply and this is good information that will be useful in practically any sphere of photography involving portable flash photography with models.

I know from the many emails I receive that several of you are interested in how to create professional looking images with small portable flashes rather than large studio lighting for all sorts of good reasons ranging from questions of cost through to practicality and simple fun.

In fact I’ve done posts before on this blog involving portable flash photography showing how I used a Canon 580EX inside an apartment to light a glamour image, so it’s something I both understand and practice myself at times.

Small portable flashes have been around for years but the technology allowing you to shoot reliably off camera to create more dynamic effects is relatively new and Phil does a fantastic job of explaining everything in very practical terms including how to equip yourself for on a budget along with the techniques used to produce great looking images. On a side note it amazes me how many attachments have emerged recently for portable flash photography that allow you to create effects that were previously only possible with high end studio equipment.

I particularly liked the way the courses are presented in a very direct manner with clear fact filled information and I even learned a couple things myself about some interesting pieces of budget priced equipment that I had never heard of before and the ways they can be used. The cost of the course is easily justified by these cost saving tips alone…

It’s not just a series of videos though because the pages include links to further detailed information on specific equipment and where you can find it. Better still the site includes regularly updated information, so you know you are always getting the most up to date facts and opinion.

The course starts with a basic introduction and moves on to cover many aspects including: * Equipment

* Assembly and testing

* A four step formula for manual flash and camera settings

* Various photo shoots both indoors and outdoors including models

* Several items of bonus material

The site is well worth checking out for anybody who is interested in exploring the potential of small portable flash units and how they can be used in all kinds of photography from basic head shots through to advanced portraits and glamour images. For all but the most experienced and advanced flash users who obviously don’t need any training this is a very good investment.

Phil Steele’s Portable Flash Photography Training Online

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybk8Dq2FeSM