Getting Started

The first set of the afternoon 

I'd like to start off with a recent shoot I did for a friend and local musician from the Orlando area, Michelle Elise. It took a few months to work our schedules out, but when we were finally able to plan a shoot I was pleased with the results. It only took a Saturday afternoon and a little bit of luck with the sun in the right place to get started. With some naturally diffused lighting coming through the palms overhead and a nice bounce off of the white marble patio everything fell into place.
Although the day went very smooth, I definitely found it difficult to express to Michelle how I wanted her to pose and when I actually got the shot I was looking for. I have found that with many inexperienced or even nervous or eager subjects, they will change a pose as soon as they hear the shutter "click." So it is important to let your models know that just because they hear the camera, they shouldn't change their pose. As the photographer might want to reframe the image, or capture the same look from another angle. Thus, it is essential that there be an open dialogue during the shoot. I also found it helpful to mirror or "imitate" poses myself for Michelle to copy. This is just easier to see than to explain to someone on how you would like for them to pose and helps to make the session more productive. Neil van Niekerk elaborates on this topic during his blog entitled "posing normal, everyday people for portraits."

I also used another one of Neil's tools for bouncing an on camera flash. I had assumed the majority of shooting would be done outdoors and was unprepared for indoor shooting as I didn't bring any supplemental lighting. The photo above was shot with
only natural light and an on-camera flash which was bounced off of nearby ceilings and walls, while using the "black foamy thing" often used by Neil and now highly recommended by me. The flash used was a 580EXII which can be found here at B&H photo video. The primary reason this hand made flag of sorts is so useful is because it keeps the light from the on camera flash from falling onto your subject directly. This would result in flat lighting.  It also helps in directing light from your flash towards a nearby ceiling or wall. The result is larger source, turning the small flash into a whole wall of light from any direction. This creates a much softer, less intense key and gets you away from the on camera flash or "paparazzi" look, as I like to call it.

A candid shot, that proves being in the right place at the right time cant be recreated. 

This was the first of several pin-up style shoots planned with Michelle, future shoots with new themes and more models are to come.