In My Library: Takegreatpictures.com Newsletter

Copyright © Image by Tim Grey

Last week's issue of my takegreatpictures.com newsletter had a great article from digital photography guru Tim Grey sharing step-by-step instructions for adding a dreamy infrared effect to a regular photograph.

Infrared is a hot look right now in digital imagery, but this article proved that you don't need costly software to achieve the effect. Some simple steps in Photoshop will simulate it equally well using adjustment layers and channels. I have yet to truly venture into Lightroom as I'm still having so much fun learning insider Photoshop tricks just like these. Try using this technique on greenery and other foliage in some of your landscape photography.

Copyright © Image by Tim Grey

If Photoshop isn't your bag, try using an IR filter such as a HOYA R72, which was used to capture this image from discoversomething.com.



Copyright © Image by discoversomething.com

Get more inspiration from checking out this gallery, "The Beauty of Infrared," by J. Andrzej Wrotniak. It was fun for me as a portrait photographer to learn from Wrotniak that the technique can also be used when shooting people, transforming skin into blemish-free porcelain.

Copyright © J. Andrzej Wrotniak

In My Library: Professional Posing Techniques for Wedding and Portrait Photograhers

When it comes to posing subjects, my natural gift of interacting with people helps them achieve comfortable positions for shots. But I have trouble posing group portraits and making sure I carefully pose a subject to flatter their figures. To get a more sound understanding of the fundamental skills needed to pose men, women, couples and groups, I picked up acclaimed photographer Norman Phillips book, "Professional Posing Techniques for Wedding and Portrait Photographers." The book is a comprehensive, must-have tool for photographers new to portraits, but it's also got enough new tricks to keep old hat photographers interested as well.



I loved the chapter on slimming techniques. The photographers who get the most business are the ones who are aware of making their subjects look their best. I also found the group portraits chapter indispensable. Phillips' decision to split his examples into groups of two, three, four and larger were extremely helpful in learning how to keep subjects visible, evenly lit, and showing some type of affinity for one another. The important of placement of arms, hands, feet and legs is simple, yet effectively, explained to make sure one subject doesn't dominate another. His design strategies for group portraits offer reliable concepts a photographer can arm himself with no matter the shooting situation.

Highlights in the book include:
1) Understanding the goals of good posing, and the most common obstacles to success.
2) Styles of posing, from formal to casual
3) Critical differences between posing me and women
4) Understanding body language and how it impacts the viewer of a portrait
5) Tips for making each part of the body look its best
6) Standing, seated, and floor poses
7) Strategies for posing group portraits
8) Before and after sequences showing common posing problems and how to fix them
9) Using careful posing to flatter every figure type

In My Library: PhotoVision Video Magazine Issue 67

Every other month I receive a 2-hour video from PhotoVision Video Magazine , an ongoing educational training seminar for professional photographers hosted by Ed Pierce. Each DVD contains photography styles and techniques, digital work flow, lighting and posing, Photoshop tricks and marketing and sales strategies from photographers working on actual sessions with real clients. The 67th Issue featured: "Wedding Part 1," a segment where celebrated photographer Daniel Doke took viewers on set to a bride's home the morning of her nuptials.

Here are some of the tips I took away from the interview with Doke:

1) He uses a 50 mm 1.2 lens, often shooting wide open to blur out a distracting background
2) One of his signature images is to capture the bride's shoes in focus in the foreground with the bride out of focus in the background
3) He goes for detail shots such as "save the date" notices
4) When the bride is getting dressed, he concentrates on the finger's of helpers zipping or lacing up the back of the dress.
5) He photographs expressions of both happiness and frustration for a storytelling, documentary feel
6) He combines mixed light and flash with ambient lighting
7) He gains the bride's trust so he can "control" them without seeming pushy.
8) He uses curtains and railings, nooks and cranies to frame the bride or act as leading lines to emphasize her face
9) He shoots the bride with all of her bridesmaids in one image, and then the bride with each bridesmaid separately, in both serious and funny poses. He also shoots combos of the bride with her parents and grandparents..."the more combos you have, the more albums you can sell."
10) He shoots indoors and outside the home, favoring the soft even light that's available when shooting on the porch.

In My Library: Get this month's issue of Popular Photography

If you haven't already subscribed to Popular Photography yet (which you should), then make sure you get your hands on the June 2008 issue. It's the "Big How-To Issue," and it has more than 20 tips that can help raise the bar on your techniques, from shooting to post processing and editing.

I really enjoyed the section on sharpening your photos because I am notorious for overdoing that. The tip, according to Pop Photo is to use the Smart Sharpen tool in CS2/3 and keep your radius low. Get ideas for "blue skies," "flash," "portraits" and a cool section on "time-lapse."

In My Library

A fabulous photography coffee table book landed on my desk last week, (thank you, to whomever left it for me!) and I haven't been able to put it down since. "America at Home: A Close-up Look at How We Live," (Against All Odds Productions, $40) is an amazing feat of photojournalism that captures the images of the collective dream we all share: the longing for a place called home.

Authors Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt are the creative minds behind some of the industry's most provocative photography books, including "The Day in the Life" series and AMERICA 24/7. Their newest work tries to define what "home" means to Americans featured in more than 250 photos. From an 84-square-foot cottage on wheels to a crowded Harlem street in the Puerto Rican part of town, each peak inside these residents' lives showcase the rituals, social interactions and treasured moments of our most sacred space.

I enjoyed the colorful examples of pictures that tell stories viewers can relate to. The shot of the church service in New Orleans reminds me of my childhood when I struggled to stay awake during long sermons. Bermese mountain dog puppies nibling on their owners toes brings a smile to my face because my dogs love to do the same thing. The photos are filled with life and emotion, and it's the type of photography I strive for everyday. A cool interactive feature allows readers to personalize their copy of the book by transforming a favorite digital image into a glossy book cover at My America At Home.