From My Portfolio

originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.

Here is one of my favorite shots I took on Saturday during a boudoir session held by the Mile High Photographer's Femme Photographie group. In order to get this shot, I used a ladder so I could shoot down on the model from above.

Some general portrait post processing finished off the look. This shot was captured with two lights from Calumet, one to left and right front of the model. I used my Canon 580 EX II on a bracket for fill.

I love how the model's pink panties and the pillow add just the right touch of color to what would have been an otherwise nearly monotone color palette. Plus, that leopard skin toss blanket and velvet brown comforter add fun as well as texture to the shot.

Get the Goods: Outdoor Portraits Instructional Videos

Cincinnati professional photographer Jim Talkington's blog, prophotolife.com recently released a three-part series on outdoor portraiture that I have found extremely useful for posing and mixing ambient light with on location strobes.


episode 25, outdoor portraits #1 from Jim Talkington on Vimeo.


episode 26, outdoor portraits #2 from Jim Talkington on Vimeo.


Episode 27, Outdoor Portraits #3 from Jim Talkington on Vimeo.



The videos also convinced me that I need to buy a Calumet Calumet 42x78" Aluminum Frame with Translucent Fabric and Leg Set and a Calumet 42 x 78" (107 x 198cm) Gold/White Panel Fabric.





Having those items on hand will make it much easier for me to bounce and diffuse light without bugging my client's friends to act as assistants for me. I think I will also take Jim's advice and start using my 70-200mm instead of my 16-35 which distorts a subject's features.

Get the Goods: Calumet Summer Seminars Announced

Got this news in an email today: Calumet is hosting over 100 seminars, workshops and demo days in various cities to boost your photography skills. Unfortunately, none of these are being held in Colorado - which doesn't help me much - but check out the schedule to see if anything is happening closer to your neck of the woods. Learn the best methods for working with models, dive into underwater photography or discover tricks the pros use. Live sessions with manufacturers, seminars with some of the world's top photographers and educators, and massive in-store sale events are available at a Calumet location near you. Register online to reserve a spot at any seminar and receive reminders, send feedback and invite friends.

Topics to be covered include:

Digital fundamentals
Printer demonstrations
Portrait photography
Improving workflow
Color management
Photoshop tools
Digital printmaking
Weddings

Breaking News: Foto3 Conference and Contest

The annual foto3 conference and trade show will be accepting entries for its photography competition from April 1 through May 1. The contest is open to all photographers. Prize winners and honorable mentions will be exhibited during the Foto3 Conference being held the first week of June, 2008, in Fort Collins, CO. Download the entry form here.

There are two categories, Student and Master Photographer, with one Grand Prize and several division prizes: Overall Grand Prize: $2,500 Yee haw, that would definitely help me pay off some of the equipment gone into debt for! Good luck everyone! If you enter something, feel free to post up your images here and tell us about it. I may have a little sumthin' sumthin' I plan to enter as well! ;)

Student Competition
First Prize: $1,000
Second Prize Black & White: $500
Second Prize Color: $500
10 Honorable Mention Awards

Master Photographer Competition
First Prize: $1,500 (PLUS a Workshop session)
Second Prize Black & White: $750
Second Prize Color: $750
10 Honorable Mention Awards

Please note any technical details you care to share with the judges with each image submitted. Selected images will be published in an upcoming issue of View Camera and other magazines. See submission requirements here.

Entry Fees

$35 for three images (additional images may be submitted at $10 per image).

Students may enter three images for $15 ($5 each per additional image). Copy of student I.D. required with entry.

In all instances, the fees must include return postage or other prepaid return shipping for all entries (e.g., a FedEx label with your account number or credit card number). Any entry that does not include the necessary return shipping labels or postage will not be judged and will be destroyed on receipt.

The annual Foto3 conference and trade show is based on a simple concept: photographers dedicated to the art and craft of photography. Bringing together the ideas and resources of two conferences that had been held separately by View Camera and Calumet, Foto3 provides a venue for photographers to display their work, share experiences and advance their skills.

Sponsors at Foto3 2008 will include industry leaders such as Canon, HP, Fujifilm, Epson, Ilford, Adobe and Calumet Photographic. Events will range from informative seminars and hands-on workshops to a variety of special exhibitions. Learn traditional darkroom workflow or digital color management, ambient portrait lighting or painting with light, plus many more creative, technical and business techniques. And Foto3 will host its first photography competition, open to all photographers in all formats. Register for the conference here.