From My Portfolio: Jessaca's Bridal Portraits

Over the weekend I and three other photographers shot Jessaca's bridal portrait session in my home studio. I've been editing her images this week. I found this photo so striking that I just had to post it.

I think her gorgeous eyes are really what make this image. The catch lights from my Alien Bee strobe inside a soft box and a Westcott Spiderlite TD5 lighting make her eyes pop. The expression on her face is filled with natural wonder because I took this shot while Jessaca was watching the two other photographers set up for their next photo. She was entranced by their work, and consequently was unaware I was taking this shot at the same time. Once she realized I was shooting, her expression got stiffer, more self-conscious and those shots didn't work. But this original one does. I often like to sneak in these kinds of shots while other photographers are holding a subject's attention. I think it offers a different perspective in the overall album a client might purchase from a shoot.

Here is a different take on a traditional wedding ring shot:

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.

From My Portfolio

I'm just about done editing all of my photos from the National Brotherhood of Skiers 2009 Summit, with just two more events to go! I've been uploading them to my business website so my client and choose the images she wants me to put on a DVD. You can see the galleries at the top of my CLIENTS page.

This shot is one of my favorites for its simplicity, composition and motion. I love how the colors of his ski suit standout against the white of the snow, and that rush of snow kicking up behind him captures the excitement of the moment. Even though I cropped out the trees in the far left-hand side of the frame to stop them from cluttering the background, I love the shadows they cast in the image, lending some extra texture.

From My Portfolio

J'ere at ease, originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.

The meet-up held with members of the Mile High Digital Photography School social group last month was a goldmine for fashion portraits for me! The models were versatile and fun to work with. And I'm finally starting to feel more confident about using strobes and blending flash with ambient light.

This shot of Model J'ere Hicks is one of my favorites from the day, as well as a signature candid portrait. I think J'ere is looking and smiling at his girlfriend, Model Pinay Bella. He is natural and at ease in this shot.

One of the things I realized during this meet up is how few male portraits I have in my port. Not only do I not have enough, but I had a hard time posing the male models as well. I kept making the mistake of accidently putting them in classic feminine poses. So I asked J'ere to help me learn how to pose men. I let him take the lead and paid attention to how he sat, what he did with his legs and his hands and how he positioned his body.

In an article with ePHOTOzine, portrait photographer Michael Alan Bielat, offered these tips for posing men:

1) pose (men) with arms crossed or standing shoulder length, with thungs in their pocket.
2) have (men) squat down, knees bent, arms resting on the knees and shoot down on them
3) although he avoids this particular angle, Bielat says he can get away with "shooting up at a man....to make them look powerful"

I found these suggestions on campusmen.com regarding how male photographers make male models look good:

1) emphasize a models assests (such as toned abs, chest and buttocks) while avoiding problem areas such as scars, birthmarks or pimples
2) when stressing muscular poses, make sure the model's body does not appear distorted or twisted unnaturally.

STN Photography offered these tips for positioning males:

1) male hands should be closed while females shoudl be more open
2) make men a little taller than women
3) tilt the top of a the male's head toward the far shoulder
4) pose men to the right of the frame and women to the left

I think I got some good shots, but I want to work with more males so I can learn how to shoot them in ways that flatter their nature. Plus, the space available at North Denver Photography Studios was plentiful so we could all branch out and have several shooting stations going at once. So if you are looking for a place to shoot, I would definitely suggest it. The studio has expanded.

From My Portfolio

One of my instructors drilled his favorite mandate into my skull during class: “Exhaust All Possibilities!” What Digital Photo Academy teacher Russ Burden usually does before he shoots a subject is walk 360 degrees around it, getting above the subject or shooting down at it’s level or lower, looking at every possible angle to capture it. He likes to use different lens too for the same subject to get different perspectives.

So I try to keep all of this in mind when I shoot, too. This photo is an example of using that technique. During a Colorado Strobist meetup, Model Pinay Bella was standing on a staircase with wrought iron railing and natural sunlight streaming down on her from a large window above. I and other photographers took turns using off-camera flash to shoot Pinay from above her and below her on the staircase.

When I remembered Russ’ recommendation, I started “walking” around the subject, as best I could given the circumstances of the location. That led me to standing in front of the railing. When I happened to catch a glimpse of Pinay through the railing, I knew I had to find a way to make my camera shoot what my eyes were naturally able to see. That’s easier said than done! In an autofocus setting, the lens refused to focus on Pinay, choosing to stick with the closer object, the rail, instead. Finally, I switched to manual mode (which I hardly ever shoot in) and was finally able to get the lens to “see” what I was seeing — a fabulous, moody shot with Pinay focused in the background and the railing blurred. The railing adds depth and symmetry. The lighting is natural and dramatic.

Thanks Russ….couldn’t have done it without you! I regularly run Russ’ “Instructor’s Tips” on my blog on Mondays. Stop by and check out the post or if you are in the area, check out one of Russ’ classes yourself. He focuses on landscape photography and hosts numerous nature photography tours to hot spots in the country. Join him and learn!

From My Portfolio: Sensual, Not Pornographic

originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.

Over the weekend, I shot a boudoir session in my home studio for a client who wanted to surprise her husband serving in the war with a sensual Christmas gift. The above shot is one of my favorites from the set.

When shooting the nude form of a woman, it's important to accentuate natural curves and lines including those of the buttocks, breasts and waist line. I asked my client to cross her legs because I think it's more flattering to her waist and draws more attention to the curve of buttocks. Lifting her arms above her head gently lifts her breasts, while arching her back adds more curvature and flattens her abs. The clincher that really makes this image work is highlighting her tattoo as it snakes seductively along her form.

It's a very simple shot, but I think all the details add up to show that she is a woman without being pornographic.

From My Portfolio

"Daughter Love You!", originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.

I love this simple yet elegant shot. While wondering around capturing images during Kim and Michael's engagement party, I stopped by the guest book hoping to get a good detail shot.

While scanning through the signatures, I discovered this message “Daughter Love You!” left by either the future bride’s mother or father. To focus on it, I used a wide aperture and blurred out the rest of the signatures. Then I did some more selective focusing and blurring in Photoshop to bring out the message even more.

The black and white treatment makes this an instant classic that I hope the bride and groom will treasure forever. Don’t forget the importance of the detail shot in your overall plan for photographing an event. It’s the little things that matter!

From My Portfolio

This little boy must have been the only child at the Denver Food and Wine Classic I covered a few weeks ago at the Auraria Campus. I had so much fun shooting him as he crawled closer and closer to my camera. I was shocked by how un-camera shy this youngster was...until I realized what had captured his attention: my Gary Fong Diffuser!





Even though I wasn't shooting portraits at the outdoor event, I still use my diffuser to soften my fill flash light (plus tons of people seem intrigued by it and are more likely to think I'm a professional!). The large white diffuser captured this little boy's attention as well and made it possible for me to get these great shots of his creamy complexion. He couldn't take his eyes off the diffuser. Hey...whatever works to help you get the memorable shot, I say!

From My Portfolio: Shutter Speed Magic

Shooting Rifle Falls last weekend was a great opportunity for me to experiment with water, motion and shutter speeds. I packed away my polarizers to soften the glare of the shiny water and neutral density filters to add depth to the blue skies. Well, at least my intentions were in the right place. I completely forgot that all of filters were bought to fit my older smaller lenses, not my new 16-35 or my 70-200. All kind of curse words! So that meant I was going to have to rely only on shooting in the shadows, a small aperture and large f-stop to stop down the camera enough to capture those tale-tell cottony streams of long-exposed water.


I was able to hand hold this shot at 1/60th of a second. The faster shutter speed freezes the waterfall.


At 1/13th of a second, the waterfall is in between worlds of being visibly slowed down, but still showing movement. At this point, you would have to have a steady grip to hand-hold this without camera shake.


A tripod is a must trying to capture this image at f/22 and 3.2 seconds. I tend to favor the slower exposure because I love the dreamy, almost otherworldly feel of the water. Which shot works for you?

From My Portfolio

One of my friends at Wolf Camera told me that this image is one of his favorites that I've uploaded to my Flickr account so far. This was an experiment I learned from a fellow photographer, Bruce Norman, while attending a Colorado Strobist meet and greet.

Bruce took this image of model Brandy spinning and the image was so incredible, it became an instant Flickr Fav. And I knew I would have to give it a try. Bruce captured the image like this: "Slow shutter 1/6 - 1/15 second. Single Strobe off to side to add momentary freeze with some detail."

So I tried to use the same set up, slowing my shutter speed down to as little as 1/5 while Tolisa spinned. A quick burst from my Alien Bee was able to freeze her for some detail in the center of the image, and the slow shutter softened her spin.

My buddy Larry Hendler offered this experiment to try as well when he left a comment on my image in Flickr:

1) With an open shutter start with the flash and then twirl with a low light setting. Experiment with the intensity of the flash and the intensity of the low light and the duration of the twirl to achieve the balance. Starting with the flash gives you the pose exactly how you want it to end up.

2) Same thing as above, except you start with the twirl, and end with the flash.

From My Portfolio

On Saturday I was supposed to be scouting out the church where I will be taking wedding pictures on May 31. But instead, I ended up having a photo session with the bride-to-be in my home studio!

I shot about 200 pics and they turned out fantastic! It was good to get to meet the bride and interact with her, her brides maid and best friend. Their excitement was infectious and melted away any worries I had been harbouring about my ability to shoot this wedding. The bride is fun-loving and was willing to try anything I suggested during our shoot. The women's laughter filled my home when the young bride tripped over the hem of her lovely, though constricting wedding gown, slipped off the stool she was sitting in while posing and landed on the ground! Of course I kept snapping away, catching pictures of the bride hitting the floor with her legs sprawled in the air, and her friend trying to yank her up.

Even then, the bride was up for hiking up her skirts and spinning for me. I took the above pic of her in mid spin. I used a very slow shutter speed....1/5 of a sec I believe and tried a panning technique. I like how this one was able to focus on her face and then have the dress swirling around her. I think the affect is very mystical and beautiful.

I think referrals are definitely the bread and butter of just about any business. Every shoot you complete is an opportunity to lay the ground work for additional assignments. In this instance, I started out shooting the wedding, but it's clear this young family will come to depend on me for numerous stages in their lives. The bride fell in love with the beautiful artistic nude shot I took of Teri holding a red rose, and she's thinking about surprising her new husband with similar sexy shots of her own. The brides maid pegged me to do some personal shots of her and the best friend wants me to take portraits of her and her pets! The bride also wants couple shots of her and her soon-to-be-hubby for her parents' Christmas gifts, and she asked if I could take maternity shots of her when she gets pregnant.

From My Portfolio

One of the best compliments I have ever received came from a newsroom colleague: "I don't think I've ever seen Bishop so alive and animated before." My colleague was talking about some portraits I took of Terilynn's shy and introverted son, Bishop. Having the opportunity to reveal a rarely seen side of this beautiful child was incredibly rewarding.

You might remember this image of Terilynn and her daughter Avery (it has become my signature shot). Before I took portraits of Teri, her husband and four children, I spent time at Teri's informal birthday party getting to know her family so they would be more comfortable with me when I brought them into my home studio a few days later. The key with shooting Bishop, and I believe all children, is allowing them to be them. Initially, Bishop seemed afraid of my camera, so I let him gently touch the lens and ask questions about my equipment. After that, I followed the children into the backyard and simply watched them play, snapping shots here and there. I wasn't too concerned about the images I took at that moment. I just wanted them to get used to me being in their space. I adjusted my settings to the wonderful late afternoon sunlight as I went. If they wanted me to take a picture of a flower they found in the garden, I did, making sure to show them the digital image immediately afterward. Soon, they were calling me "the camera lady" and asking me to take pictures of them jumping and running and throwing horse shoes.

So when Bishop decided he wanted to see if he fit inside this plastic storage bin, I was ready for a great shot. He was comfortable and at ease, and I think the resulting images show that. I shot this at f10, 1/200, ISO 200. If I were to take it again, I might use a shallower depth of field to blur out the grassy background, maybe at f4. Not every situation will allow a photographer that kind of quality time with a young subject. But when ever children are involved, it will be worth any time you have to spare getting to know them better.

Need more tips? Joel Sartore, a National Geographic magazine photographer, shared these ideas in the book "Photographing Your Family" (National Geographic Society, $24.95) featuring his work:

1) Consider what the child likes to do. Do they ride tricycles around the dinner table or wear a Superman outfit everywhere? Keep a camera handy to capture those moments before a child outgrows those antics.
2) Get down (or up) on the subject's level to create more intimacy and take advantage of great compositional angles.
3) People will do more interesting stuff if you let them do their own thing rather than direct them. Pretend to be looking at the camera, or fixing it, and take a few frames. You'll get more interesting pictures that way.

From My Portfolio

Here is a "Happy Accident" that I think turned out great. This shot was taken from the "Touch of Romance Fashion" show I covered earlier this month at a Denver metro area bar. My batteries were dying in my flash, so it was taking much longer for the flash to recycle after a shot. I took this image without the freezing benefit of the flash, but it's still pretty cool because I was able to take advantage of ambient light and get some colorful streaks in the image that accent the model even more. Her face is in sharp focus which adds a great compositional element as well.

From My Portfolio

The frosted glass naturally diffused the sunlight streaming through this window, giving model Kim's complexion a dreamy, soft glow. The one thing that bothers me about this image is that Kim's right arm has been cropped. As the image is, I stuck to the general cropping rule that says to never crop at a joint. But if I were able to take this picture again, I would probably try backing up or using a wider angle lens to get more of Kim's body in the image. Getting closer to a subject is always a great recommendation for any photographer, too, or I could try cropping tighter to the model's face.

My workflow for editing this image in Photoshop CS3 included sharpening and using retouching plug-in called Portraiture. I made a duplicate layer I named "Glamour" and used the Portraiture plug-in which saves me a great deal of time in complexion healing and blemish retouching. I generally lower the opacity level of the duplicate layer to about 65 percent because a little bit of Portraiture can go a long way, leaving the model looking plastic and not very realistic in her beauty. Share your suggestions about how I could improve this image by leaving me a comment or emailing me.

From My Portfolio

Simply named "Mother and Child," this image of Terilynn and daughter Avery was taken during my first attempt at a family portrait session held in my home studio. I was excited to try out a newly purchased studio lighting kit (plus I thought all the equipment would make me appear more professional, I admit it). But over the next agonizing 30 minutes, I watched as each bulb in the three-light kit blew out one by one!

Out of desperation, I whipped out a "cheapy" kit given to me by a photographer instructor: one of those Home Depot clamp-on-lights, a white styrofoam board for bounce and a furnace filter for diffusion. But you never would have known that minimalist lighting setting had produced this stunning image.

Stay the course and be quick on your feet, no matter what happens during an assignment. Sometimes, your skill, determination and ingenuity will help you nail the shot -- not your equipment or how much you paid for it!