Archive for 2012
Sue Bryce Turned Me Into An Addict!
Blog, Tips + Tricks 
15
Thu 08.23.2012
I once heard that when Sue Bryce photographs you, you become addicted. I wasn’t exactly sure what the meant. I mean – how do you become addicted to having your photograph taken? It is hard work to be a model – I can see it as thrilling, exciting, but addictive? Not so much. I ate my words on this one…
Those of us familiar with Sue Bryce and her stunning work understand that she has a way of transforming her subjects (see before and after). Most assume its Photoshop. I was guilty of this assumption – but, I didn’t care, I just wanted to look fabulous. However, Sue doesn’t use much Photoshop …. she doesn’t have too.
Sue is very meticulous. Hair and makeup have to be flawless – she is there the entire time to make sure there is no room for error. While shooting, she notices every single detail and is constantly coaching you with her soothing, yet oh-so-sexy Australian accent – is your jaw relaxed, is your chin forward & down (her most famous line), is your hand soft, is your collar bone popping just right, is your hair BIG enough, the list goes on. And, I am certain attention to all of these elements make her an astounding portrait photographer….but these are techniques and Sue Bryce’s skill supersedes mere technique.
Which leads us to why I am addicted to Sue Bryce and the greatest lesson she has taught me. It’s really quite simple…..Beauty. She makes you feel like the most beautiful, sexy, desirable, confident person on earth. She went beyond showing me in my best light, she actually allowed me to view myself in a new way. Now this is a gift, which, 10 months later, I am still riding the high of.
So this is one of the many things I have learned from Sue Bryce: Beauty is beyond the physical and radiates from all of us – sometimes we just need someone to coax it out. As a portrait photographer practice making your subjects feel like a million bucks, – the camera has a funny way of recording the non-physical.
Credits:
The photo shoot was taken at the incredible Jade Studios in San Francisco, California. Clifford Hashimoto is a genius and a true master at hair and makeup, it was a pleasure to be able to be transformed by him! Want to hear more details about the shoot? Check out episode 28 of TWiT PHOTO with Sue Bryce.
My app – Top Model Release – is now 3 months old! To celebrate, we gave it a little cupcake with a candle on it, and then we waved an iPhone over the candle to blow it out. Seriously.
But the bigger event is that you – the community – have helped shape this app into what it is now, and you will continue to help us define what it needs to be in the future. From Day One we have relished community feedback and made many changes to the app, and are continuing to improve the app with each revision to address your needs, concerns and awesome ideas.
Today we are happy to announce version 1.03 has been approved by Apple, and many of the improvements included in this update have come directly from your feedback! For example – on Twitter @vanlamify suggested we remove the Ellipsis from the app title, as the length makes it read “Top…Lease”. Thanks for your Suggestion Van – it now just reads TMR!
Another user named Joshua on our support form asked that the app info be removed from the bottom of the automatically generated PDFs – also done! And one of my favorite improvements – to enable sending incomplete releases suggested by Joseph Linaschke and Teresa!
In addition to the above changes, we’ve also implemented the following improvements to version 1.03, available in stores now:
- Improved iCloud performance.
- PDF naming conventions improved – each release will now automatically be named after the model’s name and date.
- Email screen will automatically appear after a witness signature is acquired.
In addition to these changes there are even more large-scale modifications being planned for future versions, including the universal iPad version. We can’t wait to tell you more about these very soon!
Again, thank you all so much for your feedback, your support, and your notes of inspiration about how much you and your clients love the app! We love reading them, and it makes all the late nights and time spent so, so worth it.
Quick Tip: Who Let the Dog out?
Tips + Tricks 0
Tue 08.21.2012
This was shot at F/2.8 @ 1/200 sec. using Canon 5D MII @ 85 mm.
Quick Tip: I love it when a couple brings awesome props to spice up the shoot. Whether it is a dog (they are always great fun) or a picnic basket, your subjects will have more fun and feel more comfortable when they are enjoying themselves. The best props are those that have a special meaning for the couple – it could be something they made together or an anniversary gift. This makes for more unique images that showcase the personalities and rapport of the couple. Before the session, you can also suggest props such as balloons, cool sunglasses, bubbles and hats – but let their imagination run wild.
Quick Tip: Light It Up!
Tips + Tricks 1
Thu 08.16.2012
This was shot at F/8 @ 1/200 sec. using Canon 5D @ 24mm.
Quick Tip: Strobes, like a continuous light source, correspond to changes in aperture settings. For example, if you increase your aperture from f/5.6 to f/11, you must increase your strobe output by two stops to maintain a consistent exposure.When working in direct sunlight or nearly dark sets, choose a 1000 w/s strobe over a 500 w/s. You will relish in the extra power. If a strobe is too powerful at its lowest setting, you can further decrease its needed strength by using neutral-density gels. In this particular photograph we used 1000 w. strobe at highest power to overpower the bright outdoor sun.
Thank you so much to everyone who sent in entries for the contest. With hundreds of creative, clever and even funny taglines to choose from, it was really hard to choose just one. After much (heated!) discussion we selected “Photography Unfiltered – Inspiration Unlimited” by Kate Thomas. We ultimately chose this entry because it was – well, unlimited. It embraced the idea we wanted the show and community to be boundless, not restricted to one genre, skill level or even media.
Congratulations Kate on winning the cool Rezo 180 AW bag from LowePro.
Another favorite was Aaron K – from a comment on the blog post. We did change it just a bit to “Your passion is our Inspiration” and will be using it as the sign off from the show. As Honorable Mention we will be sending you a LowePro camera strap. Congratulations Aaron!!!
Also we wanted thank Ali Elhajj, Blake Johnson, Bryan Conner, Dennis Morassut, Gary Harris, Irene Liebler, Ivan Boden, Shawn Highfill, Victor Alberts, Paul Balchin, Tamara Pruessner, and Steven Ray Price. Your submissions were among our favorites as well.
Thank you Lowepro for your support of this contest and photography education!
Photography Unfiltered can be found:
