TWiT Photo Ep. 29 with Rick Sammon

Self-proclaimed non-specialist Rick Sammon displays an infectious enthusiasm for photography of any kind, which makes him a pleasure to work with and one of the most exceptional educators in the industry. I had the opportunity to see both of these this week on TWiT Photo, when he “pulled a Kelby” – that is, he gave us a live in-studio demo. (The term has become famous with the TWiT Photo crew ever since Scott Kelby took the initiative to pull us off of the set for our first live demo.) With one little piece of cardboard and an eager hand from Leo, this Canon Explorer of Light showed us how to make magic simply by taking the flash off of the camera – I was stunned by the difference it could make! I expected no less, though; we’ve had the honor of seeing Rick on TWiT in the past, and last Monday, he displayed a similar genius when I modeled for his demo to Google’s photography club. Check back soon for a video from that talk!

Don’t forget to check out Rick’s CreativeLIVE Workshop, Exploring the Light, this weekend, where I’ll join him to talk about creating your own opportunities when crafting inspiring portraits. Here are his top tips on TWiT Photo:

“Take the darn flash off the camera!”

“Lighting illuminates, shadow defines.”

“The closer you are to a subject, the more intimate the portrait becomes.”

Find out more by watching the video here or on iTunes. Next week’s guest: Celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart!

Have questions, suggestions or praises? Please email photo@twit.tv.