2010 and twelve days in!

Only twelve days into the new year and what is not going awesome?! I'm sure there lurks hardships and obstacles close by, but that's apart of life and one must be ready to persevere and overcome. I encourage and empower you to do so!

By the way, I truly appreciate all of the readers of this blog. The amount of readers (that's YOU!) has doubled only over the past quarter, thank.you.so.much!!

Now, get to shooting, retouching, interacting, and infecting the world around yourself with positive and healthy energy!




MUA/Hair: Kate Carroll
Model: Miss Ashley
(Amazing team!)

Prayer Wall

A giant print of the Last Supper took up the entire stage of the church behind the pastor. His words were spoken effectively and with precision.

The ears of 1,000+ people were listening.

This resulted in hundreds writing their prayers on a (provided) post-it note and placed it onto the giant print.

This ain't yur typical mid-west type of fotograph!

I retouched for six hours today and felt that I would share my efforts with you. Hope you don't mind. ;p

***click image for full size***

Actually, this image wasn't included in the six hours of retouching. This was my fun work after the other work.

I opened this image and stared at it for a minute or three and then said "DONE!" Easiest retouch ever. I enjoy retouching my own work because it helps me to pay attention to capturing better images for I don't have to retouch them that much.

Someone asked me the other day if I was a professional photographer. I was confused by the word 'professional' and replied "I'm a photographer." They understood something. Either that I didn't consider myself professional (hope not) or that I didn't care much for the use of extra titles. 'Professional' would indicate popularity and/or getting paid really well, I think. I don't really know. Anyhow, next time I will say "YES, I AM!" We are what people believe we are.

The St. Pete/Tampa Supershoots event was a blast. Great people there and lots of opportunity to capture images that have nothing to do with the mid-west...like shooting on a beach!

A big thanks to Tiffney for being a bright spirit during our shooting time. You rocked it!!

There is a Supershoots event coming up in January 9-10 (2010), here in Peoria, IL. I will be there for the two days mentoring and also instructing a 2 hour course on digital retouching and post production techniques. If you are interested, please write me at joshua.berardi@gmail.com

Getting Paid For Your Photography

JimmyD recently posted over in the Supershoots forum a video of Harlan Ellison talking about getting paid as a writer as apposed to getting exposure or publicity.

You can watch this short (3:24) video of Ellison talking about a situation where this arose and his thoughts on it.

Watch it a second time and replace the word "writers" with "photographers."

I think of it this way, my mortgage company doesn't accept publicity or exposure for payment, and neither does McDonalds. So, why should I?

This image is of Roberta looking amazing as usual! Thanks Roberta!

Oops!! Missing Links!

I was reorganizing my images online the other day and created a few missing links on this blog. I went back and fixed all but one which I deleted and will have to re-upload once I'm back at the home base.

I hope no one got hurt and that everyone is OK!

:D

It's like sooo 1985!

Tonight I went to see my cousin play high school football. Everywhere I looked kids were wearing 80's clothing. It totally freaking ROCKED! Girls wearing tight pink jeans with multi colored flourescent high tops and sweet haircuts! I was excited because this is the era I grew up in and I actually thought it was pretty sweet. ;D

I was in Atlanta last weekend and had to shoot the make up artist. She was a sheer bubble gum 80's rocker chic in this outfit...doesn't get much better that that!

I hope everyone is having a great week. Keep shooting!

It's not personal, but I rather it be.

Last night I was talking with a photographer friend of mine who encountered a new photo hobbyist. This person was talking about quitting their job as they purchased thousands of dollars in photographic equipment.

During this transaction this new hobbyist said they already got a corporate job in shooting some "whatever" for "whomever." My friend asked what did they charge for such a shoot? They replied with such a degrading low ball amount that my friend became annoyed and said "it's because of what you are doing which makes it hard for me and other professionals to live off their photography work!"

They replied "It's not like I'm doing this personally to you."
(As if that is okay!!!)
(It's certainly not.)

I instantly thought, "wow, I RATHER this person be my local photography arch nemesis for I can at least 1 up them and win!" But, with things not being personal, and not being able to compete in the market due to low ball offers it hurts those of us trying to live off our passion for photography.

I'm not complaining that work is being stole from me. I don't want those clients anyhow. But, I am annoyed that I hear what people pay for wedding photography or their corporate work and then telling me how much it sucked and they didn't like the photographer.
(I hear it much too often!)

The above is the band Haste the Day back in 2004(ish) in Appelton, Wisconsin. Shot with a Canon 10D and my trusty Vivitar 285HV bounced off the white ceiling. I was standing in the pit.

Everyone is going to be a photographer!

I don't know how it is where you are at, but since the economy hasn't been looking good (I mean in the past year) I have heard more people say they want to be a photographer.

I'm not sure what pulls people into photography. Is it because they see pictures and have a desire to make them their selves? Maybe a self expression sort of thing? If they want to make money doing it they will not express too much into their work. And, if they fully express themselves chances are they will not make much money doing it. And, then probably stop. Or...OR OR OR ooooooOORR, they will become totally insane (like the rest of us shooters) and continue shooting in the industry without much pay BUT with a big smile on their heart and face!

Something I noticed about people who love to take pictures, they are slightly crazy. Including myself. Hell, I'm probably totally insane at this point and don't even know it! ;D

But, I love photography. Come to think of it. Photography is similar to a religious cult due to it's ability to create a social group of slightly off kilter people that drive great distances to hang out and take more pictures. We shall name our god Canon! This is allllll a bad idea. But it's true. Photography changes how we see the world and it changes our lifestyle. If it doesn't for you then you are probably already totally insane with photography and forgot what non-photography life is like!!! Sooooo, come, lets hang out! :D

The above is the lovely Miss Ashley. She was doing make up for a shoot and decided to jump on stage for a few minutes. I think she did really rowr.

Saint Louis Graffiti Wall

I remember a long time ago I got to go up into the Saint Louis arch. That was a neat experience. What I didn't know then is that there is a huge wall, more than a mile, right below the arch that separates the water and land/railroad.


Graffiti artists from all around makes stops at the wall and 'battle' other artists work. Not sure how this all exactly works, but sounds like a fun thing to be aware of. I'm curious to what artists do this sort of thing and what other cities have such places to graffiti.

This image was shot with two strobes. The backlight had several 1/4 Cinegel (#3409) to give the wall a warmer feel. I wanted to use red or blue lights for the background, but I didn't have anything but the Cinegel's with me. The main light was a 42 inch silver umbrella. A flashlight was used for focusing since it was totally dark while shooting.

The model is Elise. She did a fantastic job of taking direction while also having fun! Props to Miss Ashley for doing the make up and hair with a half dead flashlight!

You can create great images with...

...whatever gear you currently have. If you are like me you have that small voice, usually around tax refund time, that says "If I get [new photography toy] I will have better images!"

I'm a firm believer that if one can not attain images they feel are great now, with their current equipment, purchasing more equipment will not solve that issue.

I believe the most powerful tool a photographer can have is the ability to create a great image with whatever is available.

I want to get your feet wet in how you can find out for yourself if you have this powerful tool.

Imagine you have a well paid shoot. You are using three strobe/flashes. A main, a fill, and a hair light. So, you know what the lighting at this shoot is going to look like. You setup your lights and find out that one of your three lights is not functioning.

It's at this point where we can cross that line of amateur to professional. If you have fear and can't think what else to do, then you are lacking in your ability to create great images. But, if you let go of the idea of that third light and shift into two-light-mode, then you are on your way of becoming more successful [and useful] than the photographers around you.

It's tough to deal with these situations because we had an expectation of what our three light setup was going to look like. But, if we have used two or one light to create great images before, loosing this third light will only be an inconvenience rather then a disaster.

And,

that's what makes a professional.

One who can make the best out of a given situation. These are the people who get hired, who get noticed, who make a name for themselves.

I encourage you to learn how to use one, two, and three lights incredibly well. And of course so many other things could go wrong. Syncs, remotes, camera breaks, power cable wasn't packed, lens isn't working, etc...

Try not to rely on expectations. They will only let you down if not met. Go with the flow and make the best out of what you have. As you become flawless with little you will be able to become flawless with much.

The above image is Becky looking amazing!

More retouching in the news!

Adding to the previous post of retouching being in the public eye.

2009
In this debate photo journalist Klavs Bo Christensen had some amazing images that he shot in Haiti. He submitted these images for a "photo of the year" contest. (What I like to call a POTY contest.) All was well until the judges suspected that Klavs used "too much" photoshop retouching.

Defining "too much retouching" is going to be difficult. I can see it now, images submitted into photo contests end up in court with the argument of determining if "too much" retouching took place. There are some interesting parts in the article about differences in RAW data and how it appears.

Anyhow, after the judges chatted about moving his images into another category or giving them a 'special' (made up) prize for awesome retouching, they decided to pull Klavsimages out of the contest.

Pictured above is the lovely Marjorie. Shot in 2009.

Magazine Covers

Most magazine covers have the same general lighting setup. There are several variations, but for the most part it's all the same. Put the model in front of the camera, set up 1 to 5 (or more) lights, or however many you feel like metering, up all around you and your camera lens and shoot. Fairly simple process.

If you would like to understand this lighting better, go to any magazine rack and look at the catch lights in the models eyes. You will see 1-4 little white circles in most cases. Compare one magazine cover with 1 or 2 lights to another cover with 3 or 4 and look at the overall difference in how the shadows are laying on the model. It will start to sink in better the most you do this. (Yes, I do this and have for years!) Chances are a few covers won't make much since due to all of the retouching going on. Dang those retouchers! :D

Where are these magazine cover type of shots taken anyway? Well, I don't know. But, I'd imagine some big awesome studio with lots of rad toys that I would waste too much time playing with!

As in my last post this image was also shot on a hotel wall, with a single strobe, and a soft box. Obviously the light positioning and posing was much different due to different models, different clothing, and my ability to become bored quickly and change things up!

This image is of Summer Taylor. She has fantastic features and amazing curves! When she came out in her dress it screamed magazine cover to me!

Locations

Ever get stuck on where to do your next shoot? It's easy to get lost thinking about all of the cool alley ways and old junk cars setting about. We can easily have big ideas for great shoots, but sometimes they involve too many lights, portable power, assistants, and time ...all of which we may not have much of.

Me and Jessica Vaugn finally got in some shooting time after meeting and working on other shoots and workshops for over a year! Here was the setup... one strobe, a soft box, and a hotel conference room wall.

Yep.

The PERFECT setting for finally getting to shoot a model you have wanted to shoot for a long time, right? I'm pretty sure you can feel the sarcasm in my typing!

I had all of these ideas and cool lighting setups, make up, hair, and, and, and....none of my thoughts mattered at that point. If I would have continued to think about the things I wanted to setup, I would not of been able to focus properly on what was in front of me.

What I also found out is that even though I have big ideas in my head, it's not the way I actually shoot. I'm usually simplistic and make the best of what I have at the shoot. Learning to accept how I naturally photograph models helps me shoot even better in these situations.

I was very much pleased with the results. Our shoot went smooth and it was a whole lot of fun! I was so excited about how this shot came out due to all of the laughing we were doing! Like I always say, you only need to capture 1/125th of a second to create the image you want!

Perfect Practice Photography

I once heard someone say "Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect." This saying has stuck in my head for years and has effected many aspects of my life, especially photography.

As photographers we are striving to make the best image for the purpose it's intended for. I keep this quote in mind when shooting. I strive to shoot everything I can as 'perfect' as I can. Whatever I miss only becomes more work in post production!

The lovely blond is Charlotte. This was our first time shooting together. We shot for exactly 10 minutes. I was pleased with the result.

• Canon 20D
• f/2.8
• 1/160
• 50mm

BLACK AND WHITE!!!!

Or, maybe it's sepia? Maybe it's more technical like duo tone?! We could also go with 'brown tone." Anyway it's looked at it's still about how the image feels in the end!

I started this image with out-of-camera color and I didn't really like the color all that much. (...even though I used custom K balance!) So, I went with the sepia look. I preferred it much more until I tried to add color last. Since I already worked on the sepia image I decided to overlay the original color back into the sepia version. The overlay of color came out to be just as nice as the sepia!

Check out the color version here.

The gorgeous eye candy above is Elizabeth. We have worked together three times and each shoot we walk away with better and better images!

• Canon 20D
• f/2.5
• 1/1250
• 50mm

One step at a time, but QUICKLY!

I had the chance to travel to Tampa Florida this past weekend for another Supershoots event. It was the best time to head to Florida since it snowed in Illinois right after the plane took off! The event went extremely well! Gorgeous girls, fantastic make up artists, and participants ready and willing to pick up new knowledge to improve their images.

It's still amazing to me what can happen with lighting in 1/125th of a second. This whole sundown situation really gets those synapses flying. Everything hits at once! It goes from simple things like "am I holding my camera for the horizon is flat?" to less obvious changes like "is the lighting ration between the strobe and sun correct or even close?!" And a million other things. Like, I CAN'T HEAR BECAUSE THE OCEAN IS LOUD! Who knew? I don't live near it! The loudest noise in the Mid West is corn blowing in the wind or maybe a tractor driving by once in awhile!

The fine lady above is Mandy. A big thanks to Kenn Ellis who provided some needed equipment and acted as a human light stand. I couldn't have made this shot without him. Also a big thanks to dK for allowing me to shoot with his 20d!

• Canon 20D
• f/8
• 1/125th
• Vivitar 285HV Flash

Las Vegas!

I just returned from 11 days in Las Vegas which I spent about 4 of those days mentoring and shooting for the LasVegas Supershoots event. Every cab driver that asked about our stay said that 11 days is way too much Vegas. They are right! It seemed like I was there three months!

In the past year I have set and attained a goal. My goal has to bring down how many frames I shoot but still attain the images I want. I used to shoot up to 70-100 frames to get one or two good images. Ridiculous I know! I have narrowed shoots down to less than 40. It takes time to see what the camera sees!

To the left/above is the lovely Leanna. When I saw her clothing I envisioned a Sports Illustrated type of cover shot on a beach. But, I didn't have a beach in the Vegas desert! So, I set this up using bounce light from the ground and a white wall at the hotel we were at.




A big thanks to Pete Springer for allowing me to use his strip light and trigger for this shot. I was excited about this image because it took only three shots. It's exactly what I wanted to walk away with. That made picking the best image fairly easy since they all three looked the same!

I changed the truck color from light blue to green because blue and yellow together wasn't doing anything for me.

Anyhow, this is Cheryl rocking the yellow bikini. She does a great job with posing instructions and she fell into what I asked her to do almost immediately. It's nice to have models fall into place for you!

I have never got to shoot with Laura until this Vegas trip. My file information says we shot together for 5 minutes. She can pull off the most interesting poses and angles. Hopefully we will have more time at another event.

This image was made in-camera and equally in post production. We didn't have anyone else around and no reflector or lights. (And only 5 minutes!) So, it was a shot in the dark to shoot an even exposure as possible and make it all come together in post production. You can see an un retouched version HERE.

A 3D Wedding?!

Sometimes your most noticed work is something you didn't plan. That is what happened in this case. The bride and groom wanted to have images made at the school they teach at. (Which they also attended when younger.) I suggested we meet before the wedding date to go over some ideas. We came up with maybe seven to ten ideas before we decided that this was plenty to fill in the short time we will have on the actual wedding day.

During the wedding day we started shooting on the theater stage and the stairs leading up on either side. Which we did both. But, as I was setting up my first light on the stage I looked up and saw the entire wedding party sitting and waiting for me to get my things set up. I instantly saw the above image in my head. I told them what I was thinking and they were excited to play the part of "movie audience." I believe there were 4 or 5 shots total and this one jumped out to me. Of course we didn't have 3D glasses available for this to work, but I knew 3D glasses wouldn't be too much of a pain in post production. I shot this feeling that it would be worth it in the end.


Here is a planned shot on the main entrance stairway. I used a soft box (strobe) up high and to the right and a bare bulb (strobe) behind them and to the left. A reflector was held by my wife directly to the left of them to fill in some shadows. I shot from the floor on a tripod with a Canon 20D camera and a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens.

Mix all the technical jargon with some "just married love" and you have yourself an image!

If you shoot weddings sometimes it seems like there isn't room for creativity. But, keep your eyes and ears open. Look for things that are unique and different from all other weddings. Everyone wants their wedding to be different, so grab your camera and make it happen!

Digital Workflow

I get many e-mails about digital work flow. Some e-mails are asking me to give a work flow for they can get started, others ask for an evaluation to see if something can be done better.

I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but my work flow evolves and changes over time and my work flow doesn't work for everyone else. Nor can it. But, it's not a bad idea to listen to other's work flow. You can always find a gem.

There is not any one way a work flow can be done to suit everyone. There are too many variables that make each person’s work flow a little bit different than the next persons. Also, a work flow isn't set in stone. Because of variables the work flow system evolves. What variables you might ask? Here is a list to get you started:

• file sizes
• file types
• color spaces
• for print or for web, or both
• average frames per-shoot
• how often do you have sessions
• computer speed
• JPG (please no!) or RAW?
• Converting to DGN?
• storage capabilities
• seasonal or full time shooter
• time it takes to retouch
• what level of retouching needs to be done
• single user or multiple users
• MAC or Windows or Linux
• what software is being used
• work in one location, or many
• how many files do the customer see compared to how many you shoot
• how quick do the clients need to see their images

As you can see there is a lot that can make a work flow different and a lot that can make it change. Over the years I have come to realize the quantity of images is a good place to start on work flow. Most shooters that shoot 500-1000+ images per shoot will have a similar work flow. Not the same, but similar. Those shooters only shooting 60 images a session won't have to have such an extensive work flow. Also, depending on if you are a jpeg (shame on you!) or raw shooter, your work flow will be different.

Speaking of raw shooting, did you know that if you are in JPG mode your camera is still shooting a raw file then converting it to a JPG? Why waste that time and battery power in file converting inside the camera?! Why waste 4 to 6 bits per pixel of data when it's going to capture it anyhow?!

Above is Roberta. She always has a killer swimsuit to show off. This is the only shot I took of her on the beach, my camera broke immediately afterward. It's currently on its way to the company for repair.

Comment if you have work flow questions.

It may be dark, but lights are portable!

I'm always amazed by what can be done with photography. There are many dimensions to explore that allow control of any given situation. And not only control, but the ability to change what the camera is seeing compared to what is actually seen on the set with our eyes. This is where taking a picture turns into a vision being created. But, not all vision involves setting up lights and controlling everything.

This is a main factor that stands between me and my wife's approach to shooting. She is energetic in capturing the way life is. She creates wonderful images that posses feeling without ever having to setup studio lights or planning a shoot. (I'm actually quite jealous of her simplicity!) Check out her recent tear from her Tanzania trip.

I, on the other hand, have a vision of creating images that involve setting up lighting and controlling everything in front of the lens. I think what is more important than choosing your approach is to discover what approach you naturally fall into. Like they say, "knowing is half the battle."


When it comes to creating a vision, there entails a monster list of things to think over. But, other times it's very simple and takes little to create. It all depends on how big your visions is and also how well you stick with the K.I.S.S. rule.

I recently ran across some really fun in-camera color work from joserra puelles flicker account. Check out this link for some interesting approaches to in-camera color. It's subject matter that is right up my alley! (aaand not so much my wife's :)

If you know your vision isn't being reached, I suggest starting by finding people who you see have vision. If you want to think visionary, follow those who already think that way. I have many artists floating in my head that have great vision and direction when shooting. In fact, I added to the right hand column ("artists links that interest me") a bunch of links of other artists work that I personally enjoy. I hope you find a gem for yourself there.

The above is another image of Maria. This is one of those images where if you were standing there, it didn't look anything like this. It was totally dark outside. This was shot using one AlienBee as the main light and an off camera flash for a hair light. Almost as simple as my wifes approach! A big thank you to Jeremy Sparling for allowing me to use his flash and also for manning it during this shot!