photography

Four Tips for Shooting Awesome People Portraits

August 1, 2013 by Lucrecer Leave a Comment

Amiyrah of 4 Hats and Frugal

In between sessions at Viewfinder Day, Serena, Amiyrah and I went outside for a quick photo shoot. I love taking portraits and every time I do, I am reminded why I love photography so much. We spent about twenty minutes shooting pictures of each other and sharing tips. When shooting other people, here are a few basic tips for capturing your subject at their best:

Catch them laughing. Do this and you know you will have a great shot. People who are laughing tend to be more relaxed and their pictures always look better. Get them laughing and you will have a great shoot.
Let them “fall into” their poses naturally. I always ask the person I am photographing to stand comfortably. When they do this, the posing does not look forced. Have them extend or slightly alter the pose for the most flattering shot.
Shoot in all kinds of light. When you have challenging lighting situations, make it work for you. The sun was at 1 p.m. when the ladies and I went out to shoot pictures. Instead of shying away from it, we embraced it. I had them stand in the shade and lots of light was coming through the tree they were standing under. I had them turn and shift their faces until the light was more of a highlight/accent before taking the picture. This gave the pictures a natural, artistic flare.
Enjoy the process. When you are shooting with other people, enjoy the process of sharing something you all enjoy. Photowalks and group shoots are a great way to learn and share what you know. After seeing how images looked with the prime lenses I was using, Serena now knows the next lens she is going to purchase for her camera. Amiyrah did not bring her big camera, but she was still able to glean information that helped her shoot great self-portraits with her smartphone.

Serena of Thrift Diving

Never stop learning or practicing your craft. It does not take a three hour shoot to create some amazing portraits. And, if you are open to learning something new, you will. Keep shooting and don’t forget to enjoy the process while capturing your moments.

Filed Under: Photo Life Tagged With: amiyrah, artistic, BlogHer, laughing, light, lighting, photography, portraits, pose, reflection, serena, shoot, sun, viewfinder day

Learning to Tell Better Stories: Viewfinder Day at BlogHer ’13

July 31, 2013 by Lucrecer 2 Comments

This past weekend, I attended BlogHer as a speaker for the first Viewfinder Day. I was looking forward to sharing with the attendees and learning a few things myself. The day started with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressing us at the pre-conference breakfast before attendees broke up into three different tracks.

Kicking off Viewfinder Day, keynote speakers Diane Cu and Todd Porter of White on Rice Couple speak again and they brought it with an emotion evoking presentation about using pictures and video to tell better stories. Diane and Todd struck a cord when they shared some of their amazing photography and the stories behind them. Their videos were deeply moving and helped me see you can tell an amazing story with video and not say a single word.

Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from their talk:

Keep shooting and keep learning.
Never forget the story in everything you do.
Your voice is what sets you apart. No one can tell your story but you.
Tell a story with video. You don’t have to have a lot of equipment or a large crew.
Don’t be so wrapped up in the details.
Use the tools you have on you. It is not about having the best equipment. Capture the moment.

After listening to Todd and Diane, my panel took the stage to address the attendees about Finding Your Photographic Voice. Christine Tremoulet started by sharing messages of being enough and embracing the beauty of oneself. I then shared ideas for shooting awesome self-portraits, shooting men and women and practical tips for improving their photography over the conference weekend. Jenika McDavitt broke down the psychological side of telling a better story. She shared tips about adding more details to our writing so the reader connects better with your story.

Video bloggers followed us and finally, the day ended with a post processing workshop. Tomorrow, I will share a few pictures from an impromptu photo session I had with a few amazing women.

Filed Under: Photo Life Tagged With: authenticity, BlogHer, capture the moment, chicago, christine tremoulet, details, Diane Cu, finding your voice, inner beauty, jenika mcdavitt, passion, photography, purpose, secretary kathleen sebelius, story, storytelling, Todd Porter, tracks, video, video bloggers, viewfinder, White on Rice Couple, you are enough

My Photography Manifesto

May 30, 2013 by Lucrecer 8 Comments

The camera is a tool. It sees light. You see the subject.

The more you practice, the better your eye will develop.

Your vision is what makes your images unique. Trust what you see.

Imitation is flattering, but developing your own style is the most flattering thing you can do for yourself.

Equipment does not make you a better photographer. Telling stories with your images does.

Be your own zoom lens. Primes are the way to go.

When you think you are close enough to take someone’s portrait, take two steps forward. Get closer.

Shoot with film occassionally. It makes you slow down and practice the craft of photography.

Don’t miss the moment trying to compose the shot perfect. Capture the moment, damn it!

Filed Under: Photo Life Tagged With: brownie, camera, capture, develop your eye, digital, equipment, film, focus, imitation, manifesto, photography, portrait, starlet camera, tool, vintage, vision, zoom

Start a Photography Project (for Free)

March 15, 2013 by Lucrecer Leave a Comment

I love photography with a passion. I especially love using photo projects to grow and improve my skills and it can be a challenge coming up with new ideas. For you, I put together this little book to inspire you to try something new with your photography. I am thrilled to finally share my eBook with you and I hope you find inspiration in one of the ten projects inside.

To receive 10 Awesome Photography Projects, all you have to do is sign up for my free newsletter, using the form below. You can unsubscribe at any time, but this eBook will be yours to keep.

After you download the eBook, let me know which projects you are most looking forward to. This is going to be a wonderful journey!

Filed Under: Photo Life Tagged With: 10 Awesome Photography Projects, eBook, free, Newsletter, photography, projects, sign up

Celebrating Gordon Parks’ 100th Birthday with Macy’s

February 21, 2013 by Lucrecer Leave a Comment

In 1948, LIFE magazine hired Gordon Parks as their first African-American staff photographer. In honor of his 100th birthday, Macy’s, the Gordon Parks Foundation and the American Black Film Festival are celebrating this American icon.

Gordon was a self-taught photographer, who worked his way up from commercial work and portrait photography to taking pictures for various U.S. government agencies to great success with his photojournalism for Life magazine. He was also a successful film directors with The Learning Tree and Shaft, as well as a poet and composer.

In honor of Gordon Parks’ contribution to arts, Macy’s Kenwood Towne Centre will host children’s “Design Your Own Book” event, February 23 at 2 p.m. on the Lower Level. This will be a famil-friendly event and an exciting time to celebrate a true Renaissance man and iconic photographer.

The Gordon Parks Foundation permanently preserves the work of Gordon Parks, makes it available to the public and supports artistic and educational activities. The Foundation is a division of the Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation. For more information visit gordonparksfoundation.org

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post about Macy’s Black History Month. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.