Shutter Mike Photography

This photo is a few years old and I have not been here is a while.  But, Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico, is someplace I could spend forever.

The story of the California man who bought some negatives at a Fresno garage sale that he and others report to be the long lost work of Ansel Adams and worth $200 million has taken another turn.  According to the LA Times, The Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson, a long standing authority on the work of Ansel Adams and home to all 44,000 of his original negatives, has stated that they have no reason to believe the garage sale negatives are the work of Adams.  This certainly does not help the case that a $45 garage sale find is not worth $200 million.  But it probably will not dash the hopes of bargain hunters hoping to find the next long lost work of art that has been hidden away in someone’s attic for 50 years.

I have always found portrait photography one of the most challenging types of photography.  For the most part that is because I do so little of it and practice, practice, practice is what makes you better at any type of photography.  So I have been practicing more lately with any willing models I can find.

Here are a few tips to help improve your portrait photography that I have discovered along the way.

1) Pay as much attention to the background as you do to the model.  A busy background can draw attention away from the model.  Objects positioned just right (or wr0ng) can look like they grow out of the models head.  If necessary move your model or if possible use a shallow depth of field to blur out your background.

2) As with all photography lighting is key.  But when photographing people there are no constants with lighting.  Skin tones, clothing, the setting; these all need to be taken into consideration when you are lighting your subject.  I prefer ambient lighting when shooting outdoors.  But in a studio play around with your lighting (even if you don’t have professional studio lighting) to make sure you are seeing your model in their best light.

3) Every model is different, especially when it comes to children versus adults.  Some people are more comfortable in front of the camera than others and you need to feel out their comfort level and work with it.  Suggest poses and let them come up with their own if they want.  Don’t force a smile; if it does not come naturally it will look forced on the final image.  Above all, just do what comes natural to your model.

These images are from a photo shoot I did with my niece using a seamless back drop and studio lighting in some and an outdoor setting with natural lighting in some.

Built in 1888 (although some sources list it as being built in 1886, so let’s say 1886-1888), the Yuma Building was downtown San Diego’s first brick building.  It was built by Captain Wilcox and named after the town of Yuma, AZ because of the Captain’s business dealings in Yuma.  The building’s real claim to fame came in 1912 when it was a “hotel” (aka brothel) and it got the distinction of being the first red light district business to be shut down during an attempt to clean up San Diego’s area of ill-repute.