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“Collateral Damage” of Glamour Photography

Sunday, April 24th, 2011

First, let me stress that the majority of clients who seek my services are pleasant, intelligent women who are great to work with.  But among those who do not fit this category . . .

I’m not sure if it’s the nature of the business I’m in, but some of the would-be clients I’ve run across are, to say the least, some interesting characters.

The most common types I’ve dealt with are the ones who go along with all the pre-production dialogue required for me to design the setups, and then bail out about 1 hour before the scheduled session.  By a strange coincidence, news of their grandmothers terminal medical condition are suddenly revealed to them right before our sessions, which makes for a moral excuse that puts our photography plans on a trivial, almost distasteful level.  I must say, I’ve gotten to the point where I’m almost afraid to schedule a shoot, lest I anger the photography gods, who mysteriously wreak their vengeance on my clients’ grandmothers.  Though I’ve never considered a Glamour or Boudoir shoot an evil endeavor, it appears some cosmic forces do, and I certainly don’t want to be known as a grandma killer.  It’s got to make for lousy karma and, let’s face it, it can’t be good for business.

Then there were the women who wanted to give their husbands stationed in Iraq an enticing reminder of what they will come home to (or, as the Government would put it, “what they’re fighting for”).  These, in each case, have turned out to be some sort of scam.  One instance ended with my would-be client showing up for the session with her “brother,” a guy who appeared to be a cross between a gang banger and a low-level thug who could have been a reject from a “Sopranos” casting call.  I assume their goal was to gain entry onto my premises and take whatever they could get.

And finally, there’s the “Case of the Puffy Eyes.”  This woman rescheduled 3 times due to waking up with puffy eyes.  It took all my powers of restraint to keep from reminding her that she was not preparing for a three-page layout in Vogue.  I don’t believe even Bette Davis would have refused to show up on a Warner Brothers’ set because her celebrated eyes were not in a state of perfection.  And to top it off, I reminded her of my Photoshop skills, but she apparently was not imaginative enough to think that these skills could be applied to “puffy eyes.”  She bailed the morning of the 3rd rescheduled appointment by sending an email – not calling – sending an email.  I put an end to the puffy-eyes dance that day.

So, let this be a warning to all you aspiring Glam photogs out there:  Just when you’re convinced it’s all about the Lighting, you can get tripped up by thug brothers, puffy eyes and dying grandmothers.  Don’t say you never got a heads-up!

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Longer Lens = Flattering Portraits

Saturday, September 25th, 2010

PHOTO TIP #1

I recently had the experience of being on the other end of a photography transaction.  The occasion was a big, traditional one in which formal portraiture would take place on the sidelines.  Like anyone else who wants to look their best in photos, I had to do my homework first.  After studying the work of several firms, then narrowing down the individual shooters working for a single company, I found my artist.  His job was to cover all the potential images except the formal portraits; that job was delegated to a woman whose sample work I did not have the privilege of seeing.

When the day of the grand event arrived, I eventually went before this woman’s camera, in front of her nicely rendered gray backdrop.  But, to my astonishment, there was something quite incongruous about the camera held before me, along with the proximity of its holder to me, her subject. 

It was the lens.  At first I wondered if she mistakenly put a wide angle one on, and would discover her mistake momentarily.  The fact that she was standing so close also suggested an error.   But no, for after directing our poses, she snapped away.  And I could not stop thinking about how short that lens was!  Though I was dying to know the focal length of the lens, she knew I was also a photographer, and I didn’t want to appear critically nosey at a time when her concentration was paramount to achieving good work.

Since I had asked that the images be shot in Raw format and simply given to me on disc, the first thing I did upon receiving the disc was to check the meta data on the images.  She had been shooting with a 35mm lens (52mm in the old world of film).  Then, of course, I looked at the images per se.  And there it was – protruding faces looming toward the camera.  While the photos are acceptable by liberal standards, they are definitely not all they could be.  In other words, she was using a (in optical terms) “normal” focal length lens, one which comes closest to representing human vision.  The problem is that you don’t want to use such a lens for formal portraits if the goal is to make people look their best.

The TIP:  

Under the circumstances described above, think LONG lens.  A long focal-length lens flattens perspective, minimizing the 3-dimensionality of facial features.  It also gives you a shallow depth-of-field, which tends to further flatter the subject by softening the areas in front of and behind the person.  The approach is to lock focus on the eyes and, depending on the f-stop setting, the rest tends to take care of itself.  If you have a situation in which the depth-of-field is too shallow with such a lens, you can always lengthen it by stopping down the aperture from, say, f/4 to f/8 or f/11 (which in turn will necessitate stronger light intensity or a slower shutter speed to compensate for the adjustment).  Using, for instance, a 70mm lens (a 105mm with film), you have an ideal portrait lens, and it will force you to step back away from your subject.  This is sometimes a good thing, since it tends to make the person feel less intimidated.

A pro should regard all of this as second nature.  And the more often you practice this, the sooner you will, too – especially after seeing the results.

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Wondering whether to follow through with the Boudoir Session? Choose the Right Studio!

Monday, August 16th, 2010

As a potential customer toying with the idea of a Boudoir Photography session, here’s a sampling of what you can expect after choosing Capture Your Best to realize your vision . . .

“As I prepared to marry my best friend, I decided to get him a gift he truly would never forget. I was nervous and skeptical but determined to do this for my future husband. Dennis (Owner/Photographer) was extremely professional, had a woman there the whole shoot to ease any discomfort.  He provided an amazing make up artist there as well. He was open to any and all of what I wanted, not what he thought was best which made me feel like a star and a very valued customer. He was relaxed, easy going, took his time to create the most amazing pictures I have ever taken. He then went the extra mile to make the pictures perfect by removing unwanted blemishes and marks from the photos before printing. He also made a CD (extra cost but that was not in the original deal) set to music I chose and it was UNBELIEVABLE! He must have spent a lot of time to make it so perfect. I highly recommend Dennis to get your pictures whether it is for a weeding present, anniversary, birthday, whatever. I have even considered bringing a few friends for a fun fashion show photo shoot for an afternoon of fun. He is open to anything and extremely easy to work with.”  -  Kelly – Palatine, IL

“I believe that no matter what your personality, height, looks etc; as a woman you must do this at least once in your lifetime. The photo shoot was an amazing experience, the end product was perfect and so was the service. My Fiancé loved it he could not stop admiring them!!”  -  Katherine – Aurora, IL

These are the words of some recent customers.  They are a reflection of the passion I have for my work.  They are indicative of my experience with, and understanding of, the use of light to make you look radiant like never before.  But most of all, they point directly to my unwavering focus on you – the customer when we meet, the model when we shoot.

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Boudoir Photography Grows in Popularity

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Glamour/Boudoir Photography sessions are the specialty of Capture Your Best, and by far the most popular of the requests I receive. I focus on designing images which are not only tasteful, but which appeal to a man by making you look sexy, alluring and confident. We could arrange to do the session on a weekend so you look refreshed and relaxed, and I will have another woman here for your additional comfort.

Boudoir Portrait

Boudoir Portrait

More and more, women are turning to explore visual renderings of their own sensuous side.  Gone are the days when this was left to the rarefied realm of “pin-up girls,” whose exclusive interest belonged to men.  Women are taking the initiative in seeking professional-grade images which bring out their alluring appeal, a task at which Capture Your Best excels.

Surprise that Fiance

Brides-to-be are increasingly turning to a Pro to immortalize that pre-nuptuals figure they’ve been working on, while giving their imminent husband a gift no man would want to return for a 9-iron.  In addition to the quality of your character, the fun-loving nature of your company and all those other qualities that will make you a lovable wife, there’s the sensuous you.

Immortalize Your Peak

One might submit that every woman reaches the peak of their beauty at some point.  What that point truly is must be left up to the  individual in question.  But whenever it is, we find another incentive for enlisting the services of a professional to do it.  For a woman who is serious about burning a permanent record of just how beautiful/sexy/sensuous she was, it is no longer considered strange or taboo to forgo the private, but dismal, Polaroid in favor of an exquisite image rendered every step of the way with the painstaking care of a seasoned Boudoir Photographer.  There’s something about being able to look back with a quiet pride on those intangible qualities which turned men’s heads and sparked their libidos.  At Capture Your Best, those immortal images will capture and project that side of you which, at its peak, will elegantly hint at the erotic fire that burned below the surface.

Special Occasions

Besides that special and unique gift for a finance, presenting your provocative side to the person in your life who can appreciate it most can take many forms.  Your anniversary, his birthday and, of course, Valentine’s Day are just a few of the perfect occasions to underscore the sensuous you.  Don’t put it off; contact Capture Your Best for an appointment well before that special day arrives.

Kicks!

And then there’s the most worthy incentive of all – just to have fun.  Some inspired women have incorporated a Boudoir Photography shoot into their bachelorette party, encouraging guests to participate in their individual sessions.  Such an idea seems a perfect fit within the context of celebrating the sheer fun and joy of the provocative theme of the event.  But having fun is its own justification, so exploring your sensuous side with a Boudoir Photography session at Capture Your Best really needs no occasion.  Rev up your imagination and consider how much fun you, or you and some friends, could have by the experience of exploring your most exciting dimension.

See Boudoir Gallery

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The Foundation of Portraits

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Portrait photography is the foundation of my business.  Everything else – Boudoir, Glamour, Model photography – stems from it.  The goal of Portrait photography is to capture, if not the essence of the subject, then an essential aspect of who they are, while also commenting on the subject photographically.  Yousuf Karsh is one of the true masters of this, helping to define the art form along the way.  It is astounding to study a gallery of his work and realize he never had tools like Photoshop to lean on.  His Photoshop was a darkroom, and judging by the comparative limitations of this “tool,” it appears he did most of his work with the camera itself.  By this, I mean composition of the image, film stock and Lighting. 

Portrait in Natural Light

Portrait in Natural Light

Karsh was not driven by the goal of beautifying his subjects; the goal of the image seemed to be determined by the uniqueness of the individual person.  Many photographers measure the “success” of a portrait by the degree to which it engenders emotion in the viewer.  The term “emotion” is used broadly here.  For instance, if I look at a photo of a woman smiling, does it illicit a kind of warmth and happiness in me?  And if it does, why?  What makes this particular image do that?  I’ve seen five images of the same woman, taken seconds apart, next to each other, and only one has had that sort of effect on me.  The difference in that particular picture could be a slight change in the angle of the camera, a slight change in the position of her head, or the way her eyes look in relation to the lights, and so on.

Feel free to offer comments on what makes a portrait special to you . . .

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About Glamour

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

How do you define glamour?  When you think about it, it’s a pretty elusive term.  Yet it is the focus of Capture Your Best.

Glamour Portrait

Glamour Portrait

Glamour photography has its roots in the photography of George Hurrell, a gifted artist who helped to define the 20th century sense of the term by photographing movie stars from the 1920s through the 1950s.  No longer regular people with perceivable flaws, Hurrell’s subjects were idealized icons, radiating a kind of celestial glow unattainable to mortal man.

Glamour photography is about creating images which make the subject look beyond their best, into a kind of other worldly, shimmering beauty.  Perhaps more so than any other type of portrait photography, glamour images are created by meticulous lighting.  But clearly, however one defines it, glamour photography is something you know when you see it.

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