Private lessons

Well boys and girls I love teaching but for free is not as much. I'm putting together private lessons. I can do them over IM, Email, see if i can put togther some videos. they will be priced for what you are looking for and how you want it delivered.

andie_smith@mac.com

transparent thoughts

This a no home work post. Actually this is a post from a request.

Photographing transparent objects.

Sounds hard doesn't it? Rest assured....it is! There are a couple options when you need to do this:

1. Shoot from a slight angle
2. DON'T light directly ) dont use your flash and if you do use a external flash, bounce it of the ceiling)
3. natural lighting I have found works best.
4. if you are wanting to show that it is transparent put something behind it....books, flowers...anything.
5. if you are catching your reflection in the item you can build a tent for your object and leave a hole for your lens.

You will have to play with it. move abound find a good angle to shoot from.

remembering Joe Rosenthal

you know his work. i promise you do. you know the picture of the soldiers raiseing the flag at Iwo-Jima? that was him. He has died at age of 94.

HOMEWORK: Learn some more about Joe Rosenthal and shoot your landscape. in other word whats going on around you? going back to school? a festival in your 'hood? shoot the life goingon around you.......in b&w

P.S. regular scheduled programing next week! Scouts honor (even though i only last about 6 weeks as a girl scout)

Traditional Classic Portraiture-Part One of Posing Women

Welcome back all!!! Did you guys catchup at all....wanna hear something horrible...i think I took out my camera twice in the last two weeks! Gasp in horror!!!

I'm going to do another "series" of lessons. Actually these lessons will come from my notes of a entire semester of Portraiture. Don't worry I will do a bit at a time! You know me I try not to overwhelm anyone! Also any questions please post here with your email addy or e-mail me at andie_smith@mac.com

Part One of Posing Women
There is an important distinction between full length, three quarter length, and head and shoulders poses, but the general core stucture is the same.

The Classic Feminine Pose:
1. Body turned SLIGHTLY away from camera
2. Head and body facing opposite directions
3. Head tilt toward HIGH SHOLDER (usually the one closer to the camera)

HOMEWORK:
1. look through magazines and see how even in HIgh End fashion or everyday ads photographers use these "core" elements.
2. take some feminine portraits.

Vacation

Hi all! I'm super busy this week and won't be able to get a lesson up, and next week I will be in Dallas. So shoot a lot thenext two weeks and I'll be back Mid Aug!

A

Focal Length

The focal length of a lens is the distance from a point within the lens to the film plane when the lens is focused on infinity. Most of us us this just to say the length at what our lens "sees" its slightly incorrect...but you know what it works, and if it ain't broke dont fix it! The Focal Length of your lens effects the things it sees as well, one of them being your depth of field. The longer your lens the more shallow DOF you will get. cool trick, eh? Here are two pictures i took really quickly (yes i know one is really badly focused...but i said i did it quickly! lol)
See how the DOF is a littl more shallow on the one i took at 220mm?

HOMEWORK: play with your lenses. if you have one and it's a zoom lens shoot the same thing from the same play at diffent focal lengths. if you have more than one lens, do the same with them all. If you have a point and shoot i think you can do this with your zoom.

Q&A session

We have 1 question this week! one! Hope you guyes have a great weekend and happy shooting! I will be shooting for my portfolio.

Q: Why would one want a fixed lens? I have a 75-300 lens. I also have a kit lens, 18-55 ? How does a fixed lens compare to one of these? Thanks!

A: you know i wondered about that too until I got my 50mm 1.8 lens. I so understand now! Fixed lenses tend to have a lower f/stop. so they are faster lenses and you can get a larger aperture. Also I have founf putting my 50mm lens on my camera forces me to be creative with my shots...i have to move, or take a wider angle shotthat i would if I could zoom. Do I recoment a fixed lens.... you betcha!