Shots Photography

Photography Workshops and Master Classes

Several years ago, I met a fellow photographer - albeit, he was an amateur, a very good one (the difference is not the quality of the work . the difference is that one does it for love, the other does it for money). He is now a new friend and fellow photographer named Marco, an Italian. His day job is as a top children's heart surgeon. His passion for photographing people takes him all over the world, seeking out that special face, interesting enough to be captured on film/file.

During our brief encounter in my brother's hairdressing salon, we had found common ground and a need to explore each other's pictures. He asked me if I would visit his photographic society to meet the other members and discuss the possibility of me giving a talk about my fashion photography. I said to Marco, "Whatever will I talk about?"

Well, first off, he said, there is something very magical in the expressions of my models and in the atmosphere of my pictures that he would love to have in his. He asked me how do you achieve this. Shocked at his remark, I said, "No, I can't, because I don't know myself." You have to find out he said because this is what you should talk about. We spent the next couple of hours disgussing photography and the feelings and techniques of managing your subjects whilst shooting.

During my visit to his camera club, we arranged for my talk to be done nearly 9 months later, so I had time to think about my talk and to get myself prepared.

For days, I looked at my work and examined myself whilst shooting assignments. It was maybe 6 months later whilst photographing a bridal-wear collection for one of my clients that something clicked. (No pun intended!)

I had decided that I would like to start shooting with wider lenses to change the style of my bridal-wear pictures. I shoot for so many bridal-wear designers, so I have to make them look and feel different to the each other. It also helps to use a short zoom, because during most of my shoots, I can take a variety of images from full length to portrait shots from the same distance, so my client gets much more usage out of the shots.

While moving in closer to my model, I noticed a big difference in the expressions in her face and her body language - they changed, as I got closer. I experimented more and began to play with this for the rest of this shoot. Not only could I see better, it also created a much better flow of the energy and communication between my model and myself. For years, I have been shooting fashion pictures using medium-length telephotos, at times so far away that my models could not hear me directing them. An amazing thing had happened. I could see and control so much more in my pictures. Not to say that I will never use long lenses, just that I prefer the new results that I am getting with wide lenses. In fact, most of my recent projects I have shot with a wide zoom.

I find that by doing the poses and expressions in my face that I want, my models seem to mirror mine. If I act daft, they act daft. If I laugh, they laugh. If I pull a sad face, they pull a sad face - which always makes them smile :-)

Since this experiment, I have been adapting my directions to my models in much the same way, obviously changing my energy levels to match the levels I want in my pictures. If I want a nice soft and gentle feel, I express this in my voice and my manor and my body. If I want high energy, I do high energy. If I want my model to leap, I will leap.

Think about this as if you were a conductor. The next time you attend a concert, watch him or her, and watch the orchestra. They mirror him - fast tempo, slow tempo, and medium tempo. You can do the same with your models.

Fashion pictures for me have RHYTHM and TEMPO. If you want to express high energy or tempo in a picture, the shoot has to be high energy or tempo, or visa- versa.

I look at pictures and sometimes wonder how boring the shoot must have been. I love to change the tempo up and down whilst I'm shooting, I would hate it if anyone viewing my pictures did not feel this energy. This is why I strive to make my shoots exciting for myself, my model, the other members of my team, and, most important, for my clients.

As a photographer, you are the conductor, your models are your orchestra, and your clients or viewers of the pictures are the audience. So you have to direct and entertain. Your performance will reflect in your pictures.

I want you to try a little experiment. The next time you have people over to your house or you get a moment with some people at work, pick a volunteer. Face each other, one or two feet apart, don't speak, and don't look at each other. In fact, do your best to imagine they are not there. Stay like this for 30 seconds and remember how this feels. Stay in this position but hold each other's hands, look into each other's eyes, smile at each other, don't speak. Instead of imagining they are not there, do the opposite. Try and send them all of your good energy. Stay like this for 30 seconds. Remember how this feels, and compare the feelings. Ask your friend or colleague and the others to explain how it felt for them. The next time you are shooting pictures, remember all of these feelings.

Bruce runs courses, master classes and workshops that give students an insight into the fascinating world of fashion photography. Instructor and photographer Bruce Smith teaches the fundamentals of preparing for a fashion shoot and setting up and photographing a shoot. "Introduction to Fashion Photography" is intended for anyone who wishes to shoot fashion images for fun in order to impress family and friends or for those who have a burning desire to become a professional fashion photographer.

Bruce's objective is to helps young photographers, initially to produce single fashion shots and eventually to produce fashion stories that would not look out of place in today's fashion magazines.

With a fashion photography career spanning 30 years, Bruce has shot projects in many parts of the world from Alaska to Thailand. For the past 3 years he has been giving workshops, lectures and talks in various parts of the UK as well as abroad, teaching hands-on the skills and techniques he has learned during his professional career.

There are several variations to the courses that photographers can take, from an online 8 week intense practical asignments course to 5 day master classes in beautiful settings in the South of France and Italy. Bruce teaches studio photography on his fashion and beauty or Glamour and Fine Artistic Figure and Nude photography workshops, held every month in fabulous studios in South West London. Students can expect to learn a lot of the secrets behind Bruces amazing fashion, beauty, glamour and fine artistic figure and nude photographs.

His work can be seen on his web sites:
http://www.brucesmithphoto.com
http://brucesmithphotoworkshops.bravehost.com/online.html

You can read the many letters of thanks from his former students. There is also a students gallery where you can see the standard of photography his students are achieving in a short period of time whilst attending his photography master classes and workshops.

MORE ARTICLES:

9 Vital Ways to Keep PMS from Destroying your Wedding Day (and Night)
PMS Central helps "Brides to Be" across the world make their Wedding Day Perfect!

Babylon Productions Expanding their Suite of Services in Toronto - Photography Video Dj Limo for Weddings & Most Memorable Occasions
Babylon Productions excels in capturing and retelling the true story of an event from start to finish. Every special event like a wedding, baptism, or any special occasion always has certain moments that are remembered and cherished forever and make it personal to you.

Share Hundreds of Wedding Photos In Just One Click!
You?ve opened the wedding gifts, sent the thank you cards, and are on your way to settling into your new home (and life) as a married couple. Just one thing remains: preserving and sharing your wedding photos.

How to Become a Wedding Photographer
Wedding photographers require creative zeal as well as technical knowledge of cameras, lighting and posing. Creative wedding photographers constantly strive to improve their work and endeavor to avoid the pitfall of producing the same poses week after week. Todays brides want something a little bit different, so that their wedding pictures will be truly distinctive.

Wedding Bands Can Be An Individual Or A Couple?s Decision Together On Whether To Match
To Match or Not to Match that is Our Question When many couples make the step to get married, they want to be of one heart, one mind, and one soul Somewhere along the line many couples have taken the notion that this includes even the eternal signs and symbols of their undying love

Colorful New Fall Wedding Favors for 2008
With the fall wedding season just around the corner, couples everywhere are busy finalizing last-minute details for their wedding day. The 2008 fall wedding season brings exciting new favors that are both colorful and functional.

Balance - Wedding Budget Blues
Let's think about what goes into your wedding budget. Your caterer/banquet facility will get the lion's share of it.

Choosing A Wedding Photographer
The wedding day is the day that most women wait their whole lives for and it is such a special time. Because of the advancement of technology, it is now easy to always remember that day using video and photography.

Wedding Anniversary Gift Baskets-Year 1-3
When celebrating a wedding anniversary, a gift basket is a unique present with a personal touch As each anniversary is symbolized by a traditional gift, a modern gift, particular colors, and specific flowers, it will help you to know the different items that are associated with each anniversary to help you to create the perfect gift basket

Highcamera Increases Aerial Photography Services on Delmarva Peninsula
Highcamera Aerial Photography has announced that the company will step up flights along the Delmarva peninsula in order to better serve customers that need aerial imagery.

Digital Photography For The Dummy
Even with the advent of digital technology and the sudden appearance of every kind, every shape and size of digital cameras in hobby shops, department stores and other shops in the metro, not everyone is a pro when it comes to operating this little gadget. In fact, even the most tech-tough can stumble every now and then.

New Web Site Offers Free Wedding Money to Engaged Couples Just for Asking
How you can get free money to help pay for your wedding.

MyDeejay.com Becomes Nation's First 100% Carbon-Neutral Wedding DJ
Columbia, MD-based MyDeejay.com has purchased Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) equaled to the total cabon impact of its wedding disc jockey operation.

Wedding Vows
The vows you take to become husband and wife are very special. Over the years many people decided to make up their own versions and today there are many different ways to make this special commitment to each other.