Photographic surroundings

  I used to think that what you need for a great photoshoot is not only a photographer, model and a camera, but also an epic backdrop, something that is overwhelmingly beautiful, massive or otherwise unforgettable. If you find one, not bad, who wouldn't like to do their photo session in such a place? The photographer is happy and the client is happy! But how about when you don't have such a luxury nearby, or at least you don't know the surroundings enough to take your model/s to that kind of a jaw dropping spot where you just can't mess up the shoot? 

  What solves the problem is positive thinking! Almost all places can be good backdrops for photography. It's not always what you show in the final image, but very often it's what you decide to leave out. On Friday our shooting location was in a part of city which I hardly knew. I drove a little bit around and ended up to this small beach kind of spot. Didn't really have interest to drive around, so I thought that if my model don't have anything else on her mind so we'll do the shoot there. Well, she didn't have any other thoughts so that's were we ended. I don't know for sure, but I think her first thought when we arrived was, what on earth are we gonna shoot there! But we did, we did the whole shoot there in that seemingly boring spot and the images we pulled out turned out to be awesome. So yes, it's cool to shoot in cool locations, but when you don't have one, just remember to think out of the box, it's not about the surroundings, it's about the subject. Here's some photos from that shoot... 

       Photographer: Georg Fagerlund - Model: Obrey

Where to find a model?!

    To master portrait or people photography you need to practice, and practice a lot! It's not only that you know your gear and how to handle other technical aspects, it's also about being comfortable with people and being able to direct them, to get out the full potential from a shoot and your subject of course. To practice you need another person unless you want to go the self portrait road. Family members, friends, they are all good choices to start with. At some point though you probably want to, and you really should, get out from your comfort zone and shoot people who you don't know that well. And how do you find a model then, a model who you don't personally know yet? One of the best ways to get in touch with people who'd like to pose in front of your camera is to join a tfcd-group in Facebook or other social media platforms. Tfcd stands for trade for cd. Guess that not too many photographers use cd:s to deliver their images to a client, so tfp (trade for pictures) or tft (trade for time) are used too, and they all basically mean the same, which is, "I have a camera and want to make images! If you'll be my model and give me some of your precious time, in change you'll get some of those images we'll make together to be used in your portfolio". Time and skills are the currency here, not money. So it's kind of a win win situation for both the photographer and the model. So, don't hesitate for too long. Get in touch with people who are willing to help you to be a better photographer. I got in touch with Kristiina through one of the local tfcd-groups and we had a great shoot on Friday evening. Here's some images I want to share with you...