Monday, April 5, 2021

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...










 

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Light is light!

   One of the most essential things in photography is light! No light, no photos. When you shoot during the day and it's sunny, there is an abundance of light and thus it's fairly easy to make images. The challenge is to avoid to burn out the highlights and trying to get rid of too contrasty shadows (Unles that's your intention.). When we get to the evening side of the day the light amount starts to drop and the darker it gets you start have trouble with low light. What would be the solution? Artificial lighting is the easiest way to cope with lowlight situations. And what could be better than a speedlight or a strobe or two? So easy to add some punch to your images with one flash. When shooting in a fairly dark surroundings in the city there is though one more option to be used when it comes to lighting your subject. About a week ago I had the privilege to do a photo shoot with Emma. The chosen location was the surroundings of a nearby mall. In this shoot we used both the existing light only and a combination of both existing and strobe light. The challenge with the light you find all around you while walking in the streets is that it's usually fairly weak when it comes to photography. The further you go from the light the less it illuminates your subject. You can always open your aperture or you can raise your ISO, both having their drawbacks. One thing you can do, what we did, is to place your subject as close to the light as you can. This way you'll get the most out of the light. Here's a couple of examples...




        You still might have to raise your ISO for this kind of lighting, but placing your subject enough close the light source, you'll get most out of it and you still get to the ISO level as low as possible.

  How about a combination of strobe and existing light? Just choose a shutter speed that allows you to have some of that existing light shown and then illuminate your subject with a strobe as your key light. Simple as that! Here's a few images made this way...





    So in the end light is just light no matter if it comes from the sun, a light bulb or strobe! Whatever you decide to use, know your light and use it for your advantage!

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Kun kuvaat tai oot kuvattavana - Pari vinkkiä!

   Kameran edessä oleminen on varmaan aika jännää puuhaa. Toisista näkee heti että ne ei viihdy yhtään valokuvattavana. Ollaan ikuistettavina kuin tönkkösuolatut silakat, kädet ei liiku, jalat ei liiku, kasvot pysyy peruslukemilla, olemus kaikin puolin epämukavuutta uhkuen. Tai sitten vedetään naama oletettuun hymyyn, joka todellisuudessa  näyttää irvistykseltä ja silmät aukeaa suuriksi ikään ku oltais ajovalojen yllättämä kauris. Tai ehkä otetaankin joku pose... peukku pystyyn ja irvistys, tai huulet tötterölle, se niin kutsuttu "duck face"-ilme. Näillä specseille kuvat harvoin onnistuu etenkin jos ollaan hakemassa edustavaa kuvaa, sellasta fotoa jonka haluaa näyttää kaikille ja huutaa et "kato, tos oon mä, eiks oo hieno!". Toki valokuvaajallakin on ihan oma rooli henkilökuvan onnistumisessa. Melko varma tapa ryssiä kuvaus on piiloutua kameran taakse kaikenkattavaan hiljaisuuteen, naksutella kuvia ja tuhista ja hymistä olematta minkäänlaisessa vuorovaikutuksessa kuvattavaan. Tai vaihtoehtona on käskyttää ja päsmäröidä, heitellä ikäviä jopa halveksuvia tai vertailevia kommentteja jne. Ei kandee kuvaajan odottaa mitään huippuotoksia sessiolta. Nää nyt tietysti oli vähän tällaisia ääriesimerkkejä, eihän näitä oikeessa elämässä näe... vai näkeekö? Toivottavasti ei!

  Tosiasia on kuitenkin se että me kaikki halutaan itsestämme onnistuneita ruutuja, ja jos me ollaan valokuvaajina, niin tietty me halutaan ikuistaa meidän kohde tai kohteet niin että ne kuvat nähdessään on et "WOW! Onks toi oikeesti mä!?!", ja positiivisessa mielessä. Joten tässä tulee pari pikku vinkkiä sekä kuvattavalle että kuvaajalle! Ei mitään rakettitiedettä, ihan vaan juttuja jotka jeesaa kun suljin laulaa ja salamavalot leiskuu...

  Harjoittele etukäteen: Ennen kuvauksiin lähtöä voi seisoskella peilin edessä ja kokeilla erilaisia asentoja ja kasvonilmeitä. Netistäkin löytyy vinkkejä mallina olemiseen ja sieltä voi hakea itselle toimivia ideoita ja ajatuksia. Sama pätee valokuvaajaan. Netin ihmeelisestä maailmasta löytyy kaavioita, kuvia ja videoita joista varmaan löytyy ehdotuksia joita voi testata. Usein voi olla fiksua testata eri poseja itse tai kiusata puolisoa tai ystäviä harjoitusohjaamalla heitä, niin että saa vähän tuntumaa oikeeseen ohjaamiseen.

  Puhu: Valokuvaamassahan sitä ollaan eikä puhumassa! Joo, mutta fakta on että hiljaisuus tekee kuvaustilanteesta aika ahdistavan. Etenkin valokuvattava saattaa ahdistua jos kuvaaja möllöttää tuppisuuna, ja se ahdistus näkyy varmasti kuvissa. Eli ennen kuvausta on hyvä vähän tutustua jos ei jo ennestään tunne mallia. Ihan vaan kyselemällä mukavia kuvattavasta, mitä tekee työksi, mistä päin on, harrastuksista jne. saadaan vähän jäitä rikottua. Sitten tietysti kannattaa käydä vähän läpi mitä kuvauksissa tulee tapahtumaan, keskustella ideoista ja toteutuksesta. Kuvauksen aikana on hyvä kertoa suoraan mihin asentoon haluaa kuvattavan asettuvan, ohjata suullisesti, ehkä jopa näyttää itse posen hienosäätöjä. Ja kehua ja kommentoida positiivisesti, sitä kannattaa tehdä niin kauan kuin laukaisin naksuu. Entäs kuvattava, pelkkä äänetön osa tarinaa, palanen muovailuvahaa joka ei puhu eikä pukahda? Kuvaajasta on ihan kiva jos malli osoittaa vastavuoroisuutta ja kyselee vähän kuvaajasta ja hänen elämästään. Se on sitä tutustumista, kanssakäymistä ja saattaa olla ihan turvallisuudentunteenkin takia kiva tietää vähän jotain pientä kameran takana olijasta. Kuvatessa myös ideat kuvausasennoista on tervetulleita ja en kyllä usko että monikaan kuvaaja tykkää kyttyrää jos kuvattava kertoo omia ehdotuksia poseista tms. Joskus myös kuvaajan ja mallin tahto kokee yhteentörmäyksen, ja jos ei malli halua jotain pyydettyä suorittaa niin sekin kannatta rohkeesti sanoa, niin ei tarvitse sitten myöhemmin kenekään harmitella että mitä tuli tehtyä.

 Huumori mukaan: Tää on tärkee juttu! Kuvauksiin ei koskaan kannata lähteä otsa rypyssä, sitruunoita syötyään! Jos niin tekee niin aivan varmasti koko setti on pilalla tai ainakin kuvauksista jää paha mieli. Hapan valokuvaaja tekee kuvattavasta epävarman, ja myrtsiä mallia on kiusallista ohjata ja kuvissa negatiivinen mieli näkyy. Eli posin kautta kuviin! Kannattaa nukkua hyvin, syödä kevyesti (Ei kuitenkaan niin vähän että vatsa kurnii kuvauksien aika) ja ajatella kivoja asioita ennen kuin kuvaukset alkaa. Kuvausten aikana kevyt hyvän maun rajoissa pysyvä huumori piristää... eli iso EI rasvasille jutuille ja henkilöön kohdistuvalle läpälle, sellaset ei varmaankaan paranna lopputulosta, vaan aiheuttaa todennäköisesti enneminkin kiusaantumista. Kaikki ei aina myöskään mene ihan putkeen välttämättä, rapatessa roiskuu niin sanotusti. Kun tekniikka pettää tai poset ei ihan onnistu niinkuin haluis niin sille kannatta vaan nauraa ja uutta yritystä kehiin, "elämä on laiffii".

  Eli tässä pari idistä jotka edesauttaa kuvausten ja kuvien onnistumisessa. Ens kerralla kun oot kuvailemassa tai kuvattavana, muista harjotella, höpöttää ja anna huumorin kukan kukkia. Pari viikkoa sitten olin Sinin kanssa kuvailemassa Auroranpuistossa, Epoossa. Kaikkea tätä yritettiin soveltaa ainakin jossain määrin ja kuvaukset meni nappiin! Saatiin kivoja talvisia ruutuja viehättävän mallin kanssa. Oikein kiva kuvaussessio oli ja iso kiitos siitä kuuluu mallille! Tässä muutama ruutu...













    


Saturday, March 13, 2021

An anniversary shoot in Villa Rulludd

   I was asked to make a few pics for Katharinas and Peters twentieth anniversary (Congrats for them!). The weather wasn't maybe the best on the day we were about to shoot. It was cloudy and even if it wasn't maybe the coldest day of the winter, it definitely was on the freezing side. For this shoot Villa Rulludd in Espoo was the chosen location. With some old buildings, nature an the sea around this would be a perfect spot for photoshoot no matter what time of the year. We had some fun, my models survived the cold weather (even though I think we all had fingers or toes a bit frozen) and we pulled out some very nice frames from this shoot. All in all it was a shoot I really enjoyed. Here's some pics...

 











Saturday, March 6, 2021

A portrait for an application

  Taking some ones picture for an application might sound a pretty easy and boring thing to do. But it depends. Yes, it's boring and easy if you take the snapshot route, but that way the image is only a snapshot and it might be boring too. I think that taking enough time for the shoot will in the end be a better option, yielding in better images and that in the end means a happy client and a happy photographer.
  Janette needed some images for form she was about to fill and she asked if I could help her. Hard to refuse when it comes to someone wanting me to shoot them. because it was an official application I thought the best way is to place her on a light distraction free background aka a white wall. A simple camera right lighting modified by a softbox, and that was it! Very simple! Unless it's a passport photo you are taking, smile is allowed and that's good. Facial expressions make the person in the image look so much better. What she needed was a face shot and a full body portrait and that's what she got. Here's a couple of those more official ones...




    Then I think it's always good take a few not too serious or artistic pictures as well!




    I had a great time making these portraits! When ever shooting people for a reason or just for fun, or when ever modeling in the front of a camera, remember to relax and have fun! That's my piece of advice!

Monday, August 31, 2020

The key - Collaboration

     Even if the photographer is the one who presses the shutter release, and so often gets credits for a good picture, there's still always at least one more person involved in making of the image, and that's the model/s of course. So in the end that superb image is not only a result of one person standing in the front of the camera, and someone else standing behind it and then pressing that button, but it's  more like a beautiful co-work of two persons wanting to create something nice and beautiful.

   Both have their roles of course! A good model actively tries to find poses and expressions. She/He also listens what the photographer is telling to do and tries to follow that guidance. And then if She/He has good ideas, I don't think any photographer would shut the ears from listening to good ideas. I mean if a model is wanting to try some ideas of her own, it's just showing she's actively trying to make the shoot end up with good results.

  If the model should be active, then the photographer should be even more. It's not just giving direction, telling the model to do this and doing that, but it's more like building a good connection between the two parts. Keeping up the conversation, joking, giving compliments, making the model to relax. Then there's  that posing part. Sometimes the model finds the good poses by herself, and sometimes the photographer have to tell her what he wants to be accomplished. Often the pose is good, but still a small fine tuning is needed, so that's when the photographer tells what to do. And the photographer tries to check out where the light is good so that the model is placed in the right spot. if any artificial lights are used he/she makes sure that they are moved so that the light hits the subject perfectly. And don't forget the backdrop, the photographer keeps constant watch over the background so that there are no distractions being visible, no poles sticking out from the talents head or something else that will distract the viewer 

  When both parts actively try to do their best, the outcome will be a bunch of good maybe even excellent photos! Ok, there will probably be a load of frames with bad poses, closed eyes, awkward hands and weird composing, but with good cooperation all those misses are minimized, and the result will be a fun shoot and excellent images!

  Here's a few images from a shoot with Sini a couple of weeks ago. The shoot was fun and cool, and with some good collaboration we made some really beautiful pictures!










        

Monday, August 17, 2020

Shooting with strangers can be scary, but it's worth of it!

   One of the most challenging genres of photography for me has always been people photography. For years I used to say that I love to shoot turtles and snakes because they won't complain about the images taken of them. Honestly, as a shy person, I just avoided portraiture and shooting people, because I was afraid! But as I saw more and more good portraiture, good photography involving people, I started to feel like "Hey that's something I want to do!". I'm lucky to have a nice and beautiful wife, so I started with her as a model. Then I moved to friends. Some where more eager than others and I have had the privilege to shoot weddings, family portraits and some personal photos with friends and family. So if you'd love to shoot people, start with the ones next to you. That's good training! Finally I had the guts to try with someone I don't know. I've always felt like that's the ultimate thing to do as a photographer, to get in contact with people you don't know, make an appointment, discus what to shoot, where to shoot and when. I so hoped that someone would make it easy for me and they just would call me out of the blue and beg me to photograph them. I didn't happen! So finally I decided to write a few lines on social media begging for help. I turned to a local TFCD-group on Facebook and asked if there would be someone willing to model for me (If you don't know what is TFCD, just Google it). And just to make a short story a bit shorter, I found a model to shoot with! To be honest, It scared the... out of me to do it! First to ask, then to answer for the willing model, ask where, when and what etc. etc.! But after an agreement for co-operation and one lousily slept night before the shoot, there I was finally in a park on a sunny Saturday in the center of Helsinki, getting ready to shoot with this gorgeous model. I definitely was nervous, but no worries, she was a very easy going person with whom it was nice to talk. She didn't bite and we had a two hour photo shoot and great time together (At least I had). So the only question for my self is, "Why didn't I do this earlier?" Here's a few pictures we made together...