Backdrops - how to make your own

Photography is an expensive hobby, so do yourself a big favour and make your own equipment.  I usually get questions about backdrops and where I get them from.  So, I'll let you in on that one...

I buy my backdrops everywhere... and I mean EVERYWHERE!   How?  Charity stores.... hundreds of the things just waiting to be picked up... and for just a few cents.  Who knew that charity stores sold photography accessories eh?  What are they?  Sheets.  Double, king size, queen size... for a few dollars only.  You can also get large pieces of material too sometimes and muslin curtains.  Easy to hang curtains because they've already got loops or whatever.

You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on pro backdrops, though I have do have a couple of those which I've bought online.  You can also make one out of muslin, which I also use... yards and yards of the stuff.  It's dirt cheap.  There's a tut here on how to do that, though you're going to want to hang it.  You can hang it from a wooden dowel and fix it to your ceiling and roll it up and down, or you can fix curtain eyelets into your sheet edge and hang from hooks in a beam or ceiling in your room, or make a frame for it, which is a great idea for portability.   Ideally you need something 10 foot across if you're going to photograph a whole person, but much less if you're just doing head shots. 

You can dye them any colour you like and it doesn't matter if they get wrecked because they cost so little.  Buy white ones, chuck them in bleach to brighten them up and give them a good wash and you're good to go.
Dye one set black or dark grey.  Tie dye is also good for a mottled effect and here's a different way of dying which isn't as fiddly as tie dye but I recommend you don't use a dryer to set the dye.. just hang it over your clothesline until it's dry.  Another tut here with pics.  I like those the best. ;)

Remember, the backdrop isn't going to be really in focus after you're done, it's just a backdrop.  If you want block colours, then use a liquid dye rather than powder ones as the powder can sometimes leave little spots.  One that you throw in the machine is the best, though follow instructions about rinsing the machine afterwards because you don't want any unpleasant surprises.

If you're planning on shooting down, you need lots of texture, so make sure there's enough material on the ground for this.  The more material you can bunch up around your subject area, the better imo.  Also, if you're lying your subject on the floor, put something comfortable underneath your backdrop.. camping mats or gym mats are a good idea.  Be nice to your models!

I have several home made backdrops.. grey mottled, rust mottled, black and white.

Once you've set up your backdrops, place your models in (hire your kids), light it well and take some shots.  Amazing how much more pro it looks even if you're not.
Have fun!

So You Want to Be A Photographer? Part II

So, you've decided you're going to set yourself up as a photographer.
Great!
So now you're a photographer... you say you're a photographer and you have a website that makes you look like a photographer.  So now you need to market yourself.
So how are you going to do that exactly?

At this point, you should be referring to your business plan because you'd be crazy to go into business without a business plan, right?
 I've got mine sitting in this basket besides my desk (It's not the rubbish basket, it's my 'on hand' filing system)  Where do you keep yours?

What, you didn't write one?  Are you serious?
 Doh!
Go directly to jail.  Do not pass Go.  Do not collect $200.

See that question I asked up there... the 'How are you going to do that exactly' question?

That's the question you need to have answered in your business plan.
Not only the how but the why and where and when of your business.  If you haven't written one, you're 'winging' it.  Chancing your arm, (I don't know why we say that in England but I'm sure someone will enlighten me) and hoping for the best.
Basically you don't have any direction, you have no idea how you're going to grow and market your business and you have nothing to show a bank manager should you want a loan but not only that, you have nothing to refer to which will keep you on track.

You may be a creative artist, but if you don't have a clue what you're doing and how you're going to do it, then you deserve to fail.
Truly.  And I'm sorry if that's harsh, but it's for your own good. 


Find a business plan template on the web NOW and download it.  Banks have them for free, and there are plenty out there.  Now fill it in and then we'll talk further about building a portfolio.

Have fun!

How to look great in a photograph

Don't like your photo being taken?  Complaining that no-one has ever taken a good photograph of you?  Feel all coy when someone pulls a camera out?

As a photographer who constantly comes up against this in all sorts of shoots (commercial, private, celebratory) I can tell you that the only way you'll ever look great in a photograph is to loose your self consciousness.
Easy, right?  :D

I ALWAYS without fail get people pointing out their double chins, telling me how much weight they've put on in the past few months, complaining about their wrinkles or just saying how they never look good and sadly, it's mainly women though some men do it too.

BUT the only way you're going to look great in a photograph is to lose the shackles that bind you ~ self consciousness ~ and look at that camera and give it your all!

Lose your inhibitions.  We are all human and therefore we are all plagued by uncertainty and insecurities.  Even the most successful and famous people are not always sure of themselves as we know.  Some incredibly talented people out there have shown us that they're full of self doubt.

When I look at you, I may not know you.  I don't know how you looked six months ago.  I didn't know you a year ago or how you looked.  What I see is a person and what I'm going to try to do is capture the person I see in the very best way for them.

Personally, I like to connect with the person I'm photographing.  A while ago, when I was shooting a commercial job, this lady sat in front of me absolutely frozen.  I asked her to tell me about her husband but she got more uptight.  Wrong!  Then I asked her about her kids and she just relaxed on the spot.  In a few seconds we were sharing stories about our children and having a laugh.. and we came out of that session with some fabulous shots.  I honestly don't think I can take good photographs of someone who appears to be frozen and unhappy in front of the camera.  It never works.
So if you can lose your inhibitions for a few seconds and connect with your photographer, then the photographs are going to be great.


Now whilst I've asked you to do this huge thing, I'm going to give you a few tips for looking good in a shot.

• Wear make-up... don't wear make-up... It's really up to you.

• Be natural... be yourself... Be the person you are normally.

• RELAX!  Take a few deep breaths in and out and let all your stress go.

• Try and keep your posture good.  Even when I'm taking a headshot, having a straight back with shoulders back will make an immense difference to your face. 

• When the photographer is shooting, breath in through your nose.  This will make your pupils larger.  Large pupils make you look friendlier and less fearful!

• If I asked you to breath in, you'll have forgotten to smile, so smile!  Everyone, without exception looks better when they smile.   I know you don't believe me, I know you hate your teeth, but just relax and trust your photographer to get the shot they know they can get.

• Trust your photographer.   They know what they're doing. 

• Trust yourself!   You chose the photographer, hopefully.  You checked out their photographs.  You know what you asked for.

• Final tip... Don't look at the photographer!  I always ask my clients to look straight down the lens, not at me.  This way, everyone's focus is on a very small point and this gets great results.

Happy shooting!

Headshot time

Been very busy this week with headshots.

Now, headshots are commercial thingymabobs essential for everyone who wants to get their face 'out there' into the wide world of public land.  You want to look like yourself, but you also want to look dynamic and professional, right?
Well sure, but how do we do that?

Generally I shoot commercial headshots with a prime lens.   Nikon's 50mm lens is my weapon of choice for portrait shots, but when I take my tiny lens out of the bag, the client usually asks 'Is that it?' because they're expecting some all singing, all dancing piece of kit the size of the Eiffel tower. 
Well because it's tiny, doesn't mean it doesn't kick ass!

Try it some time.

I also shoot with a telephoto lens, because I love the depth of field it gives me (That's when the client says 'Wow - that's big!).  You'll really stand out.  It really depends on what look we're aiming for.

My client B has co-authored a very interesting book, entitled The Sixth Wave, and I highly recommend you add it to your reading list.   It's fascinating stuff.
In her case, we're looking to get nice and close up and keep the background as a relevant part of her shot.  It's lovely aged wood which has a great texture and colour.  It's a nice shot given her science journalist background which we're keeping relevant.  We're shooting outside using perfect afternoon light so no need for a load of lights and a softbox.

No teeth always makes a commercial headshot look better.  We're going for quiet professionalism here, not grinning like a chimp.  Whilst my client has lovely teeth, we keep them out of the shot.

The client wants something natural, a little relaxed and something that is 'her' - not too posed and not too 'studio'.

I keep close up, shoot rapidly whilst my client is relaxing into the session and we're done.
This shot to the above is taken whilst I'm on a ladder I bought with me - a pretty essential part of kit if you're going to shoot people - which we'll talk about later.


Next post, I'm going to talk about how you can achieve great results with your headshots or in fact, any session in front of the camera.