I know a lot of photographers are struggling these days and trying to figure out ways to drum up more work. Traditional advertising is expensive but there are other ways to market your services that don’t cost you much more than your time. Have you thought of networking with other businesses in your area like lingerie shops, Plastic surgeon’s offices and hair salons for boudoir, children’s stores & doctors offices for children’s portraits, bridal shops and local reception venues for wedding photography?
Wedding & Boudoir Photography by Robin Owen. New York City Boudoir, Washington DC Boudoir, Maryland Wedding, Maryland Boudoir, Northern Virginia Boudoir
Portrait photographer Robin Owen Photography, Weddings, Portraits, Boudoir, High School Seniors, Children, Retro pinup, intimate couples shoots. Sexy photos, Glamour shots.
Category Archives: For PhotographersAs a photographer I’m always looking for unique ideas for my next photo shoot. I stare at people in public in search of potential models, and have embarrassed myself on occasion by getting caught. I’ll even admit that I’v stalked people in Wal-mart and other places trying to get a better look at them. Yes, I’v found models at Wal-mart! I think if you are obsessed with photography the way I am, these habits are normal. I never stop thinking about my next shoot, or searching for interesting people and places to shoot. I found this particular location, with this marvelous old Chrysler New Yorker, while driving home one day. The car caught my eye right away; it had style and beautiful lines. However, there was a broken down dump truck parked right behind it, mountains of trash in the yard, and a dilapidated yellow house in the background. Below are photos of the car’s location to give you an idea of how bad it was. There was clutter no matter where you looked, but I had to have photos of that car! I ran through my mental list of potential models and decided Haley and Bryson would fit the part perfectly. I gave them a call and they were happy to volunteer, so we set a date and planned to arrive right before sunset.
By crouching down and shooting from a low camera angle, or shooting tight so that Haley and Bryson filled most of the frame, I was able to selectively exclude the junky background. I chose to alternate between incorporating some of the junk into the background and having it fade into the shadows. By under exposing the ambient or available light I could darken the surroundings, which hid a lot of the debris in the shadows. Off camera flash was used to light the scene so I could achieve the dramatic look I was after. For this I used a Nikon SB900 flash mounted on a Westcott Magic Slipper with a Soft Box.
I also wanted to show off some of the car and buy shooting from a low angel and pulling back I could still keep the ugly background out of the scene. Hopefully these photos will help you see the potential in imperfect locations that you may have otherwise overlooked. It’s easy to become bored with shooting in the same locations over and over. With a little imagination I bet you can find new areas to shoot in with interesting background elements no matter where you live. 2 comments I’ve been asked what type of lighting I use for my photos to get that dramatic look you see in many of them. It is usually a Nikon SB900 and a Westcott magic slipper with a soft box attached, but at times I do take my heavier Alien bee studio strobe outside and fire it with the Vagabond portable power pack. I usually do this when I’m shooting fast and need a lot of no comments That’s right, I’ve recently launched the Children’s Photography Network! The site lists some of the best Children’s Photographers in the country. While I’m really proud of how quickly the Photography Network sites have grown and how well they have been received by my fellow photographers, all the extra work has put me way behind in my personal photography business. Here it is almost 4 A.M on a Friday morning and I’m still awake with a ton of things I need to finish! The New blog is under construction as you can see. It will go through a lot of changes over the next two weeks. Until then it is going to be a bit of a mess. I’ve been shooting quite a few boudoir shoots at the Maryland studio recently. You girls are fit and tan after the long summer and ready to show off those hot bodies you worked so hard for. Don’t forget make your appointment early if you need your boudoir or Pin-up photos for the holidays! It is time for a few sexy pictures! ~Robin~
Many new photographers are struggling with basic boudoir photography lighting, so I thought I would write a post describing how I lit the photo below as a guideline. Lighting seems hard when you are first starting out, but it is fairly simple once you get the hang of it. I think we tend to make it harder than it really is by over thinking. You need to learn to see the light and have a few tools to control it. There is no magic lighting formula; every situation is different and light is always changing. I used to want someone to just show me where to put the studio light so I could start shooting beautiful photos. Sorry, but that is not how it works. In the photo of the girl below I used two lights to help add dimension to the image. The light on the back of her head is called a hair light. Hair lights are no big mystery. Think of your strobe as a big flashlight. If you had a flashlight and you wanted to light up the back of her head, where would you point it? That’s right, at the back of her head! Your studio strobe can do the same thing, What is a grid? There are different kinds, some made for studio strobes and others are made to use on soft boxes. I’ll show you both. Grids that fit on your studio lights come in different sizes. The size you use determines the width of your light beam. The photo below shows you the different sizes they come in: 10, 20, 30 and 40 degrees. The second photo shows the grid inserted into the reflector that comes with your strobe. I personally use Alien Bee studio lights.
So, now you have the hair light shining on the back of her head. If it is too bright, turn the power down or move it farther away from your model. If it is too dark, turn up the power or move it closer. Then check your exposure by taking a test shot and looking at the histogram on the camera’s LCD. If the exposure is off, then adjust your camera setting and lights and take another test shot. Repeat this until you get the desired results. Next, use a small soft box as the main light. For boudoir photography, I like to use my small 2′x2′ soft box with a grid. The first photo shows an octagon grid by itself, the second photo shows the soft box without the grid, and the third photo shows the grid attached to the soft box by the Velcro on it’s sides. Never buy a soft box that won’t accept a grid. The grids are easy to install and remove. I usually place my main light next to my left or right shoulder when I’m shooting; in this case it was my left shoulder. Again, to determine how bright you want the main light, take a test shot. If the light is too dark, increase the power and if it is too bright, decrease the power. It is that easy!
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