Classic style family portraits in the studio
makeover photoshoot and beauty portraits
Call us for a chat, we always have a style consultation before a session, at our studio if possible, so you can see where the magic happens. Your inspiration, we will help you acheive your style. Call on 0409260516 or contact us.
Kids portrait in the studio
Angie’s Mum was considering a Trash the Dress session to celebrate her approaching 25th anniversary, but before we did that, we decided get the little girl wrapped up in it to see how it looks. Now we are thinking this could be a series, we will do it again at 13 and 16. I wish we had done it at 6 months and 4 years now. Light is from a single halogen flood through a translucent umbrella, some of the photos are straight out of camera, and some have some post processing done to add glow and reduce the colour and add grain for a more vintage sort of look. Which do you prefer, straight out of camera or processed? Tell us on facebook>>
Classic style location portrait
A classic almost traditional style felt appropriate for this portrait session. Though it looks like a studio photo, this session was done on location at the client’s home. I brought a backdrop, (been wanting to use my black/red for a while now), but the light was natural, coming from one window covered with some translucent white satin. The dark close in image was taken by my friend Akira who was helping me on the day as we were setting up, I included it because I like the mysterious feel to it.
Cars for style
Cars, to some extent are an expression of their owner- prestige, power, style etc. Even more so when you hire one for a special day. For a car lover and a photographer, it is always a joy to use a really cool car in a portrait photo. I had many opportunities for this when doing weddings, though I was always conscious not to let the car distract me too much!
The right car as a prop or as a background can really make the scene. Anyway this is just an excuse to post some car pics. And if anyone wants to do this: rentadreamcar.com.au for a day, I would be quite happy to come along for your photos 😉
Beauty portrait session
We started with a light and fresh look with this beautiful lady, then did some low key as well. I think she looks equally striking either way. Of course I could not resist trying out such lovely skin and fantastic make up (by Christina of Marvel Style) in direct sunlight outside in the last couple of photos.
fashion catalog
Just some simple photos to show the outfits for an online catalog. I left them sharp and vibrant for the catalog but softened and muted these just for here because I thought it suited the pretty dresses. By the way, if you are ever after some beautiful clothes available in larger sizes, check out more of Catherine’s items at Catherine’s Plus. or On Facebook I have been doing catalog photos for Catherine for a while now and there are always some lovely new items being added to the range.
The iPhone in your pocket
Beats the DSLR at home!
Lets face it, not even a career photographer like me always has a big chunky camera on hand. Sure, the DSLR gives much greater versatility and ultimate quality, but its size and weight means it is not always with you. The cameras in the iPhones and Samsung smartphones are so advanced now that stunning results are possible. With a few handy apps and a slightly different approach from mindless snapping or full on DSLR control freakery, you can create worthy images with your phone camera.
Forget shooting RAW, selective focus and interchangeable lenses, iPhonography is about getting it right, or close enough, then uploading it straight to Instagram or Facebook. Getting it right in camera can be tricky with no camera controls sometimes, so an APP that allows you a little more control over the camera is very helpful. Camera Awesome from Smugmug is one such app, available for free. It allows you to separately choose a focus and exposure point in the photo to ensure the best possible sharpness and tone. Tap the screen with two fingers and they appear, move the focus point to what you want sharpest and move the exposure point around until it shows the best level of brightness. The WB button allows you to adjust the colour balance. There is also the option to turn the flash off, which I usually do. I cant remember seeing a photo I liked that was taken with the phone’s internal flash. The right light sets the mood.
If you really need to, you can adjust the image a little after the fact with Photoshop Express, another free app (PS Express). Personally I have hardly ever used it, because usually if I stuff up a photo I just redo it on the spot.
I like adding a bit of flavour to my iPhone pics, so I don’t mind using some filters like in Instagram. My favourite camera app is Hipstamatic. In its basic form it includes filters in the form of “lenses” and “films” from which you can make up a camera and photograph in that style. Extra lenses and filters are available as in app purchases, sometimes free, usually $1.29, but the basic kit gives plenty of scope as it is. I love the square format too. It even has its own photo sharing site, OGGL, available on the app store for free. If you like the effect of any pic on Oggle, you can see what lens and film was used and make up a favourite camera from that. ( I have 32 favourite cameras so far!) The gallery at the top of this post are all Hipstamatic photos as captured straight from iPhone4 with no post processing.
As with any photo, most important is expression, pose, composition, and lighting in that order. Build your photo in the reverse order and you will have a visually stunning image, even with a phone camera!
forties style beauty
In this session we started with a loose brief of “40’s style” just to start the inspiration and then see where it goes from there.
More photos from this session are at: my smugmug
