She’s back – due to popular request. Briana has a new article on Model Behavior. She calls it “Trust the Model”. Thanks Bri, for the article.

On the Lighting Essentials front, it has been pretty hectic lately. I have several things to review and will get them reviewed as soon as possible for you all.

This month of August will see me doing a workshop in Seattle, an assignment in San Diego, a couple of product shots here in Phoenix, and the first ever Lighting Essentials Advanced Lighting Workshop. Very excited about that.

I am also starting to look at next years workshop schedule. We wanted to come to England and Spain this year, but scheduling needs to be farther out for that. I am planning on Bahamas, Panama, Canada and Alaska for some workshop dates, and if you have any ideas for me… well, bring them on.

I have started something I call LE Pick of the Day, which is a screenshot if a website, and a link. When I see something that’s really cool, I just want to share it with you all. This format doesn’t allow that. You can see my Pick of the Day on Twitter, and Facebook. You can subscribe to it at Posthurous. And my other little much updated blog is It’s What I Do on Blogger. It gets about 6 updates a day… photo and design mostly. Me grouching occasionally… heh.

I will be in San Diego doing a cool job that I will share with you all soon. Watch for my interview with Chris Bohnhoff on Monday.

Remember you can save 10% off purchases at MPEX if you use the link to the right, and be sure to visit my sponsors for your photographic needs.

Trust the Model
By Briana Shaker

Part I:

Introduction

Ever play that game Trust? You know the one. The one they play on business retreats and at personal development workshops? Yes, the cheesy one. “Trust me, just fall back and I’ll catch you.” Yeah, right. If it’s not in dance, the only person I’d trust if I was falling is me… or Superman. But since he’s make-believe, let’s make believe I can get by my trust issues if you can get by yours.

Yes, you.

Whether you’re in front or behind the lens there has to be trust. The model has to trust that the photog knows what he or she is doing. Further, the model has to trust that the photog wants the shots to look good and won’t do anything that may compromise the model or her work. It works both ways. Photogs as well need to be able to just fall and know that their models will catch them. It’s the essence of creativity. It’s the essence of photography. Letting go.

Control Issues

We all have control issues. We like control. Or even the illusion of control. Put a steering wheel and pedals on a roller coaster and the lines at Six Flags would be that much longer. I even know a guy who would be more comfortable flying a plane than being flown (he doesn’t know how to fly by the way.) It’s all about control. When we’re in control, the responsibility for success or failure is on our own shoulders; we have no one else to blame and… no one else with whom to share our successes.

How sad.

All of it is meaningless without someone to share those failures and those successes. We need an audience. Artists need audiences. There is a certain amount of trust even in that relationship. A relationship we often take for granted or, as often, just ignore. For instance, in dance, trust is second nature for me. The other dancers and I have similar goals, to perform for an audience. Thus all of us let go of our inhibitions and trust issues and just dance to make the best performance for our audience as possible. But outside of dance, it’s different. My goal, I soon realized, was to figure out why I can do it in dance so easily and how can I translate that skill to other fields. So far, it’s worked for me in modeling. Now… how do I learn to trust that the calories in a Carl’s jr. bacon-burger really will keep me as fit as the model on the T.V. commercial?

It has been argued that maturity is an acceptance of responsibility for one’s own actions. I like that. It makes sense. But it also creates problems. Inherently, such philosophy is self-defeating. It prevents trust, trust in others being responsible enough or capable enough to do their jobs. It’s like sitting in the passenger seat and constantly checking blind spots. After a while… It just hurts your neck.

Creativity and Trust

Creativity is about trust. To be creative one has to go beyond the bounds or limitations already established by others. The artist has to trust in his or her craft and in his or her audience to… “Get the point.” Sometimes that doesn’t happen though until after the artist is long gone and passed. That’s where the expression “ahead of the times” comes from I think.

Now this isn’t a discussion about art or what is good art, it’s a look at how creativity is enhanced through trust. And an easy way to see that process in effect is to go no further than the recent summer blockbuster, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. (Yes, I looked up the title. I just wanted to call it Transformers 2, but…)

Imagine being an actor in that movie. (Yes, they’re actors. Regardless of whether you think working with CGI effects counts as acting. In fact, I imagine it’s much harder to react believably to not yet existent effects. We models do it all the time.) But my point is about trust. The actors work about 8 weeks on the film. 8 weeks with often “non-existent” co-stars. These actors are putting a lot of trust into the crew behind the scenes to ensure that they “look” good in the final product. That’s a lot of trust for playing make-believe.

Now, imagine you’re the director. Your actors put in 8 weeks. You… you put in another year for your vision to come to fruition. Seemingly, the director has a lot more at stake. The director puts a lot of trust in his actors to pull out believable performances. And once they’re done, there is no calling them back to redo scenes. Film budgets will not allow it.

In the end, without the actors the director has nothing. And the actors have nothing without the director and the crew’s year long work. Each has to trust the other for there to be success. Each has to just let go of his or her illusion of control and trust that both want the same end result… great art (or, at the least, a lot of money

Letting Go

Art is about letting go. It’s about breaking the rules. It’s about being a kid.

On one hand, you need to trust in intangibles, like skill, instincts, and all the effort spent in preparation. But on the other hand, that hand you rarely use, you have to put trust in others.

Yet, how many times have you wished others had a little common sense? Well… common sense is not a great trait in artists. The problem is that too many people share the same sense. Imagine… without innovators we’d still think the world was flat.

Put it this way… by letting go of convention you can create new possibilities in art. One of those conventions is in not trusting others. But that’s where change happens. Another’s unique set of life experiences are brought together with yours. So if you set a shoot up and just trust in the model, the shot you want will be there, but so too will a number of shots that may change the whole way you’ve ever thought about your own work. Just in looking at a few of the pictures in this article, I’m sure you’ve already formulated some ideas for new things. You do it all the time. You’ve trained your eye to do so. But it’s important to realize that you too can find new approaches in your own work. Trust leads to mistakes, mistakes to experience, and experience to… greatness.

You can read more of Briana’s “Model Behavior” articles on the Model Behavior Categories tab above. Her website is BrianaModel.com and watch for her first book to be announced soon on these pages.

See you in a few days with a new article.

Related posts:

1. Model Behavior: Shooting in Mexico. Some Thoughts Bri takes us on a look at some of the...
2. Muse and Inspiration: The Model’s Role A Two Part Article By Briana Shaker Part I What...
3. One model? No worries, it’s called Range! (Part One) Range beyond the ordinary: All the world’s a stage, and...

Well, it is tech-sheet Friday, but that will have to be tech-sheet Saturday this week. The tech sheet I am working on is about using a meter, and there are a few more images that must be shot before it is ready to go.

So I have instead decided that it would be good to put our newest desktops up here at lighting-essentials.com so you can get a head start on decorating your desktops in preparation for Valentines day. Oh, and if you want to see the one I did for Smashing Magazine, it is here, about 5 or so down.

Now for some news before we unleash you into the page.

We have workshops in Montana and Chicago, and due to massive requests, we are now booking Omaha. I am really excited about this. Lots of traveling and working from hotel rooms, but it is also great to get to places that are off the beaten path and meet some great people.

The workshops have changed a lot since we started, and now they are right where it makes sense for them. I concentrate on lighting, but we also discuss the other realities of shooting subjects from portrait to fashion. Posing, handling a shoot, staying in control, shooting for post and more.

Now, on to the calendars for February. BTW, if you like them and are using them, let me know either in the comments or by email. And be sure to subscribe with RSS and let your friends know by clicking the save/share link at the bottom of the post.

First up is our calendar for the digital age… analog delivery of phone service, internet and power. Oh well, things change, huh. This photograph was taken in Hayden, Arizona.

1280×960
1680×1050
1600×1200
1920×1200
Remember to use your “Save As” to capture these or they will open in a Lightbox and be more difficult to download.

Next up is our ode to love. Marisa is a model in the Bay Area. This shot was taken with natural light to the front, with a gold reflector used to light the back wall behind her. This delicate light created a subtle gradient of light and sets her face off well.

1280×960
1680×1050
1600×1200
1920×1200
Remember to use your “Save As” to capture these or they will open in a Lightbox and be more difficult to download.

And for all you Briana fans, a simple, but lovely shot to warm your desktop for this cold, wintry month.

1280×960
1680×1050
1600×1200
1920×1200
Remember to use your “Save As” to capture these or they will open in a Lightbox and be more difficult to download.

Tomorrow will bring our Tech Sheet on using a light meter, and next week a couple of new videos that will be fun.

See you then.

Related posts:

1. Lighting Essentials July Desktop Calendars Here are two new desktop calendars for you. A sporting...
2. Welcome to the Best Year Ever! 2009 Will Rock! Well, the last year of a strange and rocky decade...

Our Natural Light Assignment this week is a lot of fun and so easy to do. You only need a model or subject, a camera and lens, and a setting sun. And maybe a building or two… your call.

These shots were taken in downtown Phoenix at a fun group shoot we were doing at a place called “Boo’s Warehouse.” We had some motorcycles and old cars and such. It was a lot of fun and I wanted to do some very simple shots with the direct light and the soft shadow line light we were getting.

As the sun gets lower and lower on the horizon, it starts to throw a softer edge to the light. I like to use that edge as a great place to shoot.

One of the things you notice when using that edge light is how fast it moves. I mean, it can literally move up the person’s body as you watch it. And if you are on assignment, it can move even faster. Yeah… I’ve seen it.

Before we take a look at that cool light, I want to remind everyone that we will be starting our monthly assignments in February. We have some great award premiums that I will be announcing as well as some great judges. The assignments will be professional in nature and should be within most shooters ability to produce. (Getting shots of a model hanging from a hangglider over the sea won’t be assigned… heh)

Here is the first shot we did as the sun was late in the day above the horizon, approximately 1 hour before sunset. There are no clouds in the sky.

You can see the edge area and where I have placed her face just above it so there would be no shadow line over it

Below you can see how I segmented the light with the portrait. It is very important to watch the face as you do this kind of light. It can be shadowed or even end up with a gradient on it if you aren’t very precise in placing the face.

The edge placed just below her face.

There are a lot of different effects you can use when shooting in this direct light. I took this image through some rather extreme Photoshop contusions (coming up in a future post) to end up with this illustrative look. Adding a very slight noise at the end helps add a little patina to the image.

This image was cross processed with increased contrast.

After a quick wardrobe change – and I mean quick, Briana knows how the light is – we tried a few more shots. The sun was much farther down the horizon now and closing in on dark fast. The first shot is one

Briana on the edge of the light waiting for Carlos to take a snap.

You can see the edge of the light as it modulates up the side of the wall. This edge not only gives a nice light, it gives a very nice background/foreground look as well. Once again I repeat that this edge moves very fast. Within 5 minutes we had chased the light for nearly half a block as the buildings behind us kept throwing shadows from the ever setting sun.

Here is a look at the placement of the shadow line.

You can see the light and the way it works around her body and face in this shot.

I had Bri go on down the wall a bit to get some good light on her face. I wanted the skirt in the shade and her face in the light. I put her face right in the edge again and slightly toward the sun side. This gave me a very soft, yet directional light.

Notice the light as a background element in this shot. Working Bri in the edge, I got very soft directional light.

However, this image resulted in some cooler light in the shade, and warmer in the sun. I processed the image direct from RAW and worked with the image in Photoshop. I made the normal correction and edits to the image and then worked on the color.

Drawing a selection of the shaded part of the image, I feathered the selection at 30 pixels and raised the selection to a new layer. The easiest way to warm the selection was to use the photo filters.

Image / Adjust / Photo Filters / 85 Warm 40%

That warmed up the shade part to a more acceptable color.

Warming up the cooler shade in Photoshop with a layer and simple adjustment

Right at that point I saw how dramatic her face was lit in that soft, directional light. I had her throw all of her hair to the side away from the camera and look right at the sun. I was able to get about a dozen shots off before we really did lose the light. I am so glad that I saw this happening as it ended up being one of my favorite shots of the day.

Briana looks straight into the very late setting sun.

I used a Canon and 100MM 2.8 lens for most of these images. I also use the lenses wide open whenever I can, preferring a limited DOF.

Try working a subject in that very soft edge of the setting sun. You can get some very striking photographs with a minimum of equipment.

Related posts:

1. Natural Light for Natural, Subtle Beauty We are going to take a look at how we...
2. Using a Flash to Add a Little Snap with Natural Light I love natural light. It has a quality that is...
3. Natural Light Headshots: Keeping it Simple In Mexico we had wonderful white Casitas to stay in...

Well, the last year of a strange and rocky decade draws to a close tonight. I know this past year has been an emotional roller-coaster for me as well as a very successful one with the workshops and the business.

I hope you will join me in saying ‘hasta la vista, baby” to 2008, but also in telling it to get the hell outta here. No more political crap for another couple of years and let’s get to the business at hand… building a great set of images.

Many of you have expressed a desire to go pro, or at least semi-pro and that means I need to focus a little on the business of photography, at least how it pertains to me, as well as the lighting. Thing is, there are wonderful blogs out there that do that sort of thing better.

Same with other areas like DIY and Photographer’s rights. I recognize that I need to get some of that into the site, but it will be through some amalgamation of the stuff already out there. Watch for a bi-weekly post on links to valuable information found on other sites.

We will also be focusing a little on getting some great photographers on with tutorials and interviews. That will take place more on the LE Magazine site, but honestly we are really working trying to figure out some avenues to drive some of this info down without it getting convoluted and – well – lost.

I have some good stuff coming this week, and the tech sheet will go up on Saturday morning instead of Friday for several reasons, but mostly because I want this post to be up for Friday morning as well.

Well, here are our three Desktops for January 2009. We will only be issuing 2 per month coming in February, and I will share the reason for that in February. Hey… it’s a good thing, you’ll see.

Our first is for the Briana fans out there. Shot with a small white umbrella in late evening light, I balanced the umbrella to only give me open shadows and a pop to the dress, not to overpower the ambient light. And hey, you Briana junkies may want to visit her site and get her dance calendar or a poster or, hey… both.

Get the images here and remember to use the Save Link As option to get them.
1280×960
1600×1200
1680×1050
1920×1200

Next up is the lovely Prescilla in Mexico. This shot was done with one speedlight to camera right and balanced with the ambient sunlight which was coming in from camera left behind Prescilla.

1280×960
1600×1200
1680×1050
1920×1200

The last one is a brightly colored wall shot in Tucson very early in the morning. I like old walls and doors and such. They are such great metaphors for things that are hard to express in other ways.

1280×960
1600×1200
1680×1050
1920×1200

Now we are all hearing how the next year is gonna suck. That sucks. No, not the year, that someone who knows nothing would tell you something to try to bring you down.

If someone had told you a year ago that the United States would elect an unknown Black Senator to the presidency, your house would be worth 30% less, and gas would be about a buck-fifty a gallon, would you have believed them? No, me either. Not because it is bad that it happened, only that no one expected it. Hillary was our next president, that was a done deal. House prices were climbing like crazy and gas was supposed to hover around $4 a gallon before it went up again… look it up… its all there in black and white from the ‘experts.’ Fools. Don’t let them take your hope and your dreams.

Screw ‘em. Live. Live well. Create and look forward. Are there bumps, sure, but we have had bumps before. This is a marvelous time to take advantage of the wimps and doom&gloomers. Kick ass. Don’t bother taking names unless you need to.

Have a great year and see you on the other side of today!

–don

No related posts.

Today’s update is one from the archives, but it is still a great post you will enjoy. Even includes a 16 minute video… bad audio, but you will get the ideas from the shoot. We are doing better audio for our next releases, but this is what it is.

I would like to take a few lines here to discuss the upcoming workshop schedule for next year. We are heading to new places and been invited back to some great places we visited this year. We are always looking for new cities and hosts to help us bring the workshops in. The workshops are very different for next year… and the workbook will be fantastic. Those of you who have taken the workshop will be able to download it from the member’s page as soon as it is finished… before the first of the year.

I also want to say that it has been a memorable year meeting all kinds of new people and making friends in cities far away. I wish I had more time to stay in touch with each and every one of you, but alas… However, if you have questions or want to share your work with us, please hit the Flickr group for Lighting Essentials. This group is for people who have taken the workshop or have the DVD.

Our next couple of Tech Sheets are ready and I think they may surprise you. The one for this Friday is a product shoot with lots of reflective surfaces. We accomplish a lot of finesse with only one light. And you can follow along with your own item and learn a lot about doing small item product photography.

If you haven’t checked out the Magazine in a while, we have big plans for it and it will be getting its own URL very soon. Let me know if you like the interviews and insights, I do like working on it.

Be sure to see the previous post on shooting with two strobes on the beach… Not your typical two strobe setup.

So let’s jump back in time about a year (and 30 pounds for me) ago and take a look at three studio shoots with simple tools.

Here’s the movie: pardon on the ad that pops up – that’s not from me. When we went with Megavideo, they didn’t have this crap… you will have to close the window that pops with the free movies. I am very sorry about this new item they have introduced. I will be moving the movie to a new host very soon… but for now you will be annoyed. Sheesh

This video tutorial starts with a simple one umbrella and fill card headshot. I consider it a classic glamour look with flat light and dramatic fall off on the sides. We use a shiny fill card to open the shadows under the chin, lip, nose and eye sockets. It also lights up the eyes very well to present them in stunning color. Our model is Briana.

Gallery from first setup:

And a sample of the Contact Sheet:

Our second shot finds us using a piece of equipment for the first time. This is essentially one way I test out new equipment this same way: bring in a model and try the light by itself, then add fill and modifiers to see how the light reacts with it. In this case it is Megan’s DIY beauty dish. Amazing… an IKEA light reflector and a speedlight with a little ingenuity and super glue. Total price for this cool tool… > $10. We add fill cards and shiny cards, and I climb up on a small box for a somewhat different view. Below are some images from this setup.

And a Contact Sheet View:

The last shot uses two speedlights: one is the main and in a circular parabolic with tissue paper over it, the second with the home made beauty dish aimed at the background very close to it. This gives a very nice, gradual fall off for a back light. I really liked the look of this and will be doing another shoot with it soon. I have since used this on several shots and loved the look. Very precise modeling of features is its strong point.

Images from the setup above:

And a final Contact Sheet view:

Some PP notes:

I have a pretty standard way of working with pure photography, no special effects and such. For this image I processed it out of Canon software at a solid neutral exposure. I did not color correct it even though the tissue paper did leave a bit of a warm cast on the skin.

1. used healing brush to clear skin. I do this on a layer above the face most of the time.
2. used clone tool – lighten – @25% to further clear skin and problems. On the same layer as above.
3. created a new layer from the image and used the blend mode “soft light” at 25% opacity
4. I added a layer mask to this layer to paint back in some shadow density.
5. added a layer of 50% gray at softlight blend mode and then painted white at 4% for highlights (soft brush). This is a very gradual process and at 4% you can simply tweak it in with increments… not a slash and burn attack… heh.
6. Saved and created a new document from the combined layers. The first document is then saved as an archived base image for further exploration later if I choose.

The new document now has a clean face with perfect exposure. I added a little color correction with the photo filters 80A at 40% to clean some of the warmth up and then added my luminosity layers. These take a while to learn, but after you play with them for a while you will simply never be satisfied without them ever again. Tony Kuyper has them for you here: Please make a donation for all his time and pick them up. You will simply fall in love with them. Or you could do them yourself. Should only take a couple of months… heh.

Here is a screenshot of the Photoshop document with the luminosity masks:

The image has very little Photoshop trickery to it, but it does have some solid photographic background for the correction of blemishes and added contrast.

Hope you enjoyed and see you next time.

No related posts.

Sometimes you just want a simple image, a headshot or a 3/4 image that has a very direct light to show the skin color, open the eyes and bring some vivid highlights to the person.

I like the big softbox and how it can simply wash the person with a clean, bright light that seems to make them glow. Usually I work the box to the side, like a large window light, but for this portrait of, well… you know (heh), I decided to do an on-camera axis shot. Many times I use an umbrella in this position, but the large, diffuse, square softbox light was intriguing.

I added a large shiny board below the softbox that would reflect the light up from the floor area and provide a bright, shiny, poppy light for bottom fill.

Before we head on over to the tutorial, I just want to make sure we have a few links taken care of here:
November Wallpapers
The Cleveland Workshop
Our November 1 Tech Sheet
Should Photography be Easy

Now, on to the tutorial.

Before we start, here is the full image as it was processed.

You can see how the light is open and bright on her torso. and how the eyes seem alive with the open light and slight reflection of the shiny card below. Briana is standing in front of the V-card and there is some natural wrap going on there with the slightly angled V-card. you can see it on her shoulder edges and the way the light seems to stay pretty clean across her shoulders.

There is enough fall to show the shape, but the light doesn’t simply fall away like it would with a smaller light source without the V-Card behind her.

One of the most important parts of this setup is to make sure that the light is actually reflected back on to the model. I stand behind the model and look into the shiny board to see if the reflection is bright on the board. Once I show the model what to look for, they can let me know if the reflection is there.

Here you can see the light as it is reflected off the shiny board and on to Briana in position for the portrait.

Keeping the light source very close to the subject gave a liquid look to the highlights on the lips, nails and especially the jacket and top. The soft highlights give the shot a warmth that is natural.

You can see how close the light is to Briana here. The shiny board is 4 feet square and covered with a textured bright material.

The set as seen from the camera area (not on camera axis) shows how close the background is to Briana. This keeps the light from the box falling on the background as well as her. Since the light is way larger than she is, the light wraps around and doesn’t create any shadows. This natural wrap helps to keep the image more open and bright. The brightness of the background also helps Briana stand out from it.

You can see how the light wraps around her and keeps the background with very little shadow.

Shooting from between the softbox and the shiny board gives a total ‘wash’ of light to the subject. Here is a second shot from the session.

This image shows how nice the light spreads across the skin and highlights the curves of the wardrobe.

I hope you liked this tutorial on using the bright shiny board and large softbox. Give it a try… you can even use a scrim or very large umbrella in the same position. If you try this with speedlights, try using a couple of them to spread the light wider across the scrim or into the umbrella.

Related posts:

1. Creating a Shiny Look The thing about the corset was the glossy, shiny look....
2. Single Umbrella Headshot and White Background. Asked to shoot 40 non-models at an upscale salon was...
3. Simple, Yet Dramatic Light for Headshots and Portraits This is what I refer to as my “Classic Glamour”...

A day or three late, but here nonetheless. All feature the lovely Briana who has a new calendar out on dancing called, appropriately enough, “Dancin’ ” You can see her site here.

Before heading over to get to them, take a look at some of the recent posts if you missed them:

“Should Photography be Easy” an essay on the creation of photographs.

“Why Did You Light it That Way?” is a deconstruction of the thought processes for a shot in Mexico.

“Deconstructing a Portrait on Location” looks at making a simple portrait with a little more snap.

Here are interviews with Joshua Targownik and Keith Taylor, two up and coming photographers from LA and Atlanta.

Here are our November Wallpapers.

1280_800
1280_960
1600_1200
1680_1050
1920_1200

1280_800
1280_960
1600_1200
1680_1050
1920_1200

1280_800
1280_960
1600_1200
1680_1050
1920_1200

Coming up soon: Techsheet Assignments. We are excited about these. Coming Mid November.

No related posts.

Bri takes us on a look at some of the images she did on the Mexico workshop. We all had a blast and Mexico was outrageously fun. We had lots of photographers and she shot with all of them.

Before we get to the Model Behavior article, I want to let everyone know that Houston is coming up very soon. We are almost full for Philadelphia but have room for one or two more. Cleveland/Akron will be our last workshop this year. We want to get going on getting next year’s workshop schedule down and will post a set of cities where we are looking for hosts.

Don’t forget that Briana is also answering your questions about modeling and working with photographers at this page. Leave a question and get an answer pretty quick.

Now, on to the Mexico workshop with Briana’s Model Behavior article.

I call this picture, “Dreaming of Greece.” I had new shoes and a new dress that I picked up in LA just for the Mexico trip. But there, by the pillars, with the ocean and beach my backdrop, I felt like I was on one of the many Islands that dot the Mediterranean Sea. I was as tall as the pillar… in my new butterfly shoes!! I love my shoes.

Owwwww… sometimes a model has to adapt and sometimes it just hurts!! The water was warm. Which was nice. The weather was cool. Which was nice. The bathing suit was Nicky’s. Which was nice. But the sand pebbles were sharp!! Which was not so nice. But I went with it… and the results speak for themselves.

Celebrity status in the mansion!! Yes, when I posed here I was in my favorite skirt and felt like a celebrity on a private beach enjoying the sun… the hot, hot sun.

Maxim shot? Or maximum amount of shots in little time? We only had a few minutes of sunset so we had to hurry to get this shot. Here I posed as quickly as possible as at least 4 photogs shot and shot and shot. Maximum Exposure with Maxim Posing.

This was my shot! Hehe. Well, it was Don’s shot. But it was my idea… honest. Natural light. Close-up. Lots of crazy hair. And shot in B&W. I think Don brought my vision to life… don’t you think so to?

Part of dance is creativity and expression. Now this form is not technically a form in ballet, yet it still embraces the essence of the art. The location and the moment were what allowed me to feel so inspired. A crowd of people gathered as I moved from pose to pose atop a set of stairs, raised above the audience. I love what the light and shadow does to the overall shot as well. But mainly, the bathing suit is Cristina’s, the capture is Evan’s, and the ocean is Mexico’s!!

For more of Briana’s “Model Behavior” simply check the tag cloud and click on Model Behavior.

Related posts:

1. Muse and Inspiration: The Model’s Role A Two Part Article By Briana Shaker Part I What...
2. One model? No worries, it’s called Range! (Part One) Range beyond the ordinary: All the world’s a stage, and...
3. On Location with Small Strobes and a Model Who Can Fly? Let’s look at a way to create some interesting, and...

We continue on with our free themes for your desktops. September is a strange month for me. I am getting tired of the heat here by then, and waiting for the cool nights to signal the end of the monsoon. However, we need the rain so I want the monsoon to continue for a while to bring that ever needed water.

I got to travel a lot recently and was in Seattle, Bermuda and San Francisco with little time in between. Because of that we are perpetually behind here. I have design and photography clients waiting for my time, and I want to keep the site up with two updates a week. There always seems to be something else for me to do, so there is no real free time these days.

So with the spirit of hurriedness and the desire for tranquility, I chose two images from Bermuda and a shot of Briana in the California desert to use for the desktops. I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoy making them.

Here is the first desktop. It is one I did of Trikita on a wall in Bermuda, down along St. Georges. I love her spirited pose and the incredible sky all around.

1920×1280
1680×1050
1600×1200
1280×960

The second desktop is a shot I did at dawn on the beach. Getting up early with one of the workshop attendees, we tramped down to the beach in the dark and found our spots. We weren’t sure at all if it was going to be a good sunrise, but it turned out OK. I was shooting toward the sun when I turned and saw this view behind me.

1920×1280
1680×1050
1600×1200
1280×960

And by popular request, our monthly Briana desktop calendar added today (the 2nd) for her fans. We will have a Briana desktop for Model Behavior each month. Her dance calendar is coming along well too, so look for it soon.

1920×1280
1680×1050
1600×1200
1280×960

Thanks for visiting Lighting Essentials. BTW, we ask for registration to keep some sort of order here. I try to keep out the spam and such. We do not use your registration information for anything, and I don’t even look at it. But if we have someone come on and start selling or spamming, I would at least have control. So don’t worry about signing up or registering. You wont receive any email from me and I share that list with NO ONE.

Thanks…

Related posts:

1. Our August Desktops are Something to Dance About Well in the tradition of the last 3 months… can...
2. Lighting Essentials July Desktop Calendars Here are two new desktop calendars for you. A sporting...

Range beyond the ordinary:

All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. And we each play our parts. And models? Well, sorry, Shakespeare, models can play any part. Modeling and acting are synonymous. It’s what makes us special. We don’t just look good; we’re great in every respect. Simply put, by embracing every opportunity to be someone else – while still being ourselves – models can add to their credentials while expanding a photog’s portfolio of work. It’s called range. Great actors have it. As do great models. And with a few reminders and trial runs, any model can expand her range to be a better playa! (Haha! Eat that, Shakes.) And with such a model, any photog can look like the original player… Hugh Hefner.

One model? One pose? One look? Neeeext:

Evolving with my Ipod

Your job’s over, and your photog has moved on to look for that next “look” model to expand his purview. This is often a problem in the modeling world, as one-look models will be overlooked for a new type of shoot. In acting, this problem is called type-casting. Only the greatest actors evolve beyond the one-dimensional character type (be it action-hero or comedy relief) to become the multi-ranged actor starring in dramas, actions, comedies, and great romances. Whereas models that evolve are fewer and farther between. It seems easier for actors and singers to become models or even poets. Fair? Not really, but a fact of life. But wait… with range, that doesn’t have to be the case. The model can evolve to be the actor, the talk-show host, and even the singer. (The poet? Me? Nah.)

Range:

But what does a model do to keep his or her photog shooting her (and thus keep working)? It’s simple… Range! With a new look, a suggested shot, a different idea, or a creative wardrobe change, a model can develop her range. It starts with a simple concept we all (should have) learned in school. Remember Darwin? That’s right. Adapt. Adapt to your environment. Be the cactus. Be the sun. Be the ice skater. Be willing to be someone else. If you’re happy when you know it, clap your hands. If you really wanna show it… do more. Better yet, if you’re happy, try being sad. Change and adapt to what’s needed, or what makes your “look” different that day. Adapt and survive. Darwin would be proud and you’ll keep working.

Multiplicity:

A Ghostly Wedding

Multitasking, multivitamins, multicultural… range is everywhere. Everything in our society is now found in multiples. Once we realize that we no longer look at things in opposition, we can go beyond our one dimensional roles and become multi-talented models. Ones with range. Think of it this way, back in the day we thought of things as good or evil, light or dark, happy or sad. There was no middle ground. Yet now, we realize there’s a whole world of gray between the black and the white, and that’s where most of us operate. Imagine watching a cop movie with a perfect police officer. Boring? Our cops are a lot darker in movies now. Think Batman, Clint Eastwood, or that Die Hard guy. You can be both light and dark in this generation. That’s a multiple. And range in modeling is one and the same.

Range – A How to Guide:

The following is a how-to guide for a photog or model to use as a checklist. These aren’t all the ways to develop range, just a few, and I hope you readers will comment on ways you’ve found helpful… so this article can grow in range as well.

1) Wardrobe – styles, eras, accessories, brands… keep going. How do you think fashion designers come up with new concepts? They take old ones and adapt them to the new era. Notice that the 80’s are back? They are. You, with some great pics, can bring back any generation you choose.

I heart 80's

2) Adopting Roles – like stage acting, play another part. Be a dancer… a baker, or a candlestick maker. It doesn’t matter, even if it’s not you. I’ve been a gun-toting minuteman and a rocker chick. Even though guns scare me. And I can’t play guitar. Get the point?

3) Makeup and Hair – hair and makeup. Two distinctly different things, but both work well as examples of range potential. Ever done one of those online “gizmoz” or “Cosmo” things to see what you look like with different hair styles, hair colors, makeup, or even outfits? I’d lay a bet on it in Vegas. I saw a guy the other day on “gizmoz” trying to see what he’d look like in a Britney Spears video… blond hair and scruff… scary! But you know we’ve all tried it.

4) Emotions – how many emotions are there? And then how many variations of each are there? Think back to Shakespeare and the play Romeo and Juliet. What’s the main emotion? Love? Not enough. Tragic love? Getting closer. The reality? It’s far more than that… R&J runs the whole range of love – from family love, to friend love, to teenage crazy love, to even “playa” love. Each one provides a good model with varied looks… just try to run the whole gamut of love in your next shoot and see the difference in the end photos.

5) Environment – there are two choices a model can make within the chosen environment… she can either reflect it or stand in contrast with it. Well… there is a third possibility… and that’s where range really lies for the model. It’s that gray area in between those polar opposites, it’s that middle ground, and it’s the multi. That’s right. You can reflect your environment while at the same time being at odds with it. How? Well… figure it out and you’ll shine. For instance, not to brag, I once did a shot on a beach where I was carefree and mirrored the feel of the waves, sand, and sun. At the same time I used my dancing skills to do a C-Jump, which may have seemed better suited for the b-ball court with the height I was able to hit, but it actually allowed me to embrace the sky. Another time, with Don, we took a picture by a light pole in Houston. I thought Singing in the Rain and went Kung Fu. Reflect and contrast, Grasshopper.

To be continued… Next: Range Continued – A How to Guide

Related posts:

1. Performance and Posing, Part Two Briana is back with Part Two of the Posing and...
2. Muse and Inspiration: The Model’s Role A Two Part Article By Briana Shaker Part I What...
3. Performance Over Posing: Part One It’s Second Nature: Now, for me, performance is second nature....