It can sometimes be easy to get lazy. As a professional photographer, I pretty much know what comprises an image that sells. But I really want to push myself a little harder. So last year, I made it a goal to photograph something totally different at least once a week. It could be a personal project or something for a client. The only condition was it had to be totally different from what I have done before. It is fun, but it also helps me become a better photographer in the long run.
The couple’s photo below is from a shoot I did last week with Pam and Zyven. They are both into Batman, so he had this Batman mask and she was Catwoman. I used two off camera flashes and my trusty Photix Odin Transmitter/Receivers. The location is a kind of creepy loading dock in Schenectady. This was really fun, and I am so glad we did this.
The next image was also shot in downtown Schenectady. I went out one night this past summer with my friend Chad. I like working with him because he is a dancer and actor. Again I used off camera flash. I like the film noir feeling of this image, as well as the dynamic pose.
With the image below of Gillian, I wanted to do something dynamic with composition using the tower at the high school.
The next image is from a personal project I was working on. I started using Corel Painter, which is a program that allows you “paint” a photograph. I had always wanted to do a girl in a bed of flowers. This was challenging because I actually only had about one third of the flowers and had to Photoshop the rest in before I began painting the image. I learned a lot about Photoshop doing this one:)
This final image is different for me because I don’t generally do a ton of props/costumes with newborn babies. I found this great boxwood wreath and I had the tutu and the tulle. I think I might do more of this type of work–the challenge will be to not make every image look exactly the same because I really dislike cookie cutter photography.
So there you have it–thinking outside the box and getting a little creative.
If you liked this post, you might also like this post on Personal Projects.
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