Shooting maternity portraits...

Here are a few maternity portraits I shot this weekend.

I really enjoy photographing pregnant women, it's such a wonderful, happy time in their life and I get to sit in on it.

Just a simple thing like asking them to put their hands on their belly will bring a smile to their face and they truly glow.

Just a few things I like to do for maternity portraits:

Surely mom has been online looking at maternity portraits for months, so the first thing you need to do is ask "what have you seen that you like" and "what would you like to do". Have her email you the links of her favorite shots, not that you will necessarily try to recreate them exactly, but so you have an idea of her likes and help you in planning the direction of the posing.

This is all about mom and trust me, she has a vision set in her mind and it's our job to tune into it.

Whenever possible I try to shoot at the woman's home, you'll be in her environment, she'll be more at ease, more relaxed, and anything she may need is right there.

Another reason to shoot in her home is that because you shoot these portraits so late in the pregnancy the babies room is fully furnished and decorated, so lots of good props and shooting opportunities are available there.

I try to shoot maternity portraits with available/natural light and a good source are those big 'ol sliding glass doors, so be sure to bring a sheer backdrop to throw over them (the image above with her "pointing" her toe was shot just this way).

Be sure to bring a medium sized reflector/diffuser as well, this will help push light into your subject from a near by window, or soften the light if she is sitting right next to it.

Black & White. I think maternity portraits are more elegant, more timeless, and simply becomes a better image as a black & white.

Lastly, I am often asked "I've never shot maternity portraits, how do I get my first job?".

Easy, give it away.

Find a family member, a friend (or a friend of a friend of a friend) and offer to do a session for free. You get the experience, youll have a start to your maternity portfolio, and they will be thrilled to have the images. And even if it goes really well the first time, you may want to give away at least two sessions (and maybe three) because everything that you'll need to know/experience will not come from just one session.

It's important to be up front and honest (it protects you and controls their expectations), explain to them you have never shot maternity portraits before, that you're trying to get the experience, and DON'T make any promises. This way if things don't turn out so well they will not be surprised or (as) disappointed, but if you do get some good images not only will they be happy, they will be showing (and emailing) your images to everyone they know while singing your praises.

The best advertising (and most referrals) come from happy customers.

If you are interested in shooting maternity portraits the Digital Photography School has three articles that will give you some really good information and ideas:

5 Keys to Taking Beautiful Maternity Portraits

Tummy Time - 7 Tips for Taking Great Maternity Shots

How to Shoot an Indoor Maternity Session

(click on any of the images to view larger & in a new window)

A post I may regret...

When I started this blog, almost 2 years and 350 posts ago, there were many things I wasn't sure of and did not know (like how long it would last, the way cool people I would meet, and the photography doo-dads I would get to play with).

The one thing I did know, was sure of, was this blog was going to stay positive, "do no harm", then as we started receiving products to review that thought process led directly to our "review policy".

I have received products for review that I did not work for me, I have been to seminars that I did not like, but kept it to myself. Perhaps the seminar instructor was having an off day, maybe I was not using the product correctly or it would fill a need, it just wasn't a need I had.

So my trepidation (a word I have never used in conversation before) comes from the inside.

The route of my unhappiness (more like my whining) comes from my Pocket Wizards. (whew... there I said it). Not the Wizards themselves, but from their customer service.

At the end of December I bought 5 Pocket Wizards and along with accessories, re-chargeable batteries, whizbangs, hoohas, and flarsnooples (I have read way too much Dr. Seuss in my life) the total investment was over $800. Not sure about you, but for me, that kind of money is a BIG investment.

And I love my Pockets Wizards, I use them often and they are an important tool in my photography, the problem started when just a few weeks after my purchase the Pocket Wizard folks announced their new line that now allow you TTL and manual control.

I called them, explained my recent purchase and asked if they were going to offer an upgrade (it is not uncommon for software and hardware vendors to offer an upgrade to recent purchasers for no charge, or a nominal fee). I was told there were "no plans at this time, but call back after the release". When I called after the release I was asked for my phone number and was told to expect a call back. The call never came.

As the reviews piled up extolling the features of the latest model it was starting to irritate me (kinda like sand in your bathing suit) that no one ever called me, so in March I sent an email explaining my situation (in a calm and polite manner no "do you know who I am?" or "I hate you"). At the very least I expected a polite form rejection email in return. Nope, got nothin' back.

So after another month of "nothing" I printed out the email and snail mailed it (now you're thinking "not only is he a whiner, he's a freaking stalker too!"), only because from time to time the "ball gets dropped" and I thought this may have been one of those times.

My snail mail got the same attention and response as my phone call and email... nada, nothing, zilch.

As outstanding as my Pocket Wizards are, as happy as I am with them, I could not be more disappointed with their lack of customer service.

Please understand my unhappiness is not because I could not upgrade my Wizards, it's because I was not important enough for them to even respond to, they blew me off on three separate occasions.

I once had a customer who was not very happy with her portrait images, I returned her money, re-shot the session, and gave her a print for free.

Long after people forget what you did for them, they will remember how you made them feel.

Every ad I see for Pocket Wizards in a photography magazine or website reminds me I don't feel very good about the Pocket Wizard folks.

Variations on a Two-Light Theme, Pt. 3...

The final post in the series "Variations on a Two-Light Theme" has been posted.

This series is really well done (as usual) and in line with the theme of "keeping the light simple".

So head on over to Strobist and check it out.

Just in case you missed them, you can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

I know I gush about David hobby/Strobist but in my humble opinion he has done more to educate photographers than any other source out there and I share some of his postings here because I found out that many of my readers are not regular followers/readers of Strobist (shame on you!).

And now for something completely different...

This was not the post originally planned for today, there has been an issue bugging me since January (photographically speaking) but in keeping with my policy to keep things positive on the blog I bit my tongue thinking "this too shall pass".

Well, it hasn't and maybe by tomorrow I'll have found the testicular fortitude to post about it.

;)

Keeping the light simple...

How cool is that shot, it's a gull wing Mercedes 300SL shot by Ken Brown (my new man crush).

;)

This is Ken's third appearance on Weekly Photo Tips, the first was in a review of "Trade Secret Cards" (quite by accident, the card I showed was a shot of a car setup/shot by Ken), the second post was more intentional, it was a video of Ken shooting a car with a single Nikon SB-24 speedlight.

When you look at his images you can't help but think, "holy cow, look at how beautifuly that's lit, I wonder how he did it?". Then when you see the setup, the simplicity of the lighting makes the end result even more impressive.

In the above image ken used just two SB-24's attached to "eBay triggers" (aka Cactus triggers) placed on the seats, and that's it. So his lighting setup cost about $200, which is well within the reach of most photographers.

If you want to learn more about Ken and see his incredible body of work you can visit his website, his blog, or his Flickr page.

Shoot your Nikon or Canon wirelessly...

Pete Tsai has put together an ingenious device for under $50 ($49 to be exact) that allows him to shoot his Nikon wirelessly!

Now keep in mind that this is not the easiest of projects, it does take some time, some effort, and a bit of technical savvy to put this wireless tether together, but Pete lays out step by step instructions (with a bunch of pictures) that even an idiot (like me) can follow successfuly.

Pete has written that followers of his blog who shoot Canon and Sony have followed his design and the wireless tether works for their cameras as well.

You can get the plans here at Pete's blog.

Flare photography with Kristin Zecchinelli...

Last year, during Scott Kelby's world wide photo walk I had the pleasure of meeting Kristin Zecchinelli (aka "Maine Momma").

Kristin ended up as the winning photographer of the walk, not only was her winning shot great, she had a great collection of images from that day and you can view some of those images here.

Though I enjoy looking at her images, it was when I started following her blog that it became obvious that she truly loves photography and is a genuinely good and caring person, which kept me coming back for more.

One of the things Kristin does well (and loves doing) is flare photography, so much so that she now has a "Flare Fridays" Flickr group (with over 600 members and almost 3,000 images).

You can also see Kristin's personal Flickr pool of flare images here.

If you are interested in trying some flare photography she put together an easy to follow tutorial.

So, I wanted to share some of her images and her blog with you because she is a photographer worth following.

Enjoy.

Important Canon 5D Mark II firmware update...

My friend Mark is a Canon shooter and when we get together the conversation will often turn to the Canon 5D Mark II, as it is one remarkable camera.

His only "complaint" is the lack of video aperture control.

Well, either Mark has incredible pull with the folks at Canon or a bunch of other people have been talking about the very same shortcoming as tomorrow (June 2nd) Canon is releasing a firmware update that now gives folks full manual control.

From Canon: "This new firmware will accommodate a great number of user requests for manual exposure control in the EOS 5D Mark II video mode. Manual exposure control while shooting video on the EOS 5D Mark II is expected to make a big impact with cinematographers and videographers using the 5D Mark II for high-end HD video production".

The update will permit control over ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

You can get the firmware update here.

Just to help drive home the point that this is one phenomenal Camera, here is a music video by Jeremy Cowart shot entirely with the Canon 5D Mark II.

The new Pixar movie “Up”...

We went to see the new Disney Pixar movie Up last night, then turned around and went to see it again today.

The first 5 minutes of the movie shows probably the most tender love story I have very seen in a movie... EVER!

And I will stop with the movie details there.

The reason I go to the movies is to be entertained, if I leave feeling good it was worth the money, it was a very good movie if we talk about our favorites parts and reenact the scenes for a day or two after. With those as the standards Up was a very good movie.

You can read the New York Time review of the movie, or just grab your family, get in your car now and go see it (I vote for getting in the car).

More free Photoshop alternatives...

I have two more pieces of free image editing software for you today.

The screen shots below are from my computer (not promotional broo ha ha) so you have a real world idea of what they truly look like and what some of the options and features are.

Click on either image to view larger and in a new window.

1. FastStone Image Viewer. From their website: "a fast, stable, user-friendly image browser, converter and editor. It has a nice array of features that include image viewing, management, comparison, red-eye removal, emailing, resizing, cropping and color adjustments. Its innovative but intuitive full-screen mode provides quick access to EXIF information, thumbnail browser and major functionalities via hidden toolbars that pop up when your mouse touches the four edges of the screen. Other features include a high quality magnifier and a musical slideshow with 150+ transitional effects, as well as lossless JPEG transitions, drop shadow effects, image annotation, scanner support, histogram and much more."

2. IrfanView. "IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative graphic viewer for Windows. It is simple for beginners and powerful for professionals. It has created new and/or interesting features in its own way and is the first Windows graphic viewer WORLDWIDE with Multiple (animated) GIF support."

It really does have a bunch of features, too numerous to list here.

Some free Photoshop alternatives...

Not everyone is able to make the financial investment for Photoshop and there are others who do not need (or require) all the things that Photoshop can do.

So here are some alternatives that will cost you nothing, nada, zip, zero, zilch, goose egg:

1. Gimp. "GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring." Here is an introduction page, and here is a tutorial page so you can take a look at what it can do.

2. Fotografix. "While graphic design professionals probably wouldn't be able to substitute Fotografix for Photoshop, it's certainly a capable free alternative for the average Joe."

3. Paint.NET. "Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows." You will find the features list here, and tutorials here.

4. Photoscape. "Photoscape is the fun and easy photo editing software that enables you to fix and enhance photos." You can take a look at some screenshots here.

5. Adobe Photoshop Online. The title pretty much says it all, and you can take a test drive here.

If you know of any no cost Photoshop alternatives that I have not listed here, please let me know and I will be sure to post them.

Variations on a Two-Light Theme, Pt. 2...

A couple weeks ago I posted about the Strobist article "Variations on a Two-Light Theme, Pt. 1", well yesterday they posted part 2 of the series - "Variations on a Two-Light Theme, Pt. 2".

So if you were anything like me you'll wanna jump right over there and take a look, because it's a great series with outstanding information.

For that matter, I think Strobist is the single greatest lighting resource on the web.

I have included the setup image below, so often if you see the setup first you think "Ain't no way you're gonna get a good picture here". And as usual, I'm wrong.

A word about Google...

As most of you noticed, for the Memorial Day weekend I redirected my blog from what you see here to a slideshow honoring service men and women, what I didn't know is that it was going to be noticed by Google too!

I can't even imagine how big they are, how many blogs they host, or how many servers they have around the world, but in less than an hour of redirecting this blog on Friday evening I got an ominous email from a Google god saying that "Your blog has been identified as a potential spam blog." it went on to say that my account was locked, and I would not be able to post again until the situation had been reviewed by a live person in roughly two days.

Sure enough, I logged in and my account was locked, my blog life was flashing before my eyes, I am thinking that a 18 months of work and 350 posts may soon be blowing in the wind.

Try finding an actual email address for someone at Google, I couldn't! So I put a line of code (that could not be seen by the public) at the beginning of the slideshow explaining why my blog was being redirected and when it would be back to "normal".

And then I waited... and much to my surprise in the same amount of time it took them to shut me down, my account was unlocked and I had control of my blog! I am sure that people in three neighboring states could hear the huge sigh of relief that emanated from my house at the moment.

The point of of this rambling post is to say how impressed I was with the speed at which Google responded and even though redirecting my blog was "against policy", Google let me do it.

WOOHOO!

To show my appreciation I will be getting my new Google tattoo later this morning.

A Memorial Day Weekend reminder...

Just a reminder that the Weekly Photo Tips blog will be replaced starting this evening (around 6pm) with a slideshow that is "keeping with the theme" of what this holiday is all about.

We will return on Tuesday morning (5/26) around 8am.

Have a safe holiday.

Hug your kids, pet your dog, and chase the cat around with a welding torch.

;)

See ya back here Tuesday morning.

A bazillion free Photoshop actions...

If you head on over to Designer Today you will find a list 14 pages long of free Photoshop actions that are available from different websites (including Weekly Photo Tips).

They also have other cool things like Photoshop tutorials, Paint Shop Pro Tutorials, and just about anything else you can imagine when it comes to graphic/web design.