The Evolution of a Portrait Shoot

[Harry]

Welcome to the Camel Ed, wondered if I'd see your name after leaving the PWP forums. You have a way with words and you have simply nailed so many thoughts that I've had about this thread, but simply don't have the talent to put down in writing.

For those of you not familiar with ED, this is one of his shorter lessons.

[Ed Shapiro]

Hey Harry!

Thanks for the welcome- nice to see you here. Yes, I used to post every now and then on PEP Forum but there is too much turmoil there and I am a peace loving guy.

Nowadays I try to keep my post on the shorter side unless I have a lot of technical stuff to offer. This one got me going again.

I am still operating my studio full time but this will be my last season as a wedding photographer- so the docs tell me! Well- I guess 50 years of walking down the aisle backward is enough- but I'm gonna miss it anyway.

I am mostly on Monte's old form and doing a bit of moderating there- I have a lot of friends there and sadly enough, we lost Monte last year.

I will visit here when I can- it is a nice and very active site. I hope we can communicate here and share some techniques and war stories.

Thanks again for the come back!

Ed

[oldugly]

Dang it Ed,
You know we hate it when someone else says what we have been thinking, in a way we wish we could (or should) have said it. If you don't mind I will pull out a few quotes to use with my (non photography) students.

We have been very fortunate here to have a lot of talented folks who have shared their time and experience with folks like me. (No talent, but a lot of enthusiasm.) Sometimes we have had to wade through a lot of invective to get to the real stuff. Still there have been enough good people out there (too many to mention here) who have been willing to take the flak to help the rest of us.

Now for the critique--next time please use a larger type face. My old eyes had a heck of time with the microscopic one you used.

Frank

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi Frank- Sorry for the small font. I wrote the post in WORD in bold type but when I copied and pasted it those thin italics showed up I'll do better next time.

I remember the Weston Master exposure meters. Years ago I ran a wedding studio with 15 photographers on staff and each of them had a Weston meter for available and natural light work. Thing was,those meters don't like being dropped and in the throws of crazy wedding schedules, sometimes that would happen. One of my jobs at the studio was sending in equipment in for repair. I did that so often that I still remember the address of Weston Electrical Instrument Co. The were on Freelinghussen Blvd, in Newark, N.J. At one point they contracted the Federation for the Handicapped in NYC to take over the repair work. They factory trained disabled folks to work on the meters and they did a great job.

I remember the zone system overlay that went over the calculator dial for those who wished to use that system, The unadulterated dial itself was great for analyzing a scene and coming up with a tonal range that was easily printable. I wish I had saved one of away to some of my students. Using that meeter properly was a good lesson in densitometry- you had to use your head as to where to take readings and how to interpret them.

Nowadays I use all these newfangled digital readout jobs for flash and continuous light but I still remember my old metering techniques and even when I use the latest fancy ones I can get better results.

Digital is here to stay and is the future in photographic gear and technique. I, however, still use film for some of my assignments and make prints in my good old analog darkroom. I still like the look for some types of work. Where digital post production work is required, I scan the negatives and go from there. Some of the new Kodak color negative film have been redesigned for better scanning properties.

There are certain lenses that I can't get the equivalent (effects) of in digital systems. My trusty RZ 67 body accepts the 150mm SF (soft focus) lens- a real jewel for ladies and theatrical portraiture in the retro- Hollywood style.

I have all the lenses for my Hasselblad system so I am not gonna give that up any time soon, These cameras have served me well for over 40 years.

The new guy on the black is gonna be the Hasselblad Digital. This will be my last year as a wedding photographer (that's what the docs told me to do) so I will be concentrating on my commercial work and portraiture. That 22 MP file will help me with the large images I need to produce for my clients and I won't have to drag my view cameras all over the city anymore- all my favorite sheet films are going or gone so I am gonna need the digital camera to cope with white balance issues because I still use a use quartz lights for my interiors- I blend them in with the natural incandescent lighting in the room- it's a very natural look.

You are welcome to quote me on anything I write here- I am flattered! I can't figure out why anyone would want to listen to me- no one around here does.

Thought for the day: I know my parents did not like me- my first bath toys were a radio and a toaster- Rodney Dangerfield

Best regards, Ed

[Austen]

Just my thoughts on "The Rules"............

I'm the new kid on the block, just got his camera and now I generally remember to turn it on before use...Still don't remember the lens cap straight away, but that's another story !!

Once I had worked out how to use it (turn the dial to the green square, press the button) it didn't take me too long to work out that I could take pictures, but not photographs.

I found a forum, dipped my toes in, and was made most unwelcome for being a newbie

Found the 'Camel, and have been here for a few weeks now.

One of the first things I did was download Benjis portrait tutorial and study it. And study it, and study it some more.

Took some pictures, decided Benji did know more about this then I did, and studied some more, with his tutorial in one hand, my pictures in another, and my camera in another ........

I've now got a photograph of my wife that I'm almost game to put up here and ask for serious comments on.

Sure, I would of taken a photograph this good on my own, after several tens of thousands of attempts over a few years, but I didn't learn my trade* by guessing what might work, having a try with that, finding it didn't work and then trying something different. It's the same with this new hobby of mine, hey, why should I waste 5 years taking "snapshots" when all the information I need to take great photographs is there, in one place, for me to study ?

Thanks heaps Benji for all the time you put into this forum, I really appreciate it !!!!!!!


Austen.


*Trust me, you should be really glad I didn't learn my trade the "Trial and error" method

[heartseye]

It always surprises me that there is SO much talk on HOW to do something.........and SO little talk on just WHAT it should be that we do.....

[Benji]

Originally Posted by heartseye

It always surprises me that there is SO much talk on HOW to do something.........and SO little talk on just WHAT it should be that we do.....

Thanks Bob, I agree.

Benji

[Ed Shapiro]

Some years ago I tuned into a radio program- one of those sophisticated musicology programs where the host interviews great names in classical and popular music and music educators from all over the world. That time it was an interview with Paul McCartney which focused on his days with the Beetles.

The host alluded to the musical revolution and the "British invasion" of the early 1960s- the transition from the simplistic "bubble gum" rock music of the 50s to the more complex harmonies and sounds of the 60s and 70s. The host wanted to talk about technicalities in the chording and structure of the music but McCartney summed it up- (I paraphrase) "We were one heck of a tight rock 'n' roll band- we wrote and preformed nice music for the people- they liked our stuff! I thought that answer was absolutely magnificent- awesome!

Why was I so impressed? Because I could relate to that as the wedding and portrait photographer's simple and down to earth job description. So many photographers wax poetic about what they do- they capture the soul! They freeze time? The next thing you know they will have discovered the real meaning of life. The copy cat in me made me decide to convert McCartney's simple answer into my own mantra or job description. If people are looking for deep philosophical answers from me, they are barking up the wrong tripod. I simply take nice pictures for the people! Knock it if you like but that attitude has kept me in business for 50 years and I ain't dead yet. This does not mean that I want to do or delivery mediocre or mundane images to my clients. It only means that I don't get lost in a maze of pseudo-philosophy and techno babble at the expense of my client's wants and needs. I have a clear picture of what the basic needs are and respect them above all other considerations.

I think this basic attitude speaks to WHAT we should be doing. Nonetheless, the HOW we are going to do it is still an important issue. We should be aware of why people come to a professional photographer. One of the very basic motivations or buying impitus for this is they want to commemorate important stages and events in their lives. You might want to say they need visual records from the cradle to the coffin but that would be a bit crude. Kodak's old portrait promotion called "7 Ages" was very appropriate in that it pointed out certain stages of life that deserve a beautifuly crafted professional portrait. The crux of the advertising was that it went from "new baby" to "senior citizen" and featured the family's progression through life with images such as mother and baby, baby, toddlers, family portraits, a kid in a scout uniform, grad pictures (at various stages), business portraits, lifestyles portraits, military portraits, and great images of older folks.

Here's where the how -tos come in. Nowadays with digital imaging, it is all the more easy for families to take care of all this family recording themselves and negate the entire concept of going to a professional photographer except for very special and costly events such as a wedding. It then behooves to professional photographer to justify his or her existence in business by offering quality and service that can't become a do-it-your-self project. This is whee the art and techniques come to the forefront- this is where the fancy hardware is applied- this is where one really has to know what they are doing. This is where people will pay the extra bucks to have your artistry, flattering and emotional portraits and perhaps something that is a significant cut above what the can get at department store, grocery store and bargain basement "photo studios".

One needs to remember that photo forums are places where photographers to talk shop- compare hardware, discuss technique and yes- beat the hell out of such topics as who has the biggest digital sensor, which camera system is superior or inferior or who can belabor a point long enough where things get a bit unfriendly- shall we say? Hostile?? Professionally oriented forums may talk about sales promotions and business issues and that IS important if you draw the main part of your income from your photographic endeavors.

Well- most people want more definitive answers. So WHAT should we be doing as professional portrait and wedding photographers is provide superior quality images to the public- our potential clients and return customers. Without customers you have a very expensive hobby. If you are independently wealthy or have another source of income- that's fine- dabble away and enjoy yourself- photography IS a great hobby and an art and there is nothing wrong with self edification! What we should be doing is providing "nice pictures for the people: but in this day and age, professional know how goes hand and hand with keeping the lights burning so that we can provide some down to earth services for our clients. You gotta know WHAT TO DO and HOW TO DO IT.

I understand that some aspiring photographers can become impatient with rules, formulas, tips, critiques, scientific and technical articles and discussions but like it or not, it is part of our profession. I also do think there IS a higher calling in photography than simply doing our "jobs". We are the visual recorders of the human condition whether it is a little girl with a raggedy doll or devastating images of war and great pictorial commemorations of history. Some of you have the talent to do great things above and beyond the services of the corner photo studio and God bless you! I just find it maddening when people over OR underestimate the importance of their role in life as a person or as a photographers. We should walk tall and understand and appreciate the value of what we do as recorders, reporters, and historians. It is important to place value on our work so that we can exist in our free enterprise society and it is very important for us to understand how we can modestly and honorably serve our communities and our clients. There are photographers who TALK a good job and photographers who actually DO a good job- It is all a matter of BALANCE.

To maintain our place in the commercial market WHAT WE MUST DO is strive is to provide the very best work that we can produce, serve our communities well and support ourselves in enriching our lives and those of our family members in such a way that we can remain productive members of society.

My personal outlook on my work is that I am always after the essence of family life and human relationships in my portraiture and weddings photography. Perhaps I am an idealist in that kind of thinking. For one, I don't believe that the family unit is a thing of the past. Perhaps there is a trend going away from the nuclear family but loving relationships, pride and profound feelings do exist. If you can capture theses emotions in your images you are truly an artist.

Does this help- I hope so- Ed

[Benji]

Ed,

Again I agree. I hear on occasion certain photographers claim that they can "capture your soul" with their camera. Of course this is absolute baloney, but I guess it sounds good to some people.

Benji