Starting Year Six

I am today starting year six of this blog, the Internet’s only daily photography teaching blog.

My mission is the same as it has always been: to educate. I aim at everyone from beginner to pro. Short posts, all designed to educate in some way or form. And it’s daily: whenever I miss a day or two, I make up for it later.

www.speedlighter.ca is, and will always remain, free of charge. All I ask in return is that you:

  • Tell all your friends and acquaintances about this blog. “Like” the posts you like (click on the facebook share button). Better still, share the posts you like with your friends. In other words, help me reach a larger audience.
  • Consider training, private or in a small group. A half day’s course/seminar can turbocharge your photography.
  • Have a look at my e-books and, if you like them, buy them, as many hundreds of you already have.
  • And finally, last but not least, that you consider me as a photographer, for photographing everything from corporate headshots to industrial to models to family photography and weddings. If it can be photographed, I can do it.

Today, a short note about make-up.

As you will see in my price lists, I offer make-up artist and hair stylist for shoots as an optional extra, at $125 each. If you want to be shot for a formal photo of whatever kind, do consider a good MUA. Even if you are a man it can be worthwhile. Sure, it’s more money, but it’s amazing what make-up can do.

Look at this recent example (Make-up by Melissa T, one of my regular super-talented MUA’s):

Obviously she is very pretty with or without make-up, but I think you will agree, the attention given to make-up and hair do put the second photo in an entirely different league.

TIP: if you cannot afford one, go to Shopper’s Drug Mart: they have MUAs in the store who will do it for you, when you buy some make-up. Some of them are very good.

Here’s another example, from a shoot earlier this year. Here, the theme was Desi (pertaining to the Indian subcontinent) and henna.

Yes, that was on the same day, just an hour apart, No tricks involved. Just make-up. Stars and celebrities look great on TV, in part because they have make-up done. So if you hire me for a headshot (for press releases; your company’s annual report; newspaper announcements; LinkedIn; your web site; even for Facebook use!) consider having a MUA (Make-Up Artist) present as well.

I’ll finish with one more photo, from last Friday, the beautiful Vanessa Scott in Timmins, Ontario:

SOOC (Straight out of the camera). Canon 1Dx with 85mm f/1.2 lens, set to f/5.6 and 1/80 second at 200 ISO. Lit by two flashes:

  • One on our right with a Honl Photo half CTO gel and fired through an umbrella;
  • One on our left fitted with a grid and a quarter CTO gel, as the hair light
  • Both set to manual power; half on the right, quarter on the left
  • Both fired through Pocketwizards.

This is not rocket science. I can teach you how to do this in one three-hour lesson. What I cannot teach you is how to be Vanessa, or failing that, how to find your own Vanessa to shoot.

And when you do, do consider adding pro Make-Up and Hair.

 

 

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