4.8.12 - Tania and Drustva Photo Session

Lesson Learned #1: GET A MAKE-UP ARTIST! I was referred to artist, Ammara Rana by Tania and she did an AMAZING job and it made a HUGE difference to the way the photos came out. I plan on using her again.

Lesson Learned #2: Be aware of TIME. I woke up at 6am for a head start, but we really didn't get started until about 10am. The make-up for each model took over an hour to complete (per model). Yes, it was worth the wait but it limited the shooting I wanted to do originally. Better planning and communication a must.

Tania had completed her make-up and hair as Drustva was preparing for her shoot. We used that time to take some impromptu shots using window light (right) and it exceeded my expectations. The lens used was a 85mm, 1.8 USM lens on a Canon T3i. I stood on a chair and pointed the camera downward, asking Tania to lift her chin and look at me. I blurred the necklace as I didn't want it to be the focal point and we were left with a classic portrait.

Drustva's make-up was completed and again an impromptu shot was taken using window light and remote flash (430exII). I'm amazed that the best photos were taken indoors without planning and very little photoshop was used (only increased contrast and saturation by 10 stops).







Taking shots from the Georgetown bridge was a challenge as traffic was at a high during mid-afternoon. Harsh lighting and the lack of a diffuser led to over-exposed images. I cropped the photo to highlight Tania's face and less of the image. In hindsight, I like both photos.

The angle she tilts her head emphasizes her strong jaw line well but you would never know judging from the photo on the right.

Next to the bridge we found stairs.. beautiful stairs highlighted by rich Spring foliage. I still want to stray away from wedding photography but the location begged for a photo. We took several with Tania. I wanted to use Drustva in this shot, but her business-casual outfit would have stood out differently.



Lesson Learned #3: Shoot one model at a time.
Notice that most of this blog is about Tania? Drustva was a great help focusing the reflector light but her job was to be there as a model; not an assistant. Although greatly appreciated, I felt that the time invested doing her make-up was not well-used. We left this location hoping to find a more business-oriented area but we came across more foliage and vines... I couldn't resist shooting more.

Lesson Learned #4: Take Time to Compose
Notice anything wrong with this photo? It's one of my favorites but I can't even use it. Yup... It's OUT OF FOCUS!!! To the untrained eye you may think it's a lovely photo... Beautiful background, foreground and model... great posing, dress and make-up... No cropping or photoshop was done with this photo... but it's OUT OF FOCUS!!

Images are different from the small LCD monitor on the back of the camera compared to the larger screen of a laptop. I was in such a hurry trying to take as many photos as I could with the time that I had that I ended up wasting an otherwise breath-taking shot.

Had it been in focus, this would have been one of my "money-shots" and it would have looked beautiful printed on paper. Hmph.

Our final location was steps away from our previous spot. Tania's enthusiasm for the camera naturally led her to the front of the camera. It was important for me to divide the time between the two ladies. Several shots of Drustva were taken but only a handful came out focused and pleasing.







The next time I do a photoshoot I plan on designating a full 8-hours to the shoot. It's not as easy as people think. Afterwards I was thoroughly exhausted and hungry - and so were the rest.

Here are the major take-aways:
- Clear out the entire day to shoot and add time for unexpected challenges (could even be weather).
- Shoot one model at a time. This reduces the amount of time for the make-up artist and maximizes the amount of time for the model and photographer.
- Take time to compose. The models did their part on posing and switching techniques practiced. Had I slowed down with the shutter, I would have had more photos to add to this portfolio.