Gauri Khan Shares Advice for New Interior Designers

#AdviceforBeginners #DesignTrends #Gaurikhan #homedecor #interiordesign
https://blazetrends.com/gauri-khan-shares-advice-for-new-interior-designers/?fsp_sid=48391

The Camera Gear Beginners Shouldn’t Cheap Out On https://petapixel.com/2024/03/07/the-camera-gear-beginners-shouldnt-cheap-out-on/ #cameraequipmentforbeginners #adviceforbeginners #beginnermistakes #cameraequipment #beginnertips #Educational #cameragear #geartips #Guides #Tips

The Camera Equipment Beginners Don’t Need https://petapixel.com/2024/02/08/the-camera-equipment-beginners-dont-need/ #photographyeducation #photographyequipment #adviceforbeginners #tipsforbeginners #Educational #cameragear #Guides

Best Kit Lenses of All Time: My Five Favorites https://petapixel.com/2023/12/30/best-kit-lenses-of-all-time-my-five-favorites/ #adviceforbeginners #Miscellaneous #Editorial #Equipment #camerakit #beginner #Reviews #lenses #kit

A Photographer’s Guide to Umbrellas

Umbrellas are perhaps the most under-appreciated light shaping tool around. Due to their low price and wide availability, they are considered by some to be only for those who are beginners. This couldn't be further from the truth.

The umbrella is a fantastic modifier that is loved and cherished by pros and beginners alike. Here is a basic photographer's guide to umbrellas.

What is a Photography Umbrella?

As the name suggests, umbrellas are a light modifier that can open and collapse just like the regular umbrella people use on rainy (or sunny) days. An umbrella is one of the easiest ways to create soft and/or diffused light. Depending on the type, an umbrella may reflect, bounce, or diffuse light.

Let's look at some common types of umbrellas.

Common Types of Photography Umbrellas

Shoot-Through Umbrellas

These are the first umbrellas to ever exist. They are made out of translucent diffusion fabric that will diffuse the shadow edges, and depending on the size a shoot-through umbrella will produce light of different softness. The smaller the umbrella the harder the light. A shoot-though umbrella will create a hotspot in the middle as the light source is aimed directly at the subject.

White Umbrellas

A white umbrella will be indirect and will require the light to first hit the umbrella, bounce in the modifier, and exit on the same side. As such, this light source creates an indirect bounced and diffused light. Depending on the size, your light can also be quite soft. The light spread of white umbrellas will be quite large when compared to silver ones. These are a common choice among portrait and fashion photographers for the light they produce.

Silver Umbrellas

These reflect light and have a smaller light spread which creates light with more direction. Because they reflect instead of bouncing a silver umbrella will be more efficient. That is why on-location a silver umbrella is more preferred than a white one. In small sets, it will appear to produce harder light, which is why a silver umbrella is best used will a fill light in smaller studios.

Silver vs White Myth

An important thing to note is that the softness is determined by the size, not by the material. A common myth is that white umbrellas produce softer light than their silver counterparts. In fact, a white umbrella will have a wider light spread, which in small rooms will result in light bouncing everywhere and filling in the shadows. Taken into a field, silver and white umbrellas make the exact same soft light.

Deep vs. Shallow

Nowadays there are two common shapes for umbrellas: deep and shallow. Shallow umbrellas will create a much wider light spread, which is useful when lighting large groups, backgrounds, or even portraits. Deep umbrellas on the other hand will have more direction to them which will result in somewhat increased contrast.

Deep umbrellas have the ability to be focused to some degree. But don’t be misguided when a company claims to have parabolic umbrellas. Those are impossible to create if they are truly parabolic. A deep-looking modifier isn't parabolic, if anything it’s false advertising.

I personally use both deep and shallow umbrellas, almost interchangeably. Shallow ones tend to be cheaper. If you want to experience true parabolic modifiers, rent a Broncolor Para or Briese.

Special Shapes

There is a series of ParaSail umbrellas designed for low-ceiling rooms. These seem to be really interesting, however, I’d suggest trying out regular umbrellas first. The shape of the light source (in the case of a ParaSail rectangular) will determine how the shadow edges look, just as how a 1×6 softbox will make soft light vertically but hard horizontally.

Few people know precise details of how the modifier influences the light, so starting out with a round umbrella is usually the best course of action.

Accessories for Umbrellas

There are many ways to accessorize your umbrella. Here are some common ones.

Diffusion Fabrics

Contrary to popular belief these won’t make the light softer, they will however diffuse the light -- the difference between soft and diffused being a topic for a separate article. A diffuser is great in combination with a silver umbrella as it increases the light spread. Another way to use a diffuser is with a white umbrella if you want to create incredibly soft and diffused light that has a wide spread, and is flattering to the face. Annie Leibovitz has been known to use this very frequently on her portrait shoots.

Backpanel

Translucent umbrellas don’t only pass light through but also bounce some back. This is undesirable as it creates an unnecessary light loss. Therefore, a back panel can be added to a translucent umbrella that will contain and reflect the light going in the wrong direction.

How Does a Photography Umbrella Work?

There is not much to understand about the principle behind umbrellas. A translucent umbrella acts like a scrim, it takes a small light source, increases its size hence making it softer as well as more diffuses and even.

Any other umbrella where the light is shining indirectly will work in a different way: light will first hit the bottom of the umbrella, and then be reflected/bounced around while modifier filling it. If a diffuser has been added, that light will bounce a few more times and exit in a very even, orderly fashion.

Possible Uses for Photography Umbrellas

There are countless ways you can use umbrellas, which is why they are so beloved among photographers of all experience levels. When starting out, my first modifier was indeed an umbrella. Here are some ways photographers can use umbrellas.

Portrait Photography

For this image, I wanted an even light spread and nice reflections. I used a large 65” umbrella with a diffuser to light the scene evenly and create soft flattering light.

Octa not used for the image

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Fashion Photography

Umbrellas will be useful when lighting backgrounds or creating dramatic effects. Photographers have used large umbrellas as fill lights in images. For example, in this photograph I used a large umbrella to fill in the dark shadows created by a specular light source placed quite close to the model. Moreover, I used one more to get a gradient on the background.

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Every Other Genre

While portrait and fashion are the most common places to find umbrellas in use, they have been used by sports, still life, headshot, interior, and other photographers. In short, if you want to get started with flash photography in your desired genre, you may want to consider buying an umbrella.

Closing Thoughts

No matter at what point in your career you are, umbrellas are a fantastic tool to add to your arsenal. Listing all the brands, names, etc. is pointless here as there are a lot of good umbrellas on the market. As they are generally priced quite affordably, umbrellas are a great choice for beginners too.

Don’t be fooled by a more professional-looking softbox. Neither is better or worse -- they’re different modifiers serving different purposes.

#educational #equipment #lighting #101 #adviceforbeginners #basics #beginnersguide #guide #illyaovchar #introduction #learn #primer #umbrella

No One Needs to See Your Photography

Sharing photographic work online for the world to view has become an integral part of the modern photographer's workflow, whether they are a hobbyist or a professional. This inspiring 9-minute video, however, challenges the notion of sharing work online and argues that it might actually benefit photographers to focus on their craft instead.

Alex Kilbee, the British photographer behind the YouTube channel “The Photographic Eye,” discusses the change that photography has undergone due to the advent of social media, which has perpetuated the idea that any and all photographers should share -- and ideally, do so regularly to appease algorithms to garner engagement -- their work online.

Kilbee says that the fact that photographers can reach a worldwide audience and have millions of eyes on their work is a novel concept and certainly wasn't the case decades ago. For most amateur photographers, the only way to have a large audience view their work would mean succeeding in competitions, having exhibitions, or getting published in magazines. For the most part, however, the work would go unseen.

Kilbee also believes that this shift has warped the perspective on what photography should be because the focus has now turned towards pleasing the viewer. This then enters a cycle of continuously acquiring more engagement and likes by appealing to the audience and what it wants, which consequently gives validation to the photographer. However, this cycle ignores the photographer's own needs and reasons for shooting, including the simple act of shooting for joy and pleasure.

A notable example of someone who enjoyed photography purely for their own enjoyment is Vivian Maier, now considered a street photography icon. Her unassuming photographs of Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles, taken during her time working as a nanny, painted a unique portrait of the society and the culture during the 1950s, 1960s, and beyond. However, she didn't take them in the hopes that her work will be published, exhibited, and recognized. She simply enjoyed photography as a means of expression and as a hobby that she truly enjoys.

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Maier's work finally came to the world's attention after a 26-year-old real estate agent named John Maloof purchased a box filled with 30,000 negatives at an estate sale for $400 in 2007. Once unknown, Maier is now considered one of the greatest street photographers of the 20th century.

This is in stark contrast to what Kilbee sees as a certain type of modern photographer who almost feels entitled to have their work seen and shared by hundreds or thousands of strangers online. He invites the audience to rethink what photography and success mean to each individual and notes that choosing to share work does not make anyone more of a photographer than someone who chooses not to, even though the modern world might push one to believe otherwise.

Kilbee concludes his video with the advice for photographers to stop worrying about who will or won't see their work and how to get it seen by a wider audience, and instead encourages photographers to ask themselves why they take images in the first place, which will fuel the motivation and excitement to continue pursuing photography for years.

Depositphotos

More of Kilbee’s educational and inspirational videos can be found on his YouTube channel

#inspiration #adviceforartists #adviceforbeginners #alexkilbee #photography #photographyadvice

How to Work with Unsigned Models as a Photographer

Not every photographer needs to hire agency models for their projects, and, fortunately, there are many freelance models to choose from, however, finding and hiring can be a daunting process for some.

Although professional agency models carry the reputation of the agency they represent when they are on the job, which, generally, is expressed as high-level professionalism, ability to interpret the assignment, and punctuality, there is also another world that photographers, especially beginners or those who need models for smaller projects, can explore, and that is the freelance model market.

When photographers start out and want to explore the portrait and boudoir genre, it can be tempting to ask their friends or family members to join in and model, but that can create some uncomfortable moments for everyone involved. If friends or family members are eager to offer support it doesn't mean that it's always the best option, especially if as a photographer you want to push your boundaries by experimenting with different styles, which requires someone in front of the camera who can adapt and interpret your vision.

There are occasions when family members are a great fit for certain shots but if you want to progress your creativity, enhance your portfolio or particular aspects of it, or you are working on a smaller budget shoot, that doesn't have a lot allocated to hiring an agency signed model, you may want to consider working with a freelance model, instead.

The Differences: Agency vs Freelance

When an agency signs a model, they are confident that the model fits what the agency as a brand stands for in the industry. Traditionally, agencies used to be orientated towards fashion, commercial, or both, however, nowadays there are many agencies that have a diverse roster of professionals, which makes it easier to find a suitable model for any type of project.

These models are hired through the agency, which means the fee of hiring a professional will generally be higher because agency fees must be accounted for, compared to freelance models who are their own agents, essentially. Most agencies also have a publicly available catalog of their models on their website, often categorized by age or other characteristics, such as acting or other special skills, which makes it easy to browse through their talents to find exactly what you need.

Undoubtedly, agencies make it convenient to find talent but it comes at a higher cost which can be a dealbreaker for many who don't have the budget for it. By comparison, working with a freelance model, the photographer is likely to find and hire someone local to their area and often at short notice, and also forego any additional agency costs they would have to pay otherwise.

Freelance models still carry a high level of professionalism and many have years of experience in the industry, they are often happy to travel to locations, and also have a portfolio of previous work to show to photographers looking to hire. The risk, however, is that there is an absence of accountability through the removal of an agent in the middle of the process. This means that if your model has a last-minute change of plans or if a bigger job comes along, they may cancel on you but this risk is reflected in a lower model fee compared to agency talents.

Finding a Freelance Model

Portfolio Websites

You may struggle to find a freelance model by simply searching online as you would for an agency but there are a few ways to find talents in your area. Several portfolio-based websites, such as Model Mayhem, or Madcow Models, and Purpleport in the United Kingdom, allow photographers, models, and other creatives, like makeup artists, to connect. These types of websites are only regulated to a certain extent by their own moderators, which means that although certain things are not permitted, there is no underlying standard to hold anyone to.

Talents will join and most will be accepted, which can make it difficult to filter through to find the type or standard of the model you want to hire for your project. Any and all action taken, such as communication or the conduct during the shoot, is down to each individual because these websites don't act as a guarantor in any shape or form and tend to police serious breaches of code of conduct only on the website itself, for example, if someone is abusive.

The risk aside, these websites can be an easy way to quickly find someone in a particular area and you can also set up a casting call, which allows models to get in touch with you if they are available for your specific shoot. If it's a paid shoot, it's understandable that you will receive a higher volume of responses because most models on these portfolio websites tend to do it as a part-time or full-time job.

Before you search for a model, you'll need to create a profile first. You will be expected to show at least a few example images and set up your profile information so any prospective models can read through and consider if they want to work with you. You don't need a professional portfolio but if you don't upload any of your work, you're unlikely to receive any responses to your casting calls.

Social Media

Many freelance models tend to have a separate social media profile for their modeling, with Instagram being my favorite app of choice. For example, on Facebook, unless you know their name, you will struggle to find them in the search bar, whereas on Instagram, you can make the most of hashtags. For example, a hashtag that is a combination of your location and the word "model" will show you both the top posts as well as the most recent ones under that hashtag.

Similarly, if you search for local photographers or makeup artists, in the same manner, you can easily see on their feed which models they work with on their projects. This is a great way to find creatives in your local community and you can start with just a couple of people who have tagged others they have worked with and slowly expand your network.

Facebook Groups

Community groups on Facebook will give you a pool of creatives who may respond to your casting call. Generally, you will find groups that are specifically just for photographers, to share and discuss work with, as well as sell equipment, but there are wider groups that include models, makeup artists, stylists, and more. Similar to Instagram, simply search for "photography group" and add your location or the wider area name in the search, too. Even if you join a photographers-only group, you can ask for any recommendations for any local models that others have worked with.

Group Events

Non-profit photography groups, as well as local members-0nly photography groups or communities, often organize events where photographers can participate to photograph several models. As these are group events, don't expect a great deal of one-to-one with a model but it can be a good opportunity to meet a handful of models that you can hire afterward for your own projects. Before you participate, take a look at the models who will be hired for the event because it won't be only local ones but also those who do tours across the country, which may not fit what you need.

Hiring a Freelance Model

When it comes to hiring freelance models, there is no one-size-fits-all. Because agency between the model and photographer is removed, models set their own fees and payment methods. Some models will require a booking fee to secure the shoot, with the remaining balance paid in cash or via bank transfer or online app, while others may request the whole fee upfront or at any point during the shoot, like at the start or at the end, especially if the shoot runs over the agreed time.

As with clients, it's advisable to draw up an agreement so both parties feel comfortable knowing what is expected, especially in regards to the payment and cancellations. Also, if you both agree on the model getting paid with a partial payment and edited images or just images, it's important to set the expectations in writing so they are aware of what they will receive and when, including a signed model release. It is a business transaction with a professional and should be treated as such.

You should also be aware that every model will have different working guidelines, like the levels of modeling they are comfortable with, from clothed to nude, as well as any security precautions they may take when working with new clients. It could be them simply checking it with their partner or a trusted person before and after the shoot, sending them the address of your shoot location, bringing a chaperone, and more. If you are unsure, communicate this with your model prior to the shoot so you are aware, especially if they intend to bring a chaperone. They don't need to be present during the shoot if you prefer not to, but it's likely that they will be waiting in the area, while they may go to a coffee shop or elsewhere, or in a room next door if you are working in a studio and space permits it.

The most important thing to keep in mind is those freelance models, just like any other professionals, such as dancers, actors, or stylists, do this as a job and must be respected, especially as the power relationship between the photographer and the model is not always balanced. Safety and professional courtesy should be clearly present in each and every shoot that photographers do, although personalities may clash at times which is just a part of being human and navigating communication.

There are many experienced freelance models who can help enhance photographers' work and creative vision using their posing and acting skills, while others are also photographers and can help with technical questions, too. Sometimes it might take a while to find that right model to come along, but when you do, it opens up many opportunities that can only be achieved with someone who is natural and expressive in front of the camera.

Image credits: All images by Anete Lusina.

#educational #tutorials #adviceforbeginners #fashionmodels #hiring #howto #introduction #model #modelagency #modeling #modelmayhem #models #primer #workingwithmodels