Facebook Contest for Studio Lighting Workshop
April 14, 2010 by Mike Luter
Filed under Inactive
Win a FREE seat to my next Studio Lighting Workshop.
Here are the rules for Facebook.
1. You must be 18 years or older to enter
2. You must post the following to your Facebook wall exactly as it appears.
Just wanted to invite everyone to Mike Luter’s next Studio Lighting workshop. You can get more info on the workshop at: http://www.bit.ly/8YdaTI
3. You must post the workshop flyer image below and tag me in the image. We will keep a record of each entry then randomly pick a winner on April 20th.
4. The winner will be notified on April 21st.
Posed Action Sports Photography
March 17, 2010 by Mike Luter
Filed under Videos
Turn a Saturday into $2,000+ Pay Day.
Looking for a way to build your portrait photography business? I know you know someone who has children playing baseball, soccer, or softball in a local youth athletic association. You may not have thought to ask for the name of the person in charge of the leagues photography before, but you can earn a lot of extra money by providing posed action sports photography. It’s easier than you think. This in-depth presentation was recorded from a recent standing-room only seminar.
In this video Frank will show you how to make action sports photography profitable! You will discover how to shoot fewer action photos with less staff, while doubling your weekend’s income. You’ll learn how to turn a Saturday into $2,000+.
In this 7-part, 100 minute video series, Frank will explain;
- What equipment is needed to do posed action photography,
- How to set up a posed action shoot area,
- How to create a smooth workflow,
- What products to offer,
- How to market posed action photography,
- How to utilize the Internet to obtain additional sales after the event is over.
Want to see how you can do it, too?
If so, you will have to become a StudioStyles subscriber. This video tutorial is not available as a direct purchase. It is available only in our forum section.
Get access to this video along with 75+ others for one low price.
Here are some sample of high impact products you will learn how to make…
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Youth Sports Photography is BIG Business
March 15, 2010 by Mike Luter
Filed under Videos
Who else wants to learn how to turn a Saturday into $5,000 (net)?
That’s right, NET! $5,000 net is just off one average sized league!!
Youth sports photography is one of the few photo market niches expecting sales growth in the next few years.
In this 4-part, 60 minute video we will be focused on how to set-up and organize the perfect league picture day.
Jeff Gump, Gump Sports Photography, is a nationally recognized expert in the youth sports photography business with over 20 years of experience.
- Why choose youth sports
- The latest industry news and trends
- Equipment you will need to be successful
- Which sports, which time of the year
- Planning the perfect Photo Day: What to bring, how to organize, and the best workflow
Here’s what previous attendees had to say.
- “Thank you so much. I have just began and I am leaving today with GREAT confidence.”
- “Loved it all!!! My first time. Enjoyed the lab visit. Your staff is super. The speakers were great.”
- “Thank you sincerely for all the information. Loved all the speakers. Learned a lot.”
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Here’s a FREE preview of the Workshop
Why offer this for FREE?
We hope you will view the video, like what you see and want to see our other training videos in our ever-growing video library. Order one video to get just what you need or subscribe for the full year and get access to over 75+ others for one low price.
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Make-Up Tips For Photographers
November 9, 2009 by Mike Luter
Filed under Videos
When posing for photographs, every model must use makeup. It is important for photographers to know how makeup creates even skin tones and enhances facial features. (Tip: It’s easier/faster to get it right at the beginning of a shoot than trying to correct it in post production with Photoshop.)
In this video, Amanda shows you step-by-step how to achieve the most popular looks inspired by today’s runway and popular fashion magazines.
These makeup methods are easy to do and will make your portraits extraordinary and memorable.
This DVD will show you how to create the following looks:
• High Fashion
• Everyday Wear
• Colorful Earth-tones
• Retro – inspired by 1960’s Mod-wear
• Pin-Up Model
• Edgy Rocker and Smoky Eyes
Check out the video trailer below describing this class.
Ready to become a better photographer?
Buy this video for only – $35 - Individual Training Videos
Get access to this video along with 65 others for one low price – Learn More.
Feel free to explore the rest of our site – We’re glad you’re here!
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Your satisfaction is guaranteed. See our guarantee
Dream Team Wedding Photographers
September 4, 2009 by Mike Luter
Filed under Videos
You are invited to spend a day following twelve of the best wedding photographers in the industry as they give you extraordinary wedding photography tips while showing you how to photograph a perfect wedding.
On May 11, 2009, approximately 100 photographers from all over Florida arrived at the Serenata Beach Club for the filming of the Dream Team Wedding Photographers Seminar.
The Dream Team Wedding Photographers video takes your through a (mock) wedding from start to finish. Each photographer demonstrates their unique style on how they photograph a specific part of the wedding day.
- Getting Ready – Julie Hughes
- Glamour Bridal portraits – Rick Ferro
- Formal Groom portraits – Peggy McAteer
- Bride w/ Bridesmaids – Mario Munoz Jr.
- Groom w/ Groomsmen – Krystal & Matt Radlinski
- Couple Portraits – Sherri Ebert
- Family & Bridal Party Group Shots – Susan Michal
- The Ceremony – Pat Tankersley & Brenda Estes
- The Grand Finale – Curt Littlecott & Stephanie Rounds
Watch as the photographers show you a variety of techniques used to create some of the most amazing wedding-day images.
Getting Ready
Julie Hughes kicks off the video photographing the bride as she prepares for the special day, including all the special details that are always so important to the bride.
Glamour Bridal Portraits
Next, Rick Ferro demonstrates how even the dullest, most difficult area to work with can be transformed. He pulls it off in his signature style photographing glamour bridal portraits in a very small equipment storage room just to show you really can create beautiful portraits just about anywhere.
Formal Groom Portraits
Peggy McAteer presents her segment on the formal groom portraits incorporating another important detail to the day – the car that the bride and groom leave in – an antique car brought in for this special shoot.
Bride with Bridesmaids
Mario Munoz, Jr. brings you back inside to cool down and demonstrate how he interacts and photographs the bride and bridesmaids.
Groom with Groomsmen
Following Mario’s segment, Krystal and Matt Radlinski talk about their techniques when working outdoors with the groom and groomsmen for their portraits.
Couple Portraits
Our beautiful bride and handsome groom then join Sherri Ebert as she demonstrates her style of photographing some very romantic couple portraits.
Family & Bridal Party Group Shots
Next is Susan Michal who shares her style of photographing and posing the entire bridal party for the group portraits.
The Grand Finale
The events of the wedding day video lead up to the grand finale presented by Curt Littlecott and Stephanie Rounds. With a storm brewing in the distance, Curt and Stephanie capture some amazing images of our couple with gorgeous sky color and lightning strikes in the distant.
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Order this video! Become a Better Wedding Photographer..
While a normal wedding day doesn’t have all this instruction and moves quickly, this video shows you how to prepare for every unforgettable moment. The wedding photography tips you will get from this 5-hour video will not only make you a better photographer but will show you as a leader in your community.
Check out the Dream Team Wedding trailer here:
This 5-hour, 3 DVD video is a MUST HAVE!
Wedding Seminar as an Immediate Download – $49
Wedding Seminar as a DVD Shipped to You – $69
As a StudioStyles Subscriber you can have FULL access to this video along with our entire 65+ photography training video library. (It’s your best value)
Learn more about your Subscriptions options.
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High School Senior Portraits – The Senior Girl
June 28, 2009 by Mike Luter
Filed under Videos
In this video we cover photographing the high senior girl from start to finish. We will cover
• Cap and Gown session
• Traditional drape session
• High fashion head shots
• The Casual session
• Full length fashion shots
• & more…
Want to see how to do it? If so, you will have to become a StudioStyles subscriber. This video tutorial is not available as a direct purchase. It is available only in our forum section.
Get access to this video along with 65 others for one low price – Learn More.
Learn how to take photos like these? We will show you how.
Ready to become a better photographer?
Feel free to explore the rest of our site – We’re glad you’re here!
Preview More Photography Training Videos from our Library
Your satisfaction is guaranteed. See our guarantee
FREE Photo Tips on Using The Main Light
June 25, 2009 by Mike Luter
Filed under What's New
I have noticed that many new photographers tend to aim their main light source (this could be an umbrella, a softbox, etc…) directly at the subject. While this will definitely light the subject, it’s certainly not the most flattering way to use your light source. In this post, I would like to introduce you to an idea called “feathering the main light”.
By nature, your light source is typically brighter in the center and tends to fall off toward the edges. Therefore, by aiming your light source directly at the subject, it tends to create more specular highlights and can produce hot spots or can cause the highlights to become overexposed.
So next time, instead of just aiming the light right at your subject, try feathering the light. By this I simply mean to direct the light in front of your subject. You should be working with the edge of your light source and not the center of the light source. I will typically turn my soft box horizontally and have most of the light pass in from of the subject, and just work with the light from the back edge of my soft box. By working with the feathered position of the main light, it gives me a softer, more flattering light on my subject.
Not only is feathering the light much more flattering for my subjects, but it allows me to easily work with a reflector as my fill light – by reflecting the light passing in front of the subject into the shadow side of the subject. When working with a large soft box and feathering, this box acts as both the main light and the fill light ( a term referred to as wrap-around lighting). It also helps keep stray light off the background so I can control the brightness of the background through the use of a background light.
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Glamour Head Shot Techniques
May 16, 2009 by Mike Luter
Filed under Articles
The difference between shooting a typical head shot an creating a glamour portrait are really obvious.
The lighting must be flattering, the filters soft and the make-up truly professional. It’s the execution of these principles that will set your work apart.
Our studio technique involves a few simple steps that give us the “Hollywood” look, as demonstrated in the accompanying photo.
For the primary light , we used a Photogenic MonoLight that has been placed into a Halo Light Modifier. The halo gives a soft, low contrast lighting and a quality that sets the mood. The main light is placed on a boom approximately four feet in front of and above the subject. This is the butterfly lighting style frequently used for glamour work.
A silver reflector is placed in front of the model and just out of the camera’s view. The reflector bounces additional light back into the underside of the eyes and chin, filling in the shadow areas. In the photographs in this article you can see a small catchlight in the lower half of the eyes as a result of the reflector.
The next step in the set-up is the background light. By using a background light and various color gels it is possible to change the color of the background without physically changing the seamless paper. In this photograph I used color gels over the light source to coordinate the color of the light with the clothing color and the mood desired.
The background light used in the photographs accompanying this article was a Photogenic Powerlight fitted with a 7 inch parabolic reflector, covered with a gel and adjusted to emit equal power as the main light (metered just above shoulder level). This allows the light to fall-off at the edges of the photograph. By changing color gels, the feeling of the photograph can be changed in seconds, and you will be able to give the customer a variety of looks to choose from.
To determining what color various gels will produce at different ratios to the main light, you will need to shoot a test roll and record the settings so they can be reproduced easily. Then, experiment with a combination of different colors.
In this lighting set-up make sure none of the main light spills onto the background and contaminates it. The subject was placed approximately eight feet from the background and the main light was feathered down to prevent spill over light onto the background.
To create a more dramatic look in each of the portraits, a hair light was placed directly behind the model’s head adding light to the hair. The hair light is a Photogenic Powerlight fitted with a four inch parabolic reflector. The reflector must be small enough to hide behind the subject’s head without being seen. When metering for the hair, I hold the meter at the back of the head and point it toward the light. Depending on the model’s hair color, I adjust the hair light to main light as follows:
Black + 1/2 to + 1 stop
Brown – equal to main
Medium to dark blond hair – 1/2 to 1 stop less
Blonds – -1 stop to 1 1/2 stop
Occasionally I will add different color gels to the hair light to create an entirely different mood and feeling.
Another vital key in glamour photography is make-up, and yes, a professional stylist is essential for top results. In my studio, I never do a glamour session without a professional stylist. The stylist is crucial because everyday make-up is very different from photographic make-up. Since lighting used on the set is relatively flat, the make-up must be applied so it doesn’t look flat. Therefore, the make-up used is heavier and more contrasting than everyday wear.
To flatter the face still more, use soft or very soft, focus filters. You may even want to combine several soft focus filters for an even softer effect. These filters are a must in glamour work and they also help keep the retouching costs to a minimum. My clients love them. Although, now with digital we typically add this effect afterwards in Photoshop.
And yours will, too. With soft focus, soft light, a soft touch and just the right make-up, they’ll look better than they really do.
Which is what we all want anyway, isn’t it.
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Learn Glamour Photography
April 1, 2009 by Mike Luter
Filed under Videos
Studio Lighting for Glamour Photography
In this photography video tutorial, we will be doing a glamour session in the studio. Before getting started with the shoot, we will show you how we created this set very inexpensively and making it portable at the same time.
We will start out the session using a large light source doing a some full length shots. We will show you the lighting set up and placement for full length shots and how we meter all the lights in this set to achieve the results we are after. This entire first look was achieved using a simple two light set up.
In the next scenario we will change the main light to a smaller light source and explain why this was necessary to to achieve the desired look.
In the next set, the model will be posed on the floor, and we will show you proper placement of your lights when posing a subject on the floor… where the main light should be in relation to the subject, fill light and edge lights.
In the last set we will change the color of the background by using some color gels over the background lights. For this series it will also be necessary to use a different main light modifier. You will learn why this particular light was use for this look and the thought process behind why we choose to light the model in this manner to achieve the results we are after.
This video has been posted on the members site and is also available for individual purchase
Individual Training Videos – Studio Glamour with Abby
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Understanding White Balance
March 31, 2009 by Mike Luter
Filed under Lighting, Videos
In this video tutorial from our photography training library, we will not only explain the theory of creating a correct white balance for your digital camera but will show you how to get the best color possible from your digital camera.
There are a number of factors that go into the making of a good portrait. One of the most important factors is good color. You can’t get good color without a proper white balance. You will learn why Auto White Balance (AWB) is easily fooled and not the best choice.
We will explain how color temperature affects white balance. As well as how other factors influence color temperature and, therefore, the quality of your images. We will cover all the different white balance options including when to use WHAT & WHY.
Next, we will look at the advantages of the raw file format. We will demonstrate why a Custom White Balance is the best choice and show you how to create a custom white balance in camera, while using your raw processing software. We will demonstrate this using Adobe Lightroom. We will also demonstrate situations when a custom white balance might not be necessary.
Next, working in LightRoom, we will show you how to use white balance as a creative tool to achieve a warmer look in your photographs or create images with a fashion flare.
In the last section, you will learn the proper techniques for creating a custom white balance in mixed lighting conditions. After watching this tutorial, you will have a complete understanding of white balance and know when to use what for the effect you want to achieve. You will also understand how to “trick” your camera’s digital white balance for creative results.
Check out the trailer below describing this video.
Ready to become a better photographer?
Buy this video for only – $25 - Individual Training Videos
Get access to this video along with 50 others for one low price – Learn More.
Feel free to explore the rest of our site – We’re glad you’re here!
Preview More Photography Training Videos from our Library
Your satisfaction is guaranteed. See our guarantee
