Modeling

Many of you have asked us what modeling is like, as we are models, in a sense.
Well, we might tell you that it is very difficult work, and an be very hard to find, also. There are many online agencies that you can sign up for, some being free and some being pay services. One word of caution, before you sign with a photographer or agency, is to check them out thoroughly. Models are scammed all the time, and you have to be careful. Always do the right paperwork, always bring an escort to the shoot, and always negotiate the style and money first.
It seems that many of the studios want us to take our clothes off, and we do, but, again, be careful. Females have more of a problem with this than men, but Kelley has been in this same situation.
The money can be good, and never settle for a shoot that you are not comfortable with.
If you have questions please feel free to ask us.

Selling your photos

Ok, so you have the cameras, printers, credit card machines and a substantial inventory of prints, what now?
Let's start with a brick and mortar gallery. We had one, lost our lease, and now are back to internet sales, which by the way, is not a perfect solution. We are looking for a partner to help us back into the brick and mortar thing.
We want a gallery with two shooting booths, room for our several 100 prints.
We do have our online store at Defiance Photography, so you can take a look.
Art fairs work fairly well, if the booth prices aren't to high. If you are rather creative, tell us your solution.

Fish Photography

This is a very specialized type of photography that we are currently involved in. In our case the fish are imported and, sometimes rare African Cychlids. Taking their pictures are in actuality very difficult. The fish won't hold still and of course you can't use the normal lighting. We have found that setting the camera to macro, and standing 3 feet away from the tank, is working using the fill flash setting. We'll talk more about this as we learn more.

Fantasy Photography

Fantasy photography is a specialty of ours and our most enjoyable. This style can include Role playing, boudoir, and clothing optional photo shoots. Whether indoors or outdoors, you must establish a plan and an idea of what your client wishes as an outcome. If nudity is requested, make sure that your surroundings are private and relaxing, as most people don't pose well if they are afraid they are going to be walked in on. Boudoir photography can require many types of clothing and lingerie and can be done outdoors, in a bedroom or with a backdrop. Never insist that your client do something that they do not wish to do, or set up a shoot with setting that you want without regard to your model.
Study your legal ramifications thoroughly, and make sure that your client is of legal age, and ready to sign the proper releases if your work is to be published. Be careful, and always try and have the client bring an escort, and always try and shoot with a photographer intern in the room with you. Many of our clients request nude photos, and one mistake can tangle you up in court or worse.

Scenic Portrait

One of our favorite styles is scenic portrait photography. This is where we take our clients out into the forest and use the natural backdrop of nature to enhance and theme the person.
Techniques vary but there are some devastating things that will ruin a photo and the shoot.
Watch your lighting! Defused lighting through trees and leaves, can produce an undesirable effect.
Try and use the natural background to highlight your client and always pose and center the client as to the background.
Have a plan and a location in mind before you start hiking all over creation. There's nothing worse than a client who has walked 10 miles and is all sweaty and irritated.

Scenic Photography

This is probably the most common of photography styles, and it seems that almost everyone has tried it at on point or another. There is good scenic and bad scenic photography. One might take pictures of the family vacation and use the photos for memories and sharing with friends, then there is a more refined style, where one takes photo to print and display or sell.
Let's talk about the more high end shots. Lighting is a choice decided by you or mother nature. All forms of lighting are acceptable, and those, flat light days can yield a more spectacular picture than those deep blue sky days with clouds.
All and all, no mater what the lighting, the make up or composition of the photograph s the most important. Try to frame the photo and balance it with natural objects that are in your field of view. Try balancing the shot with half sky and half land, or half of whatever the scenery might be. For us the sight of a power line or a piece of trash on the ground just isn't natural.
Take a look at some of our scenic photos, not saying that we are perfect, but you may get ideas from them.

Printers

Again we speak from and about what we have. For our studio we use Epson printers and have several that print from the smallest size up to 13x19". The roll feature on the 1800 printer works but can shed a lot of paper on to the floor when the printer gets confused, which is often. The Epson printers use Claria inks and once the photo is let to dry for a bit it becomes indestructible. We have had one in a store window, in the sun and moisture for two years now and the print is like day 1. The Epson 300 is wonderful, as it has a built in monitor so it can be used as a standalone in the field, and even has card readers. Our business printer is a HP F300 series and works fine, but as usual, the HP Software that drives it is junk. We recommend Canon and Epson printers if you wish to use it for higher end work.
For our needs we use, exclusivly, heavy duty matte paper. This type of paper holds up longer and prints with deeper colors tan glossy, try it, you might be very surprised.
One warning about printers is never use off brand inks and never refill a cartridge, unless you are ready to buy a new printer.