Today’s Post by Joe Farace
The most important tip is this: The best way to improve your glamour photography by practicing. I strongly believe that you should make photographs each week until you get to the point where you don’t have to think about how to operate your camera, you just shoot. Here’s another tip: Don’t worry about producing masterpieces every time you pick up your camera, use it as a sketchpad to explore the possibilities and don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
While it may seem obvious, many photographs are made in locations based on where the photographer or their subject decides to shoot. This approach may work sometime when shooting outdoors but for indoor glamour you should place your subject where the light is best. Big surprise, huh?
You may find that have a perfect location in your home and maybe never thought that an unlikely location would be a great place to make a portrait. Think about it now. Here’s some more tips:
How I made the above image: Camera was a Canon EOS 50D with EF 135mm f/2.8 SF lens and an exposure of 1/250 sec at f/4 and ISO 800. In this case, lighting was provided by a window in the back door to my former home. A 32-inch Westcott reflector is at camera left.
Photographing people combines elements of psychology as much camera technology and how you personally interact with your subject will have more to do with the success of your glamour photography session than the camera or lens that you use.
If you’re interested in learning how I shoot available light glamour portraits, please pick up a copy of Available Light Glamour Photography which is available new from Amazon.com for $16.22 with used copies starting at $11.76, as I write this. The Kindle version is $15.51 for those preferring a digital format.