A shoot like this is an all-day affair, that takes more planning than you might expect. Jen and I had lunch and a solid series of emails, storyboards, Pantone palettes, shopping trips, location ideas and potential shoot dates pass between us before we could pull it off. Thank goodness Adam was easygoing, and willing to be flexible. When we finally pulled the day together it went very well, and was fun.

Godzilla surveys the damage.

These images were done with the light from one well-placed window, by the way. That’s it. Yay team. Great shots. Great day.

C

I hear that at least once a week. And I’m not exaggerating.

It makes me sad, because it is not true.

OK, I might agree that you aren’t a model. Models do have a high incidence of photo-ability. (Yes, I just made that word up.) So maybe that’s not you. But I have a feeling that most people actually are photogenic. They’ve just been photographed in the wrong pose at the wrong time. And maybe even in the wrong frame of mind…

But let’s look first at the definition of photogenic.

pho·to·gen·ic

1. (esp. of a person) Looking attractive in photographs or on film.
2. (of an organism or tissue) Producing or emitting light.

When you think of being photogenic as the first definition – looking attractive, (rather than being super glam perfect for every paparazzi flash) it seems a little more do-able, doesn’t it? Take it from me, even the best models I know hit clinkers every time they step in front of the camera. Nobody’s perfect. You know what happens to those images? ‘Delete’! I get those bad boys gone as quickly as possible. Wrong pose, wrong time, delete. Like a negative thought that you banish from your day, that image, out.

You’ve heard it a thousand times before – we are our own worst critics. It amazes me how much we judge ourselves based on what a little piece of technology produces in a sixtieth of a second. Do you know how many ‘sixtieth of a second’-s you have in your lifetime? If, in the rest of your lifetime, you were photographed every sixtieth of a second, oh OK, let’s be realistic and say once every hour, I GUARANTEE you’d have more good shots than bad. Why? Because you’d be laughing. Enjoying life. Being determined. Working hard. Thinking. Connecting with the outside world. Living. And with pictures, just like with life, you get to know what works if you do it long enough.

Which gets me to definition number two, and if you came to this post looking for concrete ideas on how to look better on camera, hang in there, it’s coming. The second definition is WAY more important than the first, it applies to us all, and let me tell you why.

The best and most attractive images are defined something by something inner, a light that we produce and emit that says something great about who we really are. The physics of a successful portrait are something that can be taught. I can show you how to stand, how to breathe, put you in terrific light, help you with wardrobe choices, keep you engaged and happy during a shoot, delete the bad images, pick the best ones. You’ll look good, and with enough images like that of you floating around Facebook (and for heaven’s sake, un-tag yourself in the icky ones – remember ‘wrong time, wrong pose’? DELETE), people might actually start to say that you are photogenic. Because, guess what, you ARE.  You look attractive in photos!

The best way to take a great picture is to understand that just like you must work to cultivate the way you view yourself inwardly, you must pick and choose the accurate reflections of yourself in the outside world. Don’t let an IPhone camera, wielded by your three-glasses-of-wine-in-a-dark-bar friend, be the judge of you. Take that personal discernment you use when shaping your inner self, and to the extent of your influence – which is considerable – pick and choose your reflection to the world. As within, so without.  C

Me, a couple of hours apart. It is all in the moment.

One of the things that I like about living in New England, and especially here in the wilds above Boston, is observing how folks make it through the winter hibernation. It is fascinating. From shoveling race-tracks in the backyard snow to exercise rambunctious puppies, to placing bets on the moment the pond ice will finally give way, it is an exercise in dignified, Yankee-fied, slow steady living. I have such admiration for Happy Winter Warriors, but I admit that I am not one myself – I like snow, but in measured, manageable doses, and I consider blizzard conditions to be fun for exactly 24 hours, then dig me the hell out or there’s going to be a problem. This year my crankiness reached almost-crisis proportions after my normal February sunny escape was curtailed, and so I desperately went searching for some inner light in the pre-vernal cave of shadows.

I found the wisdom of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, who writes of mindfulness as a pathway to daily peace. With mindful living, the present moment is the focus as we move through life. It sits in the driver’s seat and sets our path, so we are not driven by the guilt of yesterday or the anxiety of tomorrow. For truly, what do we really have moment to moment but the moment itself? Living each moment deeply, and deeply aware, allows us to see the abundance of our lives and – hopefully – take joy and happiness in that abundance. When we are mindful, the world is beauty-full.

…and of course, this resonated deeply with me, because, as David and I often joke “We work with moments. Often our job is done in  1/60th of a second.”

So now, I am considering as many moments mindfully as I can.

Whether it is the moment the snow gives way to green:

Or the child giving way to the beautiful young woman:

I am blessed by the beauty in the moment. How can I not be joyful in the mindful moment? Why wait? It is here, now.

“Qu’est-ce qu’on attend pour être heureux ? Qu’est-ce qu’on attend pour faire la fête?”

What are we waiting for to be happy? Why wait to celebrate?

I hope to stay mind-full, beauty-full. Eternal Spring in the face of Winter.

Peace!

C

A dear friend of mine, Chris DeStefano, owner of Christopher’s Table here in Ipswich, dropped me a secret little note on Facebook as I was lying in bed suffering from that DREADED cold that everyone seems to be getting. It was a heads-up we’d both been waiting for.

We knew the Phantom Gourmet, a local restaurant review show, had already visited incognito and was planning to return with a film crew, but had been unsure about when. Suddenly, it was in the book! As we had hoped, I was allowed to come and shoot stills as they spent the day putting together the segment, which will most likely air in April.

It was cool to be a, well, I suppose it is bad form to use the term ‘fly on the wall’ when you are speaking about a fabulous eating establishment, so let’s just say a ‘glass on the shelf’. The interview with Chris was great,  the atmosphere shots were fun to watch, and I thoroughly enjoyed the filming of the food. Let’s just say the cameraman was using some darned clever but very simple ideas. Totally entertaining.

And then I got to do my job. Shooting in a crowded restaurant is tough, and folks eating are never too thrilled to have a camera pointed at them, but the happy and excited energy of the PG visit made it a lot easier to get some fun shots. Here are a few:

Nothing beats getting out from under the stand-still atmosphere of a studio setup and into the real world. (Especially when you have two border collies!)

This is a series of images I created for Rich and Heather, who were expecting their first child. (Their lovely daughter arrived in late October.) We chose the Spencer Pierce Little Farm in Newbury MA  for our shoot, and even a rainy day couldn’t mar the beauty both of the scenery and my subjects! It was just lovely.

We began with some simple,

Reflective images -

Just to get warmed up.

Once we got the girls feeling happy and excited to show what wonderful and well trained girls they are (and they ARE!), we had fun showing them around the farm and catching portraits of them at every opportunity. LOVE the pink and green!

After we had thoroughly exhausted the dogs (if that is possible), we spent some time in the beautiful vintage barn with Rich and Heather alone.

The site was being decorated for a wedding, and we took advantage of the warm, happy calm-before-the-joyful-storm energy and the gorgeous lights to get some sweet, intimate shots. Really beautiful!

When you get up and get moving, your mind and your heart engage in ways they might not in a traditional studio session.

And in beautiful surroundings with those you love, it’s inevitable that the images will be great.

Happy Friday!

Cynthia

Did you sing the rest of that phrase? No? Let me help you.
And I’ll throw in a slammin’ 70′s outfit -
Chaka, Baby

Ok, Ok.

David DuChemin, who I admire and whose ideas and perspectives I really trust, draws a great distinction between photo and portrait in his book Forget Mugshots.

He says “I’ve found the following distinction helpful: a snapshot is a photograph of something, but a portrait is a photograph about (my emphasis) something. It says more than, this is what Albert Einstein looks like; it dares to say this is what Albert Einstein is like.”

So, with that in mind, when I get behind the camera, and in front of the person who has trusted me to illuminate and celebrate them, I ask silently, “Tell me something. Tell me something good.”

So that’s what I look for, and reflect.

She’s thinking too.

Anyway, the interesting thing about that, or at least the thing that I wanted to share with you – is that I while do spend time thinking about the technical aspects of the shot (where, how, with what lights and clothes and stuff), I also spend a lot of time thinking about the person. Actually, I spend more time on that than any other part of the process.

Which may sound weird, but hear me out in the form of a question: What is the one thing that is unique in a portrait? Is it all the technical aspects? Well, honestly, no, not really. There are certain photography techniques that really work well, and most great photographers use them in some way. Is it the clothes someone wears or how their hair is styled? That can help with expressing individuality, but the ingredients listed above are nothing without the binding substance – the one truly unique thing that can never be recreated or replaced – the person, present in the moment the image is made.

So really, everything else is just window dressing. The person I’m going to see truthfully as we shoot – that magical, complex ball of carbon, soul and spirit – is the most important thing to consider, respect and celebrate.

After the appropriate considerations are made, the rest falls into place.

Every time.

Peace,

C

Using stock photography for your product is a lot like that. It’s not terrible (okay, sometimes it is); but its not great either. Its hard to give a genuine depiction of what your business is really about when the pictures you use aren’t actually of your business!

Here’s a terrific little article about it from Tweak Your Biz.

And here’s just a little peek from set of images I did for a lovely massage therapist. She doesn’t use stock photos! And why would she, when her work is so personal? Don’t these look great?

You all can see what I’m getting at!  More soon!

-Cynthia

Armed with my walking orders today, I sat down in front of the computer nice and early this morning and did the virtual version of a 10 hour hike. Over piles of files, through marketing materials and emails swamp thick, catching up on reading, writing, cleaning…you get the idea.

So here’s a few souvenirs from the day’s journey:

Chris F.

Oh my gosh, is this guy terrific. His light sculptures are stunning and make me want to have a house with empty walls so I can do this sort of thing all day and night. Check it out.

The IPhone and I in flight:

This is a fun little series I forgot I’d done.

Finally, I leave you with a lovely creative aggregate site I have bookmarked.

Lost at E Minor is consistently my best and favorite source for all things creative. It is like they know my desirous mind. I invite you to romp around in their archives, and tell me what excites you.

That’s all for today. Enjoy Marching Forth!

I’ve always carried a pocket sketchbook. I think anyone who has been hovered over by an art instructor does too – or feels guilty because they don’t.

Many of my more discerning friends still favor the Moleskine brand with its near – indestructible cover and lovely flat pages, but I’m not attached to one particular type. My box of used notebooks looks rather schizophrenic.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered that my Iphone was a terrific tool for taking notes too. I still sketch ideas out with a pencil, but my phone is quickly becoming my new favorite way of catching interesting ideas, and trying new compositions. Back to the days of Polaroid tests – but quicker, easier, and a hell of a lot cheaper. Some of them make it to prime time on one of my social media pages or in a mailer, but more of them are simply little sketches like those ones I did back in art school -  fast captures of a moment’s inspiration to be saved for later, greater things.

If you’d like to peek at more of my sketchbook images, follow me on Instagram (@vibrantmag) or like my Facebook business page here.