Fashion shoot video

On Tuesday I posted some photos from the fashion & beauty shoot that I did on Monday. Here is a short video of that shoot as well.

You can see a high definition (720P) version on either YouTube or on Facebook!

Senior Shoot Video

Here is a video from this past Sunday's senior portrait session.

Fashion shoot - Linzy Anna

Monday, I did a fashion and beauty shoot with model Linzy Anna. In an attempt to "step up" the quality of my work, I had purchased some stunning designer BCBG Max Azria dresses and matching shoes. I also contacted a wonderful makeup artist (Robyn Taylor) and hair stylist (Laurie Gebhardt) to work with me on this shoot. Having a quality team, certainly makes a huge difference for fashion and beauty shoots. I was very happy with the results from the shoot, but did learn that the next time I purchase designer dresses and shoes, I should make sure that I get some designer clutches or purses to accessorize the look as well.

Senior portrait (and fashion photography) locations

Being in St. Louis, one wonderful location that seniors have access to for their portraits is Forest Park. From the Grand Basin and Jewel Box to the World's Fair Pavilion, the possibilities for different settings for senior portraits is almost limitless. I took some time yesterday, taking advantage of the cool, but sunny day to go around the park and take some pictures of some more out of the way locations that still make for wonderful settings.

In addition to making great locations for senior portraits, these are also wonderful spots for fashion photography shoots as well. Can't you just see colorful couture gowns being displayed in these spots?

Simulated sunset lighting (indoors)

Here is a photo taken at last week's fashion shoot. 

Notice the golden halo surrounding the model's hair and shoulders. This is a typical effect when you take photos at sunset time with the sun behind your subject. However, as you can see, this was taken indoors. The effect was created artificially by using a reflector heater behind the model - it gives off light similar to what you get at from natural sunset light (also called the golden hour), plus it has the advantage of not moving (like the sun does) and being able to use it indoors. Because we were not shooting in my studio (but my neighbor's sculpting studio) the reflector heater belongs to him. However, I have purchased one to play around with as well and see what other interesting "indoor sunset" shots I can get.

What to wear for my shoot?

A common question that I get is "what should I wear for my photoshoot or session?" When it comes to High School Seniors, I have a guide on the Senior Information page of my website. However, when it comes to family or individual portrait sessions, while those guidelines are still good suggestions, I have also started a new Pinterest board called What to wear ideas for people to check out as well. I will be searching out more ideas to pin there, but a general search on either Pinterest or Google will give people plenty of ideas. When trying to find coordinating family outfits, places like Old Navy and Gap are a good place to look for casual outfits to shoot in.

POTW (Dec. 3rd, 2012)

This week's photo comes from a photoshoot I did this afternoon. Despite a late start, we managed to capture some wonderful images. The shoot featured model Lo Victoria in a gown by Caroline Williard of CWCouture. My neighbor, Abraham Mohler, was kind enough to allow us to shoot in his sculpting studio.

This shot highlights both the model as well as the sculpture of the dancer behind her. As it was getting late in the day, rather than setup traditional photo strobes I used, available light, some fill with an on-camera flash, and a fan shaped heat lamp which cast the beautiful yellow-orange light on both Lo, the sculpture and background.

How to pick out a camera

One question that I get asked often by people is what type of camera he or she should buy. In most cases, the person is looking for a simple point and shoot rather than a DSLR. So I thought that I would share the advice that I usually give when asked that question.

It is important to figure out what features are important to you when picking out a camera. Do you want a camera that shoots video? Do you want a camera with touch screen controls? Do you ever want to use the camera in manual mode? Presumably, you are looking for a camera that has more options and features than the camera on your phone. Don't worry too much about the number of megapixels in the camera. Unless you are planning to print out poster size images or larger, 10-12 megapixels is more than enough for what you will need. I've printed out 16x20 prints from an 8 megapixel camera that look stunning.

There are hundreds of compact cameras out there, with new ones being released all the time, so I have 2 pieces of advice when trying to pick out a camera (both of which I followed when helping my children pick out cameras for themselves. First, read reviews on Amazon.com or DPReview.com. On Amazon, you'll see what other people have to say about the cameras, and on DPReview, you can read a professional's review of many camera models. Second, go to your local camera store or electronics store and get a hand's on feel for the camera. Reviews are great, but until you get a camera in your hands and see what it feels like, you won't know if you'll like handling that camera. Get a feel for the size and weight of that camera. Will you be comfortable carrying it around in situations where you'll want a camera.

Ultimately, the best camera is the one you have with you when you see something (or someone) you want to take a picture of.

Playing catch-up

After the long holiday weekend taking family portraits of my sister's family and then my brother's family, I am ready to jump back into some more creative shooting. While I was supposed to have an exciting fashion shoot today (we were going to spend part of that shooting in my neighbor's sculpting studio), for reason's beyond anyone's control, we had to push today's shoot off for a week. Instead, I spent the day playing catch-up on photos that needed editing. While the editing process certainly isn't as stimulating or "fun" as the actual shooting, it is just as important. However, when you get as much right in-camera as possible, that makes the editing process so much easier. As a result, I've been able to update my websites, Facebook pages and my studio slideshows with new photos.

I also learned to day that my web host now supports mobile versions of websites which can be displayed on smartphones and tablets. This is a welcome new feature that I have setup. While it is great being able to see my website exactly the same way on my iPad as my desktop, there are certain pages (mainly this blog) that don't display quite as well. I will definitely keep the mobile version for phones, but will take about a week or so to evaluate which looks better on my iPad, as well as on smaller tablets like the Kindle Fire.

As we approach the end of the year, I want to remind people that I am currently running several specials that will expire at the end of December. Most sessions are currently 20% off - a promotion I started when I moved into my new studio. This includes Family Portrait sessions, Senior Portrait sessions, Headshots, and Modeling sessions. Pet portraits I have been offering at a discount as well, but that price will be raised starting January 1st. Take advantage of these specials while they last!!!

POTW (Nov. 25, 2012)

This week's photo comes from a portrait session of my nieces and nephew who came into town for Thanksgiving. My 7 month old nephew is all smiles and a great subject for portraits. This is a great age for taking portraits!

POTW (11-18-12)

For this week's photo, I went out to a park I found when I drove an alternate route to my studio. For those who are familiar with Grand Ave, I found this fascinating looking tower, and thought it would make for a very interesting photo. I later found out that it is a water tower for the city of St. Louis. Definitely the most interesting water tower I've ever seen. After taking a photo of the tower, there were some trees with gorgeous yellow leaves, and decided to take a photo of those as well. Finally, there was a building that would be a beautiful spot for taking some senior portraits, and couldn't pass up taking a shot of that too. So, instead of a single photo of the week, this week I am posting all three of them. I hope you find them as interesting subjects as I did!

Art prints now available

My art prints are uploaded and now available for purchase through my website. As previously mentioned, all prints are printed on metallic pearl paper and mounted on a black 3/4" standout mount. Prints may be ordered in the following sizes: 11x14, 16x20 and 20x30.

Here are the pieces that I am initially offering for sale.

POTW (11-12-2012) and art prints for sale.

This weeks photo was taken specifically for my blog's POTW (photo of the week). One of the rose bushes in back of my studio still has some beautiful roses blossoming. I decided to take some macro shots of some of the blossoms and chose the best shot to post.

I am also getting ready to upload my art photography on my website for sale. I will start off offering the following size prints: 11x14, 16x20 and 24x30. The prints will be on metallic pearl paper and mounted on a 3/4" standout mount that is lightweight and ready to hang onto walls with a simple nail.

Photo of the week: November 4, 2012

I've decided to do a photo of the week projects. Often these will be from photoshoots I have scheduled, but on slower weeks, it will force me to go seek out an interesting subject to photograph and then talk a little bit about it. And now, with my iPhone, I always have a camera readily available.

This week's photo comes from a portrait session I did this morning, and will be adding to my portrait portfolio. I was booked to take Autumn themed portraits of 2 year old twins. It was both challenging and fun. Unfortunately, we were not able to get any shots of them together, but here is a lovely shot of the daughter, and one of my favorite shots from today's session.

BBB Accreditation

We are very pleased to announce that Drazen Imaging is now an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. To see our business review, click below.

Photoshoot previews

I recently had the opportunity to work with several models in my studio (Derek Alexander Ashdown, new model Courtney Tinker, and Kayla Seubert) and thought I would share some photos from those shoots. This also gave me the opportunity to try out some new areas of my studio that I haven't used yet.

I have several more model shoots coming up in the next few weeks - check back for photo previews from those upcoming shoots. 

Win a free studio family portrait shoot!

After running our survey, the winning suggestion for this month's contest is a free studio family portrait session. With the beginning of the holiday season starting, now is the perfect time to consider having a professional family portrait taken, whether to use for holiday cards, as a gift for family members, or when out of town family members come into town. Simply go to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/erichdphoto and enter your name and email address in the sweepstake form. Even if you don't win the sweepstakes, you will receive a special discount that can be used for both studio and location family portrait sessions that can be used throughout the holiday season.

Posted with Blogsy

New Facebook contest - win a free session

We are preparing to run another Facebook contest for a free photo session. In order to decide what type of photo session to give away, we are inviting people to vote on the session type.
Choices are:

1. Free Model Test session

2. Free studio family portrait session

3. Free studio pet portrait session 


4. Free senior portrait session

Visit our Facebook Page to help choose, and then on October 1st, come back to enter the contest!

Studio shooting locations

As I continue setting up my new studio, I thought it show off some of the places both inside, outside and right nearby my studio.