Inside the Viewfinder

Pro Crassi Nation

Dennis — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:44:13 +0000

Just a couple of shots from last weeks “Swim Bike Run” shoot hosted by Rutster Photography in Earth City, Missouri. I felt like I swung and missed most of the day but the day went by quickly. Shooting away from home teaches you to be prepared or in my case tries to teach you.

Triathlon, yoga, body building, basketball and more. Of course I didn’t get around to shooting everyone and forgot to bring back up memory cards or a backdrop. I just seemed to be having an off day but it was still a lot of fun in spite of all that.

In case you are wondering, “Is photographing triathletes intimidating and does it make you feel like a big out of shape slob?”

Yes, just a little bit.

New Year’s Day 2012

Dennis — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:50:57 +0000

It’s New Year’s Day… That means I should be making some sort of resolutions right? Maybe a good place to start would be by making decisions and then sticking with them. My first decision is to hit only home runs… No base hits, no sacrifice fly balls… Home runs and home runs only. Really? No. What I mean is deliver high quality only. Forget volume, it’s all about quality in 2012.

The Great Unknown Show

Dennis — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 20:38:55 +0000

The show must go on though the cast has all gone.

The costumes don’t fit and the main act recently quit.

Still we live to entertain, if only for another day.

We promise to amaze, step right this way…

New acts wanted! Long hours, low pay, hazardous conditions, Thrills.

Rejects, Selects, Edits…

Dennis — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:15:19 +0000

Knowing where to start is hard. Knowing where to stop is harder still. Sometimes peer review helps, sometimes it does not. I often stop when I am too weary to continue. This usually happens very late at night or very early in the morning depending on your definition of the dividing line between night and day.

It’s often good to walk away, rest the eyes and clear the mind. The solution sometimes becomes simple or simpler… maybe. The trick is in being able to pick up again where you left off or being able to pick it up again at all. I’m grateful for the critiques and helpful input that went into these images. I don’t always follow the sage advice of others but I do consider it and it often helps me make up my mind. Sometimes it helps to define or refine my original thought process. At some point you have to put the work out as “finished.” Sometimes the finished products are a result of time running out or new projects or thoughts pushing them out of the way. Sometimes finished is a function of reaching the limit of your current skill set. Hopefully with time and practice comes the next limit and the next.

Drawing A Crowd…

Dennis — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:58:37 +0000

Nadia is a person of many talents and is also a superior Ringmaster. A Circus should be fun, entertaining and amazing. Thanks for a great performance.

Kadie lays down the the rules and everyone must obey. Sharp and witty, eyes to die for. I don’t know if it’s the intrigue of the trench-coat or the get down to business attitude that impresses me the most.

Nadia in a light-hearted moment demonstrates the proper way to get the crowd’s attention.

Nadia wearing someone’s tuxedo… Who? Is she playing or is she serious? The circus is all about make believe and fantasy.

Kadie plays the part of a tough and curious detective in her true blue trench-coat. Pay attention slime bag!

Fashion, mystery and fun. I still have a lot of editing left to do from a very productive day of photography. Back to work!

The Show Must Go On

Dennis — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:27:41 +0000

Seems like I have been doing more thinking and planning than actual shooting lately. Hopefully that will change soon and I’ll be able to add people to a few of these location photos that I scouted around the building this weekend.

Warm tones and lines make this look like a good spot for what I have in mind.

I only brought one light for my test shots but this could easily take four to light the model and background areas.

I like the texture in this shot. It’s a great little corner to work in as long as no one is using the parking space.

Ending in abstraction, though this also gives me an idea for using a model and either a ring flash or an umbrella as ring flash setup directly behind the camera.

Photographer & Protagonist

Dennis — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:11:07 +0000

I recently responded to an online survey. It really wasn’t directed at me but rather at models or perhaps more specifically at aspiring models. Oh and in case you’re wondering, this is an editorial comment so we should be good to go as far as respecting copyrighted material. I should also mention that the person who posted the survey saw fit to delete my comments as well as telling me I was cynical, negative and unlikely to ever complete a successful photo-shoot because of my glaring character flaws. I rearranged these in a more logical order (if there is any logic) and added punctuation. The two models who responded chose C and A in the same order.

Survey for Models

When working with photographers, what is the most important thing that makes you feel happy about the shoot?

A) Friendliness of the Photographer.

B) Free, open, fun and creative atmosphere.

C) Trusting the quality of the photographer’s ability based on past work.

D) Clear direction for every pose.

My responses as near as I can remember them…

A) I’m an artist and a professional. I have my own moods and goals that have nothing to do with insuring your happiness. I’ve probably already started thinking about how to photograph you and completely forgotten about things like manners. Don’t take it personally. I’m going to talk about work and I won’t be asking how your puppy is. I’m not trying to be unfriendly but we’re not actually friends. I will do my best to put you at ease and answer any your questions but then it’s time to go to work.

B) Who ever said a photo-shoot was supposed to be free, open and fun? I’m not even sure what free and open are in reference to; unless you are talking about models who feel free to cancel at the last minute or who are open to doing something more entertaining than keeping an appointment they made. As free as the wind blows attitudes end up costing everyone money. My time is not free, it’s valuable. There actually is some creativity involved… Creative excuses for not arriving on time or for canceling at the last moment. You can celebrate at the end of the shoot when the work is done. Work then fun, not the other way around.

C) Really? Don’t go by my past work. I’m always living at the edge of failure and trying things I’ve never done before. There is a good chance I will fail completely. That is not to say that I won’t keep trying, there are just no guarantees. The past is past. Let’s move on and try something new.

D) I’m not going to direct someone (who calls themselves a model) in every pose. That would be completely ridiculous. I will give you an outline of what I am trying to accomplish, make minor adjustments (verbally) and give feedback as we go. You must also bring something to the table. You are the “model” and therefore responsible for delivering your end of the work. I don’t like it when photographers and models point at each other claiming it was the other person who spoiled the shoot and ruined the images.

My responses were branded as a diatribe and as a bitter personal attack (same thing but against who). I responded that there was nothing personal about it, just me giving my opinion and no bad will or finger pointing intended.

It was also mentioned by one of the models that if she has to force the work, it will look forced and be a complete failure. I replied that force is often a necessary component of progress and likened it to what rock climbers call the “crux move.” It’s an all or nothing commitment to proceed where success or failure are the only two options and you are bound to fail a lot before you finally succeed. I can see where someone with little or no experience could mistake that for fun, open and free. It’s really about testing your limits and expanding them. I also talked about my admiration for the models I have worked with who were dedicated and professional in their willingness and ability to get the job done. Modeling is not for fragile egos. It’s harder than most people imagine. I know this from personal experience, not imaginary visions of how I think the world should be.

My comments were removed from the discussion and now everyone in Imaginary Model Land is free go their happy candy-coated, cavity riddled ways without me and my bitter, cynical, arrogant, self-centered mentality (did I miss anything). As a few of the would-be models like to say, “I am sooooo sorry.” ;-)

I’m dedicating this post to all the incredibly hard working models I have had the pleasure to work with. You don’t know how much I appreciate you right now.

Divine Intervention

Dennis — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:55:15 +0000

Patience, persistence, professionalism, performance. It’s not like I didn’t accomplish anything this weekend because I accomplished a lot.

Things rarely work out the way I plan them but I am one step further along than I was the week before. I’m still looking for solutions to problems that can’t be easily solved.

Seeing Red

Dennis — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:45:14 +0000

I went to Chicago over the weekend and had a good time hanging out and watching people shop.

I like the look of the red jacket over black pants. I always like looking for interesting boots and shoes but for some reason it seemed like people were not working the footwear the right way. There were lots of cheap looking boots and shoes that just didn’t thrill me. I saw a lot of boots that could best be described as bad looking and barely functional. Debbie said that the bad shoe people were obviously all tourists.

Sharp short boots look good too.

Another splash of red to draw the eye. Those boots look like they could use some TLC. I would have liked to get a closer look at that red hat in the background.

Nice boots! And a red car in the background.

Line & Shape

Dennis — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:34:12 +0000

Nothing much happening today

Nothing much to say

Nothing much to do but play

With lines and shapes

To make them look a certain way