This allows the models to practice posing techniques and gives them great portfolio images to boot.

Even though modeling is a difficult business to break into there are many aspiring models these days who would like to try. I have been contacted by girls who would like to learn more about modeling and who ask for information. This is a great way to get their feet wet and to get started in order to see if it’s something they would like to pursue in the future.

This workshop was held in Kalkaska, Michigan.

Here are some images from the event.

One of the fun things I tried was having the model look at me through a plexi-glass panel that was covered in wax drippings.  Turned out pretty good.

The workshop was also open to women of all ages.

Dylan’s Candy Bar and Candy Cafe inside the resort offered the perfect location for a Christmas themed photo shoot. The resort was a little busy and we had people walking back and forth by the window watching us to see the action. We even had people coming up and taking their own pictures of the models. It’s no wonder. The girls were sporting their Sexy Santa outfits. We drew a lot of attention.

In all it was a great experience. Hopefully I can do more of these in Traverse City and East Lansing.  We had so many great pictures it is hard to get them all in. This is just a sample.

Once we got bored with the candy shop we walked around looking for other locations. The Grand Traverse Resort doesn’t disappoint.

The rusty colored sands of the Sleeping Bear Dunes seem to glow against the subtle blues of Lake Michigan. I visited this area that Good Morning America named “The most Beautiful Place in America” just before heading west to visit Colorado and New Mexico. The fall colors here were remarkable.

I wanted to catch the sunset so I arrived around 6:00 PM and waited.

I was able to get shots of people at the park as I waited for the sun to go down. These two were comfortably sitting next to some trees that grow at the edge of a large hill. The view from here is impressive. You can get here by taking the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive to parking lot #9 and taking the short hike up on the trails.

Once you get here you’ll be met with incredible views of Lake Michigan that stretch out before you on the horizon.

While I normally don’t consider myself a landscape photographer it’s nice to have beautiful scenery to inspire the shots.

This young man seems to be walking out of the wilderness.

To wrap it up. I finally got my sunset.

Opening day is in August and Joe and I will be there with our camera to document the celebration.

As you can see in this behind the scenes shot we had two alien bees that we used to light our subject. Our model stood still throughout the 30 second exposure. When shooting in darkness you can vary your shutter speed without affecting the overall exposure.on the model.

This is the resulting image you get from the set-up pictured above.

The light painting technique offers a great variation to your normal backdrops as the models seem to be engulfed in light.

Sometimes, by using this technique, you get some interesting results.

Both of these photos were pretty easy to make. I set my camera on a tripod facing the computer screen and turned down the screen’s brightness. Next  I opened Adobe Lightroom and found a folder of images, (You could also do this technique using a folder of images from Facebook, Picasa, Flickr or any other location where you can find images in a sequence).

I set my camera up for a 30 second exposure at f32 with an ISO of 100. I clicked open the shutter and scrolled through the images on screen. My first attempt using a screen brightness of 50 percent resulted in an over-exposed shot and a totally white image so I turned the brightness down even further until I ended up using a brightness of 30 percent. This trick also has to be shot in a dark room. Be sure to turn off the lights and pull the blinds.

Here are some things I discovered while shooting that might help you if you decide to try this technique.

• If you use Lightroom push the “L” button a couple times to advance to a full screen with a dark background.
• You may also use an ND filter to lower the light needed for a proper exposure.
• Scroll through the images at a variable rate in order to capture one or two images that show the subject.
• Scroll using the right and left arrow buttons on your keyboard
• Preload the images by scrolling first without the shutter open to reduce the amount of computer lag, (Some of my pictures showed Lightroom’s “loading” icon at the bottom of the pic. Preloading will help you avoid that),
• Use a tripod and a shutter cable release.

This is a fun technique and the results are awesome. Pick up your camera and give it a go.

Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.  ~Hugh Allen

Meg Howard and I were planning to shoot together for several weeks but for one reason or another we weren’t able to put it together. Well, this past Tuesday things seemed to fall in line nicely. My friend Brian Harwood had taken delivery of his new Alienbees and Terry Clark had mentioned over the weekend that he had set up his pole barn as a small photo studio. As luck would have it Meg and I finally found a day that we could shoot. That day was Tuesday.

I called Brian and Terry and set up the shoot. It took us a while to get everything set the way we wanted it but once the lighting was in place everything else just seemed to flow.

Meg is a gorgeous model. She was the perfect person to photograph.

Meg brought along her old prom dress. I’m glad she did.

Terry’s wife, Jodie brought out a fan so we could get the blowing hair effect. Notice how the background is a different color from the photograph on top. It’s actually the same backdrop. The only difference is that I moved Meg out a little and increased my shutter speed. We also wanted dramatic light so I put various grids on the light to give it more of a spotlight effect as you can see in the next photograph.

Notice the difference in the light produced by the honeycomb grid as opposed to the soft-box.

This Sunday I am hosting another model photography workshop at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I also do private shoots with models to help them build a portfolio. Feel free to contact me for rates.

We started at a plant nursery that we found off from highway 72 in Traverse City. It was closed for the day so it gave us the perfect opportunity to shoot without worrying about spectators. I had Amy sit near some plants that matched the pattern in her dress and I place the flowers all around her for effect.

Amy’s eyes are naturally blue. I asked if she wore contacts and she said she did but that they were clear and added no color. This photo was taken out on the Old Mission Peninsula. It was incredibly windy and I had a difficult time setting up the lighting. I positioned the softbox to Amy’s side pointing away from the wind to keep it from blowing over. We also had to hurry. We got to the location just as the sun was setting on the horizon. You can see from Amy’s hair that the wind was blowing pretty hard. She had a difficult time keeping her hair tame and out of her face.

The sun is almost gone but it still gave me enough of a kick to make the shot.

Here you can see the effect of putting the lighting with the softbox off to the side. I like the effect that it creates in that position. Sometimes what seems like a challenge is actually an opportunity.

This series of photos represents the main reason we did the shoot. I wanted to try lighting at night with the bokeh in the background. Amy and I had fun on our photo adventure. The photos were coming out so nice it was difficult to stop shooting.

All photos ©2010 Todd L Church

I barely remembered this park from my childhood. When I was 12-years-old or thereabouts my friends and I rode our bikes from Lansing’s South-side to Williamston to attend the jubilee festival. My family has some history in Williamson. Both of my grandparents on my mother’s side are buried there and my Great Grandfather owned a candy store in Williamston. I haven’t been there in a long time so my memory of McCormick park was vague.

Joe suggested the park as an excellent place to shoot. Once I got there I was taken aback by the vast expanse of open field. “What do we do in this space?,” I wondered as Joe and I walked the park in search of shooting ideas. We noticed a gentle river that flowed around the park with some very nice scenery on the opposite banks. We also crossed the road and looked at the decorative bridge that crossed Putnam Street. “Hmm…This could be interesting,” I thought “but it’s going to be difficult to find enough scenery to keep a shoot going for more than a half hour.”  The last shoot I did with Samantha and Kyle was on the top of a parking garage in Lansing in freezing cold weather. That shoot was over pretty quick because of the cold. This was much different and a welcome change.

As I was walking on the bridge to get a feel for the place Joe motioned me over to the edge where he saw a blue racer coiled up on the rocks below. “This is the place,” I thought because Samantha was bringing Sir Hiss, her albino corn snake to the shoot.  I figured the blue racer sighting was a sign from above that we were in the right place. I often leave my shooting up to the man (or woman) above and let whatever power there is in the universe flow through and make the shot. I don’t try to force it because I like the shooting to happen naturally. I often find that this leads to a more organic result.

Anyway. Enough talking. Let’s get to the pics. To me, this shoot seems like another movie idea. It’s like one man goes searching for the Garden of Eden where he meets and falls in love with Eve.

Here is Eve played by Samantha Harris and the explorer played by Kyle Gask-Wilson. (The snake is played by

Sir Hiss)

BTW. We spent hours on this shoot and had a blast!