For the location, I contacted Melinda Lombardi at Salon de Capelli to see if she could ask her husband to let us into a building at the former state hospital. What came next was a total surprise. Melinda emailed back and asked if the salon could do Megan’s hair in exchange for portfolio pictures for the stylist.

I asked Megan and we both agreed.

The stylist, Cindy Toranzo, did an amazing job. We told her that we were planning a rock-and-roll themed shoot and Cindy worked magic on Megan’s hair. We never expected that. Thanks to Melinda and Cindy at Salon de Capelli for all their help and to Tony Lombardi and his son for operating the fog machine

The shooting location is a garage that someone was using to store lawn maintenance equipment. The garage caught fire because a motorhome that was also stored there had faulty wiring. Most of the building didn’t have a roof and everything inside was in charred and in ashes; perfect place for what I had in mind.

Tim Miller with one of his handmade guitars.

Amy and I started at Joanne Fabrics in Traverse City. Neither one of us knew how to buy fabric or even what to look for. We wanted the fabric to add a unique element. Although I have seen a lot of other photographers shoot with flowing fabric I thought Amy and I could find a way to use it creatively on the shoot. I also had no idea what I would paint when we got out on the shoot. This was all about being creative on the fly.

Amy has incredible blue eyes that need no touch up in Photoshop. I started by painting the yellow flowers and connecting them with the vines. The white and blue were added afterward in order to add interest. I also cut some roadside weed flowers on the way to the shoot to give some interest to the shoot.
I used those flowers as my inspiration.

The paint is a special body paint from Mehron. It washes off easily with water and it is non-toxic for the skin. If you plan to try body painting I would suggest using a paint made specifically for that purpose. Do not use paints that you buy in your local arts and crafts store. Some of the chemicals in those paints can be toxic.  Even though this is my first experience painting on a human I have had experience painting on canvas or whatever. I even have a painting of a moose on someone’s cottage door located in the woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The next photos and the one above were shot prior to the painting session. These are all from the same shoot.

After I shot with Amy I was contacted by Megan Dunn who had an idea for a shoot that included a painting on her back. We met at the same location and
painted a scene that depicted the area with a sailboat and the Old Mission Lighthouse. I love shooting in Northern Michigan during the summer months. Otherwise I am downstate in East Lansing. As an artist, I’m always open to your ideas.

Spending time on the beach in Northern Michigan is like a vacation to a tropical paradise. The only thing missing is the palm trees.

I had a photo shot with Megan Dunn  who contacted me for images to put into her modeling portfolio.

Shooting on the beach offer special challenges to the photographer. First there are the elements. Sand and water are not friendly to the camera equipment so you must take special care to make sure your equipment stays in good condition. It’s a good idea to bring a sheet or a blanket to lay your equipment on when not in use.

Both of these photos were taken at 5:30 AM (I know, Crazy huh?) You can see in these photos the different effects you can get with a sunrise or sunset. Lighting plays a role in the final outcome of your shot. If you want to see the beautiful colors of the scene and also expose for the model you MUST use an artificial light source. I like the silhouette on the left but I knew by looking at the scene that Megan was going to appear black against the bright sky. If I would have pointed my spot meter on her she would have been in correct exposure but I would have lost the colors of the sunrise. The photo on the right is the best of both worlds. You get a good exposure on the model and dramatic colors in the background. The following few shots are more examples of these two effects. Notice how you can use the variations for creative effects.

The photo above shows Megan in correct exposure with the background. For that shot I used two Alienbees with softboxes. They were powered with one vagabond power pack. Using two lights on one power pack drained the power very rapidly.

That’s not too much of a problem however, when shooting a sunrise or sunset you are forced to work rapidly because the sun is constantly changing. You have to be out there and ready to go when the sun starts coming up otherwise you lose the scene and there are no second chances.

If the power pack works for 30-45 minutes then you will have plenty of time to get your shots. I have tried to use other light sources such as Canon’s 580EX or just a reflector held up in front of the model.

The smaller flashes are fine if you can’t afford a studio light or if you are in a hurry and don’t want to try to set up studio lighting on-location but you may not get the colors to look as dramatic as the ones above. The reason being that you would have to compensate for the lower light output by making the scene brighter in your camera settings.

The image on the left is a good example of the silhouette effect. When shooting silhouettes you want to pay attention to the outline of the body and the various aspects of the scene. I Think of those old-time Victorian silhouettes. You want the parts of the body to be clearly visible and easily read by the viewer.

Body parts that overlap each other will not be visible. It’s best to try to show all the contours of the body. Have your model pose in such a way as to show the arms and legs or the curves and textures. This shot would not have worked if the model was facing  towards me or away from me. You would not have seen the contours of her hair or the curves of her body. The bikini string would have also blended in with the rest of the body.

The same principles apply when shooting later in the day.  You never want to shoot on the beach in mid day sun. It’s better to shoot in the early morning or later in the afternoon.

This shot was taken on a different day at 5-6 O’clock in the evening. We went out to the Old Mission Peninsula because the sun was on the opposite side  of the bay from the sunrise shoot. We were facing west instead of facing east.  The beauty of shooting in Traverse City is that there are two bays to choose from. You can shoot both sunrise and sunset depending on where you go. You can also find beaches that are relatively private, which gives you an opportunity to practice without the additional pressure of onlookers and gawkers.

Notice the directional light on Megan’s body caused by the sun behind her. This time I didn’t have the Alienbees. I used a reflector held by an assistant. The water behind her is not as deep and dramatic as the sunrise shots above.

This shot was done using a wide aperture setting to get the blurring in the background. This particular lens goes to f2.8, which means that the opening in the lens is large and, therefore, lets in more available light. To compensate for all the extra light coming in to your camera you need to make your shutter speed faster than than your camera’s flash sync speed. Shooting with a flash is difficult in this situation. This photograph was shot at f2.8 at 1/320 sec. The sync speed of a Canon is 1/250 sec. If you shot at that lower speed you would have to “stop down” your aperture to compensate thereby increasing the depth of field.  I also used a neutral density (ND) filter to cut down the light even further. The lighting in this image is  done with the sun directly behind the model and a gold reflector to compensate.

The photos above where shot with Megan positioned so that the sun approximately 90 degrees to her left. I did this in order to create a side lighting effect. You don’t always need to have the sun behind your model. When the sun is lower in the sky it makes a great light source because it casts a directional light on your subject. You should always look for the interplay of available light on your scene and use whatever tools you have available to balance against that light source.

When you see the directional light use it  to your advantage but don’t forget to balance that light on the other side with a flash or, in this case, a reflector.

Michelle Paquette is looking lovely and glamorous in her first boudoir session. In this shot we used a subdued lighting scheme to create the feeling of mystery and romance. We met at Turtle Creek Casino and Resort in Traverse City Michigan. I am not sure if this is classic boudoir but we had fun shooting.

Terry and another photographer were shooting with Leslie Sevenski when I arrived. They had been shooting for a couple hours and were just wrapping up when I arrived. Leslie and I have worked together several times over the past couple years. I always love photographing the Sevenski girls.

However, this time I had a model named Sarah LaRosa who had asked me to shoot.

Terry’s lighting wasn’t working out too well for me so I decided to pull out my Frezzi video light to get a different effect. I love the fall-off created by this light.

Bruce’s BAD video has been tearing up the charts on the Internet recently. It’s been posted on Reddit and now I see it posted on Adobe Lightroom’s Facebook group. Bruce said he saw it posted on other sites as well. I posted it here in August so maybe I was the first to link it. Who knows?

Anyway back to the autograph…Bruce also included a couple signed prints. He’s such a great guy. I thought I would post the things he sent for your enjoyment.

You may not be able to read the autograph because I had him sign using a silver colored sharpie.

The autograph says; “For Todd with Best Wishes & a Great 2011! Bruce Dale”

The photo above is included in the article.

The prints below are from the American Southwest and the lighthouse on Old Mission Peninsula. 

Courtney McCatty and I have known each other for quite a while. She’s been modeling for a couple years and is featured on a billboard that is located in various places in Northern Michigan. She’s also a very talented photographer. She’s great on both sides of the camera.

This is my first time working with Nikkie Hollis. I like her eyes in this shot. I also like the textures and colors in the top she was wearing.

If you have visited my blog in the past you have obviously seen Amy. She chose this location because of the stairs. She is a great model and her photos always turn out wonderful. The lighting effect in this shot is straight out of the camera. It’s not a photoshop vignette.

This is Nikki with her friend Jessie Golota;  a couple fun gals who enjoy being in front of the camera. I saw this wall and knew I had to get the girls from this angle. The shot just popped into my head. It’s nice to see that it turned out as planned. The girls also mentioned that they are part of the Traverse City West Titan Dance Team and they are heading to Miami to perform at the Sun Life Stadium during this year’s Orange Bowl. Very Exciting!

This is Amy’s friend Kayla Lehn.  She’s learning about modeling by hanging out with Amy.  She gets better every time we shoot together.

We had so many models who showed up to the workshop that I wasn’t able to photograph them all. This is just a small sampling.  The photographers have told me that the workshops offer an opportunity to try out new techniques.  The workshops also help me in much the same way. My style and expertise has grown since I started these workshops two years ago.

Part of the battle with digital or film photography is knowing what you are going to get when you push the button. Even though I still test lighting set-ups during the workshops I know now which settings to use and which lenses will give me the effects I’m after. I used to shoot by the point, click and pray method. Now I shoot with a look in mind and the knowledge of how to get there with the equipment at hand.

I also love the fact that the workshops inspire others.

(from left)  Nikki, Jessi and Paige

Jessi Golota

Nikki Hollis taking over the stairs.

We finished pretty late because several photographers wanted to try this effect. This is one of the photographers who also modeled for a night-time shot. Her name is Brandi Angela Nelson.

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

Walking on the dunes with all our camera gear in 80 degree heat is no easy task but we were able to manage.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes is a perfect setting for photography workshops. The water is warm and inviting and the views are spectacular. If I would have had my swim trunks I would have taken a dip.

Brian Harwood.

Bevin and Sarah

This is me talking to Sarah and Ashley about exposure and camera settings (photo by Brian Harwood).

We met Bree on the beach. She was visiting the dunes on her way to California and she was nice enough to model for us.

The girls practicing the hair whip.

Bevin and I are hosting another workshop tomorrow, August 8th,  at the State Hospital in Traverse City.  We have 27 people signed up so far on Facebook and another 25 who said they might come. That should be lots of fun. Photography is a fun way to meet people and interact.  I always enjoy getting together and talking about photography.