Studio and model photography

After playing around with my DSLR for three (and half) years, I've came to a conclusion that one of my favorite photog activities is studio photography. Travel to lovely places and take amazing shots (OK, as many of the times as possible) will always stay there as a passion, but converting the room to be my makeshift studio is something different.


In a studio - either just in the corner of living room or in a professionally equipped built-for one - you're in your little kingdom. But take care, my friend: this is just the same to have superpower - can be great and fun for sure, though on the other hand its a responsibility too. :-)
What I mean, is that in a studio (like) environment, you are god of the small universe of yours - light (and darkness), wind (if needed), water (in some cases :-)) and time: all working for you. The only thing you need to know is how to be their (good) boss!

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Using ambient lights outside (or next to a window indoor) - you may blame the bad lights in case of not getting what you were looking for. When relying on artificial lights (from small tungsten bulb to big strobes) it is your task to get it right. Sometimes it is easy, sometimes not. But it is always a nice process to me to 'build up' the shot, the scene from an idea.

...and when it comes to portrait or model photography (whatever we call it, the matter is that you have a living subject to shot) it is always just harder. Communicate what you'd like to see, take care of not playing too much with the equipment (or you just get a bored model or even worse, miss a nice smile or a great look / posture). Of course in some cases, the best moments are created by life itself, the nice picture you get because of the subject may not even know you're there or just not being aware of the moment you raise your cam to shoot the image. Those are the greatest - unrepeatable - shots. (Nice way of doing: if not in advance, but at least after the shot taken, ask for a permission and let the others know of the picture.)

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.