I was fortunate to have Leah Ehman create this great makeup look for me.  It’s likely you have seen her work if you’ve ever seen Tron, Suckerpunch or Stargate  Atlantis to name a few.  After a week of makeup sketches and prop shopping we finally got to work… although this concept has been rolling around my mind for much longer.

I really don’t know how I came up with this one…  after looking at a few hundred photoshoot images,  a couple just jumped out and said ‘cut my legs off’!  I originally had a blue vase as the base,  but what suits a rocket flame better than an actual rocket engine.  Would you believe that the rocket flame is actually a flipped image of an ignited shooter glass (you have no doubt downed one of these at a bar when u were 18)

It may not have been as obvious in the first image,  but her eyes are between 2 – 3 times their original size.  With makeup alone, many of the evil doll looks have a white line drawn under the eye with the lash dropped lower to create the look of a larger eye.  Since we have the power of Photoshop,  it was much easier to do this in post production.  The lips were also reduced in the 2nd image.  Look close and you see she’s holding the Necronomica (Book of the dead).  The verses in the background are the oldest know text that has ever come from this book (originals are under lock and key around the world).   It’s probably advisable to not read any of it aloud just to be on the safe side.  She is a form of a evil doll marionette succubus… wanting to take your life and resurrect you.

These were some of the early sketches to develop the makeup look… the hardest decision for me was to do a warm or cold look around the eyes.

Thanks again to Leah,  Leslie from Mount Pleasant Furniture rentals for the great props,  Tristan Risk for her corsetts and Teal as the model.

All images ©2012 Bryan Ward Photography Ltd.

For the models:  Are you aware that photo submission to most of the competitions are not actually about ‘picking a winner’,  the big business is really in gathering images for resale.   Everyone gets so caught up in the glitz and does not realize that the big business is getting free resalable images… a big clue in the contract is the phrase ‘for resale’ or ‘may be assigned’.

I am calling out Urban Male Magazines lack of professional ethics.  Previously I had licensed an image to them to be used exclusively in an print editorial which was later tracked to the Telus website being sold as a cel phone download.  Recently I discovered many of my images (with the © still attached!) on their website for a model competition… I want to be clear that I was not contacted in any of these instances and I am the © holder!

Most ethical magazines upon seeing a copyright or trademark will require a form signed by both the model and photographer to be submitted for reproduction.   Less reputable magazines accept the submission exclusively from the model and ignore the fact that the images clearly are marked with copyright.

What also concerns me is that my name is associated with images that are not ‘finished’ for reproduction… These images are not retouched as they are from lo rez preview CD’s and do not reflect my brand properly.

Most models do not fully read my own model releases,   It’s reasonable to assume that the same models probably do not read contracts they sign with others.  These submission contracts usually have  a clause where the model claims to have full ownership over the copyright… essentially If I pursue the magazines for damages they would default to the models claim of ownership and in turn sue them.   I will remind the magazines however that the burden of proving ownership lies with them and turning a blind eye to a ©, visible or encrypted would definitely favor the creator of the work.

I don’t want to go after the talent that works with me… that does not bode well for a business reputation.  And do I want to enter into an expensive law suite with the magazines where the onus is on me to prove damages?   It would not be hard to win a case in court,  the big question is would it be financially viable.  This really becomes a catch 22, and my legal representation has informed me the best path is really to educate my client about these practices.

For further reading about ©, check out my blog about Maxxim

The new windows are triple pane double thick laminated glass with thermal protected aluminum frames.  Density is a key factor in diminishing sound levels and double the glass makes a big difference.  Vinyl frames would have been cheaper but I am adamant about vinyl free products in the studio due to their toxicity* and the fact that in a fire, the toxic smoke it creates is the primary cause of smoke inhalation deaths.  Here’s a great link from Greenpeace about vinyl toxicity.

I have been absolutely amazed by this product.  One night a neighbor had a party and I was reading sound peaks over 90 dp with the window open.   With the window closed, the sound was not perceivable  and the meter read ambient noise at 40 db which is pretty much constant all times of the day.  The office now requires about half the heat to keep it at a comfortable temperature in winter with these highly efficient windows.

*Although soft vinyl products can be very toxic,  rigid vinyl is thought to be inert once it is created.  The production process   is very toxic as is vinyl if ignited.

Unfortunately there are full time photographers out there that technically qualify as professional but fall short honoring business practices and standards.

If you are shooting glamour and even possibly nude photography you must trust that the photographer follows professional practices and understands issues of privacy relating to your images.

Any photographer has a moral right under the copyright law to display images of you within his/her portfolio… even if this right is signed away by the photographer.   Moral rights under the copyright laws in Canada cannot be transferred!

You are protected from usage in any publication, 3rd party websites, or reproduction without a signed model release.   Unfortunately there are photographers out there that simply do not know or respect this.  Ownership of the original digital files does not relate to usage rights whatsoever.

So how do you begin to pick a photographer?

View online portfolio
The first part is easy… look at online portfolios and choose the style that you like.  Use narrow search terms such as ‘Vancouver Glamour Photographer‘.  The more images you can look at the the better.  Does the photographer just rely on beautiful models or can you see that he/she really brings out the beauty of the model.   Portrait photographers do not necessarily make great glamour photographers as good as they may be… great family portraits do not translate to great glamour shots.   I have made my specialty Glamour and pinup photography as you can see in my Portfolio.   It’s important that  your style and attitude ‘fit’ the photographer.

Google
Search the business or photographers name and read reviews, complaints, and get a sense of their standing in the profession.  Another useful tool is the Better Business Bureau.

Start with a phone interview
A receptionist may give you details of the the session but try to talk to the actual photographer.   Usually you will know right away if you ‘click’… it’s important to have a good connection.

Make an appointment to meet
Do they have a studio?  Imagine the surprise of getting makeup at someones apartment and then shooting outside all day… is that what you expected?  This is a good opportunity to see the shooting space, discuss outfits and expectations, meet face to face and get an idea of how the day will go.

I have seen some amazing final work from photographers that are frankly quite horrible shooters.   I was told once that if you have a hot model and good retoucher, that is all you need.  I wholeheartedly disagree…  quality in = quality out.   I personally feel that you should not have to rely on photoshop to ‘make’ the images ‘good’.  During your first interview, ask to see an entire photoshoot before retouching,  this is your best indicator of the level of quality the photographer is shooting at… and gives you an idea of what to expect.

There are no dumb questions!  Ask as many as you need to feel comfortable:

• Will there be other people around during the shoot?
• Do you use top line professional equipment?
• Are my private images sent out to someone else to retouch? (Are they sent ‘out of country’?)
• How long have you been in business?
• Do you have props/clothing or do I have to bring all my own?
• Will I have professional makeup/hair done… does she/he have a portfolio to view?
• Do you sell images to publications / websites?  (if yes, the photographer should be clear that this is done only with  a model release)
• Do you have a studio?
• Do you belong to any professional affiliations?
• What should I do to prepare for the photoshoot?
• Do you mostly work with professional models or amateurs?
• Can you fix my problem areas such as…?  (How would this be dealt with?)

Great photographers usually charge more for their work.  Like anything in life, you get what you pay for.  Set a budget and live within realistic expectations.   It’s unlikely you will ever get Playboy quality work from a student photographer charging $200… however experience in front of the camera of an average or amazing photographer always has it’s value.

Bryan Ward

Bryan Ward Photography Ltd.

Here is a retouching nightmare!  Lets pretend that the tones of orange can be corrected out… what do you do about the uneven skin?  Unbelievably I  didn’t even notice this during the photoshoot,  it was far more subtle in real life.   Notice how the sock lines removed the tan…anywhere you sweat lightens up and drier areas like the knees, heels and wrists get darker.

My rule of thumb is:  Never spray tan for a shoot!  Hit the tanning beds instead… the vitamin D will do you good,  clear the skin up, and provide a much more photographic body.   Stand up beds are preferable since they give a more even tan… just give yourself at least three day break before your shoot.  Be careful not burn yourself, the camera picks that up just as much as being orange.

The Germans invented tanning cream (dihydroxyacetone DHA) back in 1920.   DHA has been tested and used since the war, so the product has proven to be safe (unless you inhale it).    This is the common ingredient in almost every tanner, so regardless of the formulation,  the exact same undertone orange glow exists in every product… just the application methods and extra dyes  added vary.

Check out their youthful orange glow:

I had some nice pieces of jewellery from Carola Bun from a previous shoot, so I thought i would put the choker to good use again.  Both images were shot against a white background with the add’l effects added in Photoshop.  I’ve been on a trend lately of desaturating my images and dialing the color temperatures down.  The top image has a bit more green in the undertone… I wanted this look to approach an ‘old photograph’ with fogged highlights, but with a modern look.  Traditionally aged images have bluer blacks and yellowed highlights… which is why i went green/yellow.

I tried a couple composite images with this next shot, but since i did not originally plan on changing the background, it was hard to  separate her hair from the similar toned background (would of normally shot this high key).  I saw a neat filter once on a website: Auto FX Mystical2 … although the program is a bit pricey ($200),  and you can certainly achieve the effect in Photoshop manually,  you will be getting to your results much faster.

Meet Shazmin!  we’ve been FB friends for almost two years now and I figured it was finally time to meet in person for a creative.  I thought that she had the eyes and range of expression to create an enticing beauty shot.

We originally tried the orchids bunched around the neck like Acoin’s image but it just did not feel right.  Getting that vision from the mind to reality can sometimes be a nightmare.  We tried wire, clamps and floral tape but the flowers were just not cooperating.   If this had been a high key shoot with pale makeup concept, this style may have worked… I just thought they were too stark around her neck.

For the above  image,  I pulled out the Super 77 spray glue and literally attached petal to petal in a lei style.  This was delicate work and limited Shaz’s mobility but I was happy with the net result.

This image was combined with a shot I took in Maui years ago in the bamboo forest.  The lighting naturally fit the highlight on her shoulder and lens flare was added to emphasize  it further.    I’m looking forward to see what we can come up with next.

So on my last weekly visit i came across this gem,  100% recycled paper that IS NOT bleached.

It’s almost too good to be true, made with renewable energy,  no trees cut,  no Chlorine bleach (one of the most caustic cycles in recycled paper) and 100% recycled.

The one negative would be that the paper is not as pure a white as the traditional office papers which are bleached and do come from trees,  but in this ‘green’ age, beige could be the new white!

I ran a test on the inkjet between the two papers and you might think the ink would blend more on a ’softer’ recycled mix, but the printed text actually looked slightly sharper on this paper… Wow!

After you download the software online and install onto your device, there is one more download to the computer you want to sync to.  You are able to sync to as many computers (Mac and PC) as you like and access them all through this interface.

The nice thing about the computer install program, is that they also include an uninstall script.  This program is downloaded from their website.

Click on the computer you wish to access ( I only have one set up at the moment), and you are taken to this window asking for your access code which you set up on you computer.   This can be auto filled or entered each time you access, but I highly suggest manually entering an intricate password  each time… it is the internet after all.

Voila!  you are now remotely controlling your computer (this take your system out of sleep/screensaver mode… keep this in mind as your system is now unlocked wherever it is)  What I find amazing is that you can operate any of your programs as if you were there… even ram hogs like photoshop and lightroom on your ipad(android, iphone, etc)

This is the window that shows up with a three finger tap.  My screen is set to native resolution which displays my entire (home) monitor, and can be switched between monitors (I have 2).   You can also choose  between ipad resolution and a fixed resolution.   The desktop can be scaled and moved between two fingers so you don’t need a magnifying glass.

So why do this anyway?    If you have ever had to help your parents or anyone over the phone  for ‘tech’ help?  Now they can watch live (and there is live voice too) while you navigate around the computer from another location.   Personally, I think back to my last trip to Mexico when I had a magazine call for some images and  could not get to my raid array to send them.   Now it’s as easy as signing in, accessing my files and remotely sending them from my home email.

So far Wifi has worked very well.  Now i need to experiment with my phone on the G3 network.   It would also be worthwhile to have a mouse with the ipad which would make this program so much more functional, but currently that is only available through a jailbreak.

Downsides:

• I am not able to activate my screen saver and lock the computer remotely (takes 15 min to fall in to sleep mode) because the screen does not let me put it all the way into the corner to activate the hot button… it may work in other screen resolutions.
• It’s challenging to get use to tapping instead of ‘clicking’… prefer a mouse option!

Upsides:

• everything else!

You can read more at http://www.splashtop.com/

So according to the rated energy savings of these new LED’s over using incandescent bulbs,  that equates to appprox $2830 over the lifetime of the bulbs (rated between 25,000  and 30,000 hours ea.).  The cost of purchasing these lights so far has been $550.

Compact fluorescents contain mercury and produce ‘dirty electricity’ that can lead to chronic fatigue syndrome, which is characterized by muscle aches, weakness and fatigue, and may also may cause headaches, depression, aches and pains, dizziness, memory loss or confusion; and impaired sleep… this has been one of the main reasons i have switched back to incandescent (from fluorescent) and now to LED technology.

In the past I have used a combination of daylight, and cool fluorescents mixed with tungsten bulbs to get as close as possible to ‘daylight’ – 6500 kelvin’ light temperature in the makeup room and print media room.   You may be saying ‘you can get daylight fluorescents’, but they produce excessive UV and are missing noticeable parts of the spectrum.   I was very pleased to find a 40 watt Philips LED that produces 5000 kelvin which is a very acceptable color temperature for my makeup artist to work under*.    My digital camera is  balanced to 6500 kelvin as ‘daylight’ (•as is yours),  and my flash equipment is daylight balanced so it makes sense to create an environment for the makeup artist  that mimics daylight as close as possible.

Some additional advantages:

Instant ‘on’ light  •  Dimmable  •  Mercury and lead free  •  quiet (no hum) operation •  Emits virtually no heat and will not fade fabrics or furnishings  •  Color temperature stays consistent as you dim (tungsten goes noticeably orange)

While LED’s are still relatively expensive to make the jump, especially when the payback is over years,  you have to ask the questions about your health, overall carbon footprint, and practical uses to determine if they are right for you.

*refers to the the calibration of your digital camera – Daylight = 6500K,  not what you have it set on  i.e.  shade, cloudy, flash etc.

*Philips Lumileds’ patented conformal coating process addresses the issue of varying phosphor thickness, giving the white LEDs a more homogeneous white light – WO 2008104936