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We still have a few spots open for both workshops but I expect that they will not last long. Email me if you'd like to sign up.
If you are a photographer who is OUTSIDE the New Braunfels city limits, YES, you can sign up for either of these. I am not likely to offer another set of workshops at the studio next year, as I am in negotiations with several out of state studios to do some travelling.
We did our annual Pumpkin Patch promotion at the studio last weekend and so it's a good time to talk about set design. What makes a set too busy or too sparse is often a matter of taste, but here is what I personally look for when I'm putting a set like this together.
1) I want everything in the set to belong there. So color, texture, and style are very important. I want everything to be keyed the same in color and in tone -- meaning, for this set, I want everything to be an earth tone and to be fairly low key. If I had thrown a light brown/tan chair into that mix, it would have been okay, but you would have noticed the chair before you noticed the kid in earth tones who was sitting on it. So the first thing I decide on is the key and the color scheme. Will it be mid key with earth tones? Will it be like last year's Christmas set, which was higher key and very very neutral? Or will it be low key with deep reds and greens, like our Christmas set from the year before? And in this particular set, can you see how throwing a small shiny metal piece would have competed for attention? The style would have been so different, and the shininess would have really made it stand out in all that matte rustic fally-stuff.
2) I want it to look full and complete. For me, this means layers and levels. I need this to work with a grade-school kid as well as with a 6 month old. So we set up different levels to add some height. Next year, I'd like to put some fake trees in here so that we can have a leafy vignette for the tall kids. We also create depth with the layers -- we have the foreround of leaves, the middle area with the fence (where the kids sit) and then a background of tin pumpkins, and behind that a muslin. I shoot pretty open in the studio to create some depth in the images -- for this event, I shot with an 85mm lens at 3.5 (5.6 or so with more than one kid). Becasue everything is in the same color family and nothing really stands out, I can fill in the spaces with leaves, berries, and pumpkins and not feel like the set will compete with the kids. Some of you might say it's too much. Some might say it's not enough. But for me, this is the look I was going for. For our Christmas set with the ribbons, I still had the same depth, but I kept it really really simple. I still felt like it looked complete, but it wasn't the same type of "fullness" that we do for the pumpkin set.
3) I want it to be easily changed. If I decide something's not working, or if we have three kids come in instead of just one three-year-old, or if suddenly an unexpected newborn shows up I need to be able to make changes quickly to adapt the set to the situation. Nothing here is going to get too messed up if a kid runs over it and knocks it down. Even the fence could have been set back up within a minute. The whole set took me about 15-20 minutes to design and put together, and every year I look at it while I'm shooting and see things that I am going to do differently for next year. We never do the exact same set twice, and that keeps things fun for me.
Here is a pullback of the whole set, featuring Supermodel Charlotte (Cheese). She is always my lighting model. Can you tell she's a photographer's kid? I know someone will ask, do you even see the flowers on the sides? No, usually you don't. But I want it to be about as wide as the background because sometimes I get sibling groups, AND because I have a shooting plan (a few full lengths, a few 3/4, a couple of headshots, and then I take the camera off the camera stand and shoot from above, at a tilt -- and sometimes the sides of the background need to be there for that higher angle tilted shot. I've added an example of that one too. For more images on the set, check out the Studio Blog. I'm also adding a shot from last year's Christmas set.
I'll be attending the Texas Fall Seminar this weekend in San Antonio -- I love meeting other photographers so if you're there, look me up! :) I hate wearing my name tag but I'm keeping my eyes open for friends from the forums. If you're thinking, "what Fall Seminar?" here is some more info:
I've already talked to a few of you and I look forward to seeing you there!
I've gotten a BUNCH of emails from y'all about the Nov and Dec workshops at the New Braunfels studio. To answer some important questions...
1) Would it benefit me to register for both? Well, it depends on how well you know your camera and how much help you need with lighting. The one day class will be a slower pace, and will be geared towards more hands-on learning. We will cover a lot of the same information in a different format in the two day workshop, but with less time on the basics. In the two day 'shop, we also talk about posing, set design, pricing, policies, marketing and branding. So if you're already in business or are about to start your business, the two day workshop is probably the best fit.
2) I am in San Antonio/Austin. Can I still come to the two day workshop? YES. It is open to anyone outside the New Braunfels area. The one day, non-business workshop is open to everyone.
3) I just want to take better pictures of my kids. Is the lighting workshop for me? It depends. To get the most out of the class, you need to have an SLR, rather than a point and shoot camera, and you need to have an idea of how to use the manual settings. We will cover how shutter speed and aperture work, and how focal length effects your shots. We'll also talk about metering. We will start at the beginning and work slowly, but you do need to have an idea of how your camera works to feel comfortable with the pace.
4) I am in Houston/Dallas/Oklahoma. Will you be doing another workshop in TX or OK any time soon? No, this is it for awhile. I have a few places in the works for next year, but they are all out of state.
That's it for now. Keep sending the questions. We are taking registrations NOW for both dates, so if you know you want to come, get with me soon. Thanks!
