Art that captures life. Workshops for the modern photographer, by Shelby Lane.

Minne-sooooooooo-ta!

I had such a great time in Minnesota!  Angie, thank you so much for your hospitality.  You have a gorgeous home and studio and children and I thank God for your friendship every day.  Thanks for opening up your house and studio to all of us and for letting us use your kids as supermodels!  They did such a great job, especially considering that they were sick!

For those of you who I haven't talked to yet, I got home and immediately came down with some sort of bug.  A bad bug.  A reallyreally bad bug.  And then as soon as I was well, my kids got it.  And then as soon as my kids were well, Abbey got it.  So I am behind behind on everything now... studio stuff AND workshop stuff.  I have all your avatars processed and now I need to go and do some retouching, but look for an email about that soon.  Also, I will be sending out a "class list" email so everyone can keep in touch.  Thank you to EVERYONE who came out to the workshop!  I enjoyed getting to know you all.  We have a good looking group and I will try and get a group shot up later tonight or tomorrow.

Delano, MN -- Ready, Set...

Goooooooo!  I am flying out tomorrow and I just wanted to say, I am looking forward to meeting all of you!  If you're signed up for the Minnesota workshop you should have gotten a school supply list and directions email from me.  We will be meeting at the MOA for dinner on Friday if anyone would like to join us.  The offical times are 10-5 Sat and Sunday, with dinner on your own (but we can go as a group if y'all want) on Saturday night and then a roundtable after that.  I am excited!  See you all soon!

Southern California People!

Just wanted to give you all a heads up that the early bird price for SAN DIEGO ends next week!  If you have sent me an email, I have replied to you!

Delano MN Workshop Update

For those of you who are signed up for the Delano workshop at the end of the month, I have sent out a school supply list -- please let me know if you are registered but did not get the email! 

Also, could all of you who are driving/flying/staying in let me know where you're staying?  workshops@shelbylane.net

Thanks!  I'm so excited about meeting you all in a few weeks!

Idaho workshop and some images

I am back home from Idaho and finally mostly getting caught up.  :)  If you came to the Idaho workshop and did not get a "class list" email from me today, let me know.  Here are a few of the demo images from Sunday for comparision.

This first one is an example of the differences you'll get when you block the overhead light and when you just leave open sky above.  Yes, her head is angled slightly differently but notice the highlight on her cheeks and the darkness of the eye sockets compared to the one where we blocked the light from overhead.  And her catchlights are so pretty in that second one, too.  For those of you who WEREN'T there, this was an overcast day at about 11 am, so the sky was acting like a huge softbox.  The problem is, you wouldn't normally put a softbox directly overhead without any kind of reflector or something to pop that light back up into her eyes, if you were in the studio.  You'd want the light to be a little more directlional.  Outdoors, the easiest way to get pretty light is to block that light coming from directly overhead.  You can also see the little bit of hair light because we put the stronger light behind her.

This second example is of the difference between shooting a portrait with a wide angle lens (in this case, a 35mm) and a longer lens (in this case, a 70mm).  I came in close for the 35mm shot and then backed up for the 70mm shot so her head size would be the same in both images.   Look at the details in the background in both shots -- the settings (except for the focal length) are the same, but notice how the background is more in focus in the first than in the second (in other words, the depth of field appears shallower in the 70mm shot at the same settings).  Also take a look at her head shape and features.  The difference may seem subtle but it is there.  In the 70mm shot, her features and head shape are more "true to life" than with the wider angle.

More to come!

Updates: Delano MN and Coeur d'Alene ID

Just a quick update because we've had so many registrations in the past few days.

Coeur d'Alene still has a few spots left, but not many.  If you are interested, please email me asap.  For those of you who HAVE signed up, you should have gotten a "School Supply List" email from me today.  Ellie is working on getting us baby models so be sure to bring your cameras.

Delano (Twin Cities) MN has only five spots remaining!  And this workshop isn't until the end of March!  So, if you are in the Twin Cities or Wisconsin or Illinois area, NOW is the time to register.  Our early bird deadline won't arrive for awhile but we may be sold out by then.  Take a look at the What It's About link to read more about what I'll be teaching.

If you have emailed me about either of these workshops and have not heard back, I either did not get your email or you did not get my reply!  Please let me know that you haven't heard back.

Last Day

... to get the early bird price on the Coeur d'Alene workshop.  We have a good group going so far but we do still have a couple of spots left.  Please email me before midnight if you'd like to sign up at the $450 rate.

Last Chance: Coeur d'Alene Early Bird

Just one more reminder that the Early Bird price will expire on Friday. I'm so excited about coming out to meet you all! We booked a few more people today and I have heard from two more -- if you want a space, now is the time.  If you have emailed me for information: I have emailed you back!  So if you haven't heard from me, try shelby_lane @ yahoo.com because it means that my email is being sent to your bulk folder or blocked by your ISP.  I dont' want anyone to feel like they've "lost" their place.

Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

Just a quick reminder: the Early Bird deadline for this workshop is JUST two weeks away!  If you would like to attend, please email me before the 25th to get the $450 rate.  We do still have spaces available, and I am so excited about this workshop.  Ellie's studio is gorgeous and we will have some great natural light to work with indoors, along with the studio strobes we will be using.

Delano, MN Update -- Hotel Info

We have only 9 spaces available for the Minnesota workshop!  Here are three of the closest hotels to where we will be meeting.

Country Inn 763-684-4225 in Buffalo, MN

Super 8 763-682-5930, also in Buffalo.

Sheraton Minneapolis West Hotel in Minnetonka 952-593-0000 (this is about 10 minutes farther out from Angie's studio, but a little closer to the Twin Cities).