The Portraiture class was one of the classes I was most excited about because we were going to a real professional's studio to see real professional lighting equipment and a real professional photographer was going to be instructing us. Okay... I am aware all this "Real Professional Photographer" stuff is probably sounding a little over the top. But this is HUGE for me, and I wanted to get to his studio early, just to sit in heaven (my kinda earthly heaven, alright maybe not heaven but darn close to it) for just a moment, HUGE!!
Well, Jen was driving and I kinda directed her to a wrong turn off and had to make the, "we made a wrong turn call," I like when Jen drives, I think she finds my helpful driving hints handy in improving her driving skills (I don't know why she has been insisting I drive more often lately). We do have GPS on our phones but we have found and think they have some idiot that directs you on the longest possible route, for some reason when we use our phone for GPS we always seem to be taken on the scenic route.
I believe we did make it to our first class right on time and we got all the awkward introduction stuff out of the way
before the model walked into the studio. From the moment she walked into the room I noticed these eyes that will blow you away!! One of the first things Chip asked was what we first noticed about this model and the words, "her Eyes!" came popping out of my mouth.Photography is all about the light and working with studio lighting is unbelievable how you can shape a subject, but I think one of the neatest things was to watch Chip interact with the model. How when he wanted her to move in a certain way he used body language to explain it. I've fumbled with posing people and getting them to do what I want when trying to photograph someone and I would say it is liken to a gawky teen dancing their first dance tripping all over themselves.
Chip worked with us on understanding model releases, aperture and shutter speeds when shooting with studio lighting and a few of my brain cells were busted that day, I really did try and take notes. We used flash triggers, soft box lighting, a reflector for fill source and overhead accent lighting (cannot remember correct name) and all took turns photographing this very gracious model. I'm sure it is one thing to model for a professional but I cannot imagine having to stand around for a bunch of people who do not have a clue as to what they are doing.
It was all kinda intimidating, here you are in a room full of people, who you know, just know way more than you do and the last thing I wanted to do was be the first to shoot so sat back and waited to see what I could learn. When it was my turn it was as if all the other people melted away.
There is something I'm not even sure if I can explain it properly, there is something almost haunting when you photograph a professional model. When you view life through a lens you narrow into someone's life, you see things differently, there is an intimate relationship that takes place between you and your subject, not in a good or bad way it's in a way that you see them, the color of their skin, the shadows, highlights in their hair, the way that person smiles, holds their hands, laughs, fidgets, carries themselves. When they are shy, you try and coax them out or you just try and let them be who they are and take that essence and try and capture it. This intimacy happens with artists when painting as well, you become really aware of your subject. So when I looked through my lens into that model's eyes it was as if she was talking to me through her eyes and it was spellbinding. Up til this point when shooting people my daughter and I try to capture the moment. When posing people we try and be very informal and talk while behind the camera to provoke an honest reaction before the shutter is pressed. With this model I tried to get a reaction from her by talking and there was nothing until after the shutter was pressed. I did manage to get a couple shots of a real expression from her but I think she probably knew what I was after and humored me.
One of the most important things I have learned about my time with a professional photographer in the four week course is not so much that my photography is changing, but more importantly that I have changed. Yes.... I've become way more excited, and way more obsessed about looking at life through a piece of glass which enables me to say something about how I see the world around me. And now I am understanding for the first time how acutely aware I am of my addiction to pixels.
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