Modelling Portfolio Tips

Many would-be models make the mistake of cramming as many photos as they possibly can into a portfolio or album to impress an agency with quantity. Most agencies are looking for something specific which they want to portray, and do not want to trawl through one hundred jumbled photos of a model without any clear direction. There are a number of tips to help carve out the best possible portfolio to demonstrate a model’s quality without overwhelming an agency with unnecessary quality, and ultimately reducing their chances.

A new model to the industry will ideally have between six to twelve photos which represent several personalities, angles and styles of the model at her very best. Browsing through a portfolio, an agency will typically only take notice of around 5 photos in the album, so make sure all your photos count. Choosing just six to twelve photos means being completely ruthless and only picking photos which are absolutely stunning. Less than stunning is unlikely to get the job.

Experts recommend having at least two head shots with different expressions, most probably with at least one where the model is smiling. These photos can have differing backgrounds such as indoors and outdoors, but the important thing to remember is to include at least two shots simply of the model’s head. Next, experts suggest including at least two fashion shots in a portfolio, again with two differing styles. Brightly coloured clothing with busy patterns is not widely recommended as agencies must be drawn to, and wowed by, a face and figure. A contrast between casual and formal dress is often recommended, although models are also advised to adapt their portfolio if the agency has a certain look in mind.

Again, the model’s personal modelling preferences must be reflected in the clothing shot. If a model is more suited to swimsuit modelling and finds this choice preferable then it stands to reason that at least one of the shots should be in a swimsuit. Showing preference and passion for a certain area of modelling is never discouraged.

An action shot might also be a consideration if a model moves particularly well. This can add impact to a portfolio and demonstrate vivacity. It is important to remember that diversity of location could be an advantage to a portfolio. While there should be a loose theme throughout the portfolio, shooting in a variety of environments with different lighting and colours will display a model’s versatility without distracting from facial and body features.

A full length body shot is an absolute must for any portfolio. Agencies need a clear idea of the body type of the model they will be using, which means this body shot must be entirely in proportion. Try to avoid funny angles which detract from the proportions of a model’s body, but make sure that the shot is not unflattering in any way.

Black and white shots are also a useful staple for any modelling portfolio. Many female models use this medium to their advantage and opt for a minimal make-up shot, which is important for agencies, while producing the most flattering picture possible in black and white.

Photography Courses throughout the UK

Many people with an interest in photography, whether professional or as a casual hobby, may at some point wish to take a course to improve, recap or simply enjoy the chance to learn more about this skill. 

When choosing a photography course, you should look at what you’re aiming to get out of it rather than your skill level, as a priority. 

Do you require intense study or something more casual that you can fit around your working day? Would you prefer to enrol on a year-long study package which results in a qualification or take a residential weekend course?

The London School of Photography is a good choice for anyone who has a demanding lifestyle and needs a course to suit them. Classes can be organised in the evenings or at weekends and also in groups if you feel like bringing company along. Courses take place at the school’s studios in Soho, making it easily accessible for those working in and around London. 

City Lit is a great centre, specifically designed for adult learning, it lays on classes at reasonable times outside of working hours. City Lit is located in Covent Garden and has courses which guide individuals through a comprehensive education in photography. There are courses for beginners and specialists, including photojournalism, exhibitions, and documentaries. If you are considering taking a qualification at the end of your studies then it is worth bearing City Lit in mind. The centre handles all the examination details and has an impressive track record with results.

Residential courses are a great way to improve your photography skills and explore new surroundings in a fun environment. There is a large variety of residential courses in the UK, which explore some of the most stunning locations on offer. Wilderness Scotland, which is actually a specialist adventure travel company, provides extremely popular photography holidays in the Scottish Highlands and the nearby islands. Not only are residential courses the perfect opportunity to get hands on experience in breathtaking locations but the Wilderness Scotland photography holidays also offer educational excursions with leading landscape photographer Colin Prior.

Dawn 2 Dusk Photography also organises photography workshops in the South West of England and the Lake District, which comprise of two and three day excursions to places such as Dartmoor, the South Hams, North Cornwall and Dorset. 

Whatever your level or requirement for a course, the UK has an incredible amount to offer the photography enthusiast.

How will Google Glass change the world of photography?

If, like me, you’re obsessed with technology, you’ll no doubt have heard of Google Glass. For those of you who don’t know, Google Glass might well be the very future of mobile technology. If you’ve been to a concert of event recently, you’ll no doubt have seen a sea of phones and tablets raised aloft capturing every moment. What’s strange is that these people are more concerned with capturing the experience than actually enjoying it. They’re not dancing, they’re recording.

Google Glass aims to be the solution to a problem which many don’t realise exists. Essentially worn like a pair of glasses, Glass is a small glass screen which sits in the top right of the wearer’s vision. Rather than having to hold a physical device and aim it at what you’re watching, you simply tell the device to start recording and go about enjoying the experience without the interference of technology.

Is this the future of image capturing?

While this may be perfect for modern living where carrying and holding physical items is losing favour quickly, it proves a conundrum for the photographer. A recent documentary set in a corrupt nation posed an interesting point. The maker of the documentary was being persecuted and physically beaten by authorities who knew he was making a film. His concerned wife was begging him to stop as she feared for his life. The man responded that he needed the camera in order to make sense of the brutal and corrupt world he was living in. The physical separation of the camera lens provided just enough distance for him to detach himself the most horrific atrocities he was witnessing, to be able handle the emotional aspect of such horrors.

Similarly, war photographers are able to capture the atrocities of war by distancing themselves from the psychologically scarring events they are witnessing. The camera reminds them that there is a wider world beyond that country which needs to be made aware of these incidents. It gives them strength to face the realities in front of them. Without that physical reminder, how would it affect their mindsets? Would they still be able to cope without the camera?

Clearly, there are occasions when technology can be obtrusive to human experience yet there are also occasions when it is necessary to distance the photographer from the world in order to best analyse it. Google Glass may be the future, or it may flop spectacularly but as innovation continues it should be remembered that some problems don’t need fixing. 

Top tips for great portraits

It’s always difficult in photography when there is more than one person to please. At the beginning of your career you might start out by taking casual snaps to build up your portfolio, or resign them to a personal album for your own enjoyment, or a blog site for the perusal of others. Then things get a little trickier, you might be asked to photograph an individual for a gift, or be present at a wedding to take some snaps on that all important day. Having more than yourself to please with a photo, means getting even cleverer. It requires you to think about exactly what the person in the photo is looking to portray, and even say with their image.

This is just one of the problems faced by many portrait photographers. Not only do they have to find just the right perspective which will compliment the sitter to maximum effect, but also portray a story in that photo which surrounds a particular part of their life, usually the part being exposed in an accompanying article from a journalist who has had far more time to get inside the individual’s head, than the poor photographer, who is then flung into a room with no redeeming quality for five minutes and told to produce something “poignant.”

To top it off, this environment has to produce something pleasing for the subject and for the editor who will be paying you for your services. So, with extremely limited time and resources, an anxious editor and a hopeful subject, what can you do?

A great Billie Holliday Portrait

Environments where you meet subjects may vary, but more often than not, important subjects will be staying in a hotel room, which doesn’t really allow the creative juices to flow, particularly if painted in generic beige.

One trick I have seen implemented several times is the ‘venetian-blind’ effect, which, fortunately, only calls for a set of blinds. These are a common feature in office spaces which is great news for subjects who you have to catch in the middle of their working day. Simply stand your subject at a right angle to the blind and use the light streaming in through the cracks to create an enigmatic portrait, with a hint of ambition.

There is also a tried and tested method used by many of the major newspaper photojournalists which involves dragging your subjects to the fire escape or roof of the building you find yourselves in. It can open up your location options slightly more and give you access to a light source which you might not otherwise have had available to you inside.

Blue skies, if you can find them in the UK, are perfect backdrops for that ambitious, hopeful feeling that one might apply to an entrepreneur of public figure. The trick is to kneel down, pointing the camera upwards for the purest shot of the skyline.

Other great devices include using mirrors, windows, or rivers which have the ability to create a reflection. 

Life through a lens: does editing rob an image of truth?

I’ve heard more and more photographers complaining recently about the use of editing to enhance their work. Some say that an image is a snap shot of a moment and by editing that moment you pervert it. It isn’t the same image; it’s been processed and cleaned, meaning something is missing from that original scene, even if it is imperfect.

Others see editing as vital to photography. After all what is photography except the use of technology in an attempt to capture an image? As technology progresses, so does our ability to capture those images more purely. Editing is merely an extension of this process, who really has the right to say that a photograph is a true representation of a moment anyway?

The skill of simply using a camera to capture an image is truly a skill in itself and post-editing allows those less skilled behind the lens to create, what appears to be, good work. Whether this is a positive or negative thing is debatable as is what qualifies as a good photograph.

Personally I detest over edited images as that smooth filter distances me from the scene. I want a photograph to transport me to its world. The more superficial and distant from its natural state, the less I believe in a photograph and the less I feel a connection with it.

This is not to say that edited images don’t produce stunning results. Highly polished macro images of insects and the natural world allow access to aspects of our planet which I didn’t think was possible. Literally allowing people to see things from an animal’s perspective is a truly powerful tool and as shutter speeds improve and more details are exposed through photography, it opens up a raft of possibilities.

One negative of stylised imagery, however, is the fashion world. Heavily edited glosses pictures have led to a distorted image of what attractive women look like. No-one has the complexion of a peach without even a slight blemish. This is not a true representation of a woman – but it was never meant to be. An example of this is the actress Kate Winslet. While no one can doubt she is an attractive woman, the majority her photographs used in magazines have been airbrushed to the point that she doesn’t even look like herself anymore.

Is this really art?

Then there’s the cult of Instagram. While initially the sepia tinged images looked cool and retro, now they look tired and unimaginative. While this may spur some talented photographers to make something special out of a limited medium, the majority of the images produced are boring drab looking affairs which have spoiled the initial popularity of the app.

But what is truth? When a photographer snaps the lens shut, they do so with an idea of what they are trying to achieve from that scene. Maybe they’re trying to tell a story or there’s something interesting in the frame they know can be sharpened through editing. The point is that truth is subjective.

If an image captures what a photographer set out to capture then that is a true representation of the image they wanted to project. Whether this happens on the first snap through a camera, brilliant but if it happens after a laborious process of editing: who cares? As long as they remain true to the idea they wanted to capture, that’s all that matters, even if it just a picture of a burger in a sepia frame.

Get into Rainfall Photography this April

Well that time is upon us, when our strange bout of arctic weather in March gives way to what we Britons more commonly recognise as good old April showers.

While April might be a short and quite dismal month for some, photographers across the nation delight in this golden opportunity to capture an entire spectrum of colour in the beautiful landscape of Britain through the light refraction of our seasonal little April showers.

Nothing quite recalls my childhood to me, than those close up photographs of rain on leaves, letterboxes, and streets pavements, which recall to mind days of playing out in the rain, falling in the mud and staring at the rain soaked world around me.

But enough of my childhood fancies, there is an actual art to taking photographs in the rain, and using the medium of our great British weather to capture some truly outstanding images.

Whether you are a country person or a city dweller there is an opportunity for you to capture a incredibly diverse range of shots which show how rain on different surfaces reflects light in different ways. Manipulating this medium can bring a hypnotic and even ethereal effect to your composition.

Rain: a true sign of springtime

Dramatic weather is always an interesting feature in photography particularly when in intersects or looms over a landscape either barren or inhabited. There is also a certain amount of fun to be had in capturing angry or interesting cloud formations, which take on so many different forms depending on whether they occur before, during or after a storm.

Rainfall can give a whole new perspective to a building you may have photographed before. Buildings, like people, can take on an entirely new characters when wet.

People are also great subjects in the rain. You can pinpoint a forlorn face in the pouring rain, or watch summer revelers make the best of a bad day by frolicking in the downpour. Some may be hurrying, excitedly or anxiously, to escape the rain, and others, above all children, like to splash about and have the time of their lives stomping in big puddles, which seem like rivers to very little boys and girls.

One thing to be eternally thankful for, as a photographer in any case, is the incredible variety of rain that we get here. There are heavy downpours akin to an exotic monsoon, that fall like a wall of water saturating everything it hits. There is rainfall which often seems like light spray with the help of a gentle wind, which makes grass glisten and nature sparkle. There are regular showers, and thunder storms, and a diverse range of environments to experience them in. The coastal regions of our fair isle, as well as the Lake District, are magical places to experience, and of course, photograph, the effect of rainfall on water surfaces. Cloud formations and rainfall in the peak district are also very special, allowing photographers to capture the barren hilltops and rocky crags in the rainfall, as the sun peaks through, and maybe even lit up by a rainbow.

How to use wide apertures properly in landscape photography

How to use wide apertures properly in landscape photography

If you’re wondering what an aperture is, it controls the depth of vision your camera picks up. When used properly, it can create mystique, abstract, beautiful images and can turn the mundane everyday world into something surreal and unique. The use of bokeh images, the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light, can be fantastic for focusing the eye on your subject or a way of adding 3D depth to your shots.

Transforming Light

To create bokeh images in your landscape, wide aperatures are used to transform light sources into defined shapes.

If you’re working in overcast conditions and the light sources are not visible, the use of shadow and the shallow depth of vision create a watercolour painting-style to your photograph.

Adapting to light quality is vital to make the most of aperture. Overcast and soft vs direct and intense are interpreted differently by the aperture sensor.

Balance

Balance can be thought of in similar terms to physically balancing. Which parts of the image look heavy, attract the eye, which are most important and need to be focussed on?

Moving your camera’s ability to focus is vital in balancing your shots or you can choose to weigh heavier on certain aspects of the image in order to be able to add power to your landscapes.

Depth

To create the illusion of depth in two dimensional images, create a shallow focus in your immediate foreground. This creates a focus in front and behind your focal point and creates the layered effect which creates a 3D feel.

Framing

When using a wide aperture you can frame your images with greenery or anything with strong colours as they add to the illusion of depth but also focus the eye on the subject.

By pushing the focus to the background and overlapping the foreground, you can capture your landscape with a natural frame which complements the scene.

The key is to experiment and see which effects you enjoy and which ones you don’t. Some of the best results come by accident.

A bokeh image which blurs details into geometric shapes.

Minimalism

If you’re working with quite a busy image with lots of complicated objects, a wide aperture can simply them into a minimalist shot with a small portion of focus.

By tightening the frame and widening my aperture, you can minimise the detail of the image and create a more peaceful photograph.

Isolation

As well as quieting down distractions of the scene, a shallow depth of field is a great way of drawing attention to a certain aspect of an image. Perhaps what you thought was the subject isn’t as interesting as something else. The ability to draw your audience’s attention to the details.

When working wide open, even the smallest adjustment of your focus can completely change your focal point, and thus the overall mood of your image.

Structures

In a landscape, structures can dominate the scene but you might not want them to be the centre of the shot and they needn’t be.

Creating the juxtaposition of extremes between something tiny and something huge can be really powerful if your eye is focussed on the small rather than the usually overpowering object.

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How to Photograph Urban and City Spaces

It isn’t hard to see why many photographers choose urban and city landscapes as the environment for their best work. A wealth of art, architecture, history, nature and humanity fills the corners of city and urban centres, creating an incredible juxtaposition of history and modernity, nature and technology, and daytime and nightlife.

A great example of this is the presence of historical landmarks in a modern setting. Photographing the two separately will produce stunning subject specific photos, so while photographing historical landmarks or modern architectural masterpieces it is important to focus on the detail of the buildings with a strong zoom. By focussing on certain aspects of the building, this will also give you a different perspective, which could lead to a rather interesting and original photo. However, in many major cities, there is also the opportunity to snap some of the most admired historical buildings in direct contrast with the modern landscape in which they now stand. Capturing this contrast takes a keen eye for light and shade to optimise the appearance of both structures.

If you are lucky enough, you might find yourself in a city or urban space that has access to a number of parks, zoos or nature reserves nearby. These are perfect spots for a bit of photography, as the presence of nature in the midst of a human environment can create interesting contrasts and startling diversity in your photos. Lakes and rivers running through the city can also provide the aspect of reflection to your work, which, if found must be utilised, paying particular attention to the time of day, the light, and the shade and how this alters the mirror effect of the water.

Crime scene in central London

It is also important to remember when visiting a major city or place of architectural beauty that the buildings are not the only things to photograph. Office workers, construction workers, school children, pensioners, teenagers and married couples are all wandering the streets where these buildings have stood for many years, and noting the contrast of history and modernity through photographing people is also an interesting angle.  

Photographing city and urban landscapes in the day creates a completely different quality to the one photographed at night. Workers turn into party goers, and teenagers and young people hang out on the city streets. The entire scene takes on a new quality, particularly when street and building lights create a haze across the city, an aspect which can be manipulated to incredible effect.

Different types of transport in the area offer a range of interesting city shots. Trams, buses, and underground trains are perfect spots to capture some interesting action and expression shots, and riding the bus can also be a great way to get to know an area and scope out the best places for capturing your ideal shot. Getting to know the city on public transport can also give photographers who are new to the city a general idea of its personality, which they could incorporate in their photography.

Finally, one of the best and simplest pieces of advice that I have received is to simply travel light. Many photographers, who might only have a day or two to shoot a city, often opt for a point and shoot camera, particularly if they intend to take shots in crowded areas, confined spots and on the move.

The seasons of change

A bonus of living in the UK (although it may not feel like it sometimes) is that our climate is subject to seasonal change. This brings a great variety to the range of images our shores can produce. Warmer countries may look beautiful is summery idyllic images but even in their winters they look pretty similar. This is fine if you want to holiday there but not so much if you want to capture different emotions which seasonal changes provide.

Recently, due to the number of snow flurries we've had, I've managed to capture a great number of images which reminisce of childhood memories. Children sleigh or snowmen melting – even businessmen hurrying around London with their coats drawn tight. The juxtaposition of a child’s enthusiasm compared to the cynical worker who sees the snow as an inconvenience rather than an opportunity.

In a way, that’s why I love photography. You see the same mundane things everyone else does but try and create something powerful or beautiful out of the experience. Imagining how an image looks from a different angle, through a different lens, using a different aperture or even how you can manipulate the shot through Photoshop, all these things teach you to view the world with the eyes of a child.

Snow isn't always peaceful

The seasons really allow the photographer to play with their surroundings. Golden and burgundy leaves falling in autumn, the hazy summer days spent on the grass. The location is the same but the use of the area and what it means to the people inhabiting it changes.

Even in terms of fashion, seasons dictate what imagery photographers can capture. Warm furs and long coats can create a wonderful contrast of textures from the constructed world around them. The typically pink sun-burnt skin of the average Brit, as funny as it looks, creates a positive emotional response to a photograph, which is the fundamental reason for photography isn't it?

To capture the best images, photographers may need to alter their camera’s white balance before taking their shots. In the UK, because we are further away from the equator, light is filtered through the atmosphere in such a way that it is mainly blue light which comes through. This is why our country feels so grey in winter. In summer, the light is more direct allowing warmer colours of light spectrum to penetrate. This allows for the golden, reds and yellow colours to become more vibrant. By altering your cameras settings, you can best capture the emotion in a scene.

Winter scenes also allow great images in terms of colour – or more accurately – the lack of it. Using Photoshop, you can take a fairly grey image and enhance one colour within the image in order to draw attention to it. It’s a simple technique but can be very effective.

Can the iPhone ever replace SLR?

In the past, photography was a skill; an art form. The composition within the frame, the lighting, the angles and then the skills used in developing your film was all vital in creating breath taking images. Now, with digital technology and Photoshop, it seems anyone with opposable thumbs and working eyes has the ability to take an image and make it look semi-interesting. 

The result of this ease of use is that there is less artistic thought put into the images captured and the pebble-dash affect is often used (take enough photos and some of them should come out okay in editing.) It also means that the effect of decent photographs is lessened and therefore there is less demand for the craft. Yes, special occasions like weddings will always need the professional touch but for traditional roles such as Newspapers, a journalist with a smart phone might be enough to get the image for the story.

For me, this is a disturbing thought. Imagine a war photographer unable to shine a light on corruption through lack of finances. It seems that whenever controversial images make it to press now, the go-to excuse is Photoshop. Celebrities caught with drugs – Photoshop. Prisoners of war being tortured – Photoshop. It’s almost as if the ease in which we can edit our images has undermined the validity and trust in the medium.

The flipside side is that now we are able to capture our own history constantly. Very rarely does an event happen without it being caught in a lens. The first real example of this was the terrorist attacks on September 11^th. When you think of the imagery captured, more often than not, it is through the blurred camera of a phone rather than the high res image of an SLR camera.

Then, in more recent years, footage and images caught of the Arab Spring again were caught on handheld smart phones. In fact, News agencies regularly smuggle smart phones into countries where they feel it would be too dangerous to send reporters. The result is we now have an eye, albeit less quality, in areas under media lock downs and by broadcasting these images it puts international pressure on the governments of these countries who are suddenly unable to deny maltreating their citizens. Imagine what effect such exposure to corruption could have had on Apartheid South Africa?

The fact is there will always be a compromise between accessibility and image quality but only if you define image quality by clarity of the image and not the potential to affect change in others.