Fellow Photographers,

In this week’s newsletter we have:

£10 off a group shoot
An explanation of what “TF” is
A video all about your camera’s sync speed
A few thoughts about a photograph from my visit to Syria

The two forthcoming events I am highlighting this week are: Concept to Creation – A Friday Night event with a difference, and the Digital Rain, Digital Lightning and wet look glamour workshop

For full information on all of this…. please read on….

Deal of Day

[Deal of the Day] £10 off Calamity Group Shoot

Earlier today I announced a full day group shoot with model Calamity for Saturday 27th December: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/oh-calamity/

As we head towards Christmas I am aware everyone’s budget is stretched. To help with this just a little I’m offering £10 off the price of this event for the next five days only.

To claim your discount you much book and pay before 23:59 this Friday. Enter the code CALDEC27 when making your booking: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/oh-calamity/

Forthcoming Events

Friday, 5 December 2014 – From Concept to Creation

From Concept to Creation

Location: Ian’s Studio
Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Price: £29 (£34 inc post production session)

This will be a very different Friday Night – have you ever wanted to plan and execute a shoot, from coming up with the original idea, through designing the set and the lighting, defining how the model will appear, having your say on make-up? This event will enable you to do that.

This evening is not about getting loads of shots – it is all about getting just one or two images, and ensuring that they are something special.

We have model Bex H joining us for this event and I am planing to book an MUA to join us too. The event will have the following parts to it:

Concept – in this section in one or two groups we will discuss ideas for images that we wish to create. To help with this process I will arrange a number of items to be at the studio which the groups can choose to use as part of their idea. These will include a hundreds of post-it notes, scores of old photography magazines, boxes of old VHS video tapes, a large supply of old newspapers, paint, and paste. During this time we will take input from both model and MUA as to what is feasible from their point of view.

Execution – Once we have decided on the first idea, as a group we will go about building a set (if we need it) creating a costume/look for out model. The MUA will assist with make-up and styling. Once this is ready we will light the scene and finally take our photographs of it. We will then repeat this for the second idea.

Post-production – For many concept images there is a third stage – post-production. For those who are interested in exploring this part of creating an image, I am offering an ‘after hours’ session 10pm till 11pm for those who want to talk about and see different ways of processing the images we created earlier.

Bex H has been booked up to Art Nude levels – this gives the maximum flexibility when the groups are discussing concepts and ideas. You can see Bex’s profile on Purpleport here: http://purpleport.com/portfolio/bexh/?referrer=ianbutty

Please note: In the unlikely event that the groups struggle to come up with concepts I have two or three ideas that the groups can use as a starting point for their discussions.

Price £29 (or £34 with “after hours” discussion and tutorial on post processing)

Please book via my website: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/from-concept-to-creation/

Saturday, 6 December 2014 – Digital Rain & Wet-look Glamour Workshop

Digital Rain & Wet-look Glamour Workshop

Location: Ian’s Studio
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Price: £69

This one day training event will teach how to create wet-look glamour images and to add rain effects and lightning effects in Photoshop.

During the morning we will spend 3hours in the studio working with a models to create the wet-look glamour images which will be the basis of our completed shots.

During this time you will learn how to set up the lights needed to create the effects. You will learn some of the tricks employed to create wet-look images, including how to make the water droplets more visible, and how to control where the water goes. The session is a practical session and you will have plenty of opportunity to take photographs.

Please note: due to the nature of some of the images and techniques being demonstrated at this event the model(s) will be posing topless for some of the shots. If this is likely to cause offence please do not book to come on this course.

After lunch (which is included in the price of the course) we go into a tutorial session where you will be shown how to use Photoshop to add digital rain and digital lightning effects to the images we created during the morning session. If you have a laptop with Photoshop on it you are welcome to bring it with you and follow the tutorials as we go through them. Alternatively you can sit back, watch and then try out the techniques at your leisure at home. Either way you will be provided with printed notes on how to achieve the effects and a CD with a video screencast showing you the steps for both digital rain and digital lightning.

The model for this event will be Rhianna Gray See: http://purpleport.com/portfolio/rhiannagrey/?referrer=ianbutty (Contains nudity). This will be Rhianna’s third or fourth visit to the studio, you can see images from a small group shoot that she did at the studio earlier this year here: http://photos.imb.biz/model/shoot/sgs-rhiannag (contains nudity).

Cost £69 (includes lunch, printed notes, and a disk with video tutorial)

Please book via my website: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/digital-rain-wet-look-glamour-workshop-3/

From the Blog…

[Blog] Shooting TF

If you are new to working with models, there is an acronym that you need need to know it is “TF” – it stands for “Time For” and is sometimes written as TFCD – Time for CD (of images) or TFP – Time for Prints or TFI – Time for Images, or just simply as TF*.

So what is a TF shoot? A TF shoot is where both model and photographer agree to work together to create image for their respective portfolios. It is a collaboration where both give time rather than there being an exchange of money.

There are some photographers who work almost exclusively on a TF basis, there are other who never work on the basis.

When I book a model for an event or workshop at the studio I pay the model. If I am making money from the event it is only fair that the model does too. There are several times when I will work on a TF* basis. If I am doing a ‘test shoot’ with a model I will do that on a TF* basis. For me test shoot are typically so that I can find out if I want to book that particular model for paid work. It might be a new model who has yet to establish a reputation, and by doing a test shoot with them I can find out what type of studio event the model is likely to be suitable for.

Another sort of TF* shoot that have done is if I want to try out some photography techniques. A recent example of this is when I needed to test some strobist techniques ahead of a talk I was giving to camera club. Model Laura kindly agreed to be my guinea-pig – we agreed half the shoot we would spend on my lighting tests and half the shoot I would spend shooting material for her portfolio. You can see the results of the shoot here: http://photos.imb.biz/model/shoot/lauratest. As a direct result of that test shoot I booked Laura for an event at my studio: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/all-you-need-are-strobes/

One common question from photographers who are doing their first TF* shoots is what must I supply. The answer is whatever you agree with your model. Some photographers supply everything, others just a few fully edited images. In my case I supply the model with copies of all the images I do any work on – most of which will have my first pass edits done to them. I may select one or two images to do full edits on. This appears to be acceptable to the models I have worked with. I also let the models know that if there are a handful of images (ie up to 5 or 6) that they like but would like additional editing doing to them I am happy to do that. I very rarely get requests from models for that additional editing so from that I guess that they are happy with what I have supplied.

I hope this brief overview of TF* shoots is helpful. If you are in the NW UK and looking for models to collaborate with on TF* shoots you might want to take a look at the North West TFP Meetup Group.

[Video 015] Understanding Sync Speed

What is camera sync speed? And why is it important to studio photographers and photographers who use strobist techniques?

In this video I answer both those questions and show you what happens if you try use a flash with a shutter speed faster than your camera’s sync speed.

Please subscribe to the video feed on YouTube. Also please subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more Photography Hints, Tips and How-Tos.

For the best way to view the video – please click the full screen icon and veiw in HD.

What do you think about this video? Did you find it helpful? Please comment on my blog page or comment on the video page on YouTube and let me know your thoughts.

Recent Sales

For those who are interested in Stock Photography here’s some information about some of the strange and not so strange sales that I have made.

SALE 17 Nov 2014: Exterior view of the National Archaeological Museum, Damascus, Syria.

Exterior view of the Museum

NUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1
SOLD VIA: Alamy
LICENCE: Rights Managed

This was a strange feeling. I am normally very happy when I sell a stock image. Especially when it goes for a good price as this one did. However this sale is definately tinged with sadness. I visited Syria and the museum in 2008, just 18 months before “the arab uprisings”. I know there has been much devistation in Syria and as I look at this image I wonder how many of the wonderful places I visited have survived and I wonder how many years it will be before it is safe for photographers from the UK to return.

17 Nov 2014
Country: World English Language
Usage: Editorial
Media: Book, print and/or e-book
Print run: up to 5,000
Placement: Inside
Image Size: 1/2 page
Start: 17 November 2014
End: 17 November 2019

Alamy Link: http://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid={FFC99677-48F6-41BF-B0DC-25B7C09C4FA6}

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a source of free photographs.
This photograph is (c) Ian M Butterfield. All rights are reserved. No use Is permitted (including non-commercial use) without prior permission. If you wish to use any of my photographs please ask first.

Image Reference: FA0922A-E09932