Fellow Photographers,

The theme of this week’s newsletter is courses – to be specific the four multi-session courses that we run at Ian’s Studio. They are:

All four courses are currently scheduled to start in the next few months. The Introduction to DSLR Photography course and the Intermediate Photography Course will be starting in April, the the two studio based courses starting in May and September respectively.

As regular readers will know I don’t want the newsletter to be just about advertising events at the studio, but about giving hints and tips to help your photography as well. This week our featured post does both. It is a few short suggestions about how to deal with converging verticals. The blog post is just one very small section of the 200+ pages of notes provided to those attending the Intermediate Photography Course.

For full details of the four courses and that feature on converging verticals. Please read on….

Featured Post

[Blog] Converging Verticals

One of the biggest problems with architectural photography is the problem of converging verticals. This is where the top of a building appears to be leaning away from the camera. This is caused by the plane of the film not being parallel to the plane of the building.

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(Above image is public domain via Wikipedia image crated by “Howard Cheng”)

To prevent this it is necessary to keep the plane of the sensor parallel to the plane of the building. However if you are close to a building this may mean that the top of the building cannot be captured in the image and/or you have too much foreground.

There are a number of possible ways to solve the problem.

Shoot from higher up – Try to find a higher vantage point so that it is not necessary to tilt the camera upwards. Is there a building opposite the one you wish to photograph that you can shoot from?

Longer lens from further away – If you move further away from the building and shoot with a longer lens you will not have to tilt the camera upwards as much as if you are using a wide angle lens from close to a building.

Church of Santa Marija Assunta

These three images of Mosta Church in Malta were taken with 19mm, 21mm and 24mm focal lengths while moving further away from the building.

Tilt-shift Lens – Using the shift function on a Tilt-Shift (TS) lens allows the photographer to correct for this by still keeping the film plane parallel but shifting the centre of the resulting image, thus capturing the whole building.

(The above photograph was taken by and is copyright by Jeff Dean, Madison, Wisconsin, USA obtained from Wikipedia under the following licence: “The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted.”)

Digital correction – It is also possible (and acceptable) to digitally correct converging verticals in post production, since version 3 Lightroom has built-in tools to do this. Most photo editing packages will allow you to ‘free transform’ your image to stretch the top of the image and contract the bottom of it. Be careful of over correcting the verticals when adjusting them digitally. We are used to seeing building taper away from us in real life and a perfectly straight one can look a little disconcerting.

The Capitol, Thuburbo Majus, The Tell, Tunisia.
The temple columns above were corrected digitally in Photoshop,

Make it feature – If all else fails make the conversion of the verticals in to a feature. Be artistic with it.

Monastir, Tunisia

while the convergence of the minarets at The Bourguiba Mausoleum have been used as a feature of the image

The above article is an extract from the 200+ pages of notes that accompany our “Intermediate Photography Course“. The course will next be rerun in April 2015 – please see this page for more information: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/intermediate-photography-course-8-sessions/

Forthcoming Events

Wednesday, 15 April 2015 – Introduction to DSLR Photography Course

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Location: Ian’s Studio
Time: 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Price: £149

This course will give all the basics to go out and start creating great images. The course is 7 sessions long and will be running weekly on Wednesday Evenings 7.30pm – 10.00pm. starting Wednesday 15th April.

This is what previous attendees have said about the course:

“We’re delighted that we chose to attend the introduction to digital photography course. We’re now far more confident with the DLSR camera, and understand what we are doing. Ian’s course is wonderfully clear and structured, supported by ample notes and exercises, and delivered in a thoroughly professional, yet touchingly patient and warm way. The ‘critique’ section at the start of each workshop was especially helpful for learning and the manual provided is absolutely excellent. It’s a pleasure to learn from such a skilled and knowledgeable practitioner as Ian.” Sophie Brown & Adrian West, March 2011 “Super course ” -AB

“It was FAB – thank you very much!!” – HH

“Ian is really really good and combines a ‘simple’ powerpoint presentation with comprehensive notes and so forth for your retention and even sets practical and creative tasks and runs critiques etc. This has benefited me already ! I wish I’d been on something like that when I was at college (!)” – DG

The course content will include the following:

Composition, seeing and finding great photos.
Camera settings – understand what your camera can do
Getting the camera off auto: understanding F-Stops, shutter speeds, focal lengths and ISO
White balance – what is it and when to change it
Flash photography. Creative ways to use your flash gun to enhance your photos
Controlling the light – reflectors, difusers and filters.
RAW and JPG – what’s the difference? Why shoot RAW? How to process it
Downloading, processing and editing.
Photography in difficult conditions: at night, in the heat of the day, in the rain.
Photo critiques – learning how to assess your photos and teaching yourself to improve.

The course is aimed at beginners and those who wish to consolidate their photographic knowledge. As with any course the time spent on any given subject will be tailored to reflect the current knowledge and experience of those attending. Printed course materials (over 100 pages of notes) will be provided to all attendees. Throughout the course there will be opportunities should you wish to have your photographs assessed to help you improve.

The total cost of the course is £149. A minimum deposit of £40 is required to reserve you place on the course.

Please note: The course is designed for users of DSLR cameras. If you have a “compact” camera or a “bridge” camera please contact me to discuss its suitability for this course.

Please book via my website: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/introduction-to-dslr-photography-course-7/

Tuesday, 21 April 2015 – Intermediate Photography Course (8 Sessions)

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Location: Ian’s Studio
Time: 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Price: £165 (8 sessions) £155 (7 sessions)

Weekly on TUESDAY Evenings 7.30pm to 10pm (approximately) from Tuesday 21st April 2015.

The course will consist of eight sessions (session 5 on glamour, boudoir, & art nude is optional). Each session will be two and half hours in length.

Please note this is classroom based training with practical homework assignments to back-up what we have covered in each session. Discounts will be available to course attendees to attend other events at the studio.

Each session will look at one or two related genres of photography. We will cover techniques and equipment, and I will be providing practical advice and where appropriate I’ll share experiences from a professional perspective.

21 April – Session 1 : Travel and Architecture
28 April – Session 2 : Available light portraiture and Weddings
05 May – Session 3 : Off Camera flash and strobist techniques
12 May – Session 4 : Studio portraiture
19 May – Session 5 : Glamour, boudoir and art nude photography
26 May – Session 6 : Events, theatre and performance photography
02 June – Session 7 : Macro, product and commercial photography
09 June – Session 8 : Sports and wildlife photography

Each session will leave you with some homework to reinforce the skills and techniques we have talked about.

Price:
8 Sessions: £165.
or 7 Sessions (omitting session 5) : £155

The course is aimed at photographers who have a reasonable level of photographic knowledge. I have designed the course to be particularly suitable for those who have already completed my “Introduction to DSLR Photography” course. If you have not completed that course, you should have an understanding of photographic techniques such as exposure, aperture, controlling depth of field, etc. Experience of using flash guns is useful but not essential. As with any course the time spent on any given subject will be tailored to reflect the current knowledge and experience of those attending.

Printed course materials will be provided to all attendees. Throughout the course there will be opportunities should you wish to have your photographs assessed to help you improve.

Places on the course will be limited.

Please note: The course is designed for users of DSLR cameras. If you have a “compact” camera or a “bridge” camera please contact me to discuss its suitability for this course.

Please book via my website: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/intermediate-photography-course-8-sessions/

Sunday, 10 May 2015 – Comprehensive Studio Photography Course

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Location: Ian’s Studio
Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Price: £299

Starting on Sunday 10th May….. The Comprehensive Studio Photography Course.

This nine session course will cover all aspects of studio based people photography. Each week we will work with different models to create great images, and learn studio techniques.

Session 1 : Understanding the light – In this first session we will create dramatic head-shots using a single light source and a large range of different light modifiers. By the end of this session you will understand how to set up a studio light, and what effect each modifier has on the final image we are creating.
Session 2 : Multiple lights – In this session we create interesting portraits by adding in additional light sources. We look at ratios and metering multiple light sources By the end of the session you will be able to set up multiple lights, and under why and when you need to add an extra light.
Session 3 : Posing & Fashion – In this session we concentrate on how to pose your subjects. We will also look at how to use grey backgrounds and introduce the use of gels to colour light.
Session 4 : Photographing men & couples – In this session we work with male and female models. We consider some of the techniques for photographing men and how to pose and light couples.
Session 5 : Boudoir & Lingerie – using low-key lighting and specially created studio sets we look at different ways to create boudoir images.
Session 6 : Latex, tatoos and alternative models – in this session you will be encouraged to design and set-up your own lighting to best show off our alternative model.
Session 7 : Glamour – In this session we look at glamour photography. The emphasis will be on hi key lighting set-ups either seamless white or using coloured background papers.
Session 8 : Art Nude – For this session the emphasis switches to low-key lighting as we consider the creation of art nude images.
Session 9 : Working with water and other messy substances – for the final session we we look at some of the challenges of working with water and other messy substances such as paint/slime in the studio.

All course participants will receive full printed full printed notes to accompany the course. The notes will cover topics such as posing guidelines, advice on working with models, and sample lighting set-ups.

Additionally each attendee will receive a voucher for 3hrs fee studio hire (worth £50) – to be taken within 6 months of the end of the course. This is your chance to put in to practice all the skill you have learned on the course.

Cost: £299
If you want help spreading the cost and wish to pay by installments please contact me for details

To be able to run the course I need a minimum of three people to book. The maximum number will be seven.

Please book via my website: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/comprehensive-studio-photography-course-3/

Wednesday, 30 September 2015 – In-Depth Art Nude Course

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Location: Ian’s Studio
Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Price: £299

This six session course covers all the essential techniques you need to create great studio based art nude images. In each session we will work with a different art nude model. The course runs on Wednesday Evenings starting on 30th September 2015.

Over the course of the six weeks we will look at the following:

Lo-key (black background) – including one-light and sandwich lighting set-ups
Grey background work – with a greater emphasis on the way the model poses
Bodyscapes and body parts
Working with props
Silhouettes
Erotic nude

No previous experience of studio work is required.

In order to give participants the opportunity of working with different models on different techniques, rather than spending a whole session on one of the above topics, we will look at three topics each session, returning to some of them multiple times throughout the course. This will give you the chance to photograph each model in three different lighting set-ups.

In each session we will introduce two or three new lighting set-ups. Each lighting set-up will be fully documented with lighting diagrams, behind the scene shots and example images. So that you can use the notes to recreate the set-ups in the future.

In order to improve your studio skills, course participants will be encouraged to help set-up lights and backgrounds.

The course requires a minimum of FOUR photographers to run at the advertised price. The maximum number of photographers on this course will be seven.

Price: £299

Please book via my website: http://www.ians-studio.co.uk/events/in-depth-art-nude-course/

POTD (3 Years ago today) Fri, 2 Mar 2012: Del

THREE YEARS AGO TODAY….

Model Del came to the studio today for our Friday Night at the studo event. Perhaps it would have been better if she had come through the door and not through the background paper!

The image was of course set up, and I do rather like the effect of her climbing through the hole in the paper.

A few other images from the same shoot can be seen here: http://photos.imb.biz/model/shoot/del (NSFW)

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: FE0302A-E04113

Stock 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 18 May 2005: Bear Faced Liar

Beni at the Bocca de la Verita at S Maria in Cosmedin Church, Rome. According to ledgend if a liar places his hand in the mouth he will not be able to remove it. Does this mean Beni is a bear faced liar?

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

This image was sold for use in a television program in Japan. I have never been able to workout why they wanted a photograph of a bear in the mouth of the Bocca de la Verita.

18 May 2005
Country: Japan
Usage: Editorial
Media: Television (editorial)
Industry sector: Leisure/Entertainment/Sport
Sub-Industry: Broadcasting/TV programming
Placement: Use within body of show
Start: 18 May 2005
End: 19 May 2005

Alamy Link: http://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid={541D2410-3416-4157-93DE-72BA55E7F926}

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: EW0224C-D00791