Posts By Brad Moore

PHOTOGRAPHY & SOFT FASCINATION, Or…

How to unleash your inner JamesEarlFrickinJones-itude

You can just never go wrong photographing what you love, the way you love, in light that you love, telling a story you love.

Why is that?

It’s because when you tell a story (visual or otherwise) about what you love without holding back, resistance melts away. You can’t help but communicate from a deeper truth and authenticity.  No apologies, no excuses. And in that beautiful, loving, quantum way in which creation works –  that voice, that particular brushstroke, in turn becomes the “secret sauce” which embeds itself into the pixels of your image as a photographer. But you can’t fake it. And you can’t hold back.

I know this from many perspectives… among them,  being a voiceover professional. My finest mentor taught me this idea a bit differently; from the perspective of finding your “celebrity voice” – or signature voice, as she called it. Her point: when a director hires a celebrity voice, they’re hiring the particular vocal signature of that person. It’s more than a sound, it’s a presence.

Case in point: when you book James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader) you know what you’re getting. Jones’ voice is his and his alone. It’s unique, unmistakable; and has a particular presence + definable effect on everyone who hears it. When Jones uses his voice to endorse your product, or bring your character to life… it’s going to have the James Earl Jones “touch.” It’s a mighty bankable touch; and if you’re a smart director, you wouldn’t dream of changing it. (not all directors are smart, BTW… but that’s a story for another day).

James Earl Jones didn’t get where he is by accident. Sure, he was born with his voice. (As were you, BTW.) But he went way beyond that initial endowment. He didn’t simply work hard, following others’ examples, fulfilling somebody else’s advice about what he should do – or sound like. Nope, somewhere along the line he OWNED who he is, his sound and his “touch”  in no uncertain terms. He claimed his perspective, honed his point of view, his IS-ness  – and learned to inhabit that voice with zero apologies. And in doing so, became JamesEarlFrickinJones.

Now overlay that notion onto photography. Signature voice in photography is “unique, unmistakable, not duplicatable and has a definable effect on everyone” who sees & experiences it. It’s your “touch”, your perspective and presence, embedded into the pixels of your every image.

Authentic Portraits / 3 Posing Strategies

What makes a portrait good? Is it the light, the wardrobe, the hair and makeup, or something else? I like how the French poet Charles Baudelaire put it, “A portrait! What could be more simple and more complex, more obvious and more profound.” The best portraits contain something that can’t quite be explained. Just like the best music, the best poems, the best paintings, the best films… there is a mystery that invites us to look, listen and lean in. And it’s that special quality that makes a portrait feel authentic and real. 

For me, the portraits that last aren’t single minded, but more often a complex, and sometimes conflicting mixture of ideas, emotions and themes. Like good literature or art, they give you access to multiple emotions at once. Like the photographs that speak of the many paradoxes of life: absence and presence, fragility and strength, pity and admiration or nostalgia and regret. 

So how do you pose with all of that in mind? First of all, you let go of control and embrace the photographic process as a mystery without any guarantees. At least that’s what I’ve found. The times when I’ve been too controlling, the portraits end up looking technically good, but lacking essence and soul. And the older I get, the more I’ve come to realize that these technically perfect photographs are a waste of time. What I really want is something that is authentic and real, which is nearly an impossible goal. But still, it acts as a true north. 

So back to our question, how can we pose our subjects with all of this in mind? While there are many strategies that have found, I want to keep things simple and to share 3. These have helped me keep things simple and I hope they help you as well. Keep in mind, these are not rules or recipes, but strategies that I use when the feeling is right. 

Strategy 1: Eye to Eye

Have you subject square off and point their toes directly toward the camera. Keep the camera eye level. Keep the composition simple and clean. Here are a few examples below:

Strategy 2: Shoulder Slant

Ask your subject to point his or her toes away from the camera and to stand naturally. This will create a diagonal slant to the shoulders. Next, ask the subject to look directly into the lens. 

Strategy 3: Knee Tuck

Ask your subject to sit down and then to comfortably tuck in one or both of the knees in a way that matches how they feel. In other words, this can be simple, strong, dramatic or whatever. Then direct the subject to touch or hold their knee – it’s that simple. Here are a few examples:

These are obviously just a few strategies but I hope this gives you some simple inspiration. If you would like to learn more about capturing authentic portraits, check out my most recent book, Authentic Portraits: Searching for Soul Significance and Depth. You can get 40% off of my book by using the code ORWIG40 when you check out. 

Cheers!

Chris O.

You can see more of Chris’s work at ChrisOrwig.com, find tips and resources from him here, and keep up with him on Instagram and Facebook.

So You Want To Be A Commercial Photographer?

Seven years ago I made the decision that I wanted to be a commercial photographer, and I haven’t looked back since. Today I have a 4,000 sq ft studio that specializes in food and beverage tabletop photography, a full commercial kitchen, a stocked prop room, I shoot with Broncolor lighting and a Phase One medium format camera system, and have created images for national and regional food brands such as Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Ruby Tuesday, Tony Chachere’s, The Four Seasons, Tijuana Flats, Metro Diner, and a dozen locations at Disney World and Disney Springs. I’ve also created two classes with KelbyOne (the second one debuting this week!) to teach others some of what I have learned along the way. It’s been a great ride so far and I’m only about halfway to where I want to be. But I thought I would share a bit of what my experience has taught me about becoming a commercial photographer.

Choosing A Genre

After 20 years in advertising, I had always been interested in commercial photography but struggled to find a genre that really interested me. I didn’t want to take photos of sunglasses or skin care products, chainsaws or cars, and fashion was really not my thing. In 2015 I won a cooking competition with a grand prize of a week in Ireland. I brought my camera with me on this foodie trip and took nothing but photos of food for a week. While I was there, it dawned on me just how much of an industry was out there surrounding commercial food photography, and, by the time I returned, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my career next.

Selecting a genre to focus on is very important to your success as a commercial photographer. If a potential client were viewing my portfolio and they had to search through galleries of families, weddings, cars, or whatever I might have posted as a photographer who doesn’t specialize, they may have second thoughts about me as the right fit for their company. This is even more of an issue as you climb further up the ladder and are talking to creative directors at large advertising agencies that represent big brands. You simply will not get hired for a job that you are not a specialist in. We’re talking big budget productions, with lots of money and reputations at stake, and the person who gets the job is the one that is extremely proficient in the genre.

If you’re really interested in making a career in commercial photography, you have to be ready to spend the next 5, 10, 20 years focusing on becoming the best at the genre you choose to pursue. You must love the work. You must have a desire to shoot the same thing for the 100th time and still love the process of making it the best work you’ve ever shot. Personally there is something very rewarding and also satisfying about working to become one of the best in my field. I love pushing the boundaries of my work every day and making every production better than my last. I love the focus and concentration working in a specific genre affords me and I love the challenge my job brings me every day.

I hear people all the time say they don’t think they could ever focus on just one thing, that they’d get bored or that they think they are better as a photographer who can create work across multiple genres. That’s all fine, but I’m here to tell you if you want to work at the high end of commercial photography, you need to find a field to specialize in and make a name for yourself.

Separate Art and Business

Getting a start in anything is neither quick nor easy, and starting as a commercial photographer is no different. The business of photography is vastly different from the art of photography, and you have to go into this career understanding that. I absolutely love what I do now, even when I’m photographing my 20th hamburger. It’s always different and unique and every image is a challenge. I love a good challenge and I don’t have much quit in me, so that has lead to success for me thus far.

Editor’s Note: Keep an eye out for Ian’s upcoming KelbyOne course, Winter Landscapes, due out later this week!

Tips for Taking Amazing Winter Landscape Photos

When the chill of winter sets in, a lot of photographers go into creative hibernation. Resist the urge to stay warm and cozy, and instead bundle up and get out there! Winter can be an amazing time for landscape photography if you know what to look for. Here are a few of my top tips for taking stunning winter landscapes.  

Stay Warm

Being creative when photographing winter landscapes starts with staying warm and dry. Dress in layers so you can customize the amount of warmth you need depending on your activity level, but make sure you bring enough clothing to keep you warm even when you are standing still for long periods of time waiting for the perfect light for your photography (a thick, puffy down jacket usually does the trick). Keeping your fingers warm is the most difficult challenge, as you must balance the dexterity needed to operate camera controls with warmth. I typically use a lightweight pair of liners coupled with heavy duty down mittens made for extreme cold environments. I keep my hands in the mittens whenever I can, taking them out only when I need to operate the tiny buttons and dials on my camera. Whenever my fingers get cold, I stuff them back in the mittens, which warm my hands up in no time. Some people also use chemical or battery-powered hand and toe warmers to stay extra toasty.