Studio or Location Photoshoots? Which is better?

You are planning to have some professional portraits taken. These may be for acting/business headshots, a family photo, an engagement or graduation portrait. You know you want portraits. Now, you need to set out what kind of portraits. Knowing this in advance will make your conversations with prospective Glendale photographers a lot more fruitful. The more you can tell them about what you are looking for, the more accurate their estimate will be.

GLENDALE STUDIO PORTRAITS

Studio portraits offer some advantages. Let’s list some:

• Total world domination in terms of lighting

  Lighting is the name of the game in photography. It is what can make you look younger, older, thinner, heavier, more serious and more approachable. It creates a candid or dramatic mood. While light can be modified on location, it is not as controllable as in the studio. If lighting is the most critical thing for you to get a theatrical or artistic look, then studio may be where you want to start.

• Can take place day or night, rain or shine

  Here in southern california, we don’t have to worry about the weather too much. But if you need an acting headshot, or modeling digitals ASAP and it happens to be pouring outside, the photo studio is your best buddy for sure. Also, time of day does not matter. So if you don’t get off work untill 8 pm, you could have a session at 10 pm no problem. Of course, you can be outside for night photography too. That is always an option.

• Usually allows you to see images as they are taken

  In studio, most photographers shoot what we call “tethered” in the industry. This means you can see the image just taken at full size and with proper color 2 or 3 seconds after the shot. This allows clients to look and see exactly how they are doing and to make adjustments; a change in expression, fix a tie etc. This way, there is no surprise at the end of the session. “OMG my hair was like that the WHOLE time?” What looks fine to your photographer, may not be OK with you. Tethering solves that problem.

  Of course, on location, clients can look at the back of the camera’s LCD display after a shot. But you cannot see all of the images in an array, or in a way that is easy to compare quickly. Some photographers DO have a way to tether on location, so you should definitely ask that during your discovery call.

• Easier wardrobe changes

  You may not believe this, but some locations out there do NOT allow wardrobe changes. This is probably so that photographers get in and out quickly without a lot of to-do or getting in the way of the general public. It can be hard to enforce though, so even if “technically” there are no wardrobe changes, it may be possible to sneak one in, especially if you are OK quickly changing while another person holds up a towel. You can invest in a portable changing tent, but they are cumbersome, conspicuous and not that easy to drag around in certain private locations.

  Studio sessions, however, are a breeze for private wardrobe changes that are not rushed.

• No permit fees

  Here in Los Angeles and Glendale, there are not too many options for large gorgeous open spaces for portraits that are free. As in real estate, they key to location photography is, wait for it….Location Location Location. Los Angeles beaches do NOT require a permit, but such photo sessions may not be the look you want, and for many people, it is at least an hour away with traffic to get there. Then, once settled, you have a brief 30 minutes or so to get that lovely sunset. That may be worth it to you. And if it is, tell your photographer right away.

  If you are looking for greenery and flowers as your location, you will most likely have to pay anywhere from $100 to $1100 for a 2 hour photography permit. Probably the most popular such location is the LA Arboretum

There are many things to consider when planning your egagement, family or graduation photos. To start planning your session, contact me, Katie Katsenis, certified portrait photographer. Let’s talk and see if I am a good fit for your project.

How to Think About Steam Punk In Your Digital Art

Working With Steam Punk in Digital Art

I love Steam Punk as an artist. There is the versatility of some modern conveniences, yet you are constrained with what you can use in your imaginative art pieces. It is easier, in some ways, to create within boundaries. It steers your ideas along a cohesive path. However, there is room to “be you”. For example, Steam Punk colors tend to be subdued, but when I created this composition, I allowed color to take a more prominent role. How do I know when it is OK to bend the “rules” and when it’s not the best idea? When working on this piece called “Steam Punk Diva”, I thought about it using these techniques:

3 Tips to Help You Create Within Genres

Steal From The Masters. Seriously. If you think that you can do something truly original, think again. There is no such thing. It is best to just get that idea out of your head. In his book Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon forces you to accept this. Once you are free from this, and I do mean free, you will find that ideas come pouring in at you right and left.

In this piece, I stole the formal portrait look from Rembrandt as well as his lighting, half of her environment from Mad Max Films, and the other half from British TV series set in 19th Century London.

Collect Cool Stuff. When I set out to create a piece, I never just stare at a blank notebook page. There may be artists who can do this, but I have not met one. Nothing curbs creativity more than staring at emptiness. Ideas have to come from somewhere. Allow them to. Help them.

The best way to encourage ideas to billow forth is to have a collection of things you like. There is no reason to justify why you like them. As you grow as an artist, you may like to explore this question. But to get started, just collect things you like. I used Pinterest to make a few boards. Portraits, clothing, technology , Steam Punk and more are the subjects of my collections. It’s a lot of fun going around and gathering bits and pieces of interesting things that intrigue you.

Be A Problem Solver. Many artists become frustrated when their ideas do not emerge easily. I learned early on that every step along to way is a series of problems to be solved. Something not quite have the look you want? Try not to become exasperated. Instead, troubleshoot. Start with what is working for you. Then, go back to your collections of things you like and see if you can pinpoint a difference between those things and your work in progress.

Try fiddling with colors, composition etc. Sometimes, the model image you are using is great by itself, but not the best for a particular composition. Don’t be afraid to toss out major elements and start over.

Are you a Steam Punk fan? It is one of those things where you are really into it, or nah. I like the ideas and the visions I get when I look at artwork in this genre. I was inspired by steam punk in general, but also by elaborate indoor garden space.

Enjoy. What do you think of the iguana that has "escaped"?

How I Became A Child Portrait Photographer

How Did You Become A Fine Art Photographer?

There is one question virtually all my clients ask me. And for the last 5 years, I have avoided the real answer because I felt it would ruin the whole portrait experience.

But after 9 months of COVID-19, the time seems better to talk about it. So I am going to. This story is sad; that is my warning to you in advance. But it is the reason I am here making the fine art photos I do. And it is the reason I focus so much on Mother-Child legacy images.

I taught special education for Los Angeles Unified for many years. MOST of that time, my students were what they used to call “learning disabled”. This meant that health wise, they were basically fine. But when it came to learning, life was a lot harder for them than their peers. There were years when I was a travelling teacher; when I did not have my own classroom, but instead moved from class to class to offer support. Some years, I had my own classroom and my students were with me virtually all day. Most would have special services like speech therapy or counseling for 20 minutes here and there. But for the most part, we were all together.

Reggie: Teacher’s Pet

I think any classroom teacher will admit to you that teachers have favorites. It is hard to avoid.; 6 hours a day together for 180 days, you get to know one another well. And while we are trained to NOT show favoritism, in our hearts, we have students we connect deeply with.

Reggie was that student for me. He was a fourth grader, aged 10. He had a a smile that would have taken him far in life. He was one of those kids, I don’t know, he just “had it”; personality, ability, charm, smarts, humor, good looks, insight. And although learning to read was not his strong suit, he had so many other assets, I think he would have been a very successful man.

One exchange I remember vividly happened in the classroom. He came up to my desk, out of the blue and asked, “Teacher, how old are you”?

In those days, I tended to just answer my students’ questions. Not because it was right or wrong but because it was easier than resisting. I was annoyed, and it showed as I looked back at him,

“40”, I replied.

Then Reggie flashed that huge contagious smile and quipped, “You mean like a 40 Year Old Virgin”?” (For those of you who don’t know, that was relatively recent film at the time).

All at once a roar of laughter exploded and hush came over the class of other students ooohing and awing wondering if Reggie was “in trouble”. All I could do is laugh. Because, it was funny, hilarious even. I don’t know if he actually knew my age in advance. He could easily have because he paid attention and listened to things around him. Reggie had set the whole thing up perfectly, like a professional set up guy on stage.

When a teacher admits to a kid that what he did was funny even at her own expense, a bond is formed. There is an understanding, a respect between teacher and student that is rare. Even with 10 year olds. Reggie could be very difficult to manage in class. I won’t deny that. But in spite of that, there was an understanding between us. He was my favorite; teacher’s pet.

Grief And Artistic Motivation

As is obvious to you now, I liked Reggie. No question he was that ONE special kid that year.

A couple of weeks after the “virgin” incident, Reggie collapsed on the playground and died. Just like that. Gone. I was one of those special ed teachers who spent most breaks on the playground with my students just to put out fires, and prevent situations from happening. But on that disastrous day, I was in the teacher’s lounge.

I ran out to the yard against orders from my principal and stood as close to Reggie as I could without interfering with the paramedics. It broke my heart that he was so ill, maybe dying, among strangers and that no one he knew was nearby. I called to him to let him know I was near as the medics worked on him. Of course, I’ll never know it it made a difference for him. But it did so for me.

Healing From Loss

When a child dies, it is tough to recover. After Reggie, things changed for me. I never got over it and I was never the same. I ended up leaving the profession a couple of years later. It was then that photography became a priority for me. Kids are my focus because they are amazing creatures. And I have to admit that I see a little bit of Reggie in almost all my clients. It’s also very clear to me that tomorrow is not promised. Any of us could go at anytime. So portraits matter. I care a lot that moms have portraits with their kids (Dads too, of course), but especially moms.

I can’t urge you enough, get those images you want now. You are not too fat or too old. Your hair is just fine. Your clothes are fine. Make time. Put the cost on a credit card if you have to. No excuse is important enough, because….you never know. You may not all be together next time.