# She poses, he shoots, and...



## mirepoix (Feb 1, 2014)

...and you _still_ require fifteen characters?


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Beautiful girl! Is that your missus?

Great photo too...


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## mirepoix (Feb 1, 2014)

Kieran;bt3012 said:


> Beautiful girl! Is that your missus?
> 
> Great photo too...


Yes, she is.
Thanks for the kind words, they're appreciated.
However it would have been a better shot if I'd put catchlights in her eyes.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

What would that do? Brighten them?

Do you only do black and white? And digital? Or are you old skoool, and use rolls of film?


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## mirepoix (Feb 1, 2014)

Kieran;bt3014 said:


> What would that do? Brighten them?
> 
> Do you only do black and white? And digital? Or are you old skoool, and use rolls of film?


Yes, adding them would add a little life and sparkle.

For my paid work it's 100℅ digital nowadays. Outside of work I almost exclusively shoot film - and since the demise of Kodachrome it's usually black and white.

e: so, do you take photos?


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

I love taking photos but not at your level, ie, professionally and with a good camera and a knowledge for what you're doing. I'm often interested by how photographers achieve light in a shot, sometimes gossamer thin air particles visible almost, with light piercing through. I read a book on Martin Scorsese recently and he said he has this problem when filming - how to light the scene. He said he admired a scene in a Spielberg movie that was well-lit and he spoke to Spielberg about it and was told that it was the kind of thing Spielberg grew up seeing as a kid, in rural America.

So Scorsese's conclusion was that being exposed to these things in life helped develop a better eye for them. Or something like that. It was interesting to me, because he also spoke about old black and white films, and how they were expertly lit - and now you say about taking black and white shots with film. The lighting has to be an issue and a skill of it, I suppose.

:tiphat:


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## mirepoix (Feb 1, 2014)

Sure, being exposed to that sort of thing is going to be an influence - sometimes one you're aware of and can then cultivate and employ, but at other times almost unconscious and something that can even form the basis for your work. Either way, it's all good.

There are many reasons for shooting black and white. One would be that by removing colour you can almost force the issue about what people see. For example, you view a street scene. Maybe it's full of colour or perhaps there are a variety of textures - but you don't want those to dominate. Example: here's one with geometric shapes; I was standing outside the studio on a break. I had a work camera with me (always carry some sort of camera) and noticed across the road an arch, and through the arch how the light and shadows were creating shapes - squares, semi circles, and triangles. Then I noticed some dude walking along and realised I had literally one or two seconds to lift the camera, focus, and release the shutter just as that point of light on the left was aiming right at his head. Not a great photo, but it illustrates how black and white can be used to drive home certain aspects of a shot.

http://www.talkclassical.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46762&d=1405612357

Anyway, what type of camera do you have? Is it a dedicated camera or a phone camera or...? No matter, it's good to carry with you. Any subject(s) in particular you like to photograph?


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

That's a fabulous photo. Lines and arches, it doesn't really need colour, you're right.

I only have an old small Sanyo camera, a digital one, but with very few pixels. I'd like to purchase a huge goofy Canon some day, and get into it seriously. people tell me I have a good eye. I like to photograph empty seats, park benches, desolate chairs. I also like to take photos with my phone, directly into sunlight. White light shots with people like ghosts travelling through them, down the street. Things at tilted angles, though I'm aware of how corny and childish that is. 

Selfies too, of course.

Just kidding! :lol:


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## mirepoix (Feb 1, 2014)

Thanks. That's a photo of a print. In original there's more visible in the shadows and the textures have greater detail.

One of the best investments someone interested in photography can make is to buy a DSLR (or a film SLR) and one lens. That way you can being to learn about making an exposure.

Those are interesting subjects to shoot. And once you have an idea in your head then you're on the journey to make that shot happen. 

For what you're doing the number of megapixels doesn't matter. Just find the limits of your camera - explore any manual settings it might have - and see what options they offer. 

Selfies are cool! And they can be important in exploring how best to pose and light and expose a subject. Really, a digital exposure costs nothing compared to film. Your only investment is in time and patience.


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