What does a woman look for when she photographs a woman?

What does a man look for when he photographs a woman?

I believe women and men see different things when they look at a woman. I believe that men and women seek different things as well. Would a man take this photo?

I believe he wouldn’t.

One thing I do believe – women are much more fascinating as an object for photography, than men.

What do you think?

Photography by Bettina Rheims

I´m unfortunately not a student anymore, but two weeks ago I got the opportunity to attend Photocamp in Oslo and hear Bjørn Opsahl and Per Fronth talk about their work. Two very different artists with two different approaches. After listening to their stories for three hours there was one story that stuck on my mind, and the story goes like this:

“What inspires me is this. I have made a master collection of my own photographs, which consists of a few photographs older than three years. They all have to harmonize with my favorite song. I believe that if you can´t inspire yourself, you should quit!”

What would be your master collection?

You have been to several concerts? Taking photos of the artist/band with your cellphone or a small camera? When you show them to a friend, the photos doesn´t show what is was like, right?

To photograph a concert can be a challenge.

Here are some tips for you to consider when you´re on location:

1. The closer you get, the better.

A close-up images is much more interesting than a total. When you´re at a small concert hall, get as close as you can.

If you´re at a big concert hall, then getting closer can be hard. So if you know that the hall is big, then investing in a good lens with a focal lenght about 200mm can help you take those outstanding photos you want.

2. Try a different angle

Everybody tend to stand in the front of the scene. Maybe the sound is best in the front, but to get the best images you should try shooting from the side.

One very good tip: When you have captured the photos you wanted, send them to the artist and let them use them any way they want, giving you credits. You never know which opportunities this will lead to.

Good luck!!

(Theese are a images of Solar Temple from Norway, at “Gamla” concert hall.)

There is always a bus. But the image could be gone tomorrow. So i decided to let my fingers go bananas and captured the image. Now I share it with you.

If you know the artist, please let me know.

Do you hear the blue sky?

Do you smell the sounds?

Do you see the air?

It´s just early morning

- What kind of camera do you have?

- Are you a photographer?

- What are you photographing?

- Can you take my picture?

People are curious. I believe a photographer is a bit more curious than an average person – you are after all a scientist when it comes to capturing a moment. You look for the prefect image;  sometimes it’s a thing, sometimes it’s a person and sometimes even both. When you travel, maybe not far away at all, the bonus track in shooting a photography is when you meet new people and they let you capture a piece of their lives.

I met this boy and his father in an island in Oslofjorden.

They were making a dragon out of newspaper, glue and thread.

The book contains portraits of women. Only women. From famous to unknown ones. From young to old. Fully dressed to nude. From close-up to wide. But all of them, beautiful.

The six images of the showgirls are my favorites. The contrast between the two lives they live hits me like a punch and I think of the many times I have judged someone because of his/her appearance.

What makes these portraits so interesting is that they show you a glimpse of many different lives, and at the same time they tell you who they are as humans. If a photo can capture the time before and after it has been shot, then it has fulfilled its task. Maybe that’s what Annie has managed.

There is a text in the book written by Susan Sontag: “One of the tasks of photography is to disclose, and shape our sense of, the variety of the world. It is not to present ideals.”

Biography

Images

Then you’re up for some new tips, I guess. This time I will give you an explanation on what have happened if you tried to do the task I gave you in part one.

The direction of the light, time of day and the color of the light will always have a huge impact on the mood in your photographs. To find that mood can be a bit of a challenge.

The direction and time of day

During morning and evening, the shadows will be longer than during midday. The light will be softer, and if you take a photo where you shoot the sky and the ground in the same frame, an average exposure will give you shades in the highlights and shadows.

As for during midday the light is hard, you have more contrast.  If you dont’ want to use the HDR-effect, you will loose some shades either in the light or in the shadow. Depends on what you want to focus on. Look at the example below. I have shot a photo through a window in a room which is quite dark. It’s a bright light outside and the sky is white several places. I had to compromise with the light.

The color of the light

The light contains all the color you can imagine and more. What you need to know is when you can get the color YOU WANT for your images to have the right mood. Inside a studio, you are “God”. Outside, you’re not.

During midday the color of light is about 5500K and contains an equal amount of red, blue and green color. Which we also refer to as White Light. You may loose a bit colorsaturation.

During morning and evening the color of the light is about 5000 K, and contains 7% more red than blue. That off course depends on the scattering of light. Generally the light is a bit warmer – contains more of the red and yellow shades.

This image I waited for 3 hours. It was worth it!

I tried to find an article or post about color of the light. Not much to find. Maybe I should write one myself. If you know of a good post or article on the net, please leave a comment.

Have a great sunny weekend!

It’s interesting when you manage to make objects look “alive” just by using light and shadow. When I first saw theese bags I thought: “What an interesting pattern”. But when I opened them on my computer, my first reaction was that they looked like Guanatanamo Bay prison.

To me the bags symbolize how theese prisoners are being treated.  The shadow of the three is like a monster you can’t escape.

But…

To photograph on a sunny day can be a challenge. The sunlight is very hard during midday. Luckily, I have some different tips for you to try.

1. Try to find a place where there is some shadow. Next to a three or under a small bridge can be perfect
2. Sun from behind or from the side of your object is usually very nice
3. Counterlight is something you can use as an effect, if you know how to use it
4. Flash is also an option to use, especially if you have an external flash

I have a task for you to try:

Call a good friend. Tell him/her that you are doing a photoreaserch. Bring your camera and try out at least two of these tips.

Share your photos with me and on other places on the net like facebook and flickr.

Will be continued in part two…