Having A Great Week At My Master Class

Good Morning Everybody,

I wanted to postpone this week's Business Day Thursday because I wanted to continue to give you a wrap-up of this week's Master Class.

This year is the first time we tried something completely different when it came to our models. On Tuesday we had our models dressed up as brides and grooms. I think everyone looks forward to the shoot down at beautiful Mother of God Church and we all certainly captured some great images.

This year we changed it up a bit though.  On the second day of the shoot, yesterday, I decided to have our models dressed more as fashion models instead of brides and grooms. This gave me and the entire class a great opportunity to capture a series of portfolio images that was completely different and unique.

For most of yesterday's shooting we headed over to Ault Park, a very popular venue in Cincinnati, Ohio for photographers in the area. It offers a wide variety of backgrounds locations for just about any kind of photography you want.

The models came dressed in a wonderful array of stylish outfits. We began our time over at Ault Park with our class photo. Jesica Bruzzi from B&H Photo and Video, was on hand for a few days  and offered to take our group photograph.

I quickly set up the group, Jesica called for everyone's attention, and great smiles and the group photo was completed. But then everything went south. Everyone loved the look of our models and immediately began photographing each one of them.

OK, we did set it up, but this image certainly makes for a different kind of group photograph that I think it's kind of fun. We all had a great time photographing in the park and I think we all got some really, really terrific images.

As one of the coaches for each of our four groups, I began my photography shooting up by the pavilion area. The park was set up with some awnings for this week’s weddings which means we had the additional challenge of shooting around the structures to get our images. The fact of the matter is that these awnings provided a very, very soft light and allowed me to get some great images in that location.

Next, I moved onto our second group and worked with them in one of my favorite parts of the park. The colors were just starting to change and the fall foliage was looking beautiful. Student attendee, Elizabeth’s  location showcased these beautiful fall colors in the background.

I asked Christie to step in, she struck a great pose, we added the off-camera flash – my quantum shooting through the Zumbrella – and WOW!! – a terrific image of Christie.

For me, it's always about balancing the ambient light with the flash exposure. I think this image offers a wonderful palette of colors, a beautiful subject, all resulting in a terrific, easy portrait of Christie.

My next stop was over to the fountain area. Again, a very popular place to shoot in Ault Park. Laurel, our model, was dressed in this very hot, tight, spandex miniskirt. Laurel has a great look! Her big, beautiful eyes, captivated everyone.  Her expression along with her hot, little miniskirt and the fountain location allowed everyone to capture some great photographs.

What I sensed about this year's class experience was that everyone absolutely loved our fashion shoot. You know, for me it's all about the light. It doesn't really make any difference who, where or why you’re pointing our cameras – brides and grooms, high school seniors, fashion models, whoever.  It's always about putting a direction of light on your subject -  putting a highlight next to a shadow in order to create detail, depth, dimension, and enhanced color saturation all of which adds richness and depth to any photograph.

I think the class got a real kick out of photographing our models too. You could see their excitement as they continued working with each of our models. As we took the bus ride back to the hotel about eight o'clock last evening, everyone was talking about what a great day it was. In this morning’s session we’ll review everyone images.  I can't wait to see what they've got and hear their reactions.

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On that note gang, I better get moving. Class starts in just about an hour and today being the second last day of class, we’ve got a lot of things to wrap up before we head out on the next leg of our travel adventures tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.

Check back  tomorrow, and I'll have my final thoughts on this week's Master Class and maybe a few more images too. So far it's been a great experience for everyone, especially me, and I can't wait to do it again. Spring Master Class – April 16 -20

Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you bright and early again tomorrow.

Till then, David