Full Day Workshop - Indoor shoot

You may have seen my last post about the behind the scenes from my portrait photography workshop last Sunday. I thought I would share a few images from the indoor practice shoot. It was only a short session to put some of the theory into action, and then we had lunch to discuss all the techniques plus any questions. Sadly, I did not take too many photos as there was not a huge amount of space in my bedroom where we did the session, but here are a few of my faves.



I was torn between these two versions of the same image - I love the apple in the foreground that is blurred (we were talking about depth of field), but am not a fan of how it clashes with the flower in her hair so think perhaps the one below works better. But then I lose the amazing colour of her eyes so thought I would post both.





We asked Maya to change into one of my pettiskirts which are always great fun to shoot.









Maya was such a wonderful model. She was so good with all my directions and I loved her expressions as she watched eight cameras all facing towards her clicking away. It must have been quite an odd experience for a four year old, but we couldn't have been more lucky, both in terms of her beauty and behaviour. Thank you Maya for coming and being a part of such a successful day.

Full Day Workshop - behind the scenes

So last Sunday I hosted my first ever portrait photography workshop. I was so terrified, but in retrospect, I am so glad I did it. For years, people have been asking if I do workshops and I have to say, the idea always seemed absurd considering I have never even been to one myself. But a good client asked me once more before Christmas, saying it was the only gift his wife wanted, and so after some persuading, I decided to go for it. And once the date was in the diary, there was no turning back. And although I didn't sleep for a few weeks leading up to the workshop, I have to say, I was blown away by how inspired and inspiring all the people were who joined. They all made it so easy to talk about what I love to do, and of course I don't think I am all that, but just sharing the tid bits I have learned over the years with people who just want to take better shots of their loved ones what truly worth while.



We started the morning with tea and biscuits, and some getting to know each other time before I started my slide show presentation. I chose to keep the setting intimate and used all my mad antiques for everyone to sit on rather than bring in formal chairs. I felt it set the tone for the day.



Before lunch, we had a practice indoor session with Maya who was just the most amazing model. She was so patient and did whatever I asked, and her expressions were such a mixture of intelligence, curiosity and knowingness all rolled into one that she was the ideal subject.





Next up was lunch, but as you can see by the stark little floral arrangment on the table, Oslo and Indigo were not very successful on their adventure out to find decorations for the table. The winds have been slamming us straight on for about 4 months now and aside from my mind rattling around in my head from the constant howling outdoors, the plants haven't fared too well either. But Oslo insisted on putting his "bouquet" in a vase and so the table had some wind burned daisies as its centre piece. I am all about charm don't you know.



When everyone told me they were just expecting a couple sandwiches, I was thrilled at their surprise with the full spread of goodies. We barely made a dent in the food so now I know for future, but this was my first one so there was bound to be a learning curve, and I am ever so grateful that we didn't run out of things to eat, for that is a learning curve I am happy to have done without.







Since we have had such a strange winter so far, with most of my shoots being cancelled due to the bad weather, I was utterly terrified to see what storms may roll in that day. Although it was not a perfect day for photography, we were blessed with patches of glorious shooting light. There were bursts of sunshine interspersed with large heavy clouds throughout our outdoor session which made it tricky for the poor students who were ambitiously trying to shoot in full manual mode for the first time. The changing light conditions made it nearly impossible for them to get perfect in camera exposures, but also for me to find the ideal set up spot for our models. Nevertheless, we were lucky to be outdoors and learning in all sorts of conditions so everyone was able to practice in more different scenarios than they had bargained for I am sure.



Our next three models were sisters, and they were simply astounding. I was concerned that I had only booked children for the practical parts of the workshop, for there is a saying about never working with children or animals. I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly impressed by their attentiveness and patience while I bossed them around to look here, look there, move this, hold that. Not only do they look like angels but they played the part perfectly too.



This image above is of Pam, who was already very experienced in using her camera. I just thought I would share a lovely note she sent a few days after the workshop:

"Sacha,

I can't thank you enough for your excellent workshop on Sunday. I am a passionate macro flower photographer and love landscapes and nature photography also. I have avoided portrait photography at all costs because I just have never felt comfortable with it. I must say, I am feeling very different about that now. I loved your suggestion of getting that lens. I have focused on animals but never on a person in that way. I have made my daughter and husband sit with me and look at all my images from Sunday. That was before any processing. They loved them. Your tips on processing were great. I never thought about some of the things you mentioned before. The information you shared on lighting and composition were very helpful. I can't wait for my granddaughters to become a little less fidgety so I can practice on them. On Monday, I found myself telling them to look at me and smile and then I remembered what you said and stopped immediately. Of course, the food was delicious, both the lunch and the tea time. Your models were the best. I can't stop looking at my images of Maya in your room. Just beautiful! And, of course, Skye, Alice and Florence were exquisite. The clothes, the hair, the props and their gorgeousness were all superb. I thought the shot of the 3 of them lying on the ground was going to be hokey but I must say the images are wonderful. Very surreal and serene. Again, thank you for all the time you put into planning the workshop and for your presentations and hands on image making. It was the best. I will look forward to hearing about your advanced workshops.

Thanks again,

Pam"



Lana, my lovely assistant, was a star all day. She was my pillar of strength and I could not have pulled it off without her. From helping change the slides in my presentation, to holding the reflector (first time using it for me too!), to taking care of all the props once we were done, she was just my saving grace, and for her constant support, I am inexplicably thankful.



I didn't shoot the way I usually do that day - in fact I didn't shoot much at all, and sadly, I didn't control the scene as much as usual either for I wanted to focus on teaching and sharing. Yet somehow, it all was just dreamy and I am thrilled with the results, not just my own images, but even more, with what everyone else was showing me on their LCD screens too. I can't wait to see the final photos as they come in from the students.



So thank you to everyone who made the day possible, and to my wonderful students for believing in me enough to sign up, show up, and for inspiring me with your passion. I can't wait to do the next workshop in a few weeks as well as the other ones in the future. For now, stay tuned to see some shots from the actual shoots themselves later this week!

Jill and Mark's Collection

Jill and Mark were married at Elbow Beach last summer. Theirs was a dream destination wedding which was nearly rained out, but cleared just in time for the pair to say their vows before family and friends on the beach, and blessed us with striking skies against which to make some magic.



Both the couple and Kerry, the talented album designer at Ever After, have been very patiently waiting for me to come up for air long enough to really take the time to get into the creative zone to make a Collection. I can't wait to see the finished album and hope the wait was worth it! Hopefully Kerry will send me some digital images of some pages of their album that I can share on the blog.

Hands of the Future

This week's theme at i heart faces is titled "Hands on Fun" so I knew I had the perfect image, especially since this week, they made an exception and you did not have to include a face.

This image was shot at my son, Oslo's birthday party. We planted a Bermuda Cedar tree, the island's endemic and national tree, in honour of his 5th birthday. Instead of giving plastic party bags filled with treats that are bad for the kids' tummies and teeth, and plastic trinkets that will end up in the Pacific, we gave the children their own cedar trees to take home to plant in their gardens. Check out this post to read the story about the generous contribution of all those cedars.



Before putting the cedar in the ground, I did a little speech about why we were planting these trees. I was a bit worried that the children would find it tedious with poor Oslo's crazy hippie mum banging on about the environment again, but it was quite the opposite.

The children were all so excited to be a part of this practical way to make a difference to climate change that they all tumbled to their knees and patted down the earth around the baby tree. It was a bit tricky capturing the moment as there were so many kids snuggled next to each other lovingly pressing down the soil, but I actually think that their blurred arms and hair in the foreground adds to the emotion of the image.

And the best bit about blogging about the tree planting and "party trees" was that a wonderful organisation, Plant for the Planet, has since contacted me and asked me to be a representative in Bermuda for working towards their goal of 1 million trees planted in each country, though Bermuda may be a bit small for that sort of number. The organisation is a student initiative where children fight against climate change and for climate justice. I am really looking forward to getting involved somehow and sharing the tree love. Please check out their site as well to see how you can get involved in your community.

And before that, don't forget to head over to the i heart faces blog to see the other lovely entries and perhaps share some hands of your own.

Workshop Mania

I am in the throes of finishing all my preparations for the full day workshop on Sunday. I can't believe how much is involved but I am so excited about it, I could burst. The computer guy came and hooked up my computer to the projector so it all looks very professional. Have some adorable models lined up at some fabulous locations. And before that, lots and lots of tips on how to make delicious images that you will love love love. Not to mention good eats too.

I have just had one client who sadly now cannot make this weekend, so if anyone is around this Sunday and would like to sneak in last minute, there is space! Just drop me an email and I can send you the details.

Really looking forward to getting back on track. Christine, our heavenly nanny, is back at long last, the computers are fixed, and the results from my first workshop will be posted next I hope!

Stay tuned,

xx

ps - and because I love love photos, here is a photo of the cats, Bear and Noodle, before the pup joined our family - such peaceful memories and how they will miss them.



pps - puppy has a name at last, but don't want to blog about him until have some lovely photos so when things calm down, will shoot lots of him all loved up with the kids (and I mean the hairless ones - not Bear and Noodle!)

Dance like nobody is watching...

That is what children do. I adore that about them and wish it could stay with all of us when we grow up, and for those who never lose their inhibitions, I am envious. I love to dance, and I love how music moves us to get up and dance. It is an amazing human trait.

I heart faces' challenge this week is "I Wanna Dance". I adore this image of Meghan. Her sweet expression and that amazing movement of her dress is beautiful, not to mention, her parents looking on in the back ground is so tender. Watching your child get lost in a moment is as much a part of parenthood as carefree dancing is a part of childhood.



This little girl was such a joy to shoot - she just beamed at me from the moment we met and was full of glee. I think this image captures all of her zest for life, especially when given the chance to dance.

Please head over to i heart faces to see what other images have been submitted this week or better yet, enter a dancing shot of your own - it is a fun community for all photographic levels to enjoy.

A Valentine's Wish

May you be filled with happiness, love and lots of kisses (chocolate or otherwise).

Happy Valentine's Day...



... and here is a sneak peek from a divine engagement session I did this morning. Couldn't do a session on 14th February without including my favourite shape in the world.

xx