Autumn Is In the Air! So Are Discounts

It seems there's more in the air than Autumn. (Fall, if you prefer.) What is that you might ask?

Discounts! That's what.

Ashley Karyl is offering his terrific ebook, "How to Photograph Nudes Like a Professional," at 25% off when purchasers use discount code PGSNUDES at checkout. (This comes right on the heels of my discount offer for "Guerrilla Glamour," detailed in my most recent update.)

Karyl's book ( 23 chapters and over 325 pages) is a thorough and comprehensive text covering most everything and anything you ever wanted to know about nude photography. Okay. I'm sure some of you could come up with questions not covered in Ashley's book. Even so, it's a terrific ebook on the subject, well-researched and filled with tons of great info and proven techniques and approaches for successfully photographing models in the nude, whether it's glamour, beauty, or fine art nude.

A veteran, professional, U.K. photographer, Karyl calls on his many years in the jungles of pro pretty-girl-shooting to provide plenty of insight and "how-to" info. If you're serious at all about photographing nudes and you hope to do so in ways that produce professional-quality work, Ashley Karyl's "How to Photograph Nudes Like a Professional" is a book for you!

Act now and you can purchase and download this incredibly informative book at 25% off the regular price using the discount code PGSNUDES at checkout. (The discount will be automatically applied to the purchase price.)

BTW, my 30% discount for "Guerrilla Glamour" continues till Oct. 3. Many have already taken advantage of this sale. You can too! Purchase "Guerrilla Glamour" now, till Oct. 3, using discount code WP92610 at checkout and instantly receive 30% off the already low purchase price of $9.95.

And be on the lookout for my new ebook, "Guerrilla Headshots," coming soon. Very soon!

Sorry if I'm sounding like a commercial. Just making sure anyone interested in purchasing either of these ebooks doesn't miss out on the great savings currently offered.

The pretty girl at the top is Sunny. I got a little tricky in post with the image. Something I don't often do. Thought the Fall color in the background works nicely for an update that mentions Autumn in the title.

30% Discount on "Guerrilla Glamour" eBook!

For the Women of Perfection model showcase yesterday, discount coupons for my ebook were distributed to all attendees at the door. This morning, I woke up and thought, "Why not offer the discount to everyone?"

Yeah. Why not?

So, I am.

From now, till October 3, 2010, you can purchase and download "Guerrilla Glamour" for 30% off the regular price of $9.95.

To the many who have already purchased the ebook, thank you for your support! And thanks also for the many positive emails and comments about it on forums and elsewhere!

To take advantage of this limited time offer, go to the Guerrilla Glamour website and click the "Add to Cart" button. On the order page, simply enter discount code WP92610 and 30% will be automatically deducted from your purchase price.

By the way, my 2nd ebook (as of now, I'm calling it "Guerrilla Headshots") will soon be available. Hopefully, I'll be finishing it and releasing it within the next two weeks.

Head shot photography, while rarely featured on this blog, is another photography genre I've worked at for quite some time-- Since about 1980, in fact!

Back in the 80s, I shot hundreds of headshots for actors and actresses and more. To this day, I still shoot headshots as part of my photo-repertoire. While I often still shoot headshots for performers, business people and others have become a big part of that work. As I wrote about with glamour photography as my topic, this new ebook is also filled with tips, advice, suggestions, and "How To" techniques for capturing headshots that, to put it bluntly, don't suck! My new ebook takes the same "Keep it simple" and "How to avoid multiplying difficulty beyond necessity" approach to the genre of headshot photography.

Headshots, whether they're for performers, business people, or, more recently, people simply looking for killer images to use with social media or online dating profiles, can and should be bread-and-butter work for many photographers, pro or not, looking to earn some extra cash with their photography.

Don't wait! You've got till October 3 to purchase "Guerrilla Glamour" at 30% off by simply entering discount code WP92610 on the Guerrilla Glamour order page. The 30% will be automatically deducted from your purchase price.

While you're at it, why not use your savings on "Guerrilla Glamour" to offset the purchase of Ashley Karyl's terrific ebook, "How to Photograph Nudes Like a Professional, " or any of Ed Verosky's popular ebooks: "10 Ways to Improve Your Boudoir Photography Now," or "25 Amazing Boudoir Photography Techniques," or his most popular ebook: "100% Reliable Flash Photography."

The beautiful one at the top of this update is one of my favorite models to work with: The Goddess of Glam and Playboy, Penthouse, FHM covergirl and more, Ms. Tera Patrick.

Women of Perfection Model Showcase

Tomorrow, Sunday, 9-26-10, I'll be attending the Women of Perfection model showcase at the Holiday Inn, in Torrance, CA.

The fun starts at Noon and runs till 5:00 P.M. This is Women of Perfection's 37th model showcase event! For more info, click the link above.

Not only will I be there, happily eyeballing a slew of hot models, I'll be leading a 2-hr shooting workshop beginning at 2:45 PM. The gorgeous babe scheduled as my workshop's victim, I mean model, is CJ Perry. That's her in the image. No, I didn't snap the pic. I've never met or worked with CJ before. The pic is one from her Model Mayhem profile. It's a hot shot! Unfortunately, there's no copyright info on the photo or a photographer attribution for this image. Whoever shot it did a great job! If you want to view more photos of CJ, you can find her by going to Model Mayhem, logging in, and using MM# 310114 to see her profile.

So here's the deal: If you're looking for something fun to do tomorrow and you're somewhere in the Southern California area, I think you'll enjoy attending this Women of Perfection event! Plenty of hot models and a workshop too! Bring along a camera whether you plan to attend the workshop or not. Click the link for details.

Be Prepared (Part 4)

Some of you have asked about the thought processes I might engage in prior to a shoot. As I've mentioned -- I don't know how many times -- much of my work involves showing up (which some say is 80% of any job) and quickly figuring out how to proceed. Admittedly, there have also been times (unfortunately, way fewer times) when I've had the luxury of pre-planning a shoot. But that doesn't often happen.

I was going to sit down and write about this as a way of concluding these posts on being prepared when, as luck would have it, I came across an update on Zack Arias's blog that includes a video by photographer, David E. Jackson, where he describes the thought processes that went into a recent commercial editorial shoot he skippered.

As I've also mentioned (once again, "I don't know how many times") I'm kind of lazy. In the spirit of that laziness it occurred to me that I might not need to spend much time writing about this subject as someone else has already talked about it and recorded it and probably communicated it better than I might do with words alone.

Besides watching and listening to D.E. Jackson's insightful video, some of you might pay special attention to Zarias's words in his written introduction. Specifically, "As you are starting on your photographic journey many of your questions will be dealing with cameras and lenses and their settings. What lights were used and with what modifiers. What Photoshop actions were used. Etc. Then the day will come when cameras, lenses, lights and all of their settings don’t mean a damn thing to you any more."

Actually, it's not that they "don't mean a damn thing." They do, of course. But they take a backseat to things that are more important.

You see, once you're passed all that. Once things like gear becomes, in your mind, little more than the tools they are... once your ability to use those tools becomes almost second-nature and semi-automatic, you will be free to focus on the stuff that really matters when creating images. In glamour photography, that "stuff" is most-often embodied by the model.

To go to ZA's blog and view Jackson's video, CLICK HERE.

The gratuitous eye-candy at the top is Kayla. She's posed in front of a non-descript stucco wall. It wasn't my first choice for a background but that's where the client wanted me to shoot. Who am I to argue with the man writing the check? 5' Octo for the main plus a kicker, camera left, modified with a small shoot-thru umbrella, all mixed with ambient daylight and shot mid-day.

Is "Better" Better?

My local newspaper ran a front-page story this weekend about a 20-year-old local resident who shot himself in the head with a very small, toy-like pistol. He's in critical condition. I wish him a complete recovery.

The man is an employee of the local Goodwill store. According the paper, he was in the "lock-up" room of the store: a room where donated items that might be dangerous or, I'm guessing, of substantial value are locked away.

Police aren't sure if the man attempted suicide or it was an accidental shooting. At this point, they're also not sure if the gun, which they describe as a miniature, "toy-like," weapon, was a donation or the man brought it into the store with him.

According to a Goodwill spokesperson, items such as handguns are sometimes found in the boxes and plastic bags that are dropped off as donations. Usually, the spokesperson said, items such as these are believed to be accidentally included with other donations. When items such as guns are discovered amongst donations, local law enforcement is called and they pick up the item and do whatever they do with it.

Which brings me to photography. (Great segue... not.)

Just like a miniature, "toy-like" handgun can still kill or nearly kill, a camera (miniature, "toy-like" or otherwise amateur-ish) can still take killer pictures.

I'm not suggesting everyone go out and purchase a "toy-like" camera to pursue photography. I am suggesting that the latest, most expensive, professional cameras are not absolutely required for snapping great images.

The man in the story above is in critical condition. I'm not making light of his condition. I feel very bad for what happened to him. Still, the analogy to photography, make that cameras -- sad and tragic as it is -- is obvious. Whether he shot himself with a miniature, "toy-like" handgun or something more weighty and (seemingly) more lethal is moot. The fact remains that he lies in a hospital bed, in critical condition, from his injuries.

Photography is so much more than gear. In my ebook, Guerrilla Glamour, I wrote, "You can have the best gear that money can buy and still shoot photos that suck."

Gear is important. The "right" gear, that is.

The Big Two regularly release new versions of their cameras. Certainly, each released version has exciting new bells and whistles and capabilities to play with. But are all those new functions and abilities requisites for taking better pictures?

I suppose that depends on how you define "better."

If your definition of "better" means photos with more pixels and higher resolutions, less noise at high ISOs and more, then I suppose these new products are better.

If your definition of "better" means new cameras which automatically capture more engaging photos, images that touch viewers in "better" ways, more evocative ways, well, in my opinion, these new products are not better. They are merely the same in that, fundamentally, they all do the same thing: They all are capable of capturing images, both good and not so good.

Sure, different varieties of cameras (and accessories) make sense for some genres of photography over others. If I were a sports photographer, I'd certainly choose a camera with high ISO capability, a big buffer, quicker processing, suitable resolution, and more. I'd also want optically terrific, fast, long lenses that are incredibly precise and reliable when it comes to auto-focusing. Yeah, I'd certainly choose a camera like that over a Holga for shooting sports.

Still, there are people wielding Holga cameras, perhaps not shooting sports, who capture incredible and memorable images with their Holgas.

More from my ebook: "While one person might be shooting with the latest-and-greatest and the next is shooting with more commonly-seen gear, guess what? The one with the ordinary equipment is, often enough, just as likely to capture photos as good or better than the gear-head with all the really neat and expensive photo-toys."

Please send your prayers, well-wishes, positive vibes, whatever is your way, to the young man lying in the hospital as a result of the terrible tragedy that happened to him.

The eye-candy at the top is Jayme shot in an empty, tile-walled room in an abandoned hospital in Los Angeles.

Be Prepared (Parte Tre)

The first two parts of this "Be Prepared" stuff focused on gear, including one's brain-- your brain being a piece of gear that should always be with you when shooting. (It should probably always be with you whatever you're doing.)

This time out, I thought I'd babble on a bit about some intangible (perhaps nebulous?) things like shooting with your client's shoes on -- allegorically, of course -- and having passion for what you're doing.

I've rarely, if ever, met a serious photographer who wasn't passionate about his or her work. By "serious photographer" I mean someone who thinks of (and pursues) photography in ways beyond merely using a camera to capture an image of a moment in time simply for the sake of having a photographic remembrance of that image or moment. Generally, that form of photography is called a snapshot.

Serious photographers are usually searching for more evocative and creatively unique ways -- be it with tools, uncommon perspectives, or artistic visions -- of that which lies visually before them. What lies before a photographer could be a beautiful model, a still-life object, an engaging landscape or street scene. It really doesn't matter. What matters is each photographer's point-of-view of the subject and how that point-of-view will be recorded on film or sensor.

Passion is most always a requirement of being prepared. Without passion for what you're doing, you will be less prepared because you care less about the results. When you care more, you automatically work harder to always be prepared.

Sometimes, passion (that is, your personal passion) needs to take a back seat or a second seat to the expectations of someone else. That someone else is called a client. There are many types of clients. Some of them pay you money for your work. Some of them pay you with gratitude or in other ways. Regardless, clients have expectations and those expectations sometimes require you to step into their shoes and shoot in ways that might be contrary to your personal style: That style you're most passionate about and the style you've carefully honed and developed (or hope to develop) as a result of your passion for photography.

It's not always easy to temporarily forgo one's personal style for doing something (in ways that are true to one's photographic passion) in order to help someone else realize their expectations. I've found the best way to do so is to understand what you're client is passionate about and to do all you can (with as much passion as you can) to help your client fulfill their expectations.

If a client wants me to photograph a model in a certain way because the client believes that way is the best way for them to achieve the results they're looking for, then I'm not only going to work hard to achieve those results, I'm going to do so with as much enthusiasm and passion as I can muster.

Clients, by the way, sense and appreciate things like enthusiasm and passion. When they sense those things, coupled with your ability to achieve their expectations, they're more likely to want to remain your clients.

In my world, the Number One thing my clients are passionate about is money. When they hire me, they have expectations that my work, the work I'm quite passionate about, will consistently deliver results that will help them achieve their passion, i.e., make money. That means I might have to forget, for a time, a photographic style I might be most passionate about and adopt a style that will help them, through my efforts, achieve their goals.

Some might see that as "copping out" or as compromising artistic integrity. It probably is just that... to varying degrees.

To those who refuse to compromise, I can only wish I had the luxury to pursue photography purely as an art or a hobby. (Pure artists and hobbyists have no need to compromise.) Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury. I make my living with cameras in my hands. That means I must, at times, compromise. Leastwise, if I want to continue making a living this way. And I generally compromise with passion. Passionately compromising might seem a bizarre way to look at it but it works. Leastwise, it's often worked for me.

Whenever I show up on a set, I'm always prepared to compromise. I always check my ego (at least a big chunk of it) at the door. Another way to look at this, other than compromising, is I'm always prepared to adapt. Adapting goes beyond accommodating the limitations of environments and gear and subjects. Adapting is also about accommodating the needs and expectations of the client, no matter how far removed those needs and expectations might be from my style and personal passion. I think I said that in my first article on this "Be Prepared" subject: Always be prepared to adapt.

None of this is to say I don't share ideas with clients if I think I have a way to accommodate their needs and expectations within the framework of my personal style. I do that regularly. Sometimes, the client recognizes the value of that input. Sometimes, they don't. When they don't, well, that's why I always check as big a part of my ego as possible at the door.

After all, the customer is always right: Even when they're wrong.

The gratuitious eye-candy at the top is Paola. She hails from Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. So I guess she's the Girl from Ipanema or a girl from Ipanema, just like in the song.