A Sharp Photo - Living Statue Project

I am creating a series with primarily metallic bodypaint.  I want to showcase all bodies and shapes.  If you are interested in participating, email me at: asharpphoto13@gmail.com and I will explain the project in detail.  I look forward to working with you :).

body paint art Model: Alana

black photographs for sale

nude art

<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/body+paint" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">body paint art</a>


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A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them. body paint digital art for sale

A Sharp Photo - Backlighting

A fact of photography is that you are representing a 3 dimensional world on a 2 dimensional medium.  So, while you may think you are taking a picture of your dog, that tree, your daughter; you are actually photographing everything in front of, to the side of and behind your primary subject.  When you don't consider this, the image can come out differently than what you saw in your head.

Backlighting (just what it sounds like) is when there is a lot more light behind your subject than in front of or on your subject.  This is why when you take a photo on the beach or on a sunny day, everyone comes out dark.  The easy way to resolve this is to get more light onto your subject.  You can either (via camera settings) darken the background and use a flash on your subject or if you have a powerful enough light, just blast your subject until they are exposed properly.  But, backlighting isn't necessarily a bad thing if you know how to work it.  Here are some examples of how backlit photos can be beautiful.

Because the background is brighter than the subject, using camera settings to darken the background darkens the subject as well giving me a silhouette.  Notice the emphasis is on the shape making the image much more interesting.

You can also create a hi key image by having an extremely bright background and matching that light on the subject.

Lastly, you can blow out your background and 'properly' balance the light on your subject to essentially isolate your subject against the background.

So, be aware of your environment and your light.  If you know what you are doing, backlighting can be another tool in your toolbox.


Follow me on Instagram/Twitter: @asharpphoto
Website: www.asharpphoto.biz

A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

A Sharp Photo - What am I paying you for? Value vs. Price

One thing that many photographers (and entrepreneurs as well) deal with is disagreement from clients about cost.  Everyone can have a camera these days; phones, tablets and even some professional quality cameras are sold in the consumer market.  With this being the case, it can be difficult for people to pay someone to do what they believe they do already.  The difference between taking your own photos and hiring a photographer is probably akin to the difference between you driving to work and a stunt driver on a movie set.  While the tool may be similar, the knowledge that an expert has can yield a totally different finished product.

When the circumstances are optimal, most of us can take a good photo.  A cloudy day (yes, that's better than a sunny day for photography) shade, those things make the job easier.  But when things are less than ideal, you need an expert.  A pro will have the knowledge to overcome difficult situations and they normally have gear that you don't have to create beautiful images.  Weddings are a great example of when you need someone who really knows what they are doing.  Let's say the wedding is at noon on the beach.  That means that you have to know how to darken the background and simultaneously get that white dress bright without losing detail.  You may also have a reception that's normally dark and you need to have a way to create properly exposed pictures without that 'flash in the face' look.  If money were no object and you had 2 photographers to choose; one cost $10,000 and the other cost $250, which one would you choose?  Even if you hesitate on dropping $10K for wedding photography, you would at least compare the two, and I know I would ask myself why the other guy was charging so little.  Can you trust him to get the job done?  This day is important and I don't want to miss out on it because I took what seemed like a deal.

Photographers are doing much more than taking a picture, the goal is to create art.  You can go to a discount club or store and purchase an 8x10 for less than $3.  Knowing this, people balk at a photographer charging $50 for an 8x10 print.  Understand that you are not paying for photo paper or a canvas, you are paying for artistic vision.  That photographer saw something and nurtured it to immortalize a moment in time; that is what you are paying for.  When you look at a painting in a gallery that costs $1,000,000, its not the paint or the canvas or the wood or the metal that costs that much.  You pay for where that piece of art takes you, what it does to you, how it makes you feel.

So, you want to know what you are paying me for?  You are paying for my ability to portray who you are to the world.  You are paying for the fact that I educate you prior to the shoot so that you are ready and confident which makes you shine in front of my camera.  Lastly, you are paying for my ability to see you, really see you and how beautiful you are and reflect that back to you in my work.  That is what you are paying me for.


Follow me on Instagram/Twitter: @asharpphoto
Website: www.asharpphoto.biz


A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

A Sharp Photo tip - Macro Photography

I enjoy shooting people and photographing beautiful sweeping landscapes but there's something cool about getting up close.  There are things that we see everyday that fit in the palms of our hands that have intricate details that we miss because they are so small.  Macro photography allows us to take in those miniscule features and enjoy them.  There are many ways to get this done (the right way as well as the 'right now' way); lets talk about it.

With just what you have
Seriously, you can take the lens off of your camera (if you have a DSLR), turn it around, hold it in front of your camera and shoot.  Sounds crazy but it works.  Its very difficult and you need the hands of a surgeon (or at least you should have been expert level at Operation when you were a kid) to get a clear shot.  With practice and patience it can be fun to play with.  Of course, having your lens off invites the danger of getting dust on your sensor as well as potentially scratching your lens. 

For just a little more...
You can get a reversing ring for between $10 - $30.  Same concept as above but your lens is mounted onto your camera so it is easier to manage and your camera and lens are more protected.  Now when you do this, you lose the functionality of having your lens mounted the correct way (no autofocus, no control over aperture) and the back element of your lens is exposed.  So here is another solution.

Intermediate level
Enter the Macro extension tube which ranges from $15 (does not communicate with your camera) to $130 (plays well with your camera).  The way an extension tube works is it puts space between your camera and your lens enabling macro capability.  There is no glass so it doesn't distort the image at all.  The difference between the lower end tubes and the higher end is that the higher end tubes have electronics so your autofocus and aperture controls work so you are as close as you can be to having a legitimate macro lens.  Whereas the lower end extension tubes do not have electronics.  You have the stability but not the functionality.

The real deal
Actual macro lenses, there really isn't much to be said.  No fiddling, no working around, just the ability to get nice, close clear images.  The other thing to point out is that its just a lens.  So if you have a 100mm macro, you can shoot a portrait of a person or you can shoot a fly close up.  The exponential increase in image quality is matched by a big price tag.  These lenses can cost from a few hundred dollars up to a few thousand.  Of course, this is your best value all around but only you know if macro capability is that important for you.

A few tips for great macro image:

- Use a tripod, the more stable your camera, the sharper the image.
- Use live view, this way you can zoom in and verify the focus.
- Use a trigger release, this will minimize camera shake and if you use a wireless remote, it will nullify it all together.
- Use either off camera flash or continuous light.  Continuous light is best because you see what you'll get.

Happy hunting, its a small world!!!

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A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

A Sharp Photo tip - Three legs are better than two

Weekend before last I got to photograph the 2015 #curvenationexpo.  Fashion shows are fun but they can be grueling; nonstop action and tons of little moments from the models that you don't want to miss.  In order to frame the shots correctly, there should be some distance between you and the stage so you will likely need to shoot with a long lens.  Add to this mix, less than optimal lighting and limited options in terms of you setting up lighting and now you have to slow your shutter speed down (you want to keep your aperture at 5.6 or smaller so that the clothing has the most detail).  Handholding under these conditions for 2 hours or so is a recipe for disaster.

I was able to set up 2 lights so that was helpful.  I like to move around when I shoot and get different angles but I thought it was a great idea to bring tripod.  I pretty much shot the whole show at 70mm and 1/50 (the rule is your shutter speed shouldn't be less than your focal length when handholding, it is possible but difficult).  Furthermore, when I got home to process, all of the images were perfectly straight making my post work much easier.  So for my day to day, I dont really use a tripod but for events, I highly recommend it.

Follow me in Twitter/Instagram: @asharpphoto
Website: www.asharpphoto.com

Asia Marin

Devorah Story wearing Tia Lyn

Nikki Carter wearing Tia Lyn

sexy art

Lakesshia Slaughter-Allen

canvas prints

Dori Carter

A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

A Sharp Photo - Taking Good Selfies

I am a member of a business group on facebook and one of the members asked me about using selfies in an about page on a business site.  While I think best practice would be to hire a professional who is proficient in taking headshots, it is possible to get a great image yourself with a little effort and these tips.

- Phone cameras are normally 35mm and that isn't the best focal length for portraits. Because its so wide, you have to have it close to your face to get a headshot. When you do that, it distorts your features. So you'd be better served to shoot wider and crop in ( below the bust line or even waistline)

- An image on your website should invite people to you as opposed to just show them what you look like. Think of something that makes you smile or feel confident or feel helpful when you are taking a photograph and that will show in the photo.  Also, dress the part.  Wear something that you might wear to an interview or networking event or meeting.  Not only will this look good in the photo but it will affect how you carry yourself.

- Eyes tend to go to the brightest part of the photo so you want to make your face the brightest part of the photo. Because you are shooting with your phone, it isn't likely that you can control the light as much as you can with a camera so you have to choose an appropriate background to make this happen. Optimum would be you facing a window with a dark wall behind you.

- I don't often use my phone for photography but my understanding is that the rear camera is of higher quality than the front facing camera. You will get a sharper image if you place the camera on a stand (or prop it somehow), set the timer, get in place and take the image that way.

- Shoot it in portrait mode (vertical) and try to frame right at the top of your head to right underneath the neckline of your shirt.


Headshots are my wheelhouse so of course feel free to reach out to me.  If you are in the Central Florida area this weekend, I am working with Detour Entertainment Productions and doing a headshot special.  Contact the information on the flyer to book your slot.

Follow me in instagram and twitter: @asharpphoto
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A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

A Sharp Photo - Great Headshots

If you are an actor, you need a great headshot.  This is normally the first step for casting directors as they are trying to cast roles.  Your headshot gives the casting director a preliminary way to 'see' you in a given role.  But, other people in other lines of work can benefit from a stellar headshot as well.  If you own a business, this is how you can give new customers a glimpse of who you are.  If you use LinkedIn, a great headshot can grab the attention of someone who sees your profile.  A solid, natural looking headshot can even be beneficial on a dating site.  Here are a few tips to put your best face forward:

- Wardrobe
Make sure that your clothing is clean, pressed and in good repair.  While a headshot is generally head and shoulders, when you are well dressed or comfortably dressed from head to toe, it affects the way you carry yourself.  Stay away from busy patterns or trendy clothing as the image will become dated as styles change.

- Hair
Make sure your hair is styled prior to your session.  When you know you look good, you show it.

- Its all in your head
Its nigh impossible to show what happy/confident/friendly/trustworthy look like.  But, we can all feel those thoughts/emotions and when you genuinely feel them, they show up on your face.

If you live in the Orlando area, this is a great deal for you to take advantage of.  Call or email the information on the flyer to reserve your spot.











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A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them. 

A Sharp Photo at Studio 40 East

Last week I got to shoot at a new studio in Ocala, FL; Studio 40 East.  They had a 'Shootout' event.  The purpose of these is to generate publicity and interest for the studio and to allow local photographers and models to network.  It was pretty intimate, 7 photographers and 7 models and there was plenty of room to shoot.

I had a blast!  The studio has a room with different colored backdrops, a boudoir/bedroom set and the sales room is a great setting for shooting as well.  There is a hair and makeup room and a variety of strobes and modifiers.  Even the area outside of the studio is great for shooting.  Daniel Bray and Jennifer Lazos (the owners) were helpful, kind and knowledgeable. 

Not having a studio can sometimes be a stumbling block for new photographers, especially if you do racier work.  Its great to have a place like this in my backyard.  I look forward to doing more work at this swanky joint :).

Keith

 

Keturah

Megan

 

Pinky Paige

Rae Ann

 

 

A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

Twitter/Instagram: @asharpphoto
Facebook: www.facebook.com/asharpphoto13
www.asharpphoto.biz

A Change of Heart

So, for quite some time I'd been saying that I had no interest in photographing weddings.  I felt that they were too much work and I didn't know if I was up to the challenge.  Last month I photographed a small wedding for a friend in Orlando and I love it!  Because I was just doing a favor for a friend, I didn't fully equip like I normally would but things went really well.  I discovered (decided) that the pace of weddings isn't what scares me; its the potential to miss great moments that bothers me.  You have to know everything that's going on and be hyper-aware and that's before you get things technically correct with your camera.  But, all things considered, I actually enjoy doing weddings and I look forward to doing more.

Click here to see more of the DiGeorge wedding

Twitter: @asharpphoto
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A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.
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If at first you don't succeed...

Try, try again, right?  You keep trying because your goal is to succeed.  Too many of us get stuck in the 'try' phase.  I am in a few photography groups and I see photographers posting photos and asking what can be done to fix them.  Oftentimes, the answer is nothing; you need to go reshoot it.  Effort only matters to you; the only thing that matters to your audience/client is the finished product.

You don't care how much time, thought and effort I put into the meal; you really only care if its good.  Most times I come home from a session with 200 or so images; only 20 or so of them are great (and I don't want good, I want great!).  I am working on bettering my ratio as well as evolving my definition of great.  Don't get stuck at try, soldier on to success!!!

Out of 104 shots of these bees, I only used 2

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A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

To The Top!!!

No photos this week (maybe a few).  I didn't make time to do my P-52 but I have been working on something else.  My sister has been helping me beef up my website (www.asharpphoto.biz) and the goal is to work towards getting on the first page in Google when people search for a photographer in Central Florida.  She gave me 3 tasks:

1.)  Write out (yes, pen and paper) the format for my site.  Decide what areas of photography I will cover and make those headings.  If there are categories within those areas, make those sub headings.

2.)  Choose the photos I will use to represent those areas.  Better photos are more useful than more photos.

3.)  Write text for each page/section and add that to the website.  This may be the most important step because Google sees text much better than it sees photos.  When people search for you, Google looks for relevant text.  So I would need keywords that relate to; Central Florida, boudoir, headshots, photography and so on to be found and make it to that first page (angelic music plays).

I should be done by the end of this month so you will see some changes on my website :).  And I should be back on my P-52 next week :).

Twitter: asharpphoto
Facebook: www.facebook.com/asharpphoto13
Instagram: asharpphoto

I did do some boudoir work 2 weekends ago.

Enjoy!

A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

P52 - Week 6 - Patterns

I enjoy making compelling images out of things that don't seem interesting.  This comes from my days have learning photography but not always being able to get out of the house or not having a model to shoot.  I had to learn to make something worth looking at out of the things that were near me.

See more of my work at www.asharpphoto.biz

A Sharp Photo is a Central Florida based (Orlando to Ocala) photography company specializing in Actor/Corporate headshots, Film & TV Production photography, Boudoir, Portrait photography and Art.  Michae E. Allen started this company in 2012 and his aim is to use photography to show people the beauty in themselves and the world around them.

Flip mode

Last weekend I got to photograph the Competitive Edge Dance Company benefit show .  While boudoir is my niche, it was pretty cool!  It took a little bit to catch the rhythm (absolutely I meant the pun) but it was fun when I caught great moments.  The 'on the fly' aspect wasn't totally different than the work I do as a film production photographer.  I wasn't asked to shoot the event but I always want to do something new, something I haven't done before.  Plus, its nice to get out of Orlando/Ocala and be in a new place.

It was a little dark in the place so even with my faster lenses, I ended up needing a flash.  In the future, I'd love to have lights off camera off to the sides of the stage.  Even bouncing on camera flash can give you shadows behind your subject and I like to avoid that.  The best place to shoot is at the top of the center aisle and that spot was taken so I moved around the edges initially and at the end of the show, I sat on the aisle in the 3rd row.  That felt a little awkward because I didn't want to stand up and be in the way; missed a lot of shots due to heads and cell phones :).

I kept my shutter speed at about 1/200 but I should have shot some a little faster.  At 1/200, you still get motion blur if people are moving fast enough and that is cool.  The blur implies motion and allows the viewer to feel it.  A faster shutter speed (in conjunction with the flash) would have totally frozen the motion and that has its own impact.

Here are just a few of the images I was able to grab, enjoy!

See more of my work at www.asharpphoto.biz and follow me on Twitter/Instagram: @asharpphoto

P52 - Week 5 - Instruments

Yep, I started with my children's toy instruments; don't judge me.  But then I went to my church and I even asked if there was an instrument at my acting school, +Truthful Acting Studios  and they actually had a banjo.

As usual, I tried to find interesting ways to interpret the instruments.  Being visually captivated by the image was more important to me than being able to recognize the instrument.

Enjoy!

Toy Clarinet, making it black and white feels like #MoBettaBlues to me.

Who knew you could make a gyroscope out of tambourines

Isn't this the cutest little cello?

You can see more from this week at www.facebook/com/asharpphoto13
Also, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @ASharpPhoto

Work

Hard work.  Consistent, day in day out, never quitting work; that is the secret ingredient.  I've heard more than one great photographer say that people always want to know how they can achieve, get as far as the great ones in less time.  We live in this microwave society and we think that with enough money, with a short cut, with the right connections, we can get around time.  It can't be done.

Here's a secret, time is going to go by anyway so you may as well put in the work while its going by.  I am convinced that you can do anything you want to do as long as you are willing to put in the time and the work.  I've been searching and exploring with my camera since 2012 and I have a long way to go but 3 years puts me here.  Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years are the building blocks of greatness.

Day 3

Day 371

patterns art

Oh no, not again!!!

Ok, ok, ok, I did it again.  This week's theme was high heels and I couldn't get it done.  So, 2nd week in a row and I am figuring out that if the theme isn't something that I can control, I need to either plan ahead or do something different.  Hey, its a learning process.

But, I did do some fun stuff this past weekend.  Family (like everybody) was in town for the weekend so I photographed the event and I did group photos.  Let me give you a few tips:

- Maybe if you are shooting a group of 3 or so, people can intuitively figure out some great ways to pose. But over that, most folks have no idea; people stand too far apart, they stand in front of each other, they don't know where to look and the list goes on.  Be firm and clear when posing large groups, put everyone where you want them to be and don't shoot until you are ready. 

- Shoot multiple photos (people blink, they look away, they move) to make sure you get a great one. Never put all of your eggs in one basket.

- Face them away from the sun.  It almost makes sense in terms of light but when people are looking into the sun, they can't keep their eyes open.  Also, you get hard shadows from direct sunlight.

- Get the shot!  Don't worry about people getting annoyed or not wanting to do it; most of the time that is your own discomfort.  They know you are taking pictures of them so if you are clear, firm and making it fun, they will work with you.

- Never tell people to smile, make them laugh and then shoot as the laugh fades.  Laughing shots are great and the resulting smile will be genuine.

- Be prepared.  If people are coming over, you know they will be hugging as they come in, be ready to shoot that.  If there's birthday cake, get your stuff in place before they do the cake.  Also, if you want to shoot lit candles on a cake, you need to turn your flash off.  Be hypersensitive to what is going on around you so that you can catch tender moments.

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