You’ll Love Pie Charts!

Detroit Michigan People Photography by Mary DuPrie

So I totally got carried away on Skype tonight with Aurora V and missed my class reunion.  I didn’t remember until 11:30pm.   We both can gab.  First we start off typing with one another and then one of us figures out why don’t we just call!?  Dahh, and ofcourse that turns into screen sharing.  Our conversations are all over the place.  We talked about Portranet.com which looks great for beginner high school senior and portrait photographers.  She’s a member and says it’s been of great value to her.  Pricey, but she said it’s been totally worth it.  A no nonsense forum from a hard working pro photographer.

Lyndsey’s image is all window light and tri flector.  The hair light on the right is actually bounce off the mirror, one of my favorite ways to light hair.  Man oh man I use that mirrored screen a lot!  The great chair from the upholsterer down the hall is still hangin around the studio.  Yeah!

Another site she recommended was Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist, looks interesting.  My high brow response to her was David Thorne’s  www.27bslash6.com which has a huge cult following (he’s sarcastic, sardonic and a bit raunchy so be forewarned)  Check out his viral post Overdue Account and Party in Apartment 3

You’ll love Pie Charts!

The one area we started talking about is portrait photographers shooting comp cards.  Not an easy task.  I think portrait photographers have formulas they just can’t get away from.  One of the biggest differences is in the use of hair lights.  I tend not to like a bright top hair light (I think that look is somewhat out of fashion) and like  very low power on the sides.  I don’t really want to see the hair that much and have it compete with the face.  I want the hair to be subordinate to the face.

I use small gridded strips with neutral density gels  to cut down even more light.  I don’t like the light to blow out hair on headshots.  I even like no hair light at all for certain subjects and situations.  Some of my favorites are when models are standing in doorways, which gives you all frontal light with a small amount of ambient behind the them.  This look can be mimicked in the studio and is one of my favorite setups.  The image of Tyler above is kinda like the doorway look and that’s why I use  black flats in close to subtract light and add contrast to the sides of his face.

I should get Aurora V to do a guest post, she’s a wealth of information.

3 comments category: Headshots,Lighting,Photographing models

1 Aurora Vanderbosch October 10, 2010 at 11:41 am

HA–the Pie Chart references are KILLING me, Mary!!!! Too funny!!! XD (I can’t wait to share that one with Jack!)

As for the high school reunion–whoops! So sorry you missed that. (If it helps, I ignored not one, but two, phone calls from Jack, while we gabbed, and then had to call him up and apologize profusely, after we wrapped things up. I’m not sure if I helped matters, or made them worse, by recounting the highlights of our conversation to him. ;))

(I’m also laughing my head off at your substantially toned down, “I think that look is somewhat out of fashion”. You’re a riot! :))

As for guest posting…anytime, Girl. You know I always have a lot to say! 😉

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2 Dan October 10, 2010 at 9:10 am

OMG, Mary, Pie Charts is freekin’ hilarious…

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3 Mary DuPrie October 10, 2010 at 9:12 am

What timing Dan! I was just looking at your new website… Gorgeous

Such a nice balance of images. Congratulations

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