Detroit Michigan Photographers

Detroit Fashion Photographers Mary DuPrie

Am I back… I think I might be.

Just bring Champagne and you’ll be on my good side.  It certainly brightens my night and especially my day.  Drinking champagne in the middle of the day for no damn reason is delicious.

I had my second Meetup last night, Photographing Models with Mary DuPrie Studios, and it went great.  About 20 people showed up; pros, semi pros and photographers who have never stepped into a studio.  They probably now think all studios look this sexy… not.

I had a call earlier in the day from someone I forgot to approve.  Jason wanted to know if he could still come and I said sure, why don’t you even come early.   Jason showed up with Champagne in hand, I knew I liked him!  He was now unknowingly the assistant for the evening.  His first time in a studio and he’s already assisting.  Lucky him.

The image above of Andrea was shot last night at my studio Meetup.  I’m sure the attendees appreciated such an elaborate setup.   Andrea is only 16  but I knew she could hold up as I’ve booked her in the past for my regular workshops.   Andrea is normally a commercial model and last night was her first attempt at more fashion/editorial style of moving.  I sent Andrea an image of the setup so she would know what type of wardrobe to bring.  Audrey, her mom, worked the fog machine and supplied the fabulous feather dress… thanks mom.  They also did her hair and makeup.

I want to show other photographers you can test and work on your book without professional hair and makeup.  Don’t let that stop you, I just keep it very simple.

The one glitch at the Meetup was tethering.  Some cameras just didn’t seem to work with my LCD TV.  The one thing I noticed when people were tethered is too much head room in their images.   For me I’ve  bought a set of replacement viewing screens for my camera and it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.  They were obnoxiously expensive at around $130 buckaroonies… ouch.

You could probably take out an existing screen and place  black tape on the top and bottom.  For me it’s really important to see the image the way I intend it to look.  Model images are 9″x12″ and I want the model to see the image as I intend it to be.  I’ve even blacked out the TV monitor to match my screen so the talent can see the crop of the final images.

A few people have asked why I have opened up my studio to Meetup and what do I expect to gain out of it.  My answer… just cuz.  There’s not much happening  on  Saturday night so why not bring the party to me,  I’m getting better at pingpong as an added bonus.  I don’t remember pingpong being so much fun, I actually build up a sweat.

“You can be criticized for what you put into a photograph, but you can’t be criticized for what you leave out.   When in doubt, leave it out”.

 

Detroit Michigan Photographers Mary DuPrie

 

4 comments category: Meetup,Photographing models,sets,Styling

1 frank t March 7, 2011 at 8:09 pm

Hi Mary

glad you are back up! Can you tell us why model images are 9×12? 3×4 ratio – is that common/standard?

thanks

-frank
frank t recently posted..Maternity and Family Portraits

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2 Les Howard March 7, 2011 at 11:39 am

I’d love to come to one of your meetups, Mary. Unfortunately, it’s a 6 hour drive each way. Maybe sometime in the spring or summer when I can combine it with something else like a trip to Point Pelee.
Les Howard recently posted..Winter Photography Tips- Part 1

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3 Keeze March 7, 2011 at 9:17 am

Mary you know I love you right! Where did u go? Thanks for the insight I really enjoy your Blogge I’m not always in reply but I’m always here to support and check out “what Mary Duprie has for us” so thanx for keeping me tuned into details I may have not considered as well as the lighter side of enjoying what we do. You’re always an inspiration – Keeze

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4 Jonathan March 7, 2011 at 2:01 am

Good to see you blogging again Mary, was missing my regular fix!

Out of all the photo blogs I read I always find yours very enjoyable, I like that you don’t just roll out technical detail after technical detail but give us a bit of an insight into “life” as a photographer and not just “here’s how I lit this image”.

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