Oh You Can't Afford the Warhols

So it's been about a week since my Vegas trip, and it was a pretty great trip. I went down to shoot Valley of Fire for my "Of The Sky" project.

I went down by myself, so the first night I wandered the strip after dinner. I ended walking around the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. I was walking by a space and several Warhols caught my eye. I went in and realized it was an art gallery. I was surprised to because I hadn't expected a gallery in there. So I went in and started looking around.

After admiring the Warhols up front I found several pieces by Joan Miro. Super excited by the find I continued looking and turned the corner to find a Lichenstein on the wall. The look on my face must've been priceless because I was so stoked and surprised to find such great artists in a gallery in Vegas.

I was then approached by someone working in the gallery and told me about how some sticker would tell me if it's for sale or not. I then told him I was pretty sure I couldn't afford anything in the gallery and that I'd just come in to look around because the Warhols up front caught my eye. He then replied with "Oh you can't afford Warhol. But there are some great pieces for $1,200".

First off, rude. I just had to laugh to myself at how condescending that guy was. He wasn't wrong, truth be told I couldn't even afford the $1,200 pieces he'd suggested. But he didn't have to be such an ass about it.

Either way, great find.

The rest of the trip was great as well. Valley of Fire was fun, hiking around by myself. Although it was a little sketch to be alone so far out there, but it was nice to get away from everything.

While I was hiking around, I'd heard footsteps up head of me. I look up and there's a whole heard of bighorn rams standing there. They looked at me and I looked at them. We totally had an awkward moment. Deciding what the other was going to do. I stayed right where I was standing but lifted my camera and took some photos of them. And they then moved on their way.

Overall, great trip.

Here are the pieces I'd found in the Martin Martin Lawrence Art Gallery (yea that's its real name)
Warhol:

Miro:

Lichtenstein:

Let's Be Professional.

So I've been working on a pretty big project these last couple of weeks. And I've had the opportunity to work with some pretty great people. There have been 13 models that I've shot, plus working with a fabulous make up artist and costume designer.

There have been a wide variety of personalities and skill level I've been working with. Some models get in the studio with me and just get it done. They're fabulous. Everyone has a good sense of humor, and we're all laughing and having a good time while we work. They know what they're doing, take direction well. They make my job easier.

Then there have been models that I've worked that aren't as skilled, and maybe modeling isn't their calling. But that's ok. Because all of them have really friendly, and did the best to their abilities. And I appreciate that.

But today, I worked with a model, and I have never experienced working with someone so rude. My costumer and I drove 15 minutes to pick up in and then another 15 to take him back. During the shoot, he everything he said was laced with insult. Everything for this project, props & costumes, have either been made by me or my costumer. And he kept making comments about how the shield I'd made was less than acceptable. During the shoot, he didn't listen to a single thing I'd directed him to do. Anytime I'd have him do something, he would simply ignore it and do what he thought the pose should be. I got him out as soon as I could because I really didn't want to deal with him anymore. One the way back he'd asked that I stop at a convince store so he could grab something. So I did. What simply blew my mind was what happened when he got out of my car when we dropped him off. I pulled to a stop, and turned and said thanks for helping with the shoot. He opened the door and got out without saying a single word before I could finish saying thanks. Just got out & walked away without a single word.

In an industry where who know and your social networking are so important, acting like that towards another professional seems like a terrible idea. I will NEVER work with this model again. If he plans to make this a career, he can't possibly expect to go far burning bridges like this. If we cross paths in the future, I wouldn't book him, and I would tell everyone around me why. How could he possibly expect to have a solid chance at a career and be such a total dick.

Obviously, not everyone is going to get along. There are people I work with at my day job, as well as in my classes that I could do without. We all don't have to be best friends, but we DO need to be professional, and treat each other with respect.

As always, erinbeephotography.com
See you all next time!

Evidence

So, I've been thinking about my latest post. And it while I stand by everything I said, I feel I should provide examples (or evidence) for what I was talking about.

This is an image I consider to have a solid

composition. And pay special attention to                                                            
the horizon line. The building in the background is
straight and level.

Here is an image I found that needs some work.
Notice the door behind her. It isn't straight up and
down. It's obvious that it wasn't shot on a tripod.
And you don't need to shoot on one. But errors
like that need to be fixed in post before they're                                              
ever released for commercial use, the way
this one was.

Now lets move on to exposure. Here is an image that is WAY overexposed. The entire background blown out. There is zero detail. While I can make an argument that sometimes a photographer would want a background like this one. But her skin doesn't have any detail or pixel information. And in
portraits or fashion photography, skin is pretty
importants







This image would be an example of the

previsualization of having a background without                                                
any detail.



















Here is an image I think will example my point well.
It's a bright day at the beach and everything is extra

bright. BUT the viewer still has detail in the sand, as                                                  
well as in the white shirt.


















On the opposite end of overexposures. We have    

underexposures. This image I found examples images that are dark in the overall tone but still have detail in the darks. You can still see the stitching and texture of the jacket and you're able to see the detail in her hair. Her skin is exposed correctly. So technically, this shot is well executed.








Now here is an image that is underexposed.
There isn't any detail in the darkest parts, like                                                                
her shirt. And the only reason other dark areas
have the detail they have, is because they've
they've brought the brightness up in post. They've
brought the brightness up so high that they've now
introduced noise into the image as well. It's no
longer a smooth image, but it is now marked up
from the noise the edit has introduced.




I hope these examples have helped you understand my issue I talked about in the last post.
Until next time!
And as always check out erinbeephotography.com

The Cost of Good Photography

I have several friends that I've met in the photography department at school. And we often talk about how frustrating it is to sometimes find clients willing to pay what we're worth as a photographer.

It's beyond irritating to see photos people have put up online that they'd just had done. I then go through and pick out everything thats wrong with it. Bad lighting, spots are blown out, color correction is terrible, background and composition are not executed well. This are some of the issues I've seen with peoples portraits. Although some I've seen are really great, but those are the people who've found a good photographer.

Just because you have camera, it doesn't make you a photographer. 

I'm not saying that you have to have formal training to be a good photographer. But having a camera doesn't automatically make you one either. 

Several photo teachers have said that they have people who call the department looking for students to shoot their weddings. And they've all told them no, to pay the money for a professional. 

I realize that times are tough all around and money has to be stretched. But if your house is on fire, what are the first things you're going to grab for? Photographs. Everyone holds their photos at the top of their lists for things to save. Willing to stay in a burning building to save them. So why cheap out on creating them?

I'm also not saying you have to book me as a photographer (although you totally can). But don't just go with a friend that has a camera. 

Welcome!

Welcome to my very first blog post for Erin Bee Photography! I decided to create the blog in addition to my website to give my clients a little bit of a more personal connection to me as a photographer. If you got here through my website, thanks for checking it out and I hope to work with you in the very near future. If not, my website is erinbeephotography.com. Hope you enjoy what it has to offer!

Since we're just meeting I think it'd be good for me to share some of my favorite photographers. These are some of the artists that I look to for inspiration and admire them as professionals.

Russell James: Some of you make know him from his work with Victorias Secret. He also has a project he calls Nomad. His fashion photography is beyond beautiful. It's rare for me to see a piece of his and not think "THIS is why I became a photographer." More of his work can be found at russelljames.com

Next I give you Marilyn Minter. The gritty glam she shoots is fabulous! The glitter and dirt combination creates a look that unique to her. I get the feeling that these pictures were taken after a socialite had an epic night that took her to all kind of socially unacceptable places. More of Marilyn can be found at greenpinkcavier.com

Finally I offer you Pamela Hanson. I found her looking through posters at an outdoor sale, I fell in love instantly. Her work is sexy romantic. Pretty much every girls dream. Much of her work is black and white, which makes it even more alluring. pamelahanson.com

I hope I've introduced you to new photographers. And I hope they've given you a better idea of who I am as an artist.