modern lifestyle portrait photography for families, children, individuals, and pets
Light is everything in image making terms but it can take years for us to understand light and more importantly to control it. But lighting needn’t be difficult or complicated and that is very much the basis for the teachings of lighting expert Neil van Niekirk. Neil’s ‘Tangents’ blog is packed with informative articles on…
I’m building up a really fantastic lineup of lenses for the OMD system which I’ve now fully integrated into the business, and I’ve enjoyed a couple of outings with the Panasonic 35-100 f2.8 and 100-300 f4-5.6. I’m a full-time professional portrait photographer, but my portraiture extends well beyond human beings. And if I’m lucky, I get…
Lindsey your photography is a delight. I was searching around for info on the Olympus OMD EM-5 and found myself here enjoying your artistry.
Are you using the OMD for your portraiture and if so,how are you finding it for skin tones?
Barry, what a wonderful surprise! It’s great to hear from you, you and I briefly spoke via e-mail several years back and your work remains as beautiful as ever. I have looked at your website many times over the years. Olympus colour is superb in my opinion and I suspect very well suited to your particular colour output. I certainly have no reservations whatsoever in using my OMD for people photography. The OMD white balance is very good indeed, it runs slightly cooler in the shade but it is also the easiest to adjust out of all of my cameras and never fails to give me a very pleasing result. It’s hard to find fault with it. And the lenses, superb for portraiture and wedding photography, particularly the PL25 f1.4, the 45 f1.8 and the 35-100 f2.8. If you’re daring the 75 f1.8 is a cracker. I look forward to hearing your opinion should you go ahead with your purchase.
Well, well, how interesting Lindsay; what a coincidence!
I’ve had an OMD for about three weeks. Last week I added the Panasonic 12-35 f2.8. So far I haven’t quite achieved the look I want, hence my searching around the Internet for insight. Three weeks with a new camera is no time at all for me really, so it’s very early days. More familiarity is required and I need to fine tune the post production. I’ve been using Olympus Viewer but I’m thinking ACR is giving better results.
The OMD probably won’t rival my D3s for high ISO so it may not be a wedding camera for me but certainly the lightweight, size, portability and image quality of this camera system is very appealing. Thank you for the heads up on the lenses and for sharing your thoughts on the OMD, it’s been very helpful.
Hi Barry, I do all my processing through Adobe Lightroom 4.3 and I find I can use all of my existing presets with the OMD. I quite often shoot JPEG with the OMD since the files are malleable with none of the highlights issues previously associated with first generation Micro 4/3 sensors. Adjusting the RAW files to taste is very easy but on the occasions you shoot JPEG I would recommend turning off the warming option in the menus. You can of course do further colour fine tuning in camera if you want to. I agree the OMD probably won’t be on par with a D3s on high ISO but using the Micro 4/3 fast primes will mitigate that somewhat and of course you have the advantage of having a bit of extra depth of field even at very wide apertures.
As many of you know I am currently, and very successfully, transferring most of our DSLR inventory to compact mirrorless systems, most notably the excellent Olympus OMD. Choosing a competent camera which suits your own individual needs is one thing, but I think we all know that what matters more is the availability and choice…
I can’t believe how quickly the last year has passed – our 2012 roundup is one of professional highs but also of personal challenges. And I really am glad to see the back of 2012 to be honest. It was quite a year in so many ways, wonderful and terrible in equal measure. It was…
I’ve been 12 years or so beating my often weary way through everything photographic on the Net, and you’re definitely one of a kind, Lindsay! Your overdrive is reaping rewards — and awards. Not everyone can be so focused (pardon the pun), articulate and highly professional while staying accessible. We know it’s best to be gracious up front, but I’d like to think there are times you can spit some fire in private!
I’m very sorry to hear you were so ill. Hopefully things are more manageable now. Putting your shoulder to the wheel isn’t easy alone, and isn’t ideal. It’s all a balancing act, isn’t it. I remember reading the words of a high-powered businessman who said he climbed the ladder to the very top and found there was nothing there.
But the craft of photography is a creative pleasure we can share. So keep up the good work, and thanks for sharing it. Look after yourself throughout 2013.
Hi Samuel – what a lovely comment, thank you. And I’ll add that you’re a very good judge of character! Indeed, some regard me as a bit of a dragon, in part due to the slightly fluffy overly politically correct world we now live in, and partly due to the fact that I’m principled and passionate in my opinions. But yes, you are quite correct that publicly and professionally I can’t always say how I really feel! I agree life is one big balancing act, in some ways things get easier as we get older, but as we get older we also feel the pressures of time and the burden of how we’ll provide for ourselves in later years. It’s all horribly practical and we have to work harder to put the fun back into our existence. Unlike some areas of the business world, I think there are great things when one reaches the top of the photographic ladder, many more doors open as the journey progresses and we meet people we could not otherwise hope to encounter. And of course the photographic journey is never-ending, the ladder is as long as we want it to be. You too look after yourself throughout the coming year Samuel, and please continue to stay in touch, I always enjoy your contributions. Kind regards, Lindsay
Is there any point applying for a job in photography? This is often asked on the various photography forums and there are just as many (if not more) people who are hoping professional photographers will take them under their wing so that they can gain an insight into our world. The more experienced amongst you…
When I started covering the dog shows it was a nightmare trying to find someone to help out. I tried a couple of college leavers but had reliability issues and none of them had the practical skills I needed which were fairly similar to what you listed for your assistant. In the end Pete (my husband) helps me since I can trust him with the gear and more importantly he’s good with the dog owners and makes sure the paperwork is filled in properly. I have loads of school leavers saying they want work experience but who don’t see that the job isn’t about playing with the dogs! Totally understand where you’re coming from. Nat xx
Hi Nat, great to hear from you. I’m sure there are some responsible school leavers out there, the problem is they’re rarely equipped to carry out the practical tasks we need them to do. There is overwhelming evidence that social photography is an older persons profession, though I know some very good fashion photographers and contemporary portrait photographers in their early 30s. We get so many youngsters coming to us wanting advice on becoming professional photographers (almost always where pets and animals are concerned) when they leave college and it can be difficult to get the message across that taking pictures is a very small part of the job. And I can’t think of any pet photographers who just photograph pets and animals, virtually all of them need to supplement their business with people portraiture, weddings and corporate work. The mental resilience and business skill side of things is key and to be fair not many youngsters will be prepared to work 80 hours a week, every week. I think it’s a much healthier approach for them to carry on their photography at their own pace alongside a career which delivers a predictable and consistent income. Later in life there may be the opportunity to progress the photography if they want to. I’m saying this for the benefit of anyone reading these comments, since you and I finally went full time in our 40s (having been part time for a few years before that), with all of the advantages that normally brings.
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