A Peek Behind The Storm
Q: Several Chambers of Commerce are attending the annual Mayor’s Luncheon and want to create memorable group photos with him. How can you make these portraits with LA’s Mayor Eric Garcetti extra special?
A: Let’s photograph the various groupings against a large, grey-seamless background, and we’ll use huge banks of strobes, to simulate daylight coming in through a window, stage left. Afterward I’ll composite the groupings, shot against grey, into studious library settings—to give them a regal/majestic feel.
Q: Can you make our dealership stand out from the background? We’d like to use it as a backdrop for client portraits with their new vehicles—months before their cars are built and delivered from Italy.
A: Sure; and how about we also composite slot-car tracks into the street, leading right into the dealership.
Q: Is professional photo re-touching worth the extra cost? Can it make my earrings sparkle, or my smile more radiant?
A: Retouching is the single best tool photographers can use to make portraits come alive and achieve their true potential. Pro re-touchers can not only brighten smiles, earrings, eyes and teeth. They can adjust backgrounds to better complement the photograph. Or enhance hair & remove fly-aways, smooth skin & balance their tones. In addition to addressing other concerns to create portraits that look their very best.
Q: Wow. How did you find that serene-looking gorilla bathing in the stream?
A: Just closed my eyes and used a little imagination.
Q: Can you composite the crewman onto gangways in addition to adding engine-room lighting, smoke passes and foreground elements to make this motion-control model look like Titanic’s full-size engine room?
A: Sure; and how about re-inserting a slow push-in during the shot’s duration, to heighten dramatic effect. (See final feature shot below.)
