Category: Blog

Dating profile photography tips to help you get the images you want! In no particular order, here are 5 great tips to help you prepare for the ultimate dating profile photos.

1. Dress to impress!

Dress like you are going on a first date. If you are uncertain of an outfit, get a friend or family member give you some feedback. Never be afraid to ask for some advice from people you trust. If you are stuck for inspiration you can visit Pinterest for Men’s Style Inspiration. There is no one style that’s a sure hit with everyone. Everybody has their own individual styles and tastes. The same goes for a potential partner you are trying to attract.

There is no simple hack but there are some universal fashion traits that will ensure you don’t miss a step. For example, I often see young stylish men with great outfits and nice boots or shoes with no belt. If you are going to wear nice boots or shoes be sure to find a matching coloured belt.

If you think you might struggle with matching colours, you can copy looks from other stylists, or if you want to can explore colour with this fun colour-palette generator.

2. Smile, smile, smile!

man smiling

Smiling makes you seem more warm and friendly, and according to a 2012 study, it could even boost your perceived attractiveness. The study, published by Cognition & Emotion, found that attractiveness is strongly influenced by how intense a person’s smile appears. Researchers even found that a sunny smile could potentially compensate for relative unattractiveness.Best Life Online magazine

If you aren’t used to smiling or feeling a little self-conscious of your smile, you can practice in front of a mirror or even try it out and about in your local store. Personally, I always find it nice when I meet a stranger in public and we smile at each other. It’s quite rewarding and it seems very positively re-affirming. When I’m photographing a client, I try to keep it very personable. If my client is relaxed and feeling happy and in good company, the easier it is for them to smile and the easier it will be to get the best images.

3. Be yourself!

our image. If you have something you are trying to hide about yourself, then chances are the person you end up dating will see it. One of the main driving factors of date disappointment is people feeling fooled by others’ profile photos. If you carry a little bit of a beer belly, that’s fine, you might be surprised by how many people like that or don’t mind it. What’s worse is if you are posing holding it in and when your date meets you, you aren’t looking like your photo.

4. It’s OK if your image looks posed, professional or “staged.”

I get some concern that people don’t want the photos to look “too professional.” While I can emapathise with this concern, I have another perspective. In my experience, I think this concern comes from the remnants of their being some taboo (in the eyes of some) in paying dating profile photos. There are way more important metrics that people are thinking of than “is this photo professionally done?”

A good dating profile photo or set of photos should show a good, clear medium close-up or a close-up of your face and at least one full-body photo. Whether it’s professional or not, doesn’t matter. I always say that if someone was feeling self-conscious of using professional photos on their page that they can always say a friend who is a photographer took them. But mostly, nobody really cares. I do try get variety so some more candid style photos can be taken for good measure aswell.

5. Distracting backgrounds and unnecessary locations.

Dating profile photos are about you. It’s about selling who you are. Locations and backgrounds are not super-important if the photographer knows what they’re doing. In fact, in a good photo, the background is going to be super blurry. What matters is that the background isn’t distracting; text, signage, clutter, other distracting people, natural or environmental lines in the background image sticking out of the subject’s head. What you want is simple, clean backgrounds, even patterned backgrounds that aren’t too distracting. Mostly muted colours so your outfit pops.

Special bonus tip!

Use PhotoFeeler to get unbiased feedback from strangers on your images. Undecided on your best images for dating? You can get other PhotoFeeler users to rate your images.

These are only some simple basic suggestions to help you achieve the best dating profile photography. I can answer any further questions you might have pre-shoot.

video shoot

What’s the most important thing about music video production for a music video director? It’s not the swag! It’s not the nice cars or sweet locations. Is it the pre-production? I’m giving you 5 tips to arm you with the right knowledge to begin your music video process.

Given that music videos are usually small productions and can have a minimal or 1-man crew, I’m going to use ‘director’ and ‘cameraman’ interchangeably.

Tip 5. Keep it simple

Some of the best music videos out there are very simple videos and aren’t overly complicated. Oftentimes less is more. That’s not to say everything should be the same and in the same location. Sometimes a change of clothing can be more powerful than a change of location and vice versa. There are many ways to utilize and take advantage of one single location before you move on to the next. Make sure you’ve covered all angles and ideas before moving on to the next location/scene.

Also, the less complicated a video is the fewer fail points. An example is that if you want a sunny look with 6 locations on weekend, with 3 red cars as props, that’s just increasing the number of things that might fail and be out of our control. You’re relying on one or more sources to deliver 3 red cars, you’re relying on on sun and access to 6 locations. I like to plan videos based on the ‘worst’ possible outcome. So, that means planning for dull/overcast days (which are actually a blessing for videographers and photographers because the light is more consistent).

Tip 4. Smarter project notes and communication platforms

Planning a project is all well and good but when you do it on a phone call, WhatsApp or Instagram, there is no record or poor record of planned events. WhatsApp doesn’t have a search function to sift through messages, either does Instagram. Plan production by email because that way you and the director/videographer have a record of items agreed upon. Also, planning can take some time and there might be a good few messages. Being able to search them through your email provider is convenient.

Sending assets such as logos and big production ideas through WhatsApp puts more work on the editor to then send them from WhatsApp to email. It all gets a bit messy. Keep it clean, simple and communicate by email for production idea. WhatsApp is fine for quick contact outside of project management and arranging to meet.

man on laptop

Tip 3. Keep professional on set

I understand you are paying a director/videographer to produce your music video. But chatting with friends and extras on set can waste some valuable time – time you are paying for. I like to keep sets fun and have banter because I love doing this. Between scenes and takes there can be a lot of downtime as cameras are set, lighting corrected, lenses, batteries and cards change. It’s easy to chill and pick up your phone. But also it’s good to know when the put the phone down and be ready for when the camera needs to start rolling again.

Tip 2. Never rush or distract director/cameraman/videographer

As mentioned in Tip 3, there can be a lot of downtime in between takes and scenes. This is when the cameraman is checking settings as a good cameraman is shooting manually. This means when the light changes, all the camera settings change. They might be changing codecs and frames-per-second based on if they need to shoot slo-mo etc. The cameraman might also need to do a new white balance so the colours look correct. They might also need to change batteries, cards, backup up video files, figure out what lens will work best for the next scene etc. There are many things at once going through the head of a cameraman or director at any given time.

I find if it’s something important. just ask if you can speak with the cameraman/director when they have a free moment. That way you’ll have their undivided attention and ultimately it should work out better for you in the end.

Tip 1. Pre-production

Being a music video director, I can’t stress this enough. There are some people very willing to ask me to bring my camera and just wing it on the day. While you might get some interesting shots on the day, a huge amount of time will be wasted looking for that location, that good angle or that dope shot. Planning these events out beforehand will ensure you get the scenes you want to be done within a day. After all, if you are paying a videographer a daily rate, you want to get as much done in one or two days to keep costs down.

Think about clothing, colours of clothing and colour palettes, also think about background colours. For example, if you are shooting a mostly green/brown area like a forest, think about what colours would contrast well with that colour palette. Plan locations with times of the day. If you want low hanging sun for that golden hour effect, make sure you plan in advance the location for this. Remember, there is low hanging sun early-morning as well as late evening.


These are just general basic tips that can help you get the most from your music video production experience and get the best from your music video director. It’s not an in-depth look into how to do pre-production but it’s more for you think about it and come around the idea of it.

If you want to discuss a project you have, get in touch through the website. Try include as much detail as possible.

video shoot on a sunny beach

My journey began as a photographer graduating into the world of filmmaking and music video production in Dublin City. In this blog, I’d just like to talk a little bit about what inspired me to do so, my inspirations, some of the equipment I use and what I see for the future. If you are thinking of hiring me, this might offer you some insight into my story and journey to becoming a video music director.

Skills to pay the bills

photo of the musician, Selu, taken by Thomas Horvat
Model: Selu Photo by Thomas Horvat ©

There are many advantages to being a photographer first and then growing into videography. One of the advantages is having already developed a sharp eye for composition, lighting techniques and some colour theory. Other advantages include directing which I’ve learned snippets of from working with models. Photography skills definitely transfer and overlap with video but video and cinema is a much more complex and challenging pursuit. Once I was dealing with posed shots, be it in the studio or on location and with an element of control of at least a good portion of the shoot. I would say I would have 100% control of lighting and background in a studio setting and about 60% in an outdoor shoot (I can’t control the weather). But with video, there are so many moving parts and motion there is so much to consider. But it was these challenges that excited me.

Filmmaking and video production are all about trying to find solutions. Being on a film set is part-like participating in a giant team-building puzzle. There are only so many things you can prepare for but ultimately there will be many unforeseen challenges, compromises and issues that can arise. A good director will be able to make quick-thinking decisions to keep production moving while trying not to compromise the vision of the film.

MTV Generation

turntables
female model posing with a keyboard

I’m a child of MTV. Growing up in Dublin in the 90’s I was on a daily dose of music television videos. They were my world. Music videos are like this creative bit of escapism that you can lose yourself to. Oftentimes videos were surreal and theatrical. They rarely bored me and nearly always inspired me. But as a kid, I never thought it could be a thing to pursue. All signs in school pointed to doing typical 9-5 jobs. Being a director or pursuing such a dream didn’t seem feasible. Heck, I’m entirely convinced it’s feasible now. But I’m obsessed. I need this. I want this. I’m compelled to make music videos. Music video production is the only thing I want to do. I’ve written and directed my first short film.

Eventually, I would like to make a feature film. I think making music videos is a right of passage. Nearly all my favourite directors have cut their teeth as music video directors before graduating in to feature films and TV series. David Fincher, director of such films as; Mank, Zodiac, The Social Network, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, Seven and TV’s shows such as Mindhunter and House of Cards. He made his name doing music videos first. He directed Freedom by George Michael as well as Express Yourself and Vogue by Madonna. There is also the legendary Spike Jonze and Anton Corbijn who I speak about in my previous blog.

Spike Jonze famously is the main dancer in Fatboy Slim’s Praise You. The story behind that video is hilarious. After producing and directing a plethora of classic and hugely loved music videos for the likes of Björk, Beastie Boys and The Pharcyde and Jackass he went to direct the acclaimed Being John Malcovich (1999) and Her (2013).

New camera gear

6K cinema camera

Recently I just purchased my first cinema camera, the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro. I’ve always used my main photography camera (a good DSLR) to produce video. While this is fine for some music videos, some promos or documentary stuff, I now finally have a camera that has bit-depth capable of shooting raw footage. What does this mean? Well, simply, it means when it comes to colour grading my footage and getting that filmic, cinematic quality, I can do it. It allows me more freedom in post production. But with upgrading cameras comes with some challenges too. I need to upgrade a lot of other gear around it too. Stabilization is a factor, also storage (6K files are huge) and well as new battery power and being able to rig all these things together. All this gear should help me produce a better film. A better music video.

I’m confident I can deliver better music video production than ever before. All my cameras are now 4K capable, my DSLR and drone and my new camera is 6K. If you think you would like to discuss a project with me, a music video or promotional video for your business, please let me know. You can get in touch through our contact page and leave a number. I can call you or we can email.

Tinder and dating profile photography is a trend starting to emerge and I think it will become more popular in the future. They’re some of my favourite photoshoots to do. But why are they so popular? Who is getting them done?

Recently I put an advert up for dating profile photography as one of the services I offer. And, it’s becoming one of the main sources of work I get as a photographer in Dublin, Ireland. Some of my favourite photoshoots have been dating profile shoots. They’re wonderful one-to-one sessions where I feel I really connect with the client.  I’m not sure what it is exactly that makes it easy to deal with such a client but I have a hypothesis!

When I tell people I’m becoming an expert in dating profile photography they sometimes look at me with a startled expression.  It’s a relatively new concept. Our modern age is full of selfies and phones now have excellent cameras. Oftentimes I question my own relevance as a photographer! Why should anyone need a photographer when their mobile phone takes great images? While there’s some truth to be found exploring this question, the answer is really more complex and simple at the same time. One reason a photographer is relevant outside of the photographic skills of a photographer is of course objectivity. We’re bad at choosing our own photos!

photo of a woman on her phone

We don't see photos of ourselves the way others do

That’s right. We also don’t choose the most flattering images of ourselves. A recent scientific study published in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications called, “Choosing face: The curse of self in profile image selection” shows we don’t choose the best image of ourselves. Basically, participants were asked to choose their own best photo and strangers rated them based on traits such as attractiveness, trustworthiness, dominance, competence and confidence. The photos people chose of themselves were different than the photos deemed most flattering by strangers. 

I brought this topic up with a particularly friendly and engaging client. He said he uses photofeeler.com where your photos can be rated by strangers on the web. They’re rated by 3 metrics; competency, likability and influence. I think that is a superb way to get unbiased and objective feedback. I think it’s important as these dating apps are all based on immediate physical attributes. Before you even think to engage you are presented with swipe-right or swipe-left. Attractiveness is the first gate. So much hinges on the first impression based on appearance. 

Who are the men getting their dating profile photos taken?

couple kissing

In my experience, it’s only men that have come to me for this service. And I can only think it’s because, with conversations with women and my own observations, I think they get more attention than men do. There isn’t a need to really get ahead of the competition as they’re usually a steady stream of men, trying to connect with women. One video that comes to mind is this experiment where this woman, posed as an attractive man and still struggled to get dates. Her expectation would that it would easy because the gentleman whose images she was using is very handsome. However, the reality is so much different. In the YouTube comment section, top comment by user Guembo writes: 

“Dating for girls is like shopping. Dating for guys is like a job interview.”

It’s no surprise that it would be men that would avail of this service. But I also don’t think it’s a bad idea for women to engage in this service too. For now, it’s men. Young, very professional and very educated men. One commonality or trait among these men is that they seem very open to try new things. This makes sense, given Tinder, online dating and photography for online dating is all relatively new. I would say they’re tech-savvy, pro-active, self-starters. They want to give themselves the best opportunity and succeeding. Differentiating themselves from the crowd is perhaps a driving factor and motivator.  It’s probably why I enjoy so much photoshoots with this type of client. I find them to be mostly positive and open to new ideas. 
 

If you are interested in enquiring about getting your dating profile photos, please get in touch. 

info@kapturelab.com

beautiful model posing on couch with dog by her lab

I often get asked one question: What’s the process in a portrait session? Every photographer has their own workflow when it comes to managing portrait sessions with clients. In this blog post, I’ll aim to provide you with the general steps in what is involved and the order in which it happens and I’ll write in the context like it’s your journey.

Pre-shoot

Normally, I’ll discuss via email/phone what you wish to gain from your photos and how I can be of service to you. Next, we’ll decide on locations for photos (I don’t have my own studio but I do have access to rent one). However, with a whitish wall, and my mobile lights, I can make headshots look like a studio on location, at your office or home.

I can also offer some advice, from a practical point of view, such as what to wear, change of clothing etc.

The Shoot

The shoot can take 1-2 hours for a personal 1 to 1 session. I say 2 hours approx but I don’t mind spending a bit of extra time to get a broader range of usable photos (no extra charge*). Everyone is different and I try to gauge how the client is feeling through the whole process. Sometimes we get what we want in less than 2 hours, other times we both feel we can add some more to the selection. It’s usually better to be safe than sorry, so I err on the side of caution by taking as many photos as possible.

I have various locations I use locally to shoot portraits. Remember, you’ll be the main subject and the background mostly blurry and to compliment you. I’m flexible about where we can shoot. However, Dublin city centre and surrounding areas offer pretty much the full spectrum of outdoor needs. Also, we can find discreet places with fewer distractions of others walking past. I can accommodate some Sunday mornings for example when there’s little or no people about.

whats the process in a portrait session

Post Processing

Once the photos are done, I’ll cull the ones that absolutely can’t be used. These are photos where you might be blinking. Or, there’s a major technical flaw on my side such as flash not triggering, or light reflecting in an uncomplimentary way. The remaining images will be uploaded privately. I’ll give you a link and a password to access the photos. You’ll make a list of 15 images for me to edit. After I receive the list, I expect a one week turnaround time. It could be 3 days but I ask for a week.

I know you’ll be keen to have the photos as quickly as possible. For this reason, I do try to send one or two of my personal choices, edited for you on the day of the shoot. Now, they don’t come out of your choice of 15 images. Think of them as bonus images that you can use.

All images will be presented to you via online methods in large, hi-resolution as well as small, resized and optimized for the web. The latter you’ll use for online. But if you want large prints in future, you can use the large images.

I’ll use editing software to make standard, and realistic adjustments: contrast, colour-correction, tonal balance, brighten teeth, sharpen eyes. If you have special requests, I can do that too. Some clients might ask me to remove scars or marks. That’s no problem.

Payment

Payment of 50% of the fee on the day of the shoot, and the remaining paid on receipt of the final images.

Models: Nina Val and Selu

camera with film
why I returned to film photography, film photography, 35mm photography, canon

Digital cameras and DLSR’s are truly amazing. They’re fast, instant, they connect to WiFi, they’ll allow you to shoot in black and white or colour before going near Photoshop. So why am I even bothering with 35mm, analogue, film photography!?

It’s a good question. Why would anyone in their right mind return to endure this regressive, old, film technology? Before there was a time when digital cameras were still met with scepticism. The old “film feel” wasn’t there. The noise or grain of the images wasn’t the same as old film. But that’s not true of now. Digital photography has come so far, it’s really amazing.

Another thing lost to the digital world are the nostalgic rituals of a film photographer: The careful loading of film, making sure it’s clasped on to the camera’s spool that will wind and eventually hold on to some of your fondest memories. There’s also the lack instant image review. I don’t know how many times I stored film in the fridge only to have completely forgotten what was on the rolls. Or receiving prints back weeks after the I’ve taken the photo and actually forgetting a moment when I took a photo.

Warm, Fuzzy, Nostalgia

For it only takes less than a second to take a photo in the moment. And the time it takes for your brain to make that decision to the time your finger releases the shutter, even less than that. It’s a moment in time that’s gone in a flash, pardon the pun. So when you finally get around to get those rolls from last summer developed there’s always a nice surprise in there.

Each print is like a little trigger of nostalgia. Each time we’re taking photos, we’re usually in a happier moment. A camera usually comes out because whatever the moment is, we want it to keep going. We don’t want to forget it. Or we find beauty in things that we want to share with others. I certainly don’t recall ever having an argument with a friend or a loved one and feeling I wanted to take my camera out and take a picture of the moment! So when we collect our prints, there’s always a little excitement. A fond memory we can return to. A little jolt of nostalgia.

why I returned to film photography, film photography, 35mm photography, canon

More Than a Feeling

Film photography is a little more than feelings of nostalgia, and old rituals. As a photographer, there’s a real skill and discipline to be learned from using an old 35mm camera, particularly if a lot of the functions are manual. I’m lucky to have 2 35mm cameras. One is an old Canon AE-1 Program which dates back as far as 1981, when they were first produced and the other a more modern Canon EOS 300X. The 300X automatically winds the film once it’s loaded. It has many more modern features but the AE-1 is really manual.

Having to focus manually really means a level of time is needed to get the best shot. This compounded with the fact rolls of film can be relatively expensive, especially when with digital, you have unlimited attempts at a particular shot. You can always delete bad photos and retake them the best you can. With film there’s a element of pressure to get the photo right the first time.

The Lazy Photographer

With digital photography, it was easy to rely on taking as many images as possible and then taking the best one or two from bunch. And while this will always be the way for most photographers, I got a little lazy and reliant on this. Too much so. A little photographer’s “secret” is that we may take a 1000 photos to get one image. OK, 1:1000 usable:unusable ratio isn’t great, I might be exaggerating to make a point, but you get what I mean. I noticed I became reliant on shooting by numbers and knowing I’m bound to hit on something usable. This was absolutely lazy of me.

Somewhere down the line I got corrupted by this. So I decided to begin again. I returned to my first roots in photography. Although digital was in full swing when I began photography, I still got a 35mm camera as my first camera. I still have childhood memories of collecting holiday photos from the pharmacy. But I returned to 35mm photography.  

why I returned to film photography, film photography, 35mm photography, canon

A New Beginning

I picked up a relatively inexpensive Canon AE-1 Program. The first couple of rolls I burned through because I didn’t load the film correctly. It was about 12 years since I last loaded a fully manual film camera. What I learned is to be more patient. Wait for the moment. Pause to look. Pause to take in the air. Check settings. Re-check settings. Did, I mention check settings? Snap.

Knowing I spend nearly €5 on that roll of film, and that it may cost me another €9 or thereabouts to get prints, I realised that spending about €15 for every 36 frames of photos was going to be comparatively expensive, given that I can take 36 images on my digital camera in about 8 seconds for free. But there’s value in that €15 and I will make it cheaper as I’ll begin to process and then my own film which will bring the cost down to just the price of the roll of film. (more of that in February’s blog)

The Disciplined Photographer

Why I returned to film photography was the idea of slowing down and and returning to photography in a more manual, analogous way. Take the moment to observe, calculate and pre-plan. Yes, I still take “snaps” with the 35mm but overall, I’ve been more conscious of film speed, film types and manually focusing. Having to manually focus means that when I’m with my AE-1, I’m shooting more static objects and portraits. With the 300X, I’m able to take wider, quick images. But with not being able to see the images instantly, I’m making sure I’m giving more time to checking settings. I now take both cameras with me all the time. I find they really influenced and helped me with my digital photography.

I’m more aware of settings. Not that I wasn’t conscious before but my ability to resolve settings-related challenges is now speedier. In essence, I’m preparing quicker. I’m doing the calculations faster. I’ll still shoot 30gb or 50gb worth of images to pick only a handful of images but I find getting more usable images. I still have many images from one shoot, but now I have more quality images to choose from.

In February’s blog, I’ll showcase some of my film photography as well as how I save on scanning my own negatives as well as the advantages of digitising your film negatives.

2 of the most inspiring and influential filmmakers for me are Anton Corbijn and Spike Jonze.  I grew up on MTV and the surreal videos I watched there really imprinted on me a creative wonder and awe. Having these awesome visuals accompany my favourite pop music as kid sparked my desire for the beautiful, colourful things as well as an appreciation for striking monochromatic visuals. They’re two very different filmmakers but they’ve joined a the hip in my mind. They share that same space in my head. Those weird moments, gazing at the TV, trying to figure out what meaning I could take from their videos and decode some of the symbolism, some of which I’m still trying to work out.

Anton Corbijn 

If you never heard of Anton Corbijn(left), you probably have seen one of his photos or music videos. Corbijn is one of those creative forces that established his photography as much as his video work. Fans of U2 and Depeche Mode will know his work with those bands as they’ve had a long creative relationship spanning decades. From music videos to promotional photography as well as stage design for tours Corbijn has cemented his legacy with some of the most successful musicians of our time.

Influential

Corbijn has photographed iconically musical legends such as David Bowie, Tom Waits, Kurt Cobain, Nick Cave, Beck, Henry Rollins, Miles Davis, to name but a few. I once read that Corbijn was the man, you go to when you want to look like an icon. His music video roster is impressive too. Notably, he did a plethora of Depeche Mode videos including the videos for Personal Jesus, Walking in My Shoes, and Enjoy The Silence.  Nirvana’s Heart-Shaped Box, U2’s One as well as the masterful Liar by Rollin’s Band. He made his first feature film, Control based on the life of the late Ian Curtis of Joy Division to much acclaim. He also had worked with Joy Division earlier in his career.

His trademark black and white film style captured many imaginations for years now. It’s no wonder he’s working with the best and artists like Depeche Mode still want to work with him after 30+ years.  If you compare Nirvana’s Heart Shaped Box to Depeche Mode’s Walking in My Shoes, you can see the visual similarities and use of religious iconography.

Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze first captured my attention when I was a kid. He made a video for the Beastie Boy’s Sabotage. The video was a parody of the 70’s cop show. It was an iconic video at the time, getting lots of airplay on MTV.  Like many of his videos, they have a lovely poetic humour to them. Fatboy Slim’s video for Praise You comes to mind as well as Weapon of Choice.

In the video for Praise You, Jonze actually stars in it as the lead dancer. His humour really shines through in work from video to video. It’s a an usual, slightly oddball but often engaging kind of humour. In Weapon of Choice for Fatboy Slim he chose Christopher Walken to do this wonderful dance. It keeps up with a surreal dancing theme for the two Fatboy Slim videos he directed.

Other notable music videos he’s done was Bjork’s It’s Oh So Quiet. An excellent musical-style video that compliments the Bjork’s music so well.  There’s also Drop by The Pharcyde which saw excellent camera trickery where The Pharcyde learned to mime their rap song backwards. The final video is reversed giving this wonderfully mad and creatively striking video.

Inspiring

Da Funk by Daft Punk is another gem that will live fondly in many people’s hearts. That’s the video of an anthropomorphic dog adapting, navigating and adjusting to his new surroundings in New York City. It was one of those bizarre videos that I could watch over and over. I love New York City.  I also love people watching. Just watching this man-dog trying to maneuver New York City and trying to win the girl, was really compelling. Music fans will also remember the video for Weezer’s Buddy Holly.  That used state-of-the-art special effects and camera trickery to have Weezer perform in Al’s diner, in Happy Days.

Feature Films

Spike Jonze credited as being one of the creators of MTV’s Jackass.  He’s even appeared as himself in some of the episodes. He’s also directed produced and wrote for the big screen. Some of these films include Being John Malkovich (1999), Synecdoche New York (2008), Jackass trilogy and more recently Her (2013) which he wrote, directed and produced.

Both their mix of surrealism and colourful visual style as weaved his way into my sub-conscience. I’m sure his influence is carried around in my head today and possibly in my work in some way. Certainly, with some of the black and white images, Corbijn has sparked my love for high-contrast and grainy imagery.

The Challenge of Street Portraits & Street Photography

Street portraiture and street photography is often quite deceptively simple looking. One might easily think it’s just a matter of ‘right time, right place.’ And maybe there is some truth to that. More precisely, that is true but it’s just a tiny element that makes up a larger network of thinking and skill. The old saying goes “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” comes to mind.

It’s all well and good being there in the moment when something catches your eye but being experienced in doing that mental checklist is vital.

  • Am I framing correctly, and what do I want to convey?
  • Is my shutter speed slow enough to capture movement?
  • What aperture do I have?
  • Do I want to the background in focus or not?
  • Is my subject sharp?
  • Can I get the subject candidly?

paulatrojner_kapturelab_kapture_lab_dublin_3_2018

These are all questions that shoot through a photographer’s mind in a split second. In that “decisive moment” as Henri Cartier-Bresson so eloquently put it. It takes a lot of practice to have all these questions in the moment covered. It takes speed, courage and wit. Often times the photographer battles external factors. People dashing by, traffic, noise, street workers, commercial vehicles.

Now, think back to the quote… “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” The next time you see a photo, caught in the moment, think that the photographer is asking all those questions, battling with the light, the environment, the technology and the speed to get the right settings.

What he means is that knowing when to say “no” is almost a discipline and virtue in and of itself…

The wise and acclaimed street photographer, John Free says and I’m paraphrasing, “that it’s about not taking the photo as much as it is taking the photo.” What he means is that knowing when to say “no” is almost a discipline and virtue in and of itself. He has a technique a sort of code or standard he goes by when trying he decides to fire his shutter.

On his blog which I will link below, he calls this technique or exercises the “Challenge of Three that I designed for photographers to keep in shape….These three things must be either visible in the photograph or must be something that the photographer was thinking when the photo was made. The background, the foreground and their relation to the center of interest, must be established visually.”

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It is these challenges that have served well for John Free’s body of work. And you can see how challenging it is. If you read this article I challenge you to try Free’s challenge out. It’s fun and but very tricky.

Street portraiture is my favourite portraiture because it combines the element of street photography with elements of a constructed photoshoot. It’s outdoors, you have an interesting background and changing the light. It’s very challenging but in a good way.

Check out John Free’s blog here. 

© Photos by Kapture Lab

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Working with new photographers can be very exciting but also a little bit nerve-wracking. That’s why I made these 5 tips from a photographer’s point of view to help you feel more comfortable – quicker, and you can relax and give your 100%! These tips might be more useful to those starting off or are thinking of getting into modelling. Here are 5 Tips for Models Working With Photographers

Tip 1: Get to know your photographer!

It’s all well and good that you like each other’s work but how do you build a rapport that shines through in your work? Here are some tips models might find useful!

Well, before I work with my models, I like to know more about them. Artistically, what inspires them? What are their ambitions etc? I share a little about myself too. Goals, aspirations etc. This forms a bond.  On the day, when you meet, there’s a sense of comfort. There are more things to take about. The mood is more relaxed and the nerves are gone. I find most people willing to artistically collaborate on projects are usually easy to get on with anyway but it helps when there are fewer nerves and worries of first impressions.

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Tip 2: Have realistic expectations!

I love working with models. It’s a real chance to meet another creative person that has a passion for their work. There’s this collaboration between two different art forms. Unfortunately, some models might be unhappy with the results. They may not like an expression on their face, a particular pose or something (I’ll come back to that). Or, you agreed to do head and shoulder’s photos but then they may be upset there weren’t any full-body shots after. Or you shoot 100 photos but you only give them 5, which is normal (more on that later). Communication is key.

If it’s a Time For Portfolio (TFP) or perhaps a more collaborative shoot,  take the time to make sure that what you are agreeing to. Have a plan. Even if it’s a loose plan, it’s good to agree on terms of what the shoot may entail. A good photographer will try setting the right expectations for you. After all, it’s not fair for you as a model and the photographer if both of you leave not getting what you both hoped.

“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.” – Robert Frank


Tip 3. Have confidence in your photographer!

Most people don’t pick the most flattering pictures of themselves! It’s true! A study by psychologist, David White, found that people don’t choose the most flattering photos of themselves. We can’t view photos of ourselves the same way as strangers do, therefore we’re inclined to not actually pick the best photos of ourselves. This study got people to rate their own self-selected images (amounting to 12 per person) and then they got 160 strangers to rate the images. The self-selected images made less favourable impressions than the images chosen by strangers.

That’s not to say, everyone else is right and you are wrong. But bear in mind, that others might actually be good and choosing images of you that are most flattering.

You can read more about that study in this condensed blog post or if you are super nerdy, here’s the original study!

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Tip 4. “You took a bazillion photos, why am I only getting a few images back?”

This is pretty reasonable to think at first but there’s a good reason. Photographers are under a lot of pressure, battling with changing light, wind, environment, different lenses, flashes, directing as well as managing all their gear. A huge number of photos will be unusable or not to the standard the photographer desires. This shouldn’t be taken as your fault! Never think that. It’s all those things I mentioned! These unused photos usually don’t see the light of day. The temptation might be to ask the photographer to see the RAW files.  It’s OK to ask but don’t be surprised if the photographer says no.

Some photographers are OK with it but most, I know dislike giving RAW, unedited files out. It’s like asking a musician to hear the bad recordings before the ones that made it on the album. They’re unfinished, unusable and the photographer doesn’t have control of the RAWS once they get out there. You give the RAW files away and someone might do their own post-processing and it may be very different from the photographer’s style. Then, the photographer might still be attributed to the photo they took but don’t want to be associated with.

5. Tip 5: Have fun and be safe!

Most photographers are generally good people pursuing their passions just like models. Shoots can be challenging but it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and make the most of your time together!

Have fun! Don’t be afraid to enjoy yourself on the shoot but always be professional. Modelling is tough, but also very fun and rewarding. If you need to check your phone, make sure you do it on a break. The photographer might be checking some technical stuff but always be ready to start snapping again!  Get to know your photographer a bit more to help build rapport. Ask questions! Be curious! Stay safe! Have a laugh! 

Hope you enjoyed 5 Tips for Models Working With Photographers!