Assignment: Fashion Week runway photos

Madison Fashion Week was a fantastic production last night. Everyone really worked together to create an impressive runway show. I was lucky enough to shoot the event for the promotor and the images turned out nicely. The entire set is online at here

Print portfolio information for aspiring models

The standard print portfolio size for modeling is 9"x12". When setting up shoots with photographers remember to request 9"x12" high-resolution RGB .jpg files on CD for your book! If you don't ask specifically for that size and resolution you will not likely get images you can use for your print portfolio.

9"x12" prints are available online from Adoramapix. [link] The price is $2.99 per print and shipping is $5 regardless of how many you buy. It's easiest and cheapest to place a big order all at once since you can just upload everything in one sitting and pay for shipping once. Prints should arrive to your door in around seven days so order prints well in advance of your interviews. I can also create archival inkjet prints for your book with my Epson R1800 at the rate of $10 each.

The industry-standard portfolio is the Scuba available for $45 (phone them for shipping prices). [link] Ten pages should be enough, as each page is double-sided and can hold two prints. Itoya makes a budget portfolio for around $10. It's available from the University Bookstore or from Masco Art Supplies both in downtown Madison. If you're even considering visiting agencies in a major city, get the Scuba. One of the best articles written on the subject of creating your book is by Dan Hood on the ModelMayhem forums. [link] Dan gives excellent insight as to which shots to keep in your book and which shots to avoid.

Newmodels.com is also a great resource for information on the industry. [link] The site owner is a respected industry insider named Roger Talley who penned an informative book on the subject titled The Professional's Guide to Modeling.

Call for entries: IPA Lucie Awards

Call for Entries - Pilsner Urquell International Photography Awards 2008! Will You Be the Next Photographer of the Year?

Join the ranks of Massimo Mastrorillo, Gerd Ludwig, Jim Fiscus, Timothy White and Chris Frazer Smith and be crowned The International Photographer of the Year 2008. And for you non-professional shutterbugs, think about your career launching as the Discovery of the Year 2008. Aside from cash and cool prizes, winning translates into an incredible amount of exposure, especially if you accept the Lucie Award statue during our gala affair attended by some of the most important decision makers in photography.

Visit www.photoawards.com to get started...

Madison Fashion Week: April 23-25

I'm going to be one of the house photographers at the runway show at Madison Avenue on Saturday the 26th. Hope to see some of you there! Here is the schedule of events.

Wednesday, April 23
5:30-6:30 pm PANEL DISCUSSION: Careers in Fashion: Cardinal Bar, 418 E. Wilson St.

Thursday, April 24
6 pm WORKSHOP: Model Boot Camp: Johnny O’s, 620 University Ave.

Friday, April 25
6 pm WORKSHOP: Runway Ready Hair: Headlines Salon, 6803 University Ave.
8 pm SHOW: Bond Night – Martini’s & Menswear: Majestic Theater, 115 King St.
9 pm PARTY: Fashion Fridays: Cardinal Bar, 418 E. Wilson St.

Saturday, April 26
1 pm SHOW: Bubbly & Baubles Accessories Show: Crave Restaurant & Lounge, 201 W. Gorham St.
3 pm WORKSHOP: Celebrity Styling: Crave Restaurant & Lounge, 201 W. Gorham St.
9 pm SHOW: Womenswear Runway w/ Menswear Spotlight: Madison Avenue Nightclub, 624 University Ave.
11pm PARTY: Upgrade Saturdays: Madison Avenue Nightclub, 624 University Ave.
12 pm AWARDS: Model Competition Winners Announced: Madison Avenue Nightclub, 624 University Ave.

Web: www.madisonfashionweek.com

D-SLR camera body reviews

It’s important to think of the D-SLR kit as a system. The photos are only going to be as good as the lens and body permit. If you go buy a Canon Rebel, I personally do not recommend the kit lens. It is a $100 lens and you get what you pay for. Just budget for the camera and lens/es when choosing your system. For purposes of this review, I will be reviewing the camera body primarily. You’ll need to decide what lens will suit your own shooting style. I recommend glass that is f/2.8 or better. Yes, it’s expensive. But, there are deals to be found and a good, fast lens is key.

Do not buy into the megapixel race. It is far from the most important factor when buying a camera. Retailers would have you believe it is. Generally, the more pixels you cram into a small sensor the more noise you get. So an 8 or 10 megapixel sensor on a compact camera is overkill.

The Lumix, Sony and Pentax have shake-reduction technology built into the bodies. This is very useful, but those lenses for those camera are not as fast as I like. Canon and Nikon make lenses with stabilization.

Model: Canon EOS 5D (body only)
Price: $2100
Megapixels: 12.8
Lens: n/a
Lens mount: Canon EF
Crop factor: none
Notes: This is the camera I use and love. It uses a full-frame sensor which is the same size as a 35mm film negative. There is no crop factor, but you need to use high-quality lenses since the edge of the frame can get soft [focus] or darkened (vignetting). The wide ISO range goes from 50-3200. I have shot images at 3200 ISO that have been published and have an acceptable amount of noise. I’m sure the successor to this will be coming out soon and should be considered.

Model: Nikon D80
Price: around $720 (body only)
Megapixels: 10.2
Lens: n/a
Lens mount: Nikkor
Crop factor: 1.5x
Notes: This is a very nice camera body. Nikon also makes excellent glass so you’ll have a wide-array of lenses to choose from. The kit lens Nikon includes with the package is pretty good from what I hear.

Model: Canon Rebel XTi (EOS 400D)
Price: around $500 (body only)
Megapixels: 10.1
Lens: n/a
Mount: Canon EF
Crop factor: 1.6x
Notes: 10 megapixels is more than most people probably need. It takes a fast computer to work on the files in Photoshop. Nevertheless, it’s a great bargain and there are a ton of great Canon lenses to chose from. The kit lens is not worthy in my opinion. Go for either a high-quality zoom or a few fast prime (fixed focal-length) lenses. It’s old school, but that’s how I like to shoot whenever possible. The Canon 50mm lenses work fantastic (particularly on the 1.6x bodies for portraits).

Model: Pentax K20D
Price: around $1100 body only
Megapixels: 14.6
Lens mount: Pentax K-mount
Crop factor: 1.5x
Notes: shake reduction (built into the body), weather resistant body, dust removal system.

Model: Leica M8 (body only)
Price: $5500
Megapixels: 10.3
Lens mount: Leica M
Crop factor: 1.33x
Notes: This is a beautiful, compact machine. It’s not a D-SLR at all, but is actually a digital rangefinder. This style camera is much more difficult to use than a D-SLR and is for specialized usage, by photographers with discriminating taste. I have a technolust for this camera. High ISO not as good as some of its competitors. A fast 50mm lens is going to set you back at least $3200 and a 35mm f/1.4 $3900 but trust me, you'll want both.

Model: Nikon D300 DX
Price: $1300 (body only)
Megapixels: 12.3
Lens: n/a
Lens mount: Nikkor
Crop factor: 1.5
Notes: Magnesium alloy body, professional feature set. Very solid construction for the price. Self-cleaning sensor.

Model: Pentax K10D
Price: $775 body only
Megapixels: 10
Kit Lens: 18-55mm
Lens mount: Pentax K-mount
Crop factor: 1.5x
Notes: shake reduction, weather resistant body.

Model: Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 (body only)
Price: $570
Megapixels: 10
Lens mount: Sony Alpha, Minolta A-type
Crop factor: 1.5x
Notes: shake reduction, availability of Zeiss 24-120mm zoom

Dairyland Dolls team photo

Yesterday, I snapped a few team pics for the Dairyland Dolls who are the league's traveling team. One 640 w/s strobe on full power through large softbox. Canon 5D body with 16-35mm lens at f/9.0.

An older shot.

Some photos are just waiting to be taken. This is one of those times at the Inferno NIghtclub. I set my point-and-shoot on the counter and snapped this one in 2005. The vignetting and reflections were naturally occurring without the use of Photoshop. Since I could set the camera down I was able to use ISO 50 or 100 (my camera didn't record it in the EXIF data??).

Updated site...

Well it took me long enough. Just about a year for me to design my site like it should have been in the first place-with four photo sections. I won't go into the boring details about learning Flash and getting the thing functional, but it's a huge learning-curve and major pain in the neck.

Here's an image that nearly made it into the slideshow. Heck, it still might someday. It's Jenny Knoxville (on the left) jamming against a Minnesota Roller Girl up at the Roy Wilkinson Auditorium in Minneapolis. More of my Mad Rolllin' Dolls photos can be found on my Flicker Set.

Julia in the Great Hall

I've reworked this shot (in post-production) several times to get the color balance and sharpness right. It might not sound hard, but this was snapped at 640 ISO which is less than ideal. Here's my latest version. 50mm lens, one bounced Lowel Tota + available light.

Photographer's Forum 28th Annual Photography Contest

PHOTOGRAPHER'S FORUM MAGAZINE PRESENTS THE
28th Annual Spring Photography Contest
SPONSORED BY CANON
$4,000 in Cash Grants PLUS
Two Canon Cameras Awarded!

Enter online at at: www.PFMagazine.com

EARLY ENTRY Date: APRIL 21, 2008
Early entry fee is $3.95 per photo entered
(uploaded/postmarked on or before April 21, 2008)

FINAL ENTRY Date: MAY 12, 2008
Final entry fee is $4.95 per photo entered
(uploaded/postmarked on or before May 12, 2008)
Two Winners will receive the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI.

ENTRY GIFT:
2 FREE ISSUES OF PHOTOGRAPHER'S FORUM MAGAZINE. WINNING PHOTOS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE NOVEMBER 2008 ISSUE OF PHOTOGRAPHER'S FORUM MAGAZINE. ALL CONTEST FINALISTS WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE BEST OF PHOTOGRAPHY ANNUAL 2008.

Elite Model Management is looking for models...

FWD BULLETIN:

If you are interested send pix to 404 Park Avenue South, 9th Floor New York New York 10016 tel: (212) 529-9700 fax: (212) 475-0572 or email: info@elitemodel.com Please take the following shots: one headshot (face close-up) with a smile, one headshot without a smile, one full-length body shot, one 3/4 length body shot. Do not wear makeup. Keep your hair natural and away from face, do not pose, use a plain (preferably white) wall. Wear a two-piece swimsuit photographs can either be polaroids, snapshots or digital pictures. Notice: I am not affiliated with Elite.

Ford Models Milwaukee: Open Calls

Here are some open calls from the agency's website in case anyone is interested. Ford Models

Female models needed. Open Call. Saturday April 5th, 2008. 10am-2pm. Age 18-70. Size 8-20. Height: 5'1"-5'10". All ethnicities. Location: Ford Milwaukee, 807 N. Jefferson St. Suite 200. Milwaukee, WI 53202. Please bring one non-professional photo. No fee to participate.

Milwaukee Adult Division. Adult open call (ages 13 and up). Women 5'6" and taller, men 5'10" and taller. Every Thursday between 3pm-4pm. Location: Ford Milwaukee, 807 N. Jefferson St. Suite 200, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Please bring one non-professional photo. No fee to participate. Notice: I am not affiliated with Ford or any other agency.

Headshot of Emily

Here's a photo I snapped last summer for the model's fashion portfolio. I used a portable strobe, battery pack and softbox to accent the natural outdoor light (we were shooting in shadow). I certainly hope to work with Emily again in the future as I think she is very confident in front of the camera and has a great look for fashion! Photo © Copyright 2007, Timothy Hughes.

Old Pioneer Home

Canon G5 camera handheld, on a very cold day in the Kettle Moraine, Wisconsin area. I've reworked this image a few times and I hope to exhibit a print of it one day.