A woman can buy a car but that does not make her a race car driver. A man can by gauze, and bandages, but that does not make him a nurse. A kid can make a paper airplane but that does not make him a pilot. So just because someone has a camera, does not mean they are a photographer.
Taking “pictures” is easy. Simply look through the view finder, put the subject in the middle, and press down the shutter. Just like that you have created a happy snappy. Creating portraits of people or landscapes requires an understanding of design and composition. These are tools painters like Sargent used long before cameras were invented, that enabled an artist to lead the viewers eye into the image, then to the subject, and out.
Take the image of this boy below. The subject is in the left third of the frame, utilizing the rule of thirds. The sheen of the wave then a few beet further back the small wave on the shore are lines of repetition that guide your eye from the edge of the image to the boy. The rocks behind the boy form diagonal lines that help the eyes see the boy then move through the image to the background and out. The head is well under the horizon line which is at the top third of the portrait.
Our portraiture workshop starts with a general discussion about digital photography, then gets into styles of portraiture, equipment required such as portrait lens, flash, reflector, diffusors, soft box, & radio transmitters. Next comes posing. We show you how to make people look their best.
Then we go to the beach and make some portraits.
If interested in having professional portraits created while in Hawaii, check out Maui Photography
Looking for a gift for a friend or loved one, check out the fine art photography by Douglas J Hoffman.