Making Any Location Work.

Is it a shame when you see a pic at a killer location, like a auto scrap yard or an amazing rain forest or even Stonehenge and the pictures of a model in the midst of it all just suck? Usually it goes like this, and mind you - I was there as well less than a year ago:

1. OOOOOOOOO CHECK OUT THAT TREE!@!!!!@ONE1!11! ITS HUUUUGE!!! Gotta shoot there - Now (Calling up Nansy, a fun friend who could be a model at any given time of day, night and year, dressed or nude (love those friends!)

2. -Ok, ok, ok. Nansy - see that tree? Now... POSE!!

- Uhhm what, Misha?

- I said - Pose!!, Like... do something unusual! We don't want a usual tree shot, they are lame! There are tons of them on POTN and Flickr! :)

3. The girl stands next to the tree, you shoot with the widest lens and while tree is awesome, Nansy is a little bit out of place.

4. -Misha!! I love these photos, Nansy, would say in an hour! -

-Thanks, Nans! I know, I am THAT GOOD!

So... why does this happen over and over again with those who are just starting out and some more or less long term shooters?

It's because you (figurative) don't take your time and don't have a slightest thought about what you are seeing through your view finder. You rush into shooting and usually thinking about all the wrong things like:

Shoot! What lens is sharper in my kit for portraits?

Dang! I need an exact angle of the flash, otherwise it will suck.

Crap! What aperture do I use...

So. people. please. Do NOT think about these things before you have a shot in mind.

Learn how to compose first and this means - Grab your camera with your lens and SCOUT the freakin location. ANY LOCATION HAS A HUGE POTENTIAL. ANY. I'll give some examples later. It is all about how you train your brain to see. Look for unusual ways to see your location.

Crawl, Step on a ladder, lay on your back, jump up - but try to look for ideas that the location has already premade for you. Try to start from some obvious things. If there is a ladder - get a "on-the-ladder-shot", if there's a phone booth - ask your model to enter it and grab the phone.. stuff like this... THEN - take it a notch further. Here's a great way to think about this - if you have seen this done - don't shoot it. Sounds really difficult and it is even more difficult, since you can't imagine anything tha you don't know. So.. take those obvious shots and put your own spin on them.

Here's some ideas right off the bat:

-See a chair or five? Don't sit your model on them - toss them around, make the model throw them, freeze the action.

- See a car tire? Or even better? TIRES? build something from them, put them on top each other, play with the shape of the circle, pose your model to so the round shapes compliment him/her. (a model crawled around a tire could be a cool shot!)

I dunno... see a bus? Set it on fire! (oh ya this is the US, you can't do this here)

Getting arrested for settign a bus on fire? Ask the cops to pose! I mean... think outside the damn box!! (or prison cell) :)

anyway, you get the idea...

The next strategy is my favorite and it works very well when preparing a composed shot.

The strategy is simply called "Simplify everything". Check out the above shots - do i need to explain more?

By the way, this is my apartment complex. A great location for just about anything. Though, there are no shitty locations. There is not enough weed (experience) :)

By the way, the previous pool pics are shot just there and I'll use those pics just to explain things a little.

The first photo is an example of an unusual angle stuff that I just spent 10 minutes typing about. The diagonal lines by her face a shadows from the bystanding palm trees and I think they add some dynamic feel to the pic. The pose is already dynamic enough, almost forced and guess what - I try not to ever crop anything (why waste my precious pixels) I shoot with a shot in mind. Sometimes I don't know what I want, but I have a general idea.

The second shot is simplyfy example. We took a really busy BG and gave it some direction. The walls and the lines of concrete of the apartment complex are shot at an angle and makes the composition a little less "stable" and more dynamic. The angle of the models head is complimenting the lines (or vice versa). The lifesaver is the brightest spot, just for fun and to tell a little story. Also it serves as a "punch", an unusual and somewhat unexpected element which is not out of place, since there a pool there on the same visual plane.

This all sounds like some ultra nerdy stuff and I am a nerd. So forgive me. :)

Note - I don't think about all this bullshit when I shoot. Perhaps I do, but it is all subconsciously processed somehow. Also - I don't claim to be a genius at this, but I merely just try to answer some of the questions that I am being asked here and there by fellow shooters.

So... I know that by reading this theres no way in hell you can learn instantly, but I am hoping that this helps to gain some sense of direction and add the spirit of adventure and fun exploration in your photography.

Lastly - Submit your pics to mikhaylovphoto@gmail.com and I will give you some constructive criticism if you so require. I'll try to have some reviews every week since blogging became somewhat addicting :)

ok - go have a drink - it's Saturday! )