Phoenix Photography – Orcatek

I photographed a lit bit of everything this week, which makes for a fun week.  As usual I got calls for headshots that were needed right away.  I usually can squeeze a session in same day if the client is flexible on time.

Several boudoir photography clients came in to create that special gift for the man in their lives.  One was a bride to be who wanted a bridal boudoir session to create a grooms gift.  Another was celebrating an anniversary.  And one was just about to turn 40 and wanted to get the photos done to celebrate.  It made for an amazing week.

Maternity photographs were also in high demand this week.  One of the lucky moms was going to have twins.  I’m looking forward to her return for her newborn photo session.

A new model came in to get some new photos for her portfolio.  She was just a beginner but was great fun to work with.

My new website for my photography workshops is finally available. Check it out.

I think I did all this week.   I had a ton of clients that needed headshots.  I meet the most interesting people that come in for their headshots.

Headshot

And what could be more fun for a photographer that shooting some newborn photos for a prior maternity photography client.   The parents are always so proud and happy to show me their beautiful babies.

Newborn baby is a handful

And of course there were plenty of boudoir photography clients too.  My favorite shot was this classic pose that Marilyn Monroe made famous.

Redhead in boudoir sheets

I will be teaching a fine art nude photography workshop March 14-16.  Be sure to call if interested.

Holiday season is a time photographs.  Family portraits are created for Christmas cards to send to everyone.  We want to share the changes in our family over the past year.  Maybe there is a new addition or maybe everyone just a year old and better looking!

Of course there is one of the favorite gifts, sexy boudoir photographs.   Read more about how boudoir makes a great gift here.

Another popular gift is photography lessons.  Maybe they are getting a new camera, and maybe they just want to learn to take better pictures.

Of course if you know someone who is expecting, a gift certificate for a maternity photo session is a great gift idea too.

E-mail me at special-offers@orcatek.com to get coupons just in time for the holidays!

I had an amazing array of clients over the past week.  I have numerous students take private photography lessons.   I really enjoying helping other photographers develop their photography skills.

An old friend from high school need senior portraits for her daughter.  We did a mix of location and studio shots.  It was fun to catch up while her daughter was changing outfits.

Also this week a shot a great deal time enjoying time as a pin-up photographer.   Pin-up is always a lot of fun for everyone involved.  Lots of laughing going on as we try to capture those flirty looks of classic pin-up.

I take the base photo from the shoot and convert it to an pin-up illustration using way too many steps in Photoshop.  I like the end result, so I will keep doing it.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.   I know I ate too much.

E-mail me at special-offers@orcatek.com to get coupons just in time for the holidays!

Most high end photography today is retouched.  The amount of retouching I do really depends on the type of photograph.  For example an actor’s headshot will get a retouch which just does a basic clean-up.  An actor needs to look like their headshot when they come to the casting.

Now for family and senior portraits the retouching can be a little bit heavier.  Some extra polish on the skin, removal of scars and softening of lines.

Of course the most retouching can be done for boudoir photos.   These photos are about fantasy and glamour.  So super smooth skin and even sometimes some digital plastic surgery all in line with creating that final look.

Great retouching makes the difference between a snapshot and a photograph.   Today retouching is done in Photoshop.   In the past it was done in the dark room.  Hollywood had teams of retouchers that would hand alter negatives of the stars to create the famous glamour photos.

Shot a wonderful actor named Nick Dee this week.  He need some new headshots to keep current.   We had a great time during the shoot and the resulting headshot photographs were just what he was looking for.  Here is one of the ones he went with.

Whenever an actor gets a set of headshots, they usually get a couple of variations.  A dramatic version and a more commercial version (smiling typically).    The proper look in  a headshot can make all the difference.

Some more of my boudoir photographs were published again this week.  It is always fun for a photographer to have your work recognized.  This series of shoots will be on newsstands in just a few day.  I can give a little peak at one of the photographs.

This series of boudoir photos was about being tasteful and sexy.  Elle was a great model for this shoot.  Keep an eye out for her, as I think we will be seeing a lot more of her in the future.

E-mail me at special-offers@orcatek.com to get coupons just in time for the holidays!

Creating a self-portrait is a learning experience for a photographer.  There are two key things I was reminded about making this portrait.

First, it is very important that I make sure that I make my clients feel comfortable.  Having no one to interact with made it hard for me to relax for the camera.  Once you relax, your photographs can begin to show the real you.   Music is a great way to set the mood for boudoir and modeling clients, so I tell them to bring their own if they would like.  And of course a steady stream of conversation.  It doesn’t really matter what you talk about, just something to keep the focus away from posing for the camera.

The second thing I learned was how hard it is to choose a photograph.   I went through and selected my ideas and then had my family make their selections.  It was interesting to see that they picked different photographs from me.  In fact they didn’t really care for my favorite.  It showed me how difficult it is for my clients to make decisions, and why they sometimes don’t choose the photos that I believe are some of the best.

Now I have developed some techniques in the studio for choosing the photos.   I have had several clients tell me how much easier it makes the choices.  Hopefully I will be able to find a way to put this process on-line for my clients.

Every photographer should create a self-portrait every once in a while.  It helps to put things back in focus.  (yes, cheesy photography pun.)

Busy week this week. Had fun maternity photography session, some headshots and couple of amazing boudoir photography sessions.

One of my favorite shoots this week was one with a young model named Jillian. She wanted some photographs to start her portfolio. She was very interested in creating a fashion look. Working with young models is always fun as you never know how they will be in front of the camera.

Some are shy and others are just bouncing off the wall with energy. Either way, my job as a photographer is to bring their personality out in the photographs and also push them in new directions to create a diverse modeling portfolio.

We shot both in studio and on location. We had to get an early start as summer is here and we don’t want to be outside much. Jillian was a trooper and we got some great outdoor shots. We then moved to the cool studio for the remainder of her shoot. Music and AC make for a fun shoot.

Later this week I am doing a shoot for Flashes of Hope, a great organization. Check back as you will want to read about this shoot.

Had a great week this week. A fun group of clients. Some amazing women came in for their boudoir photography sessions. Some future stars updated their actor headshots. A glowing mom to be got her maternity photographs done. And several models came in for updates to their portfolio.

One of those models was a young lady named Jonell who wanted a variety of looks for her portfolio. One of my favorite themes from her shoot was the rocker chick photo.

Creating a faux environment in the studio is always fun. Of course we had the stereo cranked up to create the proper mood.

Next week looks to be fun too. It’s great when your job let’s you have so much fun.

I had the chance to week to photograph a very fun young lady. We had a lot of fun creating different looks during her time in the studio. She is very interested in fashion, so we did some shots that you might find in a models portfolio.

As a photographer, I always love it when my clients aren’t afraid to be a bit silly as it often yields some amazing photography. Irena was one of the those girls who just had fun with it. Come back next week for some surprises.