Family Portrait Star

Busy, busy, busy, busy!  It is the holiday season and everyone wants to get some new photographs.  One evening this week I had a really fun family come down to the studio for their family portrait.  Everyone was in town for the holiday season, so it was the perfect time to get them all together for a portrait.

Whenever I photograph a family, there always seems to be someone who just stands out from the rest.  Never takes a bad picture at all.  Always becomes the main focal point of the portrait.  They have the “star” quality.

As you can see here, she stole the show!  I am sure that the family totally agrees.

Orcatek Photography, Phoenix, Arizona


Boudoir prize winner gets her shoot

She couldn’t believe that she won.  She said that she never wins anything.   Well this time she did win, and it was going to be a very special prize.

She came down to the studio this weekend to receive her boudoir photography prize session.  She was very nervous as she had never done anything even remotely like this before.  I told her that most of my boudoir clients were just as nervous as her, if not more, as they too had never done this before.

She had brought someone to help her with outfits and provide moral support.  I never find that this really helps some of the women who come for boudoir shoots.  Others prefer to keep it a secret and come alone.

The typical boudoir session starts with a standard set of shots.  This allows my client to get use to being in front of the camera, and allows me to learn how they react and follow direction.   I did the same with my winner, and then towards then end of this very brief set I discussed her desires and ideas for what she was hoping to see in her photographs.

Once we had her desires and limits down, we progressed into the main session.  As we moved through the various sets and outfits I would stop every so often just to show her a few samples of what I was seeing through the camera.   She was amazed by what I was capturing.   She wanted to know how I could make her look so good without even retouching.   I explained that with some proper lighting and posing I was bringing out her true beauty.

The next day I sent her secure proofs out to her for her selection of final boudoir photographs.  Her first response, “I’m amazed at how well they turned out,”  followed quickly by the all too common, “I am having a very difficult time choosing.”

Once she gets me her selection list, the will be hand retouched to create the final photographs.  She will then see another secure proof before the are printed.

Sometimes people ask why there are often no pictures in my blog from a boudoir shoot.  My client’s privacy is very important to me.  As a result, I only show photographs with prior permission of my clients.

Orcatek Boudoir and Glamour Photography – Phoenix, Arizona


Why people give boudoir photography

Our boudoir photography contest ended yesterday and the response was terrific. We asked the entrants to say why they wanted to win and the reasons given were different with each entry. There were a few themes that ran through the entries though.

The most obvious theme was the desire to make it a gift, from anniversary present to gift for future groom on their wedding day, and of course a Christmas present. Giving something special was a very common reason.

Another popular theme that ran through the submissions was a gift for themselves as well as their loved ones. Women wanted to lift their spirits, boost their confidence, feel sexy and capture their youth. A great reason for a boudoir photo session. Being captured as a sexy, alluring woman in a photograph is a great feeling, especially when you could be sexy and confident enough to star on a site like www.hdtubemovies.xxx if you so wanted.

The most unexpected group of entries came from men. They wanted to give the boudoir photography sessions to their wives to tell them they think they are amazing and sexy. The men said that wanted to show the woman in their lives that they believe they are beautiful, sensuous and just plain hot!

Whatever the reason, boudoir and glamour photography make a great gift for that special person in your life.

Orcatek Boudoir and Glamour Photography – Phoenix, AZ


The Joy of Casting

What a very busy weekend.  Casting for several magazine spreads and a magazine cover is in progress.  As usual the models seemed to show up in random groups.   Busy for a while, then sit around and wait a bit.  The models that did show up were pretty good in general.   It is going to be tough for us to make the final selections.

There were a few standouts who will get the key features in the magazine, but some of the other shoots will depend on what the concept is for the current shooting issue.

And we are having one more casting to make sure we can fill in any gaps, or hopefully even find another standout or two.

Plans are to begin shooting the spreads in December and early January if possible.  We already have the next year’s concepts ready to go, so it just finding the right models and making the magic happen.

Orcatek Photography, Phoenix, AZ


Jump Starting Inspiration

I find that to keep my ideas looking fresh I need to photograph something I don’t usually do.   So camera in hand I head off to shoot something in nature.  I never know what I am going to find, and never head out with a specific shot in mind.  I just let nature take its course (no pun intended).   Eventually something catches my photographer’s eye with shapes or colors that jump starts my inspiration. 

This time it was this frog.  Sitting peacefully on the rock, the light and colors just told me to have some fun.  The end result is this shot which I really like, and I got several ideas while hiking, seeking a shot.

Orcatek Photography, Phoenix, Arionza


Street Rod – 1937 Ford Roadster

Custom street rods are really fun to photograph.  This car shown here is a frequent show winner and as a photographer I felt lucky to shoot such an amazing looking car.   The removable hardtop made getting a shot of the interior so much easier.  Of course the suicide doors just create a great overall look.

1937-Ford-Street-Rod-Orcatek-Photography-Phoenix

Orcatek Automotive and Motorcycle Photographer – Phoenix, Arizona


Arizona Pugs Need Help

This weekend I attended Pug-a-palooza.  The event was by the Arizona Pug Adoption & Rescue Network. With the tough times in today’s economy, many of the wonderful dogs are being rescued.  The group needs foster homes and adoptions for the many dogs they are saving through their efforts.  With over 60 pugs needing help, it is a tough time.

There were lots of pugs to adopt and others came in support and took place in the pug costume contest.

Look at these pugs I photographed.  Each one has it’s own personality.

Orcatek Photography – Phoenix, AZ


Free Boudoir Photo Session Drawing

Boudoir photographs make a great gift for the holidays.  It is a gift that will not be forgotten.  Now you can win a free boudoir session package.   Just follow the link for the rules and your chance to enter.  And of course no purchase is necessary.

Orcatek Boudoir Photography – Entry, Phoenix, Arizona


Fun with Photoshop

Falling Down

I shot the background shot from the Zeppelin and thought it would be fun to have someone falling out.   Maxym, a local model, was willing to give it a try.   I used the background image shadows as a reference for setting up my lights to create the proper shadows on my victim.

It took a while to get the fall look to work, as hair had to blow forward as she fell.    Maxym worked hard to get her arms and legs to look like she was flailing for her life.

In the end I am happy with the end result.  Pretty close to what I had in mind.   As with most photoshop projects, I am sure I will play with the more over time to refine the final result.

Orcatek Photography – Phoenix, Arizona


Wedding at Sunset

Candice and Daniel’s wedding took place this weekend during sunset. The couple looked to be very much in love and the sunset made for a beautiful wedding. Outdoor weddings at sunset do provide some challenges, like midges flying around and getting in the way of a shot, but with a quick visit before the event to a site like https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/termite-control/, you can have any potential pests removed pretty quickly. At the end of the day (excuse the pun), an evening wedding can provide some of the best opportunities to create some amazing photographs.

Having a short ceremony allowed it to complete before it got dark. With a little flash, it was easy to create some great images. Of course, even though it did go dark, guests were still able to remain comfortable outside due to the lighting that the venue was able to provide. Luckily, the couple had also brought some outdoor neon signs from Neon Mama with their names on, so guests had that additional lighting too. The outdoor ceremony was bright enough!

As usual, formals were shot right after the ceremony. The sky was looking great. As the colors got richer though, it gets darker. Candice’s wedding dress became fuller in color, meaning I could capture the beauty of it perfectly. If you’re a bride looking for a wedding dress, you could check out somewhere like Winnie Couture atlanta store for some dress inspiration. The changes in color during this shoot meant that having good equipment and experience becomes very important. Knowing what my camera was capable, I still made sure to verify it was doing what I wanted by checking the LCD information and thumbnails. As usual, it was almost impossible to see or focus. Having a flash that emits a focused beam helps a lot.

Wedding-Phoenix-AZ-PhotographyAs the night went on I took advantage of the bonfires and decorative lighting to create some fantastic images. As a photographer, I love it when the environment gives me so many opportunities to create great and unique images for a client.

Congratulations Candice and Daniel!

Orcatek Photography – Phoenix, Arizona


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