Portrait Wednesday: Pamela with LEDs
With Wordy Wednesdays running so many years I thought it was time for a change and inspired by Gary Bernstein’s 1988 book Burning Cold decided to see how many Wednesdays I could publish a different portrait of the same model, in this case Pamela Simpson. Over the next who knows how many weeks I’ll be show-casing a diff-erent image of her that was made over the five years I’ve work-ed with Pam showing her many, many...
Into the World of The Upside Down
“I like to turn things upside down, to watch pictures and situations from another perspective.”— Ursus Wehrli Today’s Rant by Joe Farace In the Netflix series Stranger Things, the “Upside Down” is an integral part of the plot but I’m not sure I understand its application to the world of portraiture. What I’m referring to in another trend (read “Trends in Portrait Photography”) I’ve noticed in portraits displayed on the Internet,...
Portrait Wednesdays: Madame Butterfly
“See, the night doth enfold us! See, all the world lies sleeping!” ― Giacomo Puccini With Wordy Wed-nesdays running so many years I thought it was time for a change and inspired by Gary Bern-stein’s 1988 book Burning Cold decided to see how many Wed-nesdays I could publish a different portrait of the same model, in this case Pamela Simpson. Over the next who-knows-how-many weeks I’ll be showcasing a different image of her...
Portrait Wednesdays: In The Pink
With Wordy Wednesdays running for so many years I thought it was time for a change and inspired by Gary Bernstein’s book Burning Cold decided to see how many Wednesdays I could publish a different portrait of the same model, in this case Pamela Simpson. Over the next who-knows-how-many Wed-nesdays I will be show-casing a different image of her that was made over the five years that I’ve photo-graphed Pam showing her many, many...
No Photoshop Please, We’re French
In 2009, French lawmakers proposed a law that photographs where a model— the key word is “model” not your aunt Sally—has been photoshopped be labeled as such. In 2017, that law is now going into effect. The BBC reports that the Photoshop rule does not apply to the removal of blemishes being or retouching to hair. France 24 reports that as of October 1, 2017, anyone who publishes a photo in which Photoshop is used to “either slim or...
Working with the Classics: Speedotron
“Remember that the person you are photographing is 50% of the portrait and you are the other 50%. You need the model as much as he or she needs you. If they don’t want to help you, it will be a very dull picture.”—Lord Patrick Lichfield Speedotron’s power pack and head systems are the studio lighting world’s equivalent of the American muscle car. They’re made in the USA, ruggedly built to take hard use, and powerful. The...
Shooting in Small Spaces
If you follow me on Instagram (@joefarace) you know that a few months ago, my basement was flooded damaging to my in-home studio. We’re in the final phase of repairs and when it’s completely finished I’ll do a video tour of the 11×15-foot shooting space. Shooting full-length poses in my home studio ±or any small shooting space—are a challenge. While large muslin backgrounds can be softly shaped to fit the available space, seamless...
