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...
Putting Your Best Face Forward
People’s faces are not symmetrical and most of us really do have a “good” and “bad” side that photographs better or worse than the other side. Experienced models know this and will only give you what they think is their best side but they can be wrong. That’s why it’s a good idea to shoot a few test shots and determine which side of their face looks best. Keep in mind any pose is lighting dependent, so what looks great under...
Tutorial Tuesday: Going Retro
If you ever you get stuck for ideas, a retro style or pose is always something that’s fun to try. Last Tuesday, I told you how I made ‘Old School Hollywood Portrait’ images and today it’s an playful homage to the kind of shots that the late Peter Gowland made during the 1950’s. I was fortunate to know Mr. Gowland late in his life and my book Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography is dedicated to Peter and...
