Fine Art Photography by Los Angeles Photographer: Voltaire

Fine Art Photography by Los Angeles Photograper: Voltaire

Corinne Day Photographer, Made Kate Moss Famous, Gravely Ill

Corinne Day Photographer, made Kate Moss Famous ,Gravely Ill

Fashion Photographer Corinne Day, partially responsible for the meteoric success of Kate Moss is “gravely” ill. She was recently treated for a brain tumor in Arizona. Last year Kate Moss and friends helped to auction her prints to raise money to treat her disease.

Day has returned to the U.K. where she resides currently.

Our hearts go out to you Corinne.

How To Make Money With Your Camera.

How To Make Money With Your Camera.

With a little hard work and a creative eye, you can make money with your camera! Its time to get off your duff and get to work. Here are 5 tips for freelance photographers:

1. Get on the web. The world wide web and its many resources can provide a TON of exposure for photographers. There are dozens of photography blogs that give tips on how you can become a successful fashion photographer. This is just one such blog. You must also set up your own dot com on the web to maximize your exposure. Having your own website will help you to brand your identity. In this competitive market exposure is key to your success. The more people who are aware of your work, the more successful you become. Its that simple. So, if your not on the web stop procrastinating and get with the program. Use social networking sites like myspace, facebook and linkedin to further maximize your net prescence. Before you know it hundreds of people will instantly recognize your work and clients will enlist your services.

2. Stock Photography Agencies. There are many stock photo agencies that will represent your images. Your job is to figure out what they are looking for. This is a great venue to make some cash. Be unique and fresh in your approach. Some agencies include: Shutterstock, Istockphoto, Dreamstime and Fotolia. Google “stock photo agencies” and look under photographer submissions to find out how to turn a profit.

3. School Sporting Events. Parents love their children and parents love pictures of their children. Try your hand at photographing school sporting events. Upload the pictures online to a web gallery and then make your pitch. Be sure to take photographs of individual players and then group them together as a team. Many parents will buy from you. When you add up the numbers this will translate into several hundred dollars and is also a great way of getting your feet wet if you plan on pursuing sports photography. Make sure you frequent state and championship events. Also try:

a. Cheerleading squads
b. Homecoming events
c. Soccer, swimming, wrestling
d. Prom
e. Graduations
f. School plays, concerts, talent shows
g. Baseball, basketball and track meets

4. Photograph Local Events. There is plenty of activity going on at local events. Grab your camera and business cards and get out there and photograph them. Provide a web gallery and paypal link for your potential customers to make easy purchases. Some events include:

a. Art and craft shows
b. County fairs
c. Parades
d. Birthday parties
e. Concerts
f. Car shows
g. Plays and outdoor theater

Check your community calendar and weekly newspapers so you can plan ahead. Be sure to make plenty of business cards to hand to your new clients.

5. Take pictures of property. Real estate agents need quality pictures of properties in order to sell them successfully. Call them up and let them know your services are avail. Don’t forget to get in touch with builders, contractors and architects. Hone your skills and the money will flow in.

Those are just a few tips to help you on your way. For more info on how to make money with photography please read my blog:
How To Become A Successful Fashion Photographer
Photographers: How to land an agent
Fashion photography school: To go or no
My process of working with fashion models
Behind the scenes with Terry Richardson
The top 10 fashion poses of all time
Behind the scenes with Mario Testino
Get a modeling agent guerilla warfare style

Photography Internships – Los Angeles – Robert Voltaire Photography

If you are interested in becoming a photography intern with Robert Voltaire please email a letter to: robert@robertvoltaire.com

Photographers: How to land an agent
Fashion photography school: To go or no
My process of working with fashion models
Behind the scenes with Terry Richardson
The top 10 fashion poses of all time
Behind the scenes with Mario Testino
Get a modeling agent guerilla warfare style

Photographers – A good reason to get models to lie down for you:

Photographers – A good reason to get models to lie down for you:

Because it sells. It’s a no brainer. Of course if you are going to be savvy the picture has to be taken with flair, but in the upcoming advertising season there is a huge trend to pose models on their backs.

David Wolfe, creative director of the Donger Group, uses animal psychology to explain. “It’s obviously sexual. But the other thing I think of is animal psychology. Because I watch the Dog Whisperer. When dogs or cats lower themselves to make themselves seem submissive they are giving up their power and displaying a lack of aggression.”

Whatever the reason is the trend is a favorite among many top photographers and fashion designers. There’s Lara Stone shot by Steven Meisel for Louis Vitton, Georgia May Jagger for Versace by Mario Testino and Jac Jagaciak by David Sims for Calvin Klein.

So the next time your on set and out of ideas be calm and ask her to lie down for you. It may work wonders.

How to use your Nikon SB-800 to take amazing pictures.

How to use your Nikon SB-800 to take amazing pictures:

Below you will find another pic shot with the Nikon SB-800. For most of the pics I shot in Santorini and Athens Greece I used natural light. There were many white walls around that naturally bounced light up on Olga. With this particular shot, The sun was above and behind the model lighting most of the scene. I simply put my Nikon SB-800 on the hotshoe and set the camera to TTL mode. If you need a little more or a little less light use the + and – buttons to adjust accordingly.

You can find many more shots where I used the SB-800 in my fashion portfolio at:
Robert Voltaire Photography
and follow my blog “How to become a successful fashion photographer.”

Fashion Photographer Miami – Art Photography – Model with Alligator.

In October 2009 I took my second trip to Miami. Funny! Miami, Florida is a haven for photographers and somehow I managed to escape the charm of this beautiful city by the Atlantic. The weather was amazing and I worked with a few lovely models while I was there.

My reason for traveling to Miami was to shoot a swimwear campaign but I knew that I wanted to take some artistic photographs for my book. I wanted unforgettable images and came up with the idea (although I am sure it has been done a million times) of shooting a model with an alligator on her shoulders. I had no idea how to pull it off and I only had 1 day to do so. We had just a few hours to photograph this vision and it could not have gone smoother from start to finish.

I asked around Miami and a few locals suggested trying “Alligator Alley.” Alligator Alley. The thought sent shivers down my spine. I figured that the model would probably have to have a stuffed alligator on her shoulders and I told myself as long as I did not get in the swamp I would be ok. Guess what? I got in the swamp. And Summer, the model, had a live alligator on her shoulder.

I found Summer through a local modeling agency. I knew she was the right girl when she said, “Sure, I love alligators.” We drove around the region and finally found a spot on the side of the road where they had live baby alligators in a fish tank. Summer had to hold his jaw shut so she didn’t get her hand bit off. The rest is history.

Ps. The reason I got in the swamp was because I wanted the best angle. There were reeds in the picture otherwise. Yeah, i know, stupid. The alligator handler said, “Don’t worry, as long as I watch the water you’ll be ok. I’ll tell you if I see Bessie comin.” Special thanks to Trevor Godinho for assisting me on the shoot, being a great friend and videotaping me in the muck! Makeup by Stephanie Flores.

Fashion Photographer Mario Testino – 3 – Behind the Scenes.

Part 3 of 3. Behind the scenes with Mario Testino.

Fashion Photographer Mario Testino – 02 – Behind the scenes.

Video 2 with Mario Testino.

Behind the scenes with Mario Testino 03

Fashion Photographer Mario Testino – 01

Behind the scenes with Mario Testino. Video 1.